Go: Where to Go, What to Do & Why

Is Las Vegas ready for the First Friday arts district open house to emerge from its cocoon? Last week's installment, after a five-week break, suggests so. Boosted by heavy participation from the city of Las Vegas, several street closures facilitating the inclusion of live music and vendors, and 450 real estate types already in the area for redevelopment tours, First Friday enjoyed perhaps its biggest crowds yet. Thanks to lengthening daylight hours and increased attendance, people are actually walking in downtown again, enjoying art, culture, commerce and food. If you missed the party, First Friday returns June 4. And don't worry; the suburbs always take you back after a night in urbania. They may have questions--is that hummus on your collar?--but they'll take you back.

Homeboy, you never shut up

Apparently, some people never had a mother tell them, "One of these days your mouth is going to get you in trouble." Apparently, some people think that the more they talk, the more we listen. Sometimes, even when the lesbian twins are on break, they are right. When Howard Stern rolled into Vegas last Sunday to shoot a week of shows, E! television cameras immediately behind, the Hard Rock's new Sunday pool party, Rehab, was at full tilt. The second installment of the noon-9 p.m. shindig saw plenty of locals mingling with hard-bodied hotties, drinking like fish and flirting like fools. The outdoor bar scene was busy, the pools were packed and the DJs spun while bikini-clad patrons grooved on the sand beach. A shot of Petron, a vat of guacamole and thou.

Hard Rock officials will barely have time to bleach the floors and steam clean the ceilings before another talking head, Carson Daly, arrives in the resort's Joint showroom. Filming a week's worth of his NBC "Last Call" talk swap (May 18-22; 693-5000), Daly will give air time to David Spade, Shannen Doherty, Liz Phair, Ben Kweller and--this is Vegas, after all--Wayne Newton and the Killers.

Not enough yappin' for ya? Downtown joins the fray with Poets' Cafe, a spoken word event at the city's Lewis Avenue Corridor on Thursday. The event stars renegade Monkey Girl author Beth Lisick, with words from Vegas wordsmiths Dayvid Figler, Danna Botwick, Gregory Crosby, Andy Hall and Kari O'Connor (May 13, 5:30-9 p.m.; 229-5431).

High there

We can't decide which is going to be more fun: Modern Drunkard magazine's first Lost Weekend in Las Vegas, featuring three days of bands, burlesque and booze at the Stardust Hotel and Double Down Saloon (May 14-16), or two days at the Cannery's One Love Reggae Fest, with live music from Frankie Paul, Bonafide, Fiji, Trinity, Stan Rankin T & Meshack and others (May 15-16, 10 a.m.; 617-5550). Hops vs. hemp. Hmmm...

Tastes great, less filling

After a bit of a break, plenty of edgy pop-friendly options reveal themselves on the schedule this week. Original punk revivalists Pennywise join with the similar Authority Zero, Autopilot Off and 2 Cents Worth Thursday in an all-ages show at the House of Blues (May 13; 632-7600). Also on Thursday, the slightly more adult.alt-focused Fountains of Wayne launch the Palms' Skin Pool Concert Series (May 13; 942-7777). The series continues baring itself later this season with appearances by the Sugar Hill Gang and Wyclef Jean.

Also trying to get in through the out door, Green Valley Ranch Station welcomes alt.rappers Black Eyed Peas on Friday for a poolside show at Whiskey Beach (May 14, 10 p.m.; 617-7777). With a positive message layered over jazzy backbeats, BEP runs rhymes in the same style as Arrested Development, Lauryn Hill and Digable Planets. Which is to say, we dig them.

If that whole semi-hip, 94.1-FM adult.alternative thing is more your gig, then we've come full circle, as Maroon 5 step up with their mildly thoughtful lyrics, slightly rocking riffs and rugged semi-good looks (Hey! It's Train!), along with the similarly styled Big City Rock and The Red West, Monday at the House of Blues (May 17; 632-7600).

To the core

If you are sitting there wondering exactly when your Go tour guide was castrated, don't worry, tough guy. My iTunes are rocking Trapt right now, thanks to the upcoming Winterfresh SnoCore Tour, Wednesday at the House of Blues (May 19; 632-7600). Joining angst with the alt.metal quartet are Smile Empty Soul, Finger 11, Strata and Aphasia--all lovely names for angry young bands. The whole pissed-off lot of you will probably be coming back for more, since three days earlier, the House hosts Dark Lotus (featuring members of Insane Clown Posse, Twiztid, ABK and Blaze) and Layzie Bone of Bone Thugs 'N Harmony (May 16; 632-7600). And to think we have the late, great Rage Against the Machine to Blame for all this.

You can dance, if you want to

Vegas dance clubs are really starting to bore our socks off; they are sooooo turn-of-the-century. So we wait with incessantly shuffling feet for the Memorial Day weekend opening of the Hard Rock's new subterranean hideaway, located in Baby's old spot. Until then, we'll have to be satisfied with the new One Night Stand, a Friday night groove lounge hosted by John Huntington (as in Club Rubber/Huntington & Hart Tattoo Company). The event kicks off this week at the Aladdin's Curve (May 14, 10 :30 p.m.; 785-5555).

On the same tip, premier Brit-trance jock Scott Bond comes to Ra, one of the few established venues in the city still spinning anything but played-out hip hop. For ten bucks, we'll shake and stir with Bond and his Gatecrasher-proven skills, but we prefer to get our groove on at the lesser-known locales like the Foundation Room's Godspeed (Mondays; deep house) and First Friday's Get Back at the Ice House (rare funk and soul grooves). Still, we wonder what the next paradigm shift in Vegas nightlife will bring. Whatever it is, it's time.

Native Las Vegan James P. Reza stays out too late and gets up too early. E-mail him at jpreza@cox.net.