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Thursday, October 23, 2003 Go: Where to Go, What to Do & Why
By James P. Reza
Events that drop on Thursday are often buried by a weekly newspaper publishing that same day, so this week we'll just dive right in with tonight's event that we blatant boosters of downtown redevelopment hope succeeds: the Chicks for Charity auction (Oct. 23, 6-10 p.m.; 384-0092). A benefit for the nonprofit cultural organization that oversees the First Friday downtown arts district open house, the auction is hosted by the Ice House Lounge at Main Street and Bonneville Avenue, and a $30 door donation earns you four hours of open bar (beer, wine, call drinks), appetizers and mingling with a crowd peppered with artsy folks, girls with glasses and city officials. Plus, you'll get a chance to bid on dates with a bevy of hip hotties that includes a couple of hunka-hunka hunks, too. As this is an arts-oriented event, expect a few liberties to be taken that will make Chicks for Charity a bit more daring (we won't say "urban and urbane" this week) than the average bachelorette hammer drop. It's all good-natured fun and in the spirit of the arts, so loosen your tie and your auction arm--and don't forget to tip your servers.
Realternative If you thought eclectic concert lineups had gone the way of Lollapalooza, you can re-up your Original Back in the Day Alt.Club Membership with a ticket to the Thursday's wide-ranging show at the Hard Rock's Joint (Oct. 23, 7 p.m.; 693-5000). Featuring emo-punk from All American Rejects, California-inflected deep groove guitar rock from Hoobastank, Hispanic-panic urban political party music from Ozomatli and up-and-coming alt.poppers Diffuser, this will be one of the most enjoyable shows in recent memory for those who subscribe to a variety of alt.rock. The following night (Oct. 24, 8 p.m.; 693-5000), New Jersey power-punk poppers Saves the Day pick up at the Joint where All American Rejects left off the night before, with a show in support of 2003's In Reverie, their best album to date. And the thankfully rap-metal-free weekend wraps with Sunday's House of Blues duo of heavy post-grungers, Tantric and Sloth. Tantric, a quartet that could be called the new Pearl Jam, arose from the essential disbanding of Days of the New (Days of the New continues as Travis Meeks's solo project). Opener Sloth is a gloomy dark metal outfit whose second album, 2003's Dead Generation, is not nearly as good as its debut, 2001's The Voice of God. Still, the show is a deal at only $13... ...Which, we have to say, beats the horns off the $200 primo seat price commanded by the pair of Friday and Saturday MGM Grand Garden Arena shows by wrinkly rockers Aerosmith and KISS (Oct. 24-25, 7:30 p.m.; 891-1111). It can't be denied that the 13-buck Tantric has about three more decades of consistent output and fan regeneration to match licks with Aerosmith, but two bills for KISS? Well, if you're one of those army guys who has all the KISS figurines and paraphernalia, you deserve (and expect) to unload the dough--and you probably already know that KISS vocalist Gene Simmons will be at the Risque lounge on Thursday (Oct. 23, 10 p.m.) for a launch party for the fall edition of his Tongue magazine. Fine, grandpa. Have fun. You earned it. Just stay the hell away from Liv Tyler or I'll turn this tour bus around.
Vice, vice baby Like her or not, Missy Elliot simply cannot be ignored, and if even a small percentage of you knew what she was singing in her infectious, rump-shaking club hit "Work It," dance floors would abandon the barely obscured foreplay routine and morph into all-out "Real World"-style orgies. With that in mind, security at the Palms is going to have its hands full--literally--when sex bomb Elliot takes her provocative soul rap to the stage of Rain on Tuesday (Oct. 28, 8 p.m.; 942-7777). What few inhibitions remain in today's clubgoers will disappear once Elliot hits the mic, so get ready to sweat.
Overload Too much remains to be said, and not enough space to say it, so fire up the Palm Pilot and get ready to scribble...Saturday is packed with visceral pleasures, starting with the seventh annual Bite of Las Vegas family-friendly food and music festival at Desert Breeze Park (Oct. 25, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; 889-5100). Featuring Macy Gray, Uncle Kracker, local-boy-made-good Frankie Perez, Wilshire, plus delicious food sampling from 40 local eateries. The event will hosted by Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray. ... Reggae makes a long-awaited return to the valley at the Cannery hotel-casino in North Las Vegas with the Da Kine Hawaiian Reggae Festival (Oct. 25, 6 p.m.; 507-5700). Also family-friendly, the laidback event showcases performances by Baba B, Bonafide, B.E.T. and Pati and includes Hawaiian-focused food and tropical cocktails, plus vendors. ... Saturday's decidedly nonfamily event in the annual Fetish and Fantasy Halloween Ball at the Orleans Arena (Oct. 25, 10 p.m.-4 a.m.; 365-7469). No, ahem, "costume" is too outrageous for this naughty leather and latex bash, so leave those inhibitions with the baby sitter, dress your wildest and get freaky with DJs Scooter & LaVelle, Scott Stubbs and others. Hey, you! Suburban hussy-wife! Put your clothes back on and wash off that glitter! This is the Prague Chamber Orchestra, not some fetish ball! Joined by the renowned (and notably female) Eroica Trio, the Prague Chamber Orchestra, comprising 36 gifted musicians, is renowned for its exquisite precision, intonation and balance, and will interpret the timeless works of Beethoven, Martinu and Prokofiev in their Sunday concert at UNLV's Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall (Oct. 26, 4-6 p.m.; 895-2787). ... And finally, alt.prog-rockers King Crimson are joined by alt.poppers Pygmy Love Circus on Wednesday. A true cult band, King Crimson garnered a following that was part punk, part rock and all geek. Melding classical, jazz and rock into a progressive sound that remains proudly and utterly devoid of any pop appeal, King Crimson holds a place in musical history as The Prog Rock Band. Check them out Wednesday at the House of Blues (Oct 29, 8 p.m.; 632-7600) and get your geek on.
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. |
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