Music
Music
Re-evaluating David Bowie as Critics’ Impact Fades
April 16th, 2013
On October 19, 1995, at the Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas concertgoers offered what, at the time, was a fairly accurate representation of the mid-’90s critical consensus on David Bowie. Bowie shared the bill with Nine Inch Nails, whose frontman Trent Reznor he fiercely admired; he even went so far as to record an album, the grisly and morose Outside, that Reznor himself could have made if someone had only given him a kitten or something. Read more »
Soundscraper
High on Rock ’n’ Roll
April 16th, 2013
My favorite local nonprofit Push Forward is throwing a cool benefit party with live music. All proceeds benefit Push Forward’s mission: giving at-risk Vegas youth a sense of direction, empowerment and mentorship via skateboarding. Three of my favorite ramp-worthy bands—The Swamp Gospel, Crazy Chief, American Buckshot—play at 9 p.m. April 18 at Beauty Bar. I look forward to seeing three other groups on the bill for the first time: Fuzz Solow, Unfair Fight and Mersa. Admission is $5, and it’s for a great cause—teaching kids to stay out of trouble by embracing skate culture. Get stoked! Read more »
Music
Alex Clare Goes from TV Commercial to Commercial Success
April 16th, 2013
If you’ve listened to the entire The Lateness of the Hour album from the U.K.’s Alex Clare, you’d know he’s far more than just that guy whose song “Too Close” became popular thanks to an Internet Explorer commercial. There’s a mixture of everything from down-tempo/trip-hop and dubstep to bold choral elements and even peaceful acoustic piano. But it’s that soulful voice that shines through—no matter the accompanying music—that makes him a standout songwriter. We caught up with Clare before his April 18 performance at the Hard Rock Café on the Strip. Read more »
Music
Tour Buzz: Band of Horses, Hot Chip and Depeche Mode
April 15th, 2013
Gonna be nice to have Band of Horses galloping through Vegas for a night. From “Factory” to “The General Specific” to “Knock Knock,” this glorious Southern-fried indie rock outfit—which is scheduled to play poolside at the Cosmopolitan on April 20 ($25)—pretty much owns the sound of feeling at ease with yourself. I can think of few finer ways to begin a hot Vegas summer than with “Is There a Ghost” reverberating in my head. Band of Horses is part of the great influx of Coachella bands wiping their boots on our “welcome” mat, so let’s show them a good time. Read more »
Music
Concert Review: Purity Ring
Beauty Bar, April 11
April 15th, 2013
Making a Vegas stopover en route to Coachella, Canadian duo Purity Ring—singer Megan James and instrumentalist Corin Roddick—played to an eager full house, fans sardining their way toward the stage for a haunting, yet ethereal performance. Read more »
Music
Concert Review: How to Destroy Angels
The Pearl, April 13
April 15th, 2013
Effin’ amazing! While the recent Welcome Oblivion album from Trent Reznor’s latest musical endeavor, How To Destroy Angels, reflects his signature sound, I couldn’t help but wonder how the more down-tempo electronica style would translate to a live concert—it’s not exactly something you can mosh or dance to. But the group was already a step ahead, balancing out the astral musical offerings with artistic video-mapping visuals as they began the set with “The Wake-Up.” Read more »
Music
Concert Review: Rihanna
Mandalay Bay Events Center, April 12
April 15th, 2013
I’m quite fond of Rihanna when she’s on the red carpet. She’s bold. A good girl gone bad who oozes sex—both the kitten kind and the dirty kind. But that’s all from the neck down. I don’t always love her from the neck up, because she looks, well, mean. A couture dress is not often best paired with the icy, angry, standoffish gaze for which she has become known. Read more »
Music
Concert Review: Tegan and Sara
Boulevard Pool at the Cosmopolitan, April 10
April 15th, 2013
Hitting Las Vegas just two nights before a high-profile gig at Coachella, twin-sister act Tegan and Sara could have treated this show as a glorified tune-up. But they are far too sincere for that. Instead, they bared their hearts for 90 minutes to a crowd that absorbed every musically induced emotion and reciprocated in kind. Read more »
Music
Concert Review: New Order With Johnny Marr
Boulevard Pool At The Cosmopolitan, April 11
April 15th, 2013
Before their show at the Cosmo, New Order was one of the least engaging live bands I’d seen. I last saw them live in their heyday—late 1987, following the release of Substance—and with the exception of Pater Hook, who wore his bass low on his body and hunched over like a caveman to play it, I’ve never seen a sheer personality void so perfectly embodied onstage. I mean, keyboardist Gillian Gilbert ate a fucking sandwich in the middle of the set. Sure, New Order 1987 could make the notes, but that hardly matters when said notes are produced by reanimated corpses. Read more »
