The kickoff show of the Blazed and Confused tour in Las Vegas was a huge success and a lot of fun.  The lineup was amazing and the artists performed way better than I was expecting.

I have seen Stephan Marley before at a festival but don’t really remember it, so it was basically like watching him for the first time again and he was very entertaining.  He had a kid (son maybe) on stage the whole time dancing and waving around a Jamaican flag on a stick.  The arena was fairly empty while he played (less than half full i would guess) so i felt kinda bad for him.  The audience wasn’t very into his show; people were constantly shuffling around and trying to find seats or leaving to go get drinks.  But his musical performance was great and he was probably the best opening band I’ve seen at a concert – albeit every band in this show would normally be a headliner.

Next Slightly Stoopid came on and they were my favorite show of the night.  A very hard band to classify in a musical genre, I would call them a mix of reggae, ska, punk, and jam band with a heavy Sublime influence.  A pretty big band, they have a lot of rarer instruments for a band including a trumpet, saxophone and bongos.  They put on an amazing show opening with a jam session for a few minutes then moving into some of their more traditional songs, often allowing for guitar and brass solos.  They engaged the crowd in their performance, getting everyone up to cheer and dance.  They even had a reggae singer come out for a while and sing some of their popular reggae hits.

This leads me to some of my chief complaints about the event.  While the sound wasn’t terrible, it was pretty bad.  There were lousy acousitcs at the venue, so often you could hear an echo which interfered with the music.  I could rarely understand what the singer was saying; it just sounded like noise over all the instruments, For a $60 ticket, I expect excellent if not perfect sound.

The other major problem was the heavy police presence.  Slightly Stoopid was getting the crowed pumped up throughout the show and, before one of their smoking songs, told the audience to light it up if they got it – same with Snoop Dogg. I saw at least 4 or 5 groups of people being pulled out of the seats or escorted down the hallway by the police for smoking;  even saw a fight breakout between the police and a man as he tried to run away.  I have no idea what happened to these people. I’m hoping they just got kicked out and not arrested or given a ticket, but i think its completely outrageous for the police to to be grabbing people out of the crowd at a concert – period.  Much less at one called Blazed and Confused.

The title makes it seem like your almost supposed to be smoking – and even the music and bands are encouraging it.  But you’re going to have the police arresting people for it, it’s very hypocritical of the venue and Vegas promoters. Disappointing.  Coming into the concert, there wasn’t even the normal pat down from security; they just ripped your ticket and you were inside.  This contributed even more to the illusion that it was okay to bring in marijuana. While I’m not complaining at the no search – I think all concerts should have it – you shouldn’t not search people, then arrested them for contraband without giving people some kind of warning it’s just plain stupid.

Back to the concert.  Slighty Stoopid played most of their hit songs, although I was disappointed that I didn’t get to hear my favorite song, but they jammed plenty of other tunes to make me happy.  Snoop Dog performed last, and by this time the venue was pretty packed; it seemed to me like most the audience was just there to see him.  Very understandable as Snoop straight rocked the house!

It been a long time since i have seen a crowd so into a performer; he knew exactly how to get the crowd going, and keep em going, not just doing a musical act, but being a performance artist as well.  He setup his songs nicely. He put on Jamie Foxx’s “Blame it,” (which I think is extremely played out, but the ladies still seem to love it), and just danced around and got the crowd engaged.  Everyone was standing in their seats dancing and singing along. When the song finished, he said, “Now I know what all you guys is drinking, how bout we pour me some of my favorite drink, you all know what that is!?” The whole crowd started shouting “Gin and Juice” “Gin and Juice” and he broke out into the song.

He did several songs like this, which was awesome for keeping the crowd on their feet and full into the moment.  I personally am not a fan of Snoop’s newer work: I feel like he sold out in some respect and went way too mainstream. He only played 3 or 4 newer songs and the rest were classics.  I have to give it to Snoop though.  He is an amazing performer and it’s incredibly rare to see someone get the whole crowd involved and feeling the concert like he did.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the show. I do think the ticket prices were way too expensive, especially considering that some of the other destinations for the tour are around $40 for premium tickets instead of a $60 minimum.  For the price I paid, I felt Ishould have been on the floor, not the side balcony.  The sound was a bummer, but didn’t  interfere with the overall sensationalism of the show. The police presence was overkill, but for the law-abiding attendees, it wasn’t a problem.

I would cautiously recommend this show as it was a very fun concert.  But for the price tag, I would definitely consider how badly you want to see the bands in the lineup – big fans of Snoop and Slightly Stoopid would say the price was worth it.  But I’d say skip this one, unless you are willing to pay anything to see them.

Other Rex Reviews:

Dollar Drinks, M Casino 32 Degrees Happy Hour, Reggae in the Desert Vegas Style,

The Blazed and Confused Summer Concert Tour featuring Snoop Dogg, Slightly Stoopid, Stephen Marley, and Mickey Avalon is making a stop here out at state line performing in the Star of the Desert Arena in Primm. 

I am really looking forward to this concert – the lineup is rather amazing and should be one hell of a show.  I have never seen Snoop live but heard his concerts are a blast and Slightly Stoopid and Stephen Marley always put on a jam session. 

This is definitely a must see if you can afford to go.  The ticket prices are a little steeper than the average concert, but you are also getting to see 3 headliners in show  – so I think its definitely going to be worth it. 

Go to http://www.cttconcerts.com/ for the concert webpage where they have samples of all the artists’ music.

Tickets at the Door: ?
Tickets in advance: $54, $82.45, $109.95
+ $9 Ticketmaster fees

Reggae In The Desert was jamming again this year.  For the past 8 years this event has had solid lineups and provided one of the best reggae music experiences you can find in Las Vegas.  I’ve attended the past 2 years – great bands and good times for a cheap price. 

With 9 hours of music this year’s Reggae in the Desert did not disappoint. The weather was much cooler than a typical Vegas June afternoon – what a gift – it made sitting in the sun enjoyable rather than torture.

The lineup was pretty solid all day, with a broad range of musical styles – a pleasant surprise as I tend to find when I watch a lot of live reggae, most the bands sound the same.

One Pin Short, the opening band, played in a sublime like style, performing a few good covers but with a lot of original music as well.

Yellowman was the most interesting performer; being albino he looks like like a skinny Irishman but sounds fully legit with a deep throaty Jamaican voice. He was high energy on stage and interacted strong with the crowd – a good performer.

My favorite performance of the night was Third World, an almost Reggae-Dub style with a lot of jamming and solos -  all musicians very highly talented.  I was disappointed in the Ky-Mani Marley Show. He had a few good songs but only played for a little over an hour; I felt he didn’t put on nearly as good a show as Third World.

The venue itself was completely packed by 8pm. When I was leaving I heard that the show was sold out -  easy to believe as there was nowhere to sit if you didn’t already have a spot. The whole front of the stage was packed with standing people.

I like the setup of the amphitheater. I was able to sit down, but had enough elevation to see over the heads of the people standing in front of the stage.

My chief complaint about the event was there was a lot of waiting. The bathrooms always had an miles long line. The food lines were even more ridiculous. I had to wait almost 40 minutes to get some Jamaican BBQ; the food was really good, but I missed half of Third World just standing around.

The setup time between the last 2 bands was way too long, and while DJ Rhamma did a good job of mixing tunes in between bands, Marley took over 45 minutes to come on – way too long.

Event was hosted by Steve Edwards from The Reggae Ting.

Final verdict:  Reggae in the Desert well worth the $25 price tag.  Go next year.

**recommend bringing water bottle and blanket for sitting on grass.

Clark County Amphitheater
500 South Grand Central Parkway
Check out their website for full info:
http://www.reggaeinthedesert.com/

related: Chris’ Reggae Wine Event

Jan 26 – 8pm – Concert conducted by Itzhak Perlman

May 03- 8pm - Hal Holbrook in “Mark Twain Tonight”

For tickets and more info: Call the Performing Arts Box Office 702-895-2787 or go to pac.unlv.edu.

Related UNLV New York Stage & Beyond, UNLV Classical Guitar Series, UNLV Charles Vanda Master Series

Oct 26 – 8 pm – Denyce Graves, Mezzo-Soprano
Nov 27 – 8pm – Yefim Bronfman, Pianist
Jan 23 – 8 pm – Itzhak Perlman, Violinist
Feb 14 – 8 pm – St. Petersburg State Ballet Theatre (Giselle)
Mar 01 – 8 pm – Band of the Coldstream Guards and The Pipes, Drums, and Dancers of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
Mar 12 – 8pm – The State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico
May 02 – 8 pm – Zukerman ChamberPlayers

For tickets and more info: Call the UNLV Performing Arts Box Office 702-895-2787 or go to pac.unlv.edu.

Related UNLV New York Stage & Beyond, UNLV Classical Guitar Series, UNLV 50th Anniversary Celebration

Feb 12 2008 – 8pm- Quaternaglia
Apr 15 2008 – 8 pm – Roland Dyens

For tickets and more info: Call the UNLV Performing Arts Box Office 702-895-2787 or go to pac.unlv.edu.

Oct 11 07- Xuefei Yang� � Nov 09 07-� Jason Vieaux
� Related UNLV New York Stage & Beyond, UNLV 50th Anniversary Celebration, UNLV Charles Vanda Master Series, Jason Vieaux performs classical guitar

Charles Vanda Master Series, with 7 guest performing artists or groups beginning Oct 26 and scheduled thru May 2. First performer is Denyce Graves, Mezzo-Soprano.

New York Stage & Beyond, with 7 guest performing artists or groups beginning Sep 14 thru Feb 23. First performer is Brian Stokes Mitchell.

UNLV Classical Guitar Series, with 4 guest artists or groups beginning Oct 11 thru Apr 15. First performer is Xuefei Yang.

UNLV 50th Anniversary Celebration with a Concert conducted by Itzhak Perlman on Jan 26. Hal Holbrook stars in “Mark Twain Tonight” on May 3.

For tickets and more info: Call the Performing Arts Box Office 702-895-2787 or go to pac.unlv.edu.

Oct 13 – 8pm – Paul Taylor Dance Company
Oct 20 – 8pm – The Broadway Divas
Nov 08 – 8pm – Tango Buenos Aires
Jan 20 – 8pm – Monterey Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary Tour
Feb 02 – 8pm – Christine Ebersole
Feb 23 – 8 pm – An Evening of Words and Music with Anthony Rapp

For tickets and more info: Call the UNLV Performing Arts Box Office 702-895-2787 or go to pac.unlv.edu.

Related UNLV Classical Guitar Series, UNLV 50th Anniversary Celebration, UNLV Charles Vanda Master Series, UNLV New York Stage & Beyond – Paul Taylor Dance

For more info call 702-564-1600 or visit www.starsonthelake.com.

Sep 29 - Kenny G with Fireworks Tickets $50/$5/$100

Sat Sep 22 – Drew Baker (Soft Rock)
Fri Sep 28 – Wolfcreek (Country)
Sat Sep 29 – Yacht Club (Smooth Jazz)
Fri Oct 5 – Wolfcreek (Country)
Sat Oct 6 – Matrix (Top 40)
Fri Oct 12 – Jarr (Top 40)
Sat Oct 13 – Peter Love & TKO (Top 40)
Fri Oct 19 – Island Tyme (R&B/Reggae)
Sat Oct 20 – Scotty Alexander (Country)

Related Outdoor Jazz Events

Oct 04 – Bobby Kingston & Rocky Tonk
Oct 11 – Four Way Free (pop rock)
Oct 18 – US Air Force Band of the West and Boston Brass
Oct 25 – Barry Farley Jazz Trio (jazz)

Related Joe Bonamassa @ Henderson Amphitheater, Super Run Car Show 2007, 17th Annual “Ho’Olaule’A” Pacific Islanders Festival, Free USAF Band and Boston Brass Concerts

Sep 22 – The Wine Amplified Festival featuring Sugar Ray with special guests Jeremy Cornwell and Chris Clouse (Chris’ Rock ‘n Roll Wine)
Sep 29 – The Go-Go’s
Oct 20 – Live and Collective Soul (alternative rock)

Related Chris’ Rock n Roll Wine “Event of the Year”, Bunkhouse Saloon for Serious Music

Related LV Contemporary Dance Theater, Trails and Vistas: Hiking and Music in the Sierras, Stars on the Lake Concert w/ Nevada Ballet Theatre, World Steps (Dance) Series – Maori

Sun Sep 09 – Haka Tori – New Zealand Maori Dance

Related Basque Dance Performance

The line-up for September is:

Sep 01 – Joyce Simpson

Related Fourplay at Lake Las Vegas, www.smoothjazz1057.com, Free Jazz Fridays, Jazz Under the Stars

Look for cutting-edge dance choreography, amazing sound and stage effects, with a night of golden hits. Reserved seating: $200, $160, $120, $90, $60 @ orleansarena.com or Call 702-284-7777 or all Coast Casino’s Box Offices. Orleans Arena 4500 W Tropicana Av Las Vegas NV

Irish pubs

Related Free Killian’s Angels Celtic Music, Live Music at Fado Irish Pub, A Wild Celtic Night, Slainte! at McMullan’s Irish Pub

Every night is an opportunity for sharing:
Sun - 7p-9p - Poetry Night hosted by Hyatt Mason, Blank Verse
Mon- 7p-9p - Meetup Night
Tue – 7p-9p - M&M Poetry Night hosted by Mark Snyder
Wed – 7p-9p - Meetup Night (formerly comedy night hosted by Darrell Keido)
Thur- 6:30p-8:30p - UNLV Jazz Night
Fri – 8p-11p – Open Mike Night (Just stand up and do whatever you want!)
Sat – 7p-11p- Concert Night (formerly karaoke night – Sometimes special guest entertainers)

Related reJAVAnate – a Coffee House with Community, Jordan Reimer performs @ reJAVAnate, Comedy Night @ reJAVAnate, Mother & Kids Movie Day , Open Mic Poetry Readings, The Poet’s Corner

Related Sand Dollar for Blues, Henderson Thurs Night Live!, 17th Annual “Ho’Olaule’A” Pacific Islanders Festival, Super Run Car Show 2007

Reserved seating: $60, $47.50, $35 @ orleansarena.com or Call 702-284-7777 or all Coast Casino’s Box Offices. Orleans Arena 4500 W Tropicana Av Las Vegas NV

Sun Aug 19 – Middle Easter Music
Sun Oct 21 – Bongomania - the Afro-Caribbean Jazz and Rhythms Band

Related Steel Drumming from the Virgin Islands

Check out the amazing www.fathomevents.org for a new concept in cinema and live cinema entertainment. I saw Il Trittico live from the Met as well as the re-release of “Dirty Dancing.” You need to experience this new cultural tour de force and groundbreaking use of cinema. The list below gives you an idea of the scope of entertainment Fathom Events is offering.

Related “The Met” Opera Live via Satelite, “Dirty Dancing” Back on Big Screen!, Fathom’s Premier “Naruto” Film, Dale Earnhardt – One Night Movie Event

Public Enemy were pioneers in the rap world with their political, social and cultural consciousness. They were the first rap group to make it big worldwide and one of the first musical groups to release their songs on MP3, a totally innovative technology at the time. A tour de force of the 1980’s, they have been making music since 1982.

Rage Against the Machine (Rage or RATM) blends hip hop, hard rock, punk and funk. They make no secret of their political convictions. They split up in 2000 and played again for the first time at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2007.

Related Electric Daisy Carnival in LA, Vegoose 2007

Aug 03 – Percussion with Michael Markus and Magbana Drum & Dance
Aug 24 – Pine Leaf Boys (Cajun Music)

Related Sand Dollar for Blues, Henderson Thurs Night Live!

Bring a picnic basket and lawn chair or blanket. Concessions available. Please NO glass containers, alcoholic beverages or pets. Gate opens one hour before performance. For more details call 702-507-3711. Rainbow Library 3150 N Buffalo Las Vegas NV

Related Cunningham Jazz Band, Jazz Camp Recital, Outdoor Jazz Events

If you want to view videos, go to livearth.msn.com

A global environmental musical event called “Live Earth” took place 7-7-7. Let’s hope it’s true that today is the luckiest day in a thousand years cause the planet could use some help. Stars performed at nine concerts around the world to raise awareness of the environmental trends which portend massive climate change for the third rock from the sun that we call home.

Ex-Vice-President Al Gore, who quipped that he is “ex-next President of the United States” stated that this was the greenest event of its kind, ever.” For more details on the event, log onto liveearth.org. Gore, co-founder of Live Earth, has also turned filmmaker with his 2007 Academy award-winning film on global warming titled “An Inconvenient Truth.” For more on the film see climatecrisis.net, imdb.com.

Venues for the concerts were: New Jersey, Washington DC, London, Johannesburg, Shanghai, Tokyo, Sydney, and Hamburg – with a mini-concert with scientist performers in Antarctica, making it a musical/environmental event spanning all 7 continents.

Related Global Warming Lecture, Sierra Club Global Warming Films, “What’s Up with Planet Earth?”, Saving Our Planet, Solar Energy Society Meeting, The Electric Car Association

Related Carmine Mandia @ Piero’s, Kelly Clinton’s Celebrity Showcase

Attendees work individually or in groups to develop “improv” skills. Jazz musicians of the highest quality are on hand for instruction and performances. The faculty will perform daily. This is a unique camp, one of the few held in the US. The grand finale performance by camp participants is on July 20 @ 1pm in the June Whitley Student Lounge. Admission is free and open to the public.

Fee is $150, including tuition, lunch and admission to all workshops and performances. To register call the Jazz Camp Coordinator 702-651-4110 or visit csn.edu/performingarts. CSN 3200 E Cheyenne Ave Las Vegas NV (1 mile east of I-15 North)

Related Outdoor Jazz Events, Free Jazz @ Rampart Happy Hour, reJAVAnate – a Coffee House with Community, Lie Music Every Day of the Week, Live Music

Gates open at 4:30 pm with performance at 8 pm. Picnic baskets welcome or buy from vendors.
Related Free Henderson Concerts w/ Fireworks, North LV Independence Day Jubilee, No Red White ‘n Boom this year, Stars on the Lake Concert w/ Three Dog Knight, Boulder City “Damboree”

Related Related Free Henderson Concerts w/ Fireworks, North LV Independence Day Jubilee, No Red White ‘n Boom this year, Stars on the Lake Concert w/ Three Dog Knight, LV Philharmonic with Fireworks, Boulder City “Damboree”

The Fourth of July celebration runs from 6:00pm to the dazzling fireworks display at approximately 9:00 pm from the top of City Hall.

Look for sand sculpture created by local artist Steven Liguori. Vendors will be selling food and beverages. It’s a great family outing with a list of children’s activites ($10 fee gives unlimited access):
~Bounces, Giant slide, obstacle course
~Rad Hatter (make & take your own 4th of July hat)
~Train rides
~Water Balloon Water Wars
~Sand play area (bring your own bucket and shovel)
~Water play area (bring your suits)
~Spray park, water Slide, paddle boats

Admission and parking are FREE! There will be shuttle parking from Morrell Park. The events take place along Water Street between Atlantic and Henderson Events Center. (Just off Boulder Highway and Lake Mead Drive). visithenderson.com

Related LV Philharmonic with Fireworks, North LV Independence Day Jubilee, NO Red White ‘n Boom this year, Stars on the Lake Concert w/ Three Dog Knight, Boulder City “Damboree”

Jul 13 – The Santa Cruz River Band performs in English, Spanish & Native American
Jul 20 – Michael Burke (blues)
Jul 27 – The Nelsons

Related Henderson Thurs Night Live!

Related Latin Jazz Connection, Free “The District” Concert w/jazz, R&B, Latin etc, 2007 Las Vegas Guitar Festival

Related Ollimpaxqui Ballet Company

Related 4th Annual World Folk Festival

Concert line-up:

Jun 20 Wed – 4:30pm. $12. Nathan Fischer with Cristina Ballatori & Nicholoas Goluses
Jun 20 Wed – 8pm. $25. Duo Erato
Jun 21 Thu – 4:30pm. $12. Adam Foster & Tom Patterson
Jun 21 Thu – 8pm. $25. William Kanengiser
Jun 22 Fri – 4:30pm. $12. Joe Lano & Lightwood Duo
Jun 22 Fri – 8pm. $25. Ricardo Cobo
Jun 23 Sat – 4:30pm. Free (need tix). Partipcant Recital
Jun 23 Sat – 8pm. $25. Paco Arroyo & Seven Piece Flamenco Group

For more info on the Las Vegas Jazz Society, go to vegasjazz.org

Related Outdoor Jazz Events, New Club for “Just Jazz”

Related World Steps (Dance) Series – Assyrian, Post Title

The event is in conjunction with the Harry Potter movie series starting Jul 7 at the library.

Related Free Harry Potter Movie Marathon (for kids)

Five different stages are hosted by 5 promoters: Insomniac, Melodic, Bassrush, Giant and Boombox. Headliner DJs include Paul Oakenfold (the King of House) and Pendulum among others. Also playing is the Infected Mushroom from Israel. Look for carnival rides, vendors, smoke machines, light shows – everything and anything whimsical and fantastical to make this the technocarnival experience of your life.

The Infected Mushroom is known as a psychedelic trance duo which might make them easy to dismiss as stoned out musicians. But looking at their musical backgrounds is a clue to why this group is storming across the globe and creating sensational waves in the rave universe. Erez Eizen learned to play the organ at age 4 and entered Haifa Conservatory at age 8. He graduated to computerized music at age 11. Amit Duvdevani started with the piano at age 7 and played for 9 years before turning to heavy metal and punk rock. They started playing together in 1998. Tom Cunningham joined Erez Netz in 2004 for US concerts and in 2007 the Infected Mushroom brought in Brazilian percussionist, Rogerio Jardim.

To get the full list of amazing performers and DJ’s, plus more details about the event, go to electricdaisycarnival.com.

Tickets for the Electric Daisy Caranival are $50/$100 VIP Tickets. Sales stop 2:00 pm 6/30/07. This event is expected to sell out, so order your tickets early at groovetickets.com or Ticketmaster.com. Exposition Park 3939 S. Figueroa Downtown Los Angeles CA