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Revisited: A Musical Saturday Night In Vegas

14 Mar

Last Saturday night was music mania.  Besides being at music festivals I have never experienced so much live music in one night.  The night started across the street from Luxor where The Ting Tings and Cee Lo went back and forth rocking out as part of the Red Bull Sound Clash event.  Very cool concept and both acts ran the gamut on their hit songs as well as performing a handful of covers including The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go” and “Rock The Casbah.”    What was definitely the highlight of the night was watching the entire crowd go ballistic when Cee Lo ended the show with “Fuck You.”

From Sound Clash the race was on to make it over to the Cosmopolitan for The Strokes concert.  Thankfully they were 30 minutes late hitting the stage so I only missed the opener.    Playing their first show to support the new album, Angles, they sounded solid and definitely had all rocking the entire show (you could seriously feel the floor shaking throughout).   Being my first time seeing The Strokes live, they exceeded my expectations and put on one of those shows you’ll never forget.

Next up was racing downstairs to catch the last set of Foster the People over at Book & Stage.  Seriously those who were able to catch at least one of the eight sets they played over their four day stint, consider yourself lucky.  It was great to see how much fun the guys were having and exuding an energy that had the packed house appreciating what the next big thing were rocking out with.  While their EP featuring only three songs “Pumped Up Kicks,” “Houdini,” and “Helena Beat” sounded absolutely magical and have netted them sold out shows on their current tour, I can’t wait for the debut album TORCHES to drop in May. Look up the song “Kids” and you’ll know what to look forward to from the band that’s about to become the darlings of SXSW and Coachella.

After Foster The People it was time to take a hard left and hit up Marquee and the end of Kaskade’s set to keep the night of music going.

One Show Not To Miss This Weekend: Foster The People

10 Mar

Get off your couch, change your plans, don’t crawl into bed and get over to Book & Stage to see Foster The People at least one of the next three nights if not all three. Set times are 10 p.m. and midnight and we have FREE shows to see one of the fastest rising bands around.  To let you know how lucky we in Las Vegas are, their current tour (Vegas is stop #2) is practically sold out already and includes dates at SXSW and Coachella.

The only disappointment will be you not showing up to see the show.

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REVISITED: Ryan Shaw – 2 24 11 – Las Vegas – Plus Video Covering Bob Marley

25 Feb

Ryan Shaw was in one word last night, amazing.  What a performance he gave over his two sets in Las Vegas on Thursday night.  If you are in Sin City this weekend, no excuse to not go and see at least one set over the next two nights.  And if you’re worried you won’t know any of his music, have no fear as Ryan’s performance last night included a whole bunch of great covers including: Michael Jackson – “Man In The Mirror,” Janis Joplin – “Piece of My Heart,”   Bob Marley – “Redemption Song,” Stevie Wonder – “Superstition,” and Beatles – “Let It Be.”

The video is not great quality and the security guy kept getting in the way (I think he just wanted some face time) but give a listen to hear Ryan performing “Redemption Song.” Also apologies as I missed the first minute of the song.  Will try to get some better video this weekend.

REVISITED: The Black Keys – 2 20 11 – Las Vegas

21 Feb

Last week was a musical bonanza for me beginning and ending with the Black Keys.  Having not seen the guys live before, getting a chance to see them twice in seven days was quite a treat.  The first show was a corporate event so while it was a phenomenal show it was tame and all business.  I much preferred last night’s performance, full of energy and getting the chance to see a real rock show (something seems to be lost nowadays).  I was also mad excited as Big Boi was the opener last night and he definitely didn’t disappoint.  The 45 minute set featuring numerous Outkast classics and some off his highly acclaimed Sir Lucious Left Foot… The Son of Chico Dusty, Big Boi had the packed house bouncing their heads and breaking into several sing-a-longs during “B.O.B.,” “Ms. Jackson” and “I Like The Way You Move.”  Primed and ready for the Keys, it was fast paced and electric once Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney hit the stage.  Running through a gamut of tracks including “Chop and Change” and “Tighten Up,” I personally have to say my favorite of the night was hearing “Howlin’ For You” live.

At first I was skeptical of seeing them perform in a modified ballroom but it actually sounded good.  And check out the gallery of photos from last night’s show courtesy of Erik Kabik of Retna/ErikKabik.com.

My Thoughts On Some Of The GRAMMY Performances

14 Feb

The Grammy’s were well the Grammy’s, filled as usual with a ton of fantastic performances but I have to say that Mumford & Sons v. The Avett Brothers v. Bob Dylan was the highlight of the night for me.  Not only did M&S rock out on that tiny little rectangle of a stage that somehow didn’t break to perform “The Cave,” they cemented themselves as the next great band from the UK.  If 2010 was a huge step for the folk rock foursome in terms of crossing the pond and selling out small concert venues, 2011 is going to be one hell of a wild ride.  The Avett Brothers continue to amaze me and I dug their performance which gained steam midway through and probably netted them a ton more fans following.  And no matter how old Bob Dylan gets and how mumbled he may sound, I can never get enough of the musician who made me love music.

Also did Mick Jagger rock the Grammy’s or what?  His cover of Solomon Burke’s “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love” with Raphael Saadiq was sensational.  What a tribute it was, filled with energy and spunk that no doubt must have had Burke smiling down from up above.

Eminem, Rihanna, Dre I’d say was as you’d expect, a great, energetic performance but the real winner seems to be Skylar Grey who practically stole the show with her vocals on “I Need A Doctor.”  And you know what, I’m sure the Eminem, Dre and Alex da Kid are grinning from ear-to-ear knowing they just hit the jackpot yet again.

B.o.B, Bruno Mars and Janelle Monae – three of todays most talented definitely didn’t disappoint and 2011 should continue to be huge for all three.

Arcade Fire, wow!  The Suburbs propelled them to another level in 2010 and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the Canadians after their performances brought rock back to the Grammy’s.  My only question is did they know they were going to win that they were set to play a second song?  I hope not but just curious….

Cee Lo dressed as a ginormous parrot was a bit scary.  Was he trying to be Koko B. Ware?  The Gwyneth Paltrow part, did I miss something?  And The Muppets, loved them!

Drake and Rihanna was just ok.  Anyone else think it wasn’t that great?  I just wonder if Chris Brown was watching and what he must have been thinking about RiRi’s outfit.

Some other notes:

Trombone Shorty!  Let’s hope he gets his due eventually

The Aretha Franklin tribute was a nice touch

Props to Esperanza Spalding and her big win!

John Mayer, Norah Jones and Keith Urban paying tribute to Dolly Parton was pretty cool

How many times do we have to see Lady GaGa and Katy Perry perform at awards shows?  Talented they may be but again?

Barbra Streisand, would have been cool if Duck Sauce was a special guest during the performance.  Hey we can all dream, right?

Do J. Lo and Marc Anthony tell award producers we’ll only present if we appear together?

Can Lady Antebellum officially be considered not country since their crossover to mainstream is now cemented?

And one more note because I just can’t leave it out, what the heck was up with Puffy and his gold teef?

VIDEO: Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears – “I’m Broke” Live in Las Vegas

28 Jan

Video from their performance on January 27, 2010.  Enjoy!

REVISITED: Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears | 1 26 11 | Las Vegas

27 Jan

Last night was just as I expected, a funky good time with Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears. Over the course of three hours and two sets, the Austin, TX masters of music ran through their catalog of songs and let us in on a bunch of new tracks set for release on Scandalous as well as a couple covers.  Excited I am for both the new LP and to head on back to Book & Stage inside the Cosmopolitan this evening for Round II.

If it is any indication what you are in for the next three nights, to me this was really the first band to grace Book & Stage and treat it like a two set show with their song selection and demeanor.

See you tonight!

Social Distortion | 1 21 11 | House of Blues Las Vegas

22 Jan

Revisited: Playing That Mogul Music

10 Jan

I was going through some old stacks of papers, magazines and came across an article I kept from 2007 in The New York Times about DJ managers.  I was fascinated with this piece (thus why I kept it) and reread it last night still amazed at how the business side of DJs has evolved and taken off over the course of the past decade let alone in the four years since this article was written.  It’s an easy read and well worth the five minutes of your time.  Fascinating stuff and props to writer Lola Ogunnaike on a great story.

“Not long ago, the life of the average New York D.J. involved booking their own dates, toting crates of vinyl and, if all went well, taking home enough to chip away at the rent. These days top D.J.’s can command $50,000 or more a party and are just as likely to wind up in the gossip columns as are the young actresses they call their friends — while working parties for Fortune 500 companies or for wealthy hosts halfway across the world.”

Click here to read the complete article.

REVISITED: Mayer Hawthorne at The Cosmopolitan

20 Dec

Over the weekend I found myself returning to the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas to check out Mayer Hawthorne & The County performing at The Book & Stage.  First off let me just say that this may be the coolest thing that any hotel & casino has ever done, offer free live entertainment of bands that you would normally be paying at least $10-$40 to see.  At the same time I was on property to see Mayer Hawthorne do his thing, Nervo (smoking hot Australian sisters Liv and Mim) were performing just down the way at the Chandelier Bar and Beats Antique were performing at Bond and all you had to do was just show up to hear great music.

Back to Mayer Hawthorne; from the minute he took the stage, the energy in the lounge skyrocketed and a swarm of people from the casino floor started building around the venue.   His soul sounds  were captivating as he pumped out an hour set filled with his hits, “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out” and “Maybe So, Maybe No” as well as handful of covers including Snoop Dogg’s “Gangsta Luv” and The Isley Brothers’ “Work To Do.”  Overall it was easily the best free lounge entertainment I’ve experienced in Las Vegas and hopefully Hawthorne will return soon as his sound and energy were a perfect fit.

Also I’m really stoked about a handful of acts Cosmopolitan has booked in January including Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears (January 26-29), Fitz & The Tantrums (January 13-16) and Best Coast (January 5-8).  Four night runs at The Book & Stage and all non-ticketed events so just show up and you’re golden.

Here are a few photos from the show, next time I’ll bring a real camera to snap some quality images.