Kelly Osbourne No Use for a Name

Thursday, April 10, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Go: Where to Go, What to Do & Why

By James P. Reza

Spring is here, which in Southern Nevada means two things: wind and allergies. And if there is anything we despise about living here, those are them. Just thank the FDA we can now buy a Claritan pill over the counter for about as much as we're paying for a gallon of regular gasoline. Fueled by antihistamines, is there any place better to visit than the Clark County Fair & Rodeo (April 10-13; 398-3247)? Held annually at the fairgrounds in Logandale (about 45 minutes northeast of Las Vegas), the fair is exactly what you might expect a rural county fair to be: loads of exhibits from local businesses, residents competing for ribbons in categories like "counted cross-stich," "canned vegetables" and "container roses" (among dozens of others), livestock exhibits, lots of live music and other entertainment (including--we kid you not--three dancing pigs), carnival rides, rodeo queens, funnel cakes, beef skewers, boys in pickups and girls in cutoffs. For more information, click to www.ccfair.com.

Rhythm &

melody

Still the only vocalist to ever be awarded a Grammy in three genres (jazz, pop, R&B), Al Jarreau is the kind of laidback artist great for Sunday morning listens. Imagine Stevie Wonder meeting Bobby McFerrin over cuppa at the local coffeehouse, and deciding to collaborate at that evening's Relaxing Jazz Showcase...that's Al Jarreau. With more than 25 albums to his credit, Jarreau has been soothing the wine-and-cheese set for decades, and tours in support of 2002's critically acclaimed All I Got. See him Friday and Saturday at the Paris (April 11-12, 9 p.m.; 946-4567).

Similarly laidback, but considerably less expensive (it's free) is the weekly Acoustic Asylum show at the comfortable Palapa Lounge in the Palms. Held every Tuesday night, the show features some of the area's best bands unplugged for your pleasure. Also, on Wednesdays, the Palapa goes the other direction and features instruments that have actually been plugged in. The first week of Wired (Apr. 16, 9 p.m.) features H Is Orange, Slow to Surface and Magna-Fi.

Rhythm, no melody

You gotta love Green Day. Why, without it, the phrase "pop punk" would still be an oxymoron. Instead, it describes just about every band played on X-107.5 that cannot be called "nu metal" or "rap rock." The happy-go-lucky campers from Sum 41 are pop punk, all right. Sort of Green Beastie Day Boys, or something. They have three albums, including 2002's oh-so-punk-titled Does This Look Infected?, but their best is All Killer No Filler, which includes their MTV hit "Fat Lip." See Sum 41 with No Use for a Name and The Starting Line at the Hard Rock on Friday (April 11, 7:30 p.m.; 693-5066).

Meanwhile, the gal who launched the latest disaffected teenage girl fashion craze, Kelly Osbourne, comes to the Huntridge with the bizarre Har Mar Superstar, who just happened to be Osbourne's date to the MTV Music Awards last year. Yes, Osbourne is the funky, punky daughter of Ozzy, but what's ironic is that her producer (Rick Wake) previously produced mainstream divas Mariah Carey and Celine Dion, not to mention that Har Mar Superstar--a performer you simply have to see to believe--has written songs for both Osbourne and J Lo. Check out the street cred train wreck on Friday at the Huntridge (April 11, 7 p.m.; 678-6800).

Street cred was never a problem for SoCal punks Bad Religion, even as their music became widely popular and they were signed to a major label (Atlantic) in the mid-1990s. Since then, the popularity of alternative music has been splintered into pop punk and rap metal, and Bad Religion has returned to the small label Epitaph to release 2002's The Process of Belief. The veteran performers are joined by neophyte emo-rockers Sparta at the Hard Rock on Saturday (April 12, 8 p.m.; 693-5066).

Switching from "real" punk back to punx, popular darlings The Ataris join with emo-rockers Juliana Theory for a show at the Huntridge on Tuesday (April 15, 7 p.m.; 678-6800). Opening the show are Further Seems Forever and Yellowcard.

The rhythm method

It's almost a whiny little mantra--Meeting people in Las Vegas is sooooo hard!--but the point is well taken. And when you finally meet someone worth your time, Poof!, they're off to Seattle, or Portland, or Austin, or wherever. In an attempt to cut through the fog of gin and boring small talk and get right down to the nitty gritty of finding someone to breed with, Whiskey Bar is hosting a speed-dating session called "Hurry Date" on Wednesday (April 16, 7 p.m.; 221-6560). The idea? You sit down across from someone, grill each other for a few minutes, and then indicate on your date sheet a "yes" or "no." Then it's off to someone new. "Yes" responses from both parties mean another, ostensibly real date at another time. The event is open to those 25 or older--probably because if you are under 25, all dates are speed dates.

Boyz in da house

We've already told you what a wonderful live music venue the House of Blues can be, and also what miserable club venue it is. But that's not going to stop us from recommending this weekend's big DJ event, featuring Chicago hard house superstar DJ Bad Boy Bill and Pennsylvania's own jungle/drum 'n bass badass DJ Dieselboy. With big-time DJ status on the verge of collapsing and electronica losing its grip on the mainstream, these guys give hardcore club aficionados reason to raise their hands in the air. Move to the beat at the HOB late night on Sunday (April 13, 11 p.m.; 632-7600).

James P. Reza is the editor of the Best Places-Las Vegas guidebook. E-mail nightlife, cultural event & dining tips to jpreza@lvcm.com. Deadline is the Saturday prior to publishing.