Tom Jones Evanescence

Thursday, August 07, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Go: Where to Go, What to Do & Why

By James P. Reza

The question we get asked most often here at the GO Integrated Network of Self-Appointed Nightlife Experts is, "Is the Las Vegas club scene overbuilt?" Of course it is. What was once a vibrant, growing and diverse scene--a place where music lovers of all kinds could find a welcoming venue--is now dominated by off-putting velvet ropes and ridiculously pretentious bottle service. In this New Scene, doormen rather than DJs shape the atmosphere, and the music, a bland recitation of comfortable hits, could just as well be churned through a CD jukebox than through the masterful mixing skills of a DJ.

The best DJs--often obsessive music devotees who spend their down time scrambling to uncover the sickest grooves for the dance floor--are de facto social scientists, manipulating club energy with a beat manifesto that derives its legitimacy from the vibe of the crowd. As the rave scene (from which the so-called clubbing renaissance was born) proved, a good DJ needs only a sound system and a crate of well-selected vinyl to turn any beat-down warehouse into a bouncing dance party. Today, clubs are more concerned with boasting of techie gimmicks and build-out costs than giving people a good time by hiring a great DJ. The few great DJs Vegas has--among them, Michael Fuller (deep house), Robert Oleysyck (progressive house, trance), Irie (R&B, hip hop, reggae) and John Doe ('60s soul, lounge)--are all free agents spinning one-off events or parties of their own promotion. Venue management seems all about maximizing their take from the fickle club crowd as quickly and cheaply as possible. Why enlist a reliable resident DJ, one who may very well spin a song or two no one has heard, when an iPod loaded with the Dance Top 40 will do the job more cheaply and predictably?

We raise these issues now because on Wednesday, Aug. 6, our city's most anticipated new club, Ice Las Vegas, was scheduled to open with an invitation-only affair. There are indications that Ice will focus on progressive music (hopefully of a variety of genres), and prominent, elevated booths indicate that DJs will be given the creative freedom and recognition they deserve. What remains to be seen is whether Ice--despite affectations of pretentiousness such as separate VIP entrances--will lead the way in Vegas clubbing, or merely follow the failed bottom line-driven lead of the past few years. We'll let you know next week.

College radio comeback

Sorry, folks; we didn't mean to get you all excited. Vegas hasn't had a true college radio station since the mid-1990s (thanks for the jazz, KUNV, but piss off for shuffling away "alternative" music and community programming in order to bring it to us). That said, if'n Vegas did have a college radio station, you just might hear Evanescence--a gothy, art metal project that somehow links ethereal vocals in the vein of Tori Amos and the Cocteau Twins with the raging guitars of Linkin Park. And this in a package that made it to No. 1 in England and into the Top 10 of the Contemporary Christian chart. Check out the genre-hoppers at the House of Blues on Thursday (Aug. 7, 6:45 p.m.; 632-7600).

Looking for a band to blame (or thank) for Matchbox Twenty and Sugar Ray? Look no further than the House of Blues on Friday (Aug. 8, 8 p.m.; 632-7600), when post-grungers Better Than Ezra join forces with Dakona. Better Than Ezra's all about that enjoyable poppy guitar rock, a player in the Hootie & the Seven Mary Bush league, which is just fine every now and then. The same night at the Huntridge Theater, old-school socio-political rapper KRS-One plays a show in support of his latest effort, Kristyles, joined by The Chapter, Ink Floyd, Mecanizm and the Magnificent Mic Molesters (Aug. 8, 7:30 p.m.; 678-6800). KRS-One built his career in the 1980s as the head of rap outfit of Boogie Down Productions, popular during the height of the "fight the power" activist hardcore of Public Enemy. On later albums, KRS-One has moved away from activist themes and toward a more popularly acceptable version of his trademark spare, literate rhymes.

Generational shift

One wonders: Is Prince duly upset or proud that a Welshman 18 years his senior can take his sex-charged hit, "Kiss," and, with a hip thrust here and a mic swing there, turn it into into his own for a generation perhaps only remotely aware of the Purple One's existence? Our own mothers tossed panties on stage to Tom Jones, for crying out loud. You can too, starting Thursday at the MGM Grand's Hollywood Theatre (Aug. 7-20, 9 p.m.; 891-7777). ... On Saturday, the warm smell of colitas will rise up through the air as baby boomers everywhere strand the teens at the new Premium Outlet Mall, load the Bimmer SUV with contraband and take the fast lane to the MGM Grand Garden Arena for the Eagles (Aug. 9, 8 p.m.; 891-777), jealously protecting their $250 front-row tickets. Meanwhile, down the street a bit, '80s new wave girl group The Go-Gos return to Vegas (has it been three weeks already?) to play the Mandalay Bay Beach Concert Series (Aug. 9, 9 p.m.; 632-7580). Taking into account that Gen X hasn't cashed in altogether just yet, tickets are a more modest $40, leaving plenty in the wallet for a lo-ball of distilled angst after the show.

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