Go: What to Do, Where to Go & Why

By James P. Reza

Consider this: Grown, masculine and--if my gaydar is spot-on--way-straight guy displays no hesitation in wrapping one arm around his galpal while displaying a J.C. Chasez action figure, proudly mint-in-box, above his head during Chasez's entire performance at the House of Blues. Two nights later at Seal, openly gay couple wrap their arms around each other, bawling like schoolgirls, during the British singer's "Waiting for You." All that Public Display of Honesty is thanks to the inclusive vibe at the House, favored for both its setup (great sound, hardly a bad spot in the place) and aggressive booking tactics that attract a variety of shows (and, obviously, a variety of patrons). It's too bad there isn't room for another HOB downtown, for this is just the kind of venue the area needs and could support.

Chasez, who with Justin Timberlake formed Top 40 sensation N'SYNC, makes pop, pure and unapologetic. He lifts influences--if not riffs themselves--from Lenny Kravitz, George Clinton and Prince (oh, wait, that was "Let's Go Crazy," an actual Prince song), not to mention a nod to trendy Middle Eastern rhythms on his rising club hit "Some Girls (Dance With Women)." Fans of JC--primarily quarter-dressed gals vying to be backstage ass and a cadre of N'SYNC stunt doubles--clearly have difficulty separating him from his boy band days, but Chasez seems to want nothing more than that very thing. Chasez's performance--live vocals, a well-choreographed stage show featuring blistering dancers and at least a semblance of spontaneity--far outshines that of fellow Mousketeer Britney Spears at a fifth the price.

Seal also offered a top-shelf show. He commands a voice that skillfully dissects decades of soul, funk and house and reassembles them into a franchise of sound that draws those shopping for beats and sells them an encyclopedia of the deceptively intricate moments of honesty that frame all good art. The audience--mostly the kind of stubbornly young pop fans who make Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville a viable business enterprise--allowed themselves 120 minutes of freedom from the closely proscribed behavior and sensible haircuts that too often accompany the quest for financial success.

As on three previous visits, Seal closed with "Future Love Paradise." On the surface, the song reads like a juvenile pantheon to PLUR (that's Peace, Love, Unity & Respect for you never-been-a-raver folks), and maybe that's all it truly is: A pro-rave song on the same tip as the Crystal Method's "Keep Hope Alive." Still, as many Americans continue to die in a war solving the problems of few, it was hard not to reach to the sky and flash a peace sign for old times' sake while the sold-out venue danced away the mortgage for just one night.

And speaking of the Crystal Method, Vegas electro-sons Scott Kirkland and Ken Jordan return to the House of Blues Thursday to perform a live set of their own material (as opposed to the DJ sets they also perform) following what may be their best album, the new Legion of Boom. Joining them is DJ Hyper (April 29, 9 p.m.; 632-7600).

Soul men

Whether your tastes run to Motown, Philly or blues, the music roster has something for you. First up are the pop-ska stylings of General Public, the band that Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger formed after ska darlings English Beat split (and the other lads formed Fine Young Cannibals). The recent spurt of '80s nostalgia is one reason we see General Public on tour, but its brand of eminently danceable reggae and soul rhythms feels rather timeless. You can expect some old Beat faves to be trotted out as well, Thursday at Plush (April 29; 869-2335).

Born in Chicago but famous for his glass-smooth Philly-style soul and R&B, Lou Rawls was a church choir singer who eventually went on to jazz standards, worked with a number of vocalists, including Sam Cooke and Hall & Oates, over four decades, and recently released a tribute album, Rawls Sings Sinatra. See him at the Orleans Thursday-Sunday (April 29-May 2; 365-7111). And legendary multi-instrumentalist blues musician Taj Mahal returns to Vegas with the Hula Blues Band Wednesday at the House of Blues (May 5, 8 p.m.; 632-7600). A true roots rocker, Taj Mahal takes influences from a variety of honest music, from reggae to gospel, zydeco to African, and melds them into an organic experience that reaches nearly everyone who gives it the chance.

Stage, right?

Traditionally, fall is when the stages in Vegas offer the most, but now there's plenty of theater around to give that tradition a needed rest. Pop musical fans get a nod from the touring version of the Tony Award-winning Broadway smash 42nd Street, starting a run Wednesday at the Aladdin Theatre (May 5-9, various times; 785-5555). Also this week, the Nevada Conservatory Theatre and graduating UNLV student Ben Campbell present Jason Robert Brown's two-person, single-act musical masterpiece, The Last Five Years (April 29-May 2, various times; 895-2787). The award-winning play follows the story of people who fall in love and then break up, the narrative moving in reverse timelines from each character's point of view and intersecting at the wedding. Across the concourse, NCT closes its season with Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge at the campus Judy Bayley Theatre, Friday-Sunday (April 30-May 2, various times; 895-2787). Considered by Hollywood to be anti-American when it was written, the play, focused on a fictional Italian immigrant family, deals with themes of waterfront corruption and McCarthyism.

From the grapevine

UNLVino's 30th annual Wine Tasting Celebration, UNLVino, pops its cork this Saturday at the Bally's Events Center (May 1, 3-5 p.m.; 739-3267). A legend in Las Vegas as much for its see-and-be-seen microcosm of movers-and-shakersville as for its longevity in a notoriously fast-moving town, UNLVino is claimed to be the nation's largest single-day wine tasting, and will showcase more than 500 wine makers and 750 different types of wines for your tasting pleasure. Proceeds benefit the UNLV's William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration. In a peripheral event two days previous, the Hard Rock Hotel opens its pool for Bubble-Licious, a champagne tasting hosted by Robin Leach (April 29, 7-10 p.m.; 739-3267).

Metal health

All this frou-frou got you jonesing for something a bit harder? Are you the last guy who would ever own an action figure of any kind, let alone one from N'SYNC? Worry not; we got your hard-rocking balls nailed to the wall with two shows this week. First up is MTV's Headbangers Ball Tour, featuring Hatebreed, Damageplan, Drowning Pool and Unearth, all of whose names alone make us uneasy. The all-ages show goes off Friday at the House of Blues (April 30, 6:45 p.m.; 632-7600). If that isn't enough to make your ears bleed, check out QueensrØche and Snake River Conspiracy the following night in the same venue (May 1, 8 p.m.; 632-7600), but you gotta flash your 21+ ID to get in.

Going to rehab

Banging electronica, mentally taxing theater, head-banging metal. Man, sometimes you just wanna chill. Shhhhhhh. Take it easy, check out the hotties, snooze by the pool, get a massage. You know what we're talking about. Mmmm-hmm. We're talking about checking into a Sunday afternoon outpatient clinic the Hard Rock Hotel is calling Rehab. Rehab is all about relaxation and rejuvenation, poolside, with frosty hangover chasers, groovy jungle beats spun by DJs, and grilled nosh from the Pink Taco. In other words, a pool party thrown by that cool DJ you know who just got back from Brasilia. Check it out, Sundays starting May 2, from noon to 10 p.m (693-5000). I'll be the guy with a mojito in one hand and a Peter Morton action figure in the other.

Native Las Vegan James P. Reza once had an Evel Knievel action figure, but was not holding it over his head at the Caesars Palace jump. E-mail him at jpreza@cox.net.