I have a love-hate relationship with Las Vegas. On one hand, the debauchery, spectacle, and the hedonistic insignificance of time are appealing to the party-hungry kid in me that still refuses to grow up. On the other hand, the commercialism, the insane cost of EVERYTHING, and the mass of humanity are cringy to me, much preferring the comfort of my home, van, or dive-bar venues. The party-hungry kid in me also has to reconcile with the fact that he’s not a kid anymore, a reality that hits hard when you’re trying to pack your suitcase while the sun is coming up, still awake and uncoordinated from the night before, with the flight home looming closer than any potential opportunity to sleep. That’s my Vegas in a nutshell.
To no one’s surprise, Cheap Trick playing Budokan in it’s entirety was the draw. The Punk Rock Museum, The Sphere, and connecting with rarely-seen friends from corners of the country were the icing.
Day One: Arrival and a gig at the Shag Room
I flew out of DTW at 1pm and sat next to a talkative older guy on the plane named... we'll call him Bob, who's in the tomato business. Not feeling particularly chatty I hid in my noise-canceling headphones until our row got up to take a leak and quickly got sucked into a conversation as soon as we returned to our sweats. It ended up being pretty great, the high point being about the time he projectile vomited onto the track at Churchill Downs just as the Kentucky Derby was about to start. Can't wait to write a song about that!
I’m no Bruce Springsteen, but I can at least say that the “Open Mic Night” phase of my musical career is (mostly) behind me. Not that I’m above it (I’m clearly not), but it’s just not something I generally need to do. I wanted to get to Las Vegas a night early to get a jump on the jetlag and to be ready for the arrival of my pal Johnny on Thursday morning. Turns out there is an open-mic night at The Shag Room in the Virgin Resort and Casino. Nevada being one of the 5 states I’ve never played and the convenience of not having to actually book the gig drew me in, so shortly after landing and checking into Treasure Island I took the Lyft over to the Virgin.
I had a couple hours to kill so I got some great tacos at the overpriced on-site Mexican joint and lost $40 at the roulette table in about 3 ½ minutes. I got the 3rd slot at open-mic night, hosted by local good-dude/musician Shawn Eiferman. Everyone got two songs, and I did “I Didn’t Want to Break Your Heart” and “Bottled Regrets,” choosing chords over picking with the unknown entity of the house guitar. The room was pretty full of performers and spectators, I played fine, got a good response, and checked Nevada off the list. 4-to-go. The other performers were mostly hip-hop guys rapping to beats on their iPhones, but one dude Brian Doucette, from Edmonton, was more Irish punk, down my alley. We exchanged pleasantries and contact info and who knows, maybe we’ll cross paths again!
Left: JP at The Shag Room. Right: Brian Doucette at The Shag Room
Day Two: The Arts District, Punk Rock Museum and Tiki Bar
Johnny landed from Minnesota around 10am and we headed to the Las Vegas Arts District for lunch, beers, and punk rock. We had some nachos and beers at Able Baker Brewing Company, did some coffee/dispensary/vintage-store stuff in that area and headed over to the Punk Rock Museum on foot.
This place has been on my list for a while and it did not disappoint. There’s a punk-dive-bar attached that looks like about every venue that I play, and while we had a pre-museum pint (you could take your beer in, but only in a $25 keepsake plastic cup) I could see into the first room, stacked with Social Distortion stuff. My kinda place. Great exhibits as you would want – Avengers, Black Flag, Social Distortion, X, Dead Kennedys, The Clash… the soundtrack of my high school years for sure. Highlights were D. Boon’s (Minutemen) amp, a full-wall Avengers photo, and the Detroit and Minneapolis sections. Plenty of 90s/00s/Warped Tour stuff that doesn’t really move me, and a lack of stuff from The Jam and zero mention (that I saw) of Montreal’s Doughboys or The Nils were minor disappointments, but the good WAY outweighs these things and I’d very strongly suggest it to everyone.
After a failed attempt at a nap we headed over to Chinatown for some Bangkok Street Food Bangkok Street Food and the Golden Tiki Bar. Thai food was mostly great and the Tiki Bar was a spectacle with shrunken heads of rock and roll celebrities who’d visited in years passed, including Ramones, Mötley Crüe, Devo, and Eddie Trunk. It was nice to be off the strip (financially and vibey). Not sure I need to go back to either, but between the Arts District and Chinatown, it was a great day of new sights. After a Lyft back to the Strip and a walk up Las Vegas Boulevard we had a drink with a couple we met who turned out to be a hooker and her John, then played some Roulette back at TI before crashing out at a fairly respectable hour.
Left to Right: JP with The Avengers, JP in his green room, both from the Punk Rock Museum, Ramones shrunken heads at the Golden Tiki Bar.
Day Three: The Sphere and Cheap Trick Night One
At 11am on Thursday we meandered through the Venetian over to The Sphere to see The Wizard of Oz. You most likely know what the Sphere is by now, but maybe you’re not sure about spending $100-$200 on a ticket to see A MOVIE. It’s an experience I’d highly recommend – like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Think Avatar in 3D IMAX x1000. There are flying monkeys, a simulated tornado with shaking seats, wind, and flying debris, and an enchanted forest with falling apples. It exceeded expectations - a fantastic experience - and I would gladly do it again, possibly next time with Metallica on stage.
After a little TI Jacuzzi time, complete with a DJ blaring house music 8 feet from our heads, we headed over to The Venetian for Cheap Trick, night one. We said hello to Columbus’ own John and Lisa Henneke before heading down to our 3rd row seats. The lights went down a couple minutes early as the band took the stage, not to the normal “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls….” Intro, but the old, familiar “ALL RIGHT TOKYO!” The weekend was billed as “Playing At Budokan and Greatest Hits” so it wasn’t really clear if we were getting The Complete Budokan or the original At Budokan LP + post-Budokan hits like “Dream Police,” “She’s Tight,” and “The Flame.” I was kind of cool either way, but not disappointed that it was the complete set, with nothing post-Heaven Tonight, except “I Know What I Want” from Dream Police, with the Tom Petersson vocal likely put there to give Robin Zander a break. The band was on fire, smiling, interacting with eachother, and Rick Nielsen looking healthier than I've seen him in a couple years.
After the show I was lookin' for a dive casino where the tables wouldn't be $25 and Johnny took me to Ellis Island and it fit the bill perfectly. I broke about even after an hour of blackjack, we stumbled back to strip, gobbled down some In-And-Out Burger (underwhelming), and crashed out around 2:30am.
Left: Jeremy & Johnny heading to The Sphere, Cheap Trick at The Venetian, night one of At Budokan
Day Four: Record Store Day and Cheap Trick Night Two
I woke up around 5:45 am with a solid 3 hours, 15 minutes sleep under my belt, stumbled into last nights clothes, and took a cab over to Zia! Records for Record Store Day. The line was around the building and moved slow, but I was in it for the long haul and got into the store around 7:30am. I picked up live albums by Dinosaur Jr., Joan Jett, and Rainbow, and the new Dallas Good (Rip, from The Sadies) album, as well as a couple titles for my pals in Los Angeles and Minneapolis. I grabbed a gas station coffee and took a Lyft back to TI with a bag full of records and bladder full of, well, nevermind.
After a little downtime and a little more pool time and a 35 minute siesta, our pals John and Nate from Los Angeles arrived and pre-gamed before night two of Cheap Trick. Our seats were a little further back but still great, and the band was just as on fire as they were the night before. After the show I met Paul Hamer, of Hamer Guitars, who was just about as friendly as could be. He asked me what I was playing and we talked a little Reverend Guitars as well as my 73 Tele Deluxe and `64 Melody Maker, neither of which I play all the often, but they sound the most impressive.
After the show it was back to Ellis Island where more roulette was played, one credit card was left at the bar and returned, and we fell up the street back to TI. One of our compatriots was in rougher shape than the rest, so we agreed in advance we'd best make sure he got back to his room (at a not-too-far away hotel) ok, when I realize I'd lost my phone somewhere along the way. I searched my room in a drunken panic and when I caught up to my friends, Johnny said he'd just gotten a call from Ceaser's Palace, where I left it, him being the last person I called. Welp, lets drip our buddy off safely at his hotel and head back down there, about a mile, to get it. Angry and embarrased, but SO happy it was found... Phone miraculously reclaimed, I ended up back in my room at 5:30am as the sun was starting to peek over the eastern mountains beyond The glowing Sphere.
I spent the next hour and a half trying to pack my suitcase, in my condition, feeling like a monkey at the zoo trying to fit a round peg in a square hole, or, as the saying goes, trying to fit 15 lbs of shit into a 10lb bag, with some records from Record Store Day and a couple souveniers taking the space I didn't have. Somehow, don't ask how, I got that sucker zipped up, laid down, looked at my phone, and got a text that Johnny was heading down to the lobby around 7:45am.
Left to Right: Jeremy at Zia! Records, 6:30am, Cheap Trick At Budokan Night Two, Jeremy w/Paul Hamer of Hamer Guitars
Day Five: The flight home and recovery
Johnny and I split a Lyft to the airport and I was lucky to get on a flight an hour+ earlier than the one I had booked. Not gonna like, I was hurtin', but what was I to do? I listened to my iPod on shuffle, got a little shitty airplane sleep, and touched down at 4:30pm. I met "Bob" again in the terminal where we congratulated each other on surviving the weekend, as I moped to the exit where TrooperGirl22 picked me up and promptly declared that I smelled like a distillery. I hadn't eaten or slept since the previous day, and I was practically seeing double from the partying, exhaustion, and jetlag. I choked down a piece of frozen pizza and crashed out around 10pm.
Las Vegas remains the audult playground I always remember. So great in some ways, and so hideous in others. No regrets this time, well, except maybe leaving my phone at Ceaser's Palace. Good times with great friends around a couple amazing Cheap Trick shows.
Jeremy Porter lives near Detroit, fronts the rock and roll band Jeremy Porter And The Tucos, and plays acoustic shows all over the place. Follow him and them on Facebook to read his road blog about their adventures on the dive-bar circuit.
www.jeremyportermusic.com | www.blog.jeremyportermusic.com
www.thetucos.com
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www.rockandrollrestrooms.com
Twitter: @jeremyportermi | Instagram: @onetogive & @jeremyportermusic
