3OH!3 with Hellogoodbye

I cannot think of many other better ways to begin a Saturday evening in Las Vegas, than with party rock duo 3OH!3. This show with special guests Hellogoodbye, Down With Webster, and K. Flay was a high demand ticket. By name, I did not know who they were, but after a quick listen, I recognized their infectious songs immediately. I had a feeling that 3OH!3 would blow the roof off The House of Blues.

Hellogoodbye already graced the House of Blues stage earlier this year, opening for New Found Glory in March. After being impressed with their retro rock-pop sound in March, I noticed that this time their music seemed more fine tuned, even streamlined. Despite their clean performance, I found their sound less genuine and interesting. Hellogoodbye played a full set to a great audience, seemingly here just for their show. Certainly a well-deserved contrast to the audience's poor appreciation last time. It looks as though Hellogoodbye is on their way up to bigger and better things; definitely worth checking out.

After a short break fans were accosted by bright flashing lights and air horns, with a 3OH!3 American flag backdrop. Within seconds, the fans were shouting and throwing their 3OH!3 hand symbols in the air. Wasting no time, they started off hard with Starstrukk quickly getting the crowded floor of people in a jumping dance frenzy. Despite already expecting have have a party rockin’ awesome time, I was still astonished by the amount of super-fans and how much fun we had.
3OH!3 kept the beats going nonstop, playing a familiar and infectiously danceable setlist, including many covers. Kiss From a Rose, (Seal) I Believe I Can Fly, (R Kelly) Snow (Hey Oh) (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Deja Vu, We Are Young, Teenage Dirtbag (Wheatus). Sean jokingly commented “We are worst cover band you've ever heard in your life!” On the contrary, they sounded great backed by a live band (no DJ), and kept the fans bouncing around throughout their set.

Returning for an encore to a chanting and still fired-up crowd, 3OH!3 exclaimed, “This is the best show we’ve ever played in Vegas!” I might suggest this was an understatement, as everyone in the house was having an all out blast and getting wild. After covering Rock You Like a Hurricane (Scorpions), Sean laughed, “We got at least 10 more covers to go...” wrapping it up with Double Vision, Schools Out (Alice Cooper), and Don’t Trust Me.
After the lights came up, we fanned for air, still pumped with energy, looked at one another wondering, well what now. 3OH!3 brought us up high and it was a rather harsh comedown after their energized performance. Even better than their show was their humble approach to their music and fans. They took several moments to reflect on how far they’ve come, gave respect to opening bands, and promoted donating to or participating in a marathon to fight cancer, like Sean had earlier this year in Chicago. Needless to say, I put 3OH!3 on a must see list for any concert goer or party animal, you and your crew are sure to have a ball!

Twiztid with Blaze Ya Dead Homie

After an abrupt, day of show cancellation of their original March 11th date, Twiztid returned to The House of Blues with Blaze Ya Dead Homie. Being surprised and impressed by ICP’s June performance, I decided to give Twiztid the benefit of the doubt and check it out.
Blaze Ya Dead Homie (BYDH) appeared sporting an over-sized clock hanging from his chain, opening to a moderately sized crowd, full of enthusiasm. Within the first fifteen minutes of his set, I was already questioning if it was all taped. The music sounded pre-recorded, their mouth movement and mic placement did not match up, and tracks faded in and out with no visible DJ. The audience was throwing hands up, cheering, and seemed to be enjoying themselves, I couldn’t stick it through his set.

While the stage was being setup for Twiztid, a DJ came on-stage and mixed, keeping the audience’s energy up. After the second Tech N9ne song was rotated through the mix and received an equal response from the crowd as any BYDH song did, I felt my open-mindedness and credibility go out the door. My last expectation was to see how elaborate of a set they were hiding behind all the draped black sheets.
The lights came up, the sheets dropped, revealing a disappointing setup, and Twiztid came onstage mics in hand, but once again with no visible DJ to make or spin their beats. Granted it did sound like Twiztid was actually freestyling on top of a muddy low beat, their performance was only slightly better than BYDH’s. To my astonishment, the audience continued to give off the same level of response after each song, act, and even to the DJ in between. Forty-five minutes into Twiztid’s mediocre performance, I ran out of reasons to stay.

After I swore them off in March due to lack of respect for their own fans, then tried again and came to their rescheduled show, I left wondering if the whole show was a "Milli Vanilli." Despite the underwhelming performances, I will admit that true fans were happy with the concert, but if you are not part of the “family,” this show was nothing to call home about. As much as I detest even writing this review, I have to place Twiztid as a top contender for the worst performance at The House of Blues I have ever seen.

Reel Big Fish, Goldfinger, & Suburban Legends

When I saw the announcement for Reel Big Fish (RBF) with Goldfinger and Suburban Legends, I instantly flashed back to the late nineties at The Huntridge, when these and many other ska/punk bands were at their prime. During these few short years, Las Vegas’ music scene developed and emerged strong, offering all age shows every weekend, featuring multi-band punk/metal/ska line-ups for just a few bucks. Due to the pure nostalgia their music holds in my heart, I was anxious to see how the bands and music had stood up over the last decade.

Suburban Legends came onstage bursting with energy, quickly spreading like wildfire through the crowd. I was caught a bit off guard with their preteen pop laced ska, but after seeing everyone dancing and having a great time, I was feeling it too. Their whimsical music also painted a clear picture of the solid decade generation gap in the audience, those just discovering ska and the original veterans. To even further watch the great divide occur, Suburban Legends wrapped their set with a ska cover of 2010’s internet smash, Bed Intruder.
After Suburban Legends had already got the crowd loosened up for Golfinger, lead singer John Feldmann wasted no time blasting the audience, “This is a punk rock show... I want to everyone step up and give it your all!” Wasting no time at all, Goldfinger blasted off with Chris Cayton, even welcoming the real Chris Cayton, (who the song was written about) joining in the first few songs on guitar. Playing through a great well mixed set, Goldfinger also featured Brett Reed from Rancid on drums for the entirety of their set.

The crowd quickly responded and kept up with John’s high demands, keeping a circle pit and skanking in full effect through the duration of their set and encore. In return, they welcomed many people onstage to dance and sing 1996’s Mabel. Songs ranged from new to old, including most fan favorites, plus covers of Just Like Heaven (The Cure), White Christmas, and 99 Luft Balloons (Nena). Taking a moment to thank The Huntridge and all old-school fans, John announced they have been touring with RBF continuously since 1994, and this was Goldfinger’s 58th stop in Las Vegas. Even after all these years, Goildfinger still had the energy and sound I remembered so well.
Reel Big Fish was on after a short break and were greeted by an enthusiastic audience. Just like Goldfinger, RBF were no sorrier for wear over the years, sounding as great as ever, even sprinkling in some goofy synchronized dance moves in the horn section. Playing through a range of old and new songs, skank circles and clap-sessions erupted continuously song after song. The audience’s momentum never dropped, and I even spotted several bartenders moving and singing along.

RBF made many bold cover song decisions, from Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison) right into Enter Sandman (Metallica), and wrapped up with a quick hardcore song into Take On Me (A-ha). Doing these covers worked in two ways for the bands, kept the fans interested and allowed them to show off their musical diversity and talent to adapt their rhythm with ease. Near the end of the show, I found the number of cover songs was rather disappointing, viewing it almost as a death of ska, a last attempt to keep the music alive and relevant.
Each band’s energy and clean performance throughout made this a fun show for all ages. Even though I felt the music’s age wear on me and it wasn’t the same as the 90s, the bands showed no signs of being out of practice and truly put on great shows. Fan of ska or not, the music is jovial, Reel Big Fish and Goldfinger are the best of the genre, and you really have to fight the urge to dance; what more could one want?

Charlie Murphy

Tonight The House of Blues welcomed Charlie Murphy, back after a last minute cancellation of the original August 12th show date. Although Murphy never stated why the August show was canceled, I happen to know that day he was spotted at the airport catching a plane to Hawaii... Regardless, I was pleased Charlie Murphy rescheduled and was curious to see what his stand-up was all about.

Opening for Murphy was a fellow underground comedian that has traveled with him for many years, Freez Luv. His style was upfront, real, and quickly grabbed the audience by making fun of everyone, but especially himself. Freez Luv's jokes were easy to follow, funny on many levels, had memorable punchlines, that were delivered carefree. "I like a woman who looks like the back of a TV... with that Toshiba belly!" Without a doubt, Freez warmed up the crowd and already had many laughing out of their seats.
Charlie Murphy came onstage to an exuberant audience, as miscellaneous quotes from his skits on Chappelle's Show could be heard through the applause. Either you know Charlie Murphy as Eddie Murphy's older brother or from Chappelle's Show. I was interested to see what else he had to offer, especially in a stand-up setting.

After the cheers died down, it took a few minutes for the crowd to adjust from Freez's slapstick comedy to Charlie's matter of fact and mellow style. His style is not similar to most stand-up comedians in typical A to B followed by punchline C, rather he likes to storytell of real life situations that leave him completely baffled. Murphy joked, “Five days is long enough for kids to start questioning your authority... My kid gets out the dictionary, 'It says right here you’re supposed to be able to fix this,'" in reference to the New Jersey power outage that lasted several days. If you could stick with him for a few minutes, the hook at the end of the story was often clever and well worth it.

I thought Charlie Murphy was solid, complete with new material, absurd stories, and kept up the momentum through the performance. Near the end of the show, it was clear that half the crowd was laughing with him and the other half didn't get what they expected. Unfortunately, I believe those that were not laughing only knew Charlie for his celebrity, not his comedy. This unfair expectation is responsible for the disaster that unfolded the night before at Georgia State University (GSU), at which Charlie told the audience "Fuck you" and walked off stage.

If you like raw, real humor, and don't need a zinger or fart joke to laugh, I would highly suggest Charlie Murphy. The House of Blues Las Vegas is one of his frequent stops, so be sure to check him out, it looks like he will be around for a while. "Performed at House of Blues last night in Las Vegas. Scored an A will keep doing this till it's obvious that GSU Is ignorant!" @cmurphycomedy Sunday, November 07, 2010

DJ Shadow - Live from the Shadowsphere

Halloween in Las Vegas is one of the biggest party weekends all year, often overwhelming due to the number of venues booked with top notch talent. The House of Blues did not disappoint, booking one of the most talented artists in the industry, DJ Shadow. I was ecstatic, I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend my Saturday night, dressed in a costume, dancing with DJ Shadow “Live from the Shadowsphere.”

Assuming this would be a popular event, I bought a extra tickets. To my surprise, most people I talked to did not know of him or were simply not interested. On the night of the show, I was stunned to find out only 200 tickets to had been sold to this show. Endtroducing... DJ Shadow’s studio record was named “All-TIME 100 Albums,” by TIME magazine. During the last twenty years, DJ Shadow is recognized as a true pioneer, master turntablist, and the creator of trip-hop. I suggest take a listen or read through his website or download his free app. There is also a podcast available of an interview with DJ Shadow prior to his performance here.

The venue was lightly crowded during Pigeon John, the opening act’s performance. A male hip hop vocalist accompanied by two females on either side, one rocking turntables and a laptop, the other singing backup. Pigeon John’s music was interesting, however he put out a lot of energy to a somewhat subdued audience. Upon finishing their set, a shout-out was given to DJ Shadow, causing the eager crowd to go ballistic. Not only anxious to find out what that large stage setup was for, but to also hear the turntables of a legend.

Right before DJ Shadow took the stage, technicians aligned several projectors around the white globe and backdrop, only heightening our interest and impatience. DJ Shadow dropped the house lights, relying only on his projector setup, filling the room with bass heavy beats and incredible psychedelic graphics. The Shadowsphere images were so well mapped, it often truly resembled a sphere, glass, or an optical illusion; I could not take my eyes off it. A few times, Shadow turned the globe to reveal himself or displayed real time video of himself playing from within the Shadowsphere.

DJ Shadow did not skip a beat, showing mad skills with the turntables, ranging from dancebeats to downtempo, Shadow kept it going for over two hours, including an encore. His incredible music, in a relatively small venue, with a small enough audience for a perfect dancefloor, all emphasized by his brilliant visuals, was mindblowing. Live from the Shadowsphere was an amazing display of a true artist and equally creative technology. Ranking as one of the top twenty best live performance’s, DJ Shadow’s performance was so unique, it’s nearly indescribable. I was lucky enough to capture permanent record of this experience, so without further adieu, I will let the video speak for itself.

Escape The Fate

Love or hate them, Escape the Fate is a homegrown band that was driven to success by their Las Vegas fan base. Fresh out of high school Ronnie Radke (vocals), Max Green (bass) and Robert Ortiz (drums) joined with Monte and Omar on guitars, completing the band, developing their sound out of a North Las Vegas garage. I have not seen Escape the Fate since before their battle of the bands performance (Sept 2005), responsible for launching the band into a record deal. Needless to say, I was quite excited to hear them in a true venue, with lead singer Craig Mabbitt, and see what I’ve been missing over the last five years.
As a diehard “soldier” (fan) during their early days, I went to every abandoned warehouse and crammed coffee shop show, supporting their uniquely metal-hardcore and presence. Once EtF began gaining recognition, I was disappointed to hear much cleaner, poppy versions of their songs. In late 2004 their shows were heavy, with great mosh pits and slam dancing. By the summer of 2005, everything was more image driven and their edge wore off. Although I continued to support the band, buying their EP, first album, and miscellaneous merch, nothing felt or sounded the same as it did in the beginning. Through hell and back with Ronnie Radke, it’s impressive they stuck it through, reformed, and continued to make music.

As the lights dimmed, the shriek of the fans was unmistakably pre-pubescent, I looked around to find few that were my age or older. Contradictory to age of the crowd and my expectations, Escape the Fate entered out one by one, igniting the audience, and wasted no time starting of heavy. Max and Monte were playing precise and fast, lit by flashing strobe lights, getting the audience to scream and dance just like the old days. Although I am familiar to Ronnie’s style, Craig was full of energy and did a great job, complete with stage theatrics that kept the girls up front screaming.
Escape the Fate kept the energy and volume cranked up through the entirety of the show. Max and Craig often paused to talk to the audience, reminisce on their Vegas beginnings and thanked their “soldiers” and family for supporting them to reach this point. Escape the Fate played a variety of their collection, both new and old with ferocity: Choose Your Fate, Massacre, 10 Miles Wide, The Flood, Something, City of Sin, Issues, Bad Blood, Situations,This War is Ours (The Guillotine II), The Aftermath (The Guillotine II)

Escape the Fate closed the evening with a prolonged goodbye, Robert threw his drum sticks, and invited everyone to their afterparty and record release on November 2nd. After their performance, I left the show reminded of why I was a dedicated fan years ago. I spent the next week listening to their albums and am looking forward to what they will release with their new label. Their distinct blend of metal and hardcore was what hooked me, and from the sound of things, Escape the Fate has their edge back.

Check a live video of this performance at Artist Direct

Karl Denson's Tiny Universe

For the first time I have seen, tonight The House of Blues hosted a late night, 2am show featuring Karl Denson's Tiny Universe. The reason for this unusually late booking was Karl Denson played as guest at the Widespread Panic and Govt Mule show earlier Saturday evening, at The Joint. Even though I had never heard of Karl Denson, I appreciate live well composed jazz and it has been a while since I have seen a great jazz performance.

Due to the late start time, I did not expect a large audience turnout, but was even more surprised to find only thirty people inside when we arrived. After nearly and hour had passed, with no sign from the band or a crowd, I was just waiting for the word that the show had been cancelled. At about 3 am, people began arriving at a steady pace, and within fifteen minutes the band hit the stage.
With no formal announcement, the curtains were pulled back and Karl Denson's Tiny Universe began to play. The band was composed of himself on vocals/flute/sax/percussion, a guitar, a bassist, horns/harmonica, piano, and a drummer. They jammed out several lengthy songs back to back, with seemingly little effort. Their style was on the funky side, music was well layered and transitioned, highlighted by lyrics here and there. I loved the diversity in every song, each followed his trademarked groove, yet was completely different from the one before. It was amazing to see Karl’s true artistry while playing the flute or saxophone, and his ability to jump right in to soulful vocals following a winded solo.
As each song passed, more people filled the venue, the dancefloor became more crowded and the dancing was more intense. Karl Denson was still going strong, fueled by an audience that continued to grow. By 4am they had already completed nearly a full set, including: Everything, How Fine Is That, Bag of Funk, Groove On, Shake it Out, and Mighty Rebel. By now the early morning hours were staring to wear me thin. After leaving the venue, I was once again surprised to find there was a line outside the box office waiting for tickets.

For this concert, unfortunately I felt completely out of the loop. Many people wore feathered hats and at least 80% of his audience did not arrive until 4 am or later. If I had known, and arrived later, I am sure I would have stuck around to see his complete, two-set performance. In the days following the show, I explored his website and listened to his music, and was quite impressed with what I heard. Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe is highly talented and well composed. If you like jazz, classic funk, or even reggae, his music is right up your alley. Hopefully he will come back to Las Vegas, as I would like to give him another chance.

For a sample of his live performance, check out my video: