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Thursday, January 01, 2004 Go: Where to Go, What to Do & Why
By James P. Reza
It's over. The preparations and the parties and the panic. The rush and the stress and the obligations. The dysfunctional family drama, the bank account-draining gift binges and all the other demands of our secular little xmas and the subsequent auld lang whine. Good riddance to the holidays and a sloppy wet welcome to an anticipated new year. That said, however, if you are one of those shiny, happy and annoying people who just cannot get enough holiday joy, both the Gift of Lights at Sunset Park (455-8200) and the Light the Night Holiday Spectacular at Ethel M Chocolates (458-8864) continue through Sunday (sundown to 10 p.m.; through Jan. 4).
After the storm Don't worry; the Clark County Public Works Department has swept the trash and pressure-washed the bodily fluids from the Strip, making it safe again for those smart enough to avoid Amateur Night. Good news, then, if you are interested in the hazy shade of hotties we like to call the Bangles, who strut their recently re-formed band onto the House of Blues stage Friday (Jan. 2, 8 p.m.; 632-7600). Combining the new wave style of City of Angels contemporary gal pals the Go-Gos with the layered harmonies and jangly guitar pop of Simon & Garfunkel, the Bangles originally made the Vegas scene back in the early 1980s. They performed as The Bangs, an opening act for Brian Setzer's rockabilly revivalists the Stray Cats, at the long-demolished Convention Center Rotunda. The following night at the HOB, Dread Zeppelin trots out its ridiculously harmless and enjoyable novelty alt.rock for a fanatic cult audience (Jan. 3, 8 p.m.; 632-7600). Proving that more than little old ladies come from Pasadena, Dread Zeppelin--with its lead King impersonator Gregg "TortElvis" Tortell--has been grooving out the reggae-inflected Led Zeppelin tributes since 1989, and has been a staple of college rock radio ever since. College rock... Hmm, yes, we seem to remember something about "KUNV" and the Gavin Report's "top college rock programming" award, but our memory struggles with age. Kind of like Cher's memory might. We also seem to recall her "final" world tour some years back, so why doesn't she? Instead, she relentlessly returns, this time hooking up with KC & The Sunshine Band and The Village People at the MGM Grand Garden Arena for two nights of booty-shaking dirty disco (Jan. 2-3, 8 p.m.; 891-1111). Do you believe in the power of remixes?
First Friday 2004 Now in its third calendar year (sure, that's a little deceptive, but it's true), downtown's monthly arts affair First Friday busts out with the culture again this week (Jan. 2, 6-10 p.m.; 678-6278), with a widespread open house stretching from Oakey Boulevard to Fremont Street, and from I-15 to Maryland Parkway. For those of you just joining us, let's have a look: gallery openings and live music and poets-for-hire and great restaurants and performance art and cocktails and antiques and lithography and vintage furniture and all the right people who aren't afraid to leave the stucco farms and live a little. Art: It's not just for artists anymore. Bundle up and check it out; www.whirlygigvegas.com.
Lounging around Las Vegas lounges remain a great place to enjoy a lot of top-shelf entertainment for a little dough--if you know where to find the best and skip the rest. While the concert halls take a brief break from normally frantic schedules, consider checking out these worthy hot spots: Art Vargas successfully channels classic Vegas lounge style while accompanied by a tight live band at Bally's Indigo Lounge nightly (except Monday and Tuesday); call 739-4111... Show stopper Jimmy Hopper (also backed by a live band and sexy backup babes) pulls out all the stops on your fave pop, rock and dance hits at the Bellagio's fabulous Fontana Bar nightly (also dark Monday-Tuesday); call 693-7111... Local Gen X musicians pay the rent with the impressively capable '80s cover band Loveshack at Texas Station's Armadillo Lounge on Friday and Saturday nights (631-1000), while guitarist Shawn Eiferman eagerly attacks your yelled-out requests on his acoustic guitar in the House of Blues Courtyard, where you can eat and sing along every Sunday (632-7777). The Palms' stylish Palapa Lounge also hosts a weekly Sunday night Acoustic Jam; call 942-7777... And finally, unabashed rock chicks Killian's Angels take the cocky out of the rocky at the Excalibur's Minstrel's Lounge; call 597-7777 for more info.
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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