First came designing the logo for the blog using my old ticket stubs and well, it worked! Next was making this blog a reality and using that logo as the identifying image associated with DoYouHearTheMusic.com and now comes a little fun, the first DoYouHearTheMusic.com sticker!
Big thanks to my dear friend Jef Salazar aka the Ayatollah of Rocknrolla for designing the first DoYouHearTheMusic.com sticker! Find me at a concert and be on the lookout for the sticker to be popping up in some “random” spots here soon.
Last week was a whirlwind of a music one for me. It started last Wednesday with the opportunity to see Carlos Santana’s new residency at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. Not only is Santana a living legend that I encourage everyone to see, his band is truly amazing. The show was about two hours and spanned his whole career of hits. With a brand new sound system in place, HoB was rocking and the perfect venue to capture the iconic guitar work of Santana.
On Friday it was off to a semi-private show with the mighty talented, Kelley James. If you are not familiar with Kelley’s sound/style, you’re sorely missing out. In addition to a bunch of his own songs, he busted out some Sublime and Neil Diamond. Plus he is one of the most gifted freestyle artists which added to the fun and entertaining evening.
For Cinco de Mayo it was time for Ozomatli. I can’t even remember how many times I’ve seen these guys live and the shows are always a blast. This time the venue was Body English inside the Hard Rock Hotel and not only do I love and miss the former nightclub but it served as practically a private concert venue. Intimate and in close quarters with the fiesta faithful, it was one wild dance party that I wish everyone could have experienced. Check the video below of a little Latin cover of Depeche Mode’s “Just Can’t Get Enough.”
A week ago I had the chance to see Florence + The Machine at the BLVD Pool at The Cosmopolitan. This was the second time I have seen Florence and I have to say this time was a whole lot better. See below for my review which appears in the April 26 issue of Vegas SEVEN or click here for a link to the story online.
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.
Alright alright, it’s Spring Break 2012 which means here in Las Vegas things start to kick into high gear with the pools open, temperature rising and of course plenty of live music. Thanks to Red Bull Las Vegas, things just got a whole lot better as starting March 22 there is an action packed two-week schedule that has some BIG rising stars from The Hundred in the Hands and The Keyboard Kid to The Limousines, Jaramiah Red and The Fling. Hopefully you can make it to some of the shows; it’s going to be a wicked awesome time. See below for the full lineup and where to catch the performances.
3/22 – Lynyrd Skynyrd – Hang from the Sky (Las Vegas) & Crash Kit (Las Vegas)
3/23 – Monte Carlo Pool – DJ Jerzy (Chicago, B96FM) w/ Supercr3w
3/23 – NY NY Bridge – Big Sir (Los Angeles), The New F-O’s (Phoenix), DJ Jerzy (Chicago)
3/24 – Luxor Pool – The Fling (Los Angeles), Mad Planet (Los Angeles), Weird is the New Cool (Phoenix)
3/24 – NYNY Bridge – The Hundred in the Hands (New York), The Keyboard Kid (Seattle)
3/24 – Tabu – DJ Earworm (S.F.)
3/29 – Ignite – DJ Evil One (Los Angeles)
3/30 – Moorea Beach – Dim Mak presents AutoErotique (Toronto) & PeaceTreaty w/ Metric & Bones (Los Angeles)
3/30 – NY NY Bridge – The Limousines (San Francisco), Jaramiah Red, O.C. Music Awards winner & DJ Evil One
3/31 – Wet Republic – Ryan Sheckler
3/31 – Dick’s Last Resort – Roxy Gunn Project (Las Vegas)
3/31 – LAX Nightclub – Mix Master Mike
Last evening I had the pleasure of seeing the first concert (if you don’t count the grand opening last weekend) at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts as Bela Fleck and the Flecktones performed in front of a packed house. It was hard not to marvel at Reynolds Hall when you first walked in and I know I wasn’t the only one who kept looking around at every little detail imaginable. The Smith Center is absolutely gorgeous, the sounds quality has to be the best in town, even the seats are comfy and have plenty of room and quite frankly, the venue is going to change the performing arts scene in Las Vegas. It truly is an exciting time for the Las Vegas community and to see the direction the performing arts program in the city is headed. I highly recommend if you have an opportunity to see a performance at The Smith Center, you do so.
As for the concert itself, wow. With the original lineup intact, it was a wonderful evening of talented musicians on stage, sharing their love of music for over two hours. Here are some photos below taken by Erik Kabik (www.erikkabik.com).
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
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.
Do You Hear The Music? 