Tour Buzz
Tour Buzz
Tour Buzz: Billy Idol, Fleetwood Mac, Pitbull and Ke$ha
May 20th, 2013
I heard once that Billy Idol, who’s playing the Pearl on May 25 ($49-$89), actually lived in Las Vegas for a time during the 1980s. I can’t find substantiation of this anywhere, save for the cut-up KOMP sticker that’s stuck to his guitar in the video for “White Wedding” (ROCKS LAS VEGAS), a name-check in “Eyes Without a Face” (Steal a car and go to Las Vegas/oh, the gigolo pool), and an album whose name might have been inspired by UNLV’s student newspaper (Rebel Yell). Read more »
Tour Buzz
Tour Buzz: Kid Rock, Uncle Kracker, Yellowcard and Black Sabbath
May 15th, 2013
I wish I could muster more enthusiasm for the 15th annual Tiger Jam at Mandalay Bay, this one featuring Kid Rock and Uncle Kracker, on May 18 ($61-$134). Read more »
Tour Buzz
Tour Buzz: The Rolling Stones, Foreigner and Steely Dan
May 6th, 2013
THE LIKELY LADS: Brand-spanking new music comin’ at ya! The Rolling Stones are scheduled to play at the MGM Grand on May 11 ($150-$750). A quartet of fresh-faced lads from London, the Stones meld disparate influences—blues, rock, psychedelia, even a hint of disco—into an aggressively seductive sound that one can only describe as “Rolling Stones-like.” Perhaps you’ve heard their hit singles “Satisfaction,” “Brown Sugar” or “Start Me Up,” or maybe you’ve seen the band’s guitarist Keith Richards in a cameo role in the Johnny Depp Pirates of the Caribbean movies—but in any case, they’re on their way up. People are talking about the Rolling Stones, wondering they’re going to do with the next 50 years of their career. And after they’ve played this big deal, headlining Vegas show, their long-awaited stardom will surely come. Read more »
Music
Tour Buzz: Paramore, Marina and the Diamonds and Weezer
April 29th, 2013
In late 2010, brothers Josh and Zac Farro of Paramore—who play at the Joint on May 3 ($36)—announced that they were quitting the band they helped found. The band released a statement that emphasized the amicability of the split—“We want Josh and Zac to do something that makes them happy”—and all was well until the Farros released their own statement, which basically accused singer Hayley Williams of distorting reality and using the band as a launching pad for a solo career. Read more »
Music
Tour Buzz: Prince, Iamdynamite and Kendrick Lamar
April 22nd, 2013
THE MAN FROM MINNESOTA: What can one possibly say about Prince at this point in time? The artist formerly known as The Artist—scheduled to play four shows over a two-day stand at The Joint, April 26-27 ($55-$95)—has reportedly been pouring himself into his live performances of late, reportedly playing two-hour sets loaded with classics and covers. (Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune wrote that Prince played both Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough” and, puzzlingly, Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel” during a September concert.) 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
Tour Buzz: Tiger Army, Shania Twain and Tegan and Sara
March 25th, 2013
Psychobilly outfit Tiger Army plays the Read more »
Concerts
Tour Buzz: Def Leppard, Sevendust and How to Destroy Angels
March 18th, 2013
The year was 1987, and Def Leppard was washed up. We all thought so, anyway. The English pop-metal band had just come out with Hysteria, its first record of new material since 1984’s Pyromania, and we had all but forgotten them. Read more »
