Music
Concerts
Concert Review: Demon Lung
Cheyenne Saloon, June 1
June 3rd, 2013
At Doom in June III, metalheads stayed for the dozen-plus doom bands from around the country. But they came to see Las Vegas-based Demon Lung (or should have), now with extra beefiness courtesy of new rhythm guitarist Brent Lynch. Read more »
Concerts
Concert Review: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Vinyl at the Hard Rock, May 31
June 3rd, 2013
In the closing days of the Spectre at the Feast stateside tour, I was rapt as Robert Levon Been, Peter Hayes and 2008 addition Leah Shapiro dished out the soundtrack for a journey down a dark and thinning trail somewhere in a strange and haunted America. Read more »
Concerts
Concert Review: Scott Weiland & The Wildabouts
The Pearl, June 1
June 3rd, 2013
Former Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland stepped onstage sporting aviator sunglasses and looking dapper in a sharp suit about 30 minutes late with his band, the Wildabouts. The 90-minute concert showcased mostly STP hits from the albums Core and Purple. After Weiland rambled about hearing Elvis whispering onstage, he shouted into his megaphone and launched into “Crackerman.” With the hall about 75 percent full, the crowd in their 30s and 40s stood up and cheered as Weiland performed “Wicked Garden.” Read more »
Concerts
Concert Review: Matt and Kim
Boulevard Pool at the Cosmopolitan, May 30
June 3rd, 2013
The first thing that hit me was how well Matt and Kim, who live in Brooklyn and are “partners in sex,” repeatedly enunciated the word “fucking.” The second thing I noticed were the party stunts. Kim had a penchant for climbing on her drum rig and walking on the crowd’s upstretched hands, although at one point she risked getting wish-boned, which may not have been far from her mind. Read more »
Life is Beautiful Lineup Announced
June 3rd, 2013
LIB is the only festival I’ve heard of with a Chef Panel, and it includes some real heavyweights, including Honey Salt’s Kim Canteenwalla, Incanto’s Chris Cosentino and The Charleston’s Jet Tila. That’s the culinary equivalent of getting The Killers, Portugal The Man and Passion Pit on the same bill. And by the way, LIB has done that, too. Read more »
Life is Beautiful
Can You Guess the 'Life is Beautiful' Music Fest Lineup With These Clues?
May 31st, 2013
Click through this photo album for hints to which bands will take the stage in October. Read more »
Concerts
Concert Review: Billy Idol
The Pearl at the Palms, May 25
May 30th, 2013
Even at 57 years old, Billy Idol still appears much as he did in his Rebel Yell prime of 1983. There is the blond, spiked hair; the still-ripped abs and the spiked, leather attire. But, most importantly, Idol still possesses a voice that ranges from guttural snarl to smooth croon, a voice still packed with attitude and swagger that delighted a predominately older crowd inside the nearly filled Pearl. Read more »
Concerts
Concert Review: Punk Rock Bowling
Downtown Las Vegas, May 25-27
May 30th, 2013
Is there a better way to spend Memorial Day weekend than getting poked in the eye by a loose Mohawk spear while crowd-surfing to the music of punk pioneers from the last 35 years? The thousands in attendance at this year’s sold-out Punk Rock Bowling Music Festival didn’t seem to think so. This wasn’t your dad’s rock ’n’ roll show … well, it could have been since ’70s-era UK punk band the Damned kicked off Friday night. Eerily sexy frontman Dave Vanian seemed to have emerged from his casket to perform hits from Machine Gun Etiquette. His velvety vocals enveloped the crowd, demonstrating extreme control and magnetic singing ability. Read more »
Music
Concert Review: Fleetwood Mac
MGM Grand Garden Arena, May 26
May 30th, 2013
When it comes to shawls, the line between gypsy and grandma is a thin one. Performing on her 65th birthday, former ’70s-era ethereal goddess Stevie Nicks straddled that line with heavy feet. Suffering from a knee ailment, Nicks kept her famous twirling to a minimum and moved on and off stage with a slight limp. When the audience spontaneously sang “Happy Birthday” after “Landslide,” Nicks shooed them silent, saying that you could only wish her a happy un-birthday because she wasn’t celebrating her birthday. Read more »
Concerts
Concert Review: Public Enemy with De La Soul, Ice Cube and LL Cool J
The Joint, May 24
May 30th, 2013
Hey, is that Flavor Flav playing the drums and the bass? How many hype men can do that? I thought this as Chuck D’s flavorful sidekick slammed a drum set while Public Enemy’s set came to a close. Read more »
