No need to head to Coachella if you live in Las Vegas as plenty of the musicians have/are making pit stops in the neon desert. Last night it was cold and wet after an afternoon turned evening of rain but the show still went on as The Shins kicked off their 2012 U.S. tour outdoors at The Cosmopolitan’s Blvd. Pool.
Big thanks to Erik Kabik (www.erikkabik.com) for the photos from last evening.
I was hoping to get this up on the blog a lot sooner but ultimately it had to take a back seat for a little bit. In the last week I’ve had the chance to catch a few more great shows here in Las Vegas and last weekend I definitely hit both ends of the spectrum.
First up was David Gray at The Cosmopolitan last Friday. I’m a fan, think he has a remarkable voice, is quite the entertainer but I always imagined seeing him in either really intimate confines or at a venue like Tanglewood or the Hollywood Bowl. Overall it was a good show but man I can’t wait for the Cosmopolitan shows to return to the Boulevard Pool.
On Saturday night it was off to House of Blues for Die Antwoord. Even cooler was friend and great DJ, M!KE ATTACK opened for the trio and definitely set the tone for the evening. As for the South African group, I’ve always been intrigued by them and remember when “Enter The Ninja” came out and people thought it was a joke. Let me just get it out there, y’all need to see Die Antwoord live. Weird? Yes. Crazy? Yes. Awesome show, YES! I couldn’t believe how much fun I actually had. I am still at a loss for the exact words to describe this show but it was entertaining and turned into one gigantic party.
This past Tuesday it was back to House of Blues for The Kooks and I couldn’t be happier to finally get the chance to see the English indie rockers live. A solid crowd was on hand for a mid-week, all ages show and the fellas definitely delivered, tearing through a ton of material. Personally for me, hearing “Shine On” was the highlight of the evening and the show was by far my favorite of the last week.
Until next time….
David Gray photos courtesy of Erk Kabik at www.ErikKabik.com
Wow, wow, wow what a week of live music last week was. It was intense, fun, full of surprises and I got to see a few of my favorite bands/musicians.
Monday, Feb 13 – AG Jeans party at Marquee Nightclub with Foster The People. Having seen these guys six times previous in the last calendar year, I still don’t’ miss the chance to catch them live. With a powerhouse sound system and coming off their GRAMMY performance the evening before, it was a solid show and they added “Warrant” to the setlist after nixing it during their October gig at the Cosmo.
Tuesday, Feb. 14 – Out to support the buddies at CRSVR Las Vegas for a DJ Vice x Jason Markk shoe cleaning kit release party. The one and only DJ Fashen was on the decks as Vice played host for the evening.
Wednesday, Feb. 15 – As part of the Sports Illustrated Beauty & Beats Music Festival at The Cosmopolitan I was all giddy to finally see Delta Spirit live! Fantastic 90 minute set that culminated with a real life Animal House moment when lead singer, Matthew Vasquez jumped into the crowd and got everyone low before getting “a little bit louder now” and everyone jumping to their feet and Vasquez climbing on the bar to finish out the show.
Thursday, Feb. 16 – A continuation of the Beauty & Beats Music Festival this night with White Denim, a band I have been digging for some time and WOW can they jam! Can’t wait to see these guys at Bonnaroo. Following it was upstairs to catch the Black Lips before heading to PURE Nightclub for the final Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue soiree of the week where Bruno Mars took the stage and for 30 minutes with his band, played a mash-up melody of hits both old and new before finishing with two of his own songs.
Friday, Feb. 17 – Glam rock at its finest as The Darkness hot on their comeback trail rocked the House of Blues and reignited my love of this band. Justin Hawkins, my hat off to you.
Sunday, Feb. 19 – Look for my review in the upcoming issue of Vegas SEVEN, Lenny Kravitz show where not only did he serenade Muhammad Ali for his 70th birthday but he was joined by Quincy Jones as well as Slash and Joe Perry. Terrance Howard also made a brief appearance leading the crowd in a ‘Lenny’ chant during the encore break.
Phew, I’m exhausted just from writing this. Just another week in Vegas…..
ALL FOSTER THE PEOPLE IMAGES COURTESY OF OUR FRIEND Erik Kabik (© Erik Kabik/ erikkabik.com)
Last week I had the pleasure of attending a fun and energetic performance by Vintage Trouble over at Book & Stage inside The Cosmopolitan. See below for my review which appears in the February 16 issue of Vegas SEVEN.
On December 23 I had the pleasure of catching Allen Stone in concert out in Las Vegas and here is my review of the show as it appears in the January 5, 2012 issue of Vegas SEVEN. Hope this makes you want to see him live, I promise you won’t be disappointed.
To say I’m excited about tonight is a massive understatement. If you find yourself in Las Vegas I highly recommend you make your way to The Cosmopolitan at 10 p.m. tonight where Allen Stone will be performing at Book & Stage. Click HERE to read what I wrote back in October and if you haven’t already, make sure you pick up his self titled album.
If you feel like getting down and listening to an incredibly talented musician, tonight is the night to waltz yourself over to the show. Heck, it’s free so you really have no excuse.
If you’ve been to STK over at The Cosmopolitan for dinner or drinks, chances are more than likely you’ve been listening to the beats of my buddy, DJ Roger Gangi. I always love when Roger puts together a new mix, and he doesn’t disappoint with his Holiday House 2011 made especially for the season and all the good peeps that work at the Vegas hot spot.
Click the arrow on the right side of the player to download.
2011 Holiday House & Dubstep Mix (STK Las Vegas) -ROGERGANGI
Last night GROUPLOVE rocked The Cosmopolitan with two sets at 10 p.m. and midnight. If you make your way down to The Strip tonight, head on over to Book & Stage and catch one or both of the sets.
SET 1
Don’t Say Oh Well
Lovely Cup
Itching On A Photograph
Love Will Save Your Soul
Gold Coast
Naked Kids
Spun
Chloe
Close Your Eyes and Count To 10
Slow
Drum Solo
Tongue Tied
Colours
SET 2
Tongue tied
Lovely Cup
Itching On A Photograph
Love Will Save Your Soul
Gold Coast
Naked Kids
Spun
Chloe
Close Your Eyes And Count To Ten
Slow
Drum Solo
Don’t Say Oh Well
Colours
Ok Vegas, here is your reminder so you can’t say “I didn’t know” and miss an incredible show. Tonight make your way to Book & Stage at The Cosmopolitan where GROUPLOVE will be performing at 10 p.m. and midnight. Fresh off the release of their debut album, Never Trust A Happy Song, this quintuplet is a band you’re going to want to say you saw way back when. These guys were my highlight of Lollapalooza, blowing me away more than their EP I had been listening to on repeat all summer. Not only do they have a great sound but their story is damn cool too. Check out what I wrote back in June for the skinny on the band.
So let’s recap, GROUPLOVE performing for FREE tonight (and tomorrow) at Book & Stage inside The Cosmopolitan at 10 p.m. and midnight. Got it? Good. See you there!
Here’s the set list from last night’s Foster The People show at The Cosmopolitan. Disregard “Warrant” and “Ruby” because unless I lost my hearing for a little bit, they ended up not playing them.
Do You Hear The Music? 