Go: Where to Go, What to Do & Why

By James P. Reza

Glance at the ripe entertainment rosters and see a Las Vegas ramping up big time for the slammed lovefest known as Memorial Day weekend. Playas young and old hit Vegas to celebrate the early start of the summer season, ready to get their groove, gamble and game on. The weekend is already jammed with shows from Dido (Hard Rock Hotel), Orgy (House of Blues), Prince (Mandalay Bay) and Madonna (MGM Grand), while the never-say-die Club Rubber returns to Rain and Skin at the Palms.

Not coming to Vegas this month is Christina Aguilera, who, citing "strained vocal chords," was "extremely disappointed" when "forced" to cancel her North American tour, which included a May 21 appearance at the Aladdin Theatre. More likely, she (not to mention tour promoters) was extremely disappointed at sadly sagging ticket sales. The 6,000-seat Aladdin had reportedly unloaded fewer than 2,000 seats just before the cancellation, a wild departure from last summer's sold-out show with Justin Timberlake at the MGM Grand.

Speaking of departures, last week's House of Blues show from Crystal Method (their third in the venue) was, in a word, unsettling. Don't get us wrong: Scotty and Ken did their whole show, pounding keyboards, raising hands, bouncing, smiling smugly as the crowd went wild. It was just that whole "crowd went wild" thing that was odd. When the Method played its first HOB show about four years ago, the energy was electric, the venue oversold into a love-nest of writhing, grooving-to-the-max rave kidz. But when one recognizes that the defunct Club Utopia, once Vegas' premier electronica venue, opened nearly a decade ago, and that some of those early fans are now well past 30...well, the crowd wanted to go wild, but perhaps the 9-to-5 grind is getting to their knees. Bad mommy, no ecstasy.

Rock & shock

As pop and electronica take their turns at (temporarily) fading into oblivion, rock 'n' roll continues its (temporary) comeback, prompting old-school artists to give it a go. Vegas resident and former Motley CrŸe frontman Vince Neil, a regular at the Hard Rock Hotel's Simon Kitchen & Bar, will perform for the Class of 1984 (and every stripper thereafter) at Boulder Station on Friday (May 7; 432-7777). Then on Sunday at the Palms' Rain comes MTV fave Bryan Adams, a rootsy rocker of the same era (May 7; 942-7777). If you gleefully recall "Cuts Like a Knife," you probably already drive a trophy car (which you use to prowl for a trophy wife). But even the kids rock out to "Summer of '69," thanks to the MxPx cover that hit so big last year. And, lest we forget, radio rock-and-shock jock Howard Stern fits very nicely into this paragraph. Stern returns with his entourage to do a week of live broadcasts from the Hard Rock Hotel's Joint (May 11-14; 693-5000). Ironic, since Stern was fined $495,000 by the FCC and the Hard Rock was almost simultaneously hit for $500,000 by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

We're the capital

If after reading the following barrage of events you come away with nothing to do this week, you clearly have issues that are unresolvable from reading a newspaper column. For the rest of you...you may know him as Enrique's dad, but Julio Iglesias has a career all his own, one he will revisit Thursday though Saturday at the Las Vegas Hilton (May 6-8; 732-5111). Based on Enrique's recent gal trouble, maybe Julio needs to sit him down, mano-a-mano. ... Perhaps the last of a breed of old-school outlaw country singers, Willie Nelson returns to Vegas Saturday at the Sunset Station Amphitheater (May 8; 547-7777). Wouldn't it be cool if Iglesias and Nelson made surprise visits to each other's shows for an "All the Girls" duet?

Two big shows make Vegas this week, starting with the KLUC Summer Jam 5: Bling Bling, rolling into the Orleans Arena on Friday (May 7; 284-7777). What differentiates this year's show from previous incarnations is that the performers, once heavy on the pop/soul tip, now reflect KLUC's new hip hop focus. Check out rappers including Lil Flip, Petey Pablo, Pitbull, Eamon, Tech N9ne, Juvenile, Ric-A-Chee and B. Holmes. ... Quite alternatively, the JŠgermeister Music Tour hits the House of Blues hard on Saturday with the deliberately scary disaffected-teen rock from Slipknot, Fear Factory, Chimaira and Devil Driver (May 8; 632-7600).

And now, for something completely different, Richmond, Va.'s rising Pat McGee Band joins with Michael Tolcher on Sunday in the House of Blues Courtyard (May 9; 632-7600). With tickets only $12.50 for an evening of low-key acoustic jam-rock (think Hootie & The Train Matthews Guys...or something...), who can lose?

Spring fling

Ah, spring. Sure, it's almost 98 degrees in the shade, but that won't sunblock us from getting outside when we can. Like Saturday at the Clark County Government Center Amphitheater, when the first installment of this year's Jazz in the Park series kicks off with Blue Note recording artist Pat Martino (May 8; 455-8242). Also this weekend, check out the Cars, Stars & Guitars Motorhead Fest Friday and Saturday at the Cannery (May 7-8; 507-5700). Dodge the mullets as you drool over hundreds of custom, classic and exotic vehicles while local faves John Earl & the Boogie Man Band and Road Rockets jam out the tunes.

If that isn't enough to get your outboard motor running, check out the return of the Mandalay Bay Beach Concert Series, launching on the sand Friday with a bizarre re-up of an exact Aladdin Theatre lineup from the early '90s: Spin Doctors and Gin Blossoms (May 7; 632-7777), leading us to wonder, where is KEDG/The Edge when you need it?

Native Las Vegan James P. Reza knows enough to wear sunglasses while checking hotties at the pool. E-mail him at jpreza@cox.net.