Event: ZZ TOP
Venue: Venetian Theatre – Las Vegas, NV
It had been 2 years since I last visited our Las Vegas studio location. This particular facility houses 46 monthly practice spaces and is managed by Kenny James; a very good friend of mine I met during the infamous Sunset Strip days in the late 1980s. He was the lead singer of one of the more popular bands of the time; Wanted. Over the years our friendship grew through business, promotions and of course the music. I figured since I was hittin’ Vegas baby, we should check out a cool show. At first I struggled to find something worth attending but a week later ZZ Top announced upcoming performances at the Venetian…. Done!
Package: I had never seen these guys before and was looking forward to checking them out live…“a-how-how-how” I went full throttle and purchased the ZZ Top “Meet & Greet Package” which per ticket includes a $50 merchandise voucher, a copy of ZZ Top’s new album entitled “Live – Greatest Hits From Around The World”, a cool laminate pass and a meet & greet, including a picture with the band after the show. They also provide you with a VIP host to walk you through it all with ease.
The best part of this package were the seats themselves; front & center. When I say front & center, I laterally mean smack in the middle of row one. It felt as if we were watching our own private showcase until we heard the roar of the crowd behind us. This set me back approximately $484 per person including Live Nation’s BS fees. I know it’s pricey but for these seats, totally worth it in my opinion.
Parking: There is a gigantic free parking garage at the Venetian Hotel but it’s kind of a maze to navigate through and it’s about a 20 minute walk to the live venue inside the casino. There is also free valet service, if you go this route; it is always commendable to tip your attendant a couple of bucks. After all, we all gotta make a living. Unfortunately, the downfall for either option is the lines for parking are extremely long, slow and time consuming. My suggestion is to have someone drop you off or take an Uber. This will save you from having to arrive an hour earlier and you can drink at will while someone else does the driving.
Location: The Venetian Theatre is located inside the Venetian Resort Hotel & Casino. The hotel itself is one of the most prestigious structures on the Vegas Strip. In some ways it’s a disgusting reminder of the enormous amount of money being siphoned away from visiting gamblers. On the other hand, it’s very cool to know that anyone has access to these architectural marvels free of charge. Even though I tend to take it all for granted these days, the beauty in the details truly is stunning.
VIP Experience: After I walked through the hotel, I arrived at the Box Office in front of the Venetian Theatre around 6:30pm. I was told that the VIP reception table would be open at 7. Directly in front of the theater there is a little convenience store with beer for sale. I grabbed a couple of overpriced brews and waited for my friend to arrive. Once he did, we waited in the very short VIP line. Promptly at 7pm, they unhooked the velvet rope and let us through.
Because we arrived early, we were 2nd in line and got processed quickly. Our hostess gave us our access passes and told us to wait in our seats after the show for the meet & greet and picture with the Tres Hombres. We were also informed that the included merchandise would be mailed to us. I was happy about this fact because it’s highly annoying to carry around a bunch of stuff all night while trying to enjoy the show. Besides, I need my hands free for more important things….. like a beer and a shot of Patron for example.
Once we acquired the passes we were free to roam. There is no bar exclusive to VIP customers but the lines did move pretty quickly. Now double fisted, we ventured to check out the venue itself. The Venetian Theatre is beautiful, elegant and has the seating capacity of around 1800 people. I didn’t let Kenny know where we were sitting ahead of time as to surprise him. As we were standing in front of our seats, he looked over at me with a smile on his face and said “this is ridiculous”. We toasted to an awesome night to come… we were pumped!
Immediately before the show began, security laid down the rules to everyone in the first row: “Leave the isle clear in front of you, no drinks on the stage, no throwing things on stage, etc“. Basically what they were saying was not to be an idiot. I get it, but this crowd was not looking for trouble, they just wanted a Kick Ass night of live Rock & Roll ZZ Top Style…. & that’s exactly what we got.
ZZ TOP: The band came out and opened with “Got Me Under Pressure”. The clarity was amazing and the venue erupted with enthusiasm. These guys have been around for 50 years now and the respect for this original Texas trio was evident throughout the theater. Band members include: Billy Gibbons on guitar/vocals, Dusty Hill on bass/vocals and Frank Beard on the drums. The simplicity of their music and style can only be described as pure, straight forward Rock and Roll.
When you have been in the game this long, and have completely established your rightful place in Rock history, a simple gesture on the stage will get the crowd going. When the front bearded men move their instruments in unison or modestly step to the side at the same time, the audience goes crazy. Why?… Because this is ZZ Top.
Hit after hit was played including: “Gimme All Your Lovin’, Pearl Necklace, I’m Bad I’m Nationwide, Legs, Sharp Dressed Man, etc”… just to name a handful. Billy’s guitar playing is bluesy but dirty at the same time. Both guys up front bust out lead vocals, sometimes in their own brand of gritty harmonies. The back line of bass and drums are tight and solid. At one point they hit the stage with their fluffy guitars, another trademark of this iconic band.
As they finished the set, the crowd of course wanted more. They returned and jammed a couple more tunes including the song that put them on the map many moons ago in the mid 1970s; “Tush”. As they exited the stage the audience was asking for even more but the lights began to brighten giving the feeling that it was over. Then suddenly and quickly the lights dropped down to darkness again and they played a final encore for their fans…. It really was a great show.
Afterwards we stayed in our seats while the theater methodically emptied. As instructed, we were waiting for our host to lead us to picture time with the Texas Trio. I was actually surprised that the band preferred to do the meet & greets and photo taking after the show. From my experience, most acts choose to do this before show time for 2 reasons: First, to get it out of the way; and secondly because your fan base is more apt to be intoxicated at the end of the night…. I definitely fit into this category.
There were only 30 of us whom had this package, so it was pretty easy to get us all organized. They put about 8 of us at a time in an elevator and sent us upstairs. Once there, the Venetian staff lined us all up. The guys from ZZ Top then entered the small room in which we all occupied. Once again by coincidence, Kenny and I were 2nd in line. When it was our turn, I thanked the band for the Bad Ass show and we took a couple of pictures. We then rode the elevator back down to the main floor, hit the casino bar for another drink while we contemplated on how to spend the rest of this extraordinary night…. I’ll save that story for another time.
Side Note: I found it interesting that during the show Billy Gibbons joked about how they were now playing Casinos. All I have to say about that is… Big Band… Small Venue… Heeeeeell Yes!
ARTIST VIDEO SHOWCASE
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BEYOND EMPIRE / 54
BEYOND EMPIRE: If you like your guitars tuned down & Heavy…. Crank it up!
These guys started their journey in Japan then did a few years of recordings and live shows here in the States. They are now back in Tokyo doing more of the same. If you get a chance to see this powerhouse band live…. Do it.
The soundtrack entitled “54” is about the manipulation of the gambling business; promises of Big Wins which usually end up in draining one’s bank account. The video concept was conceived and produced by “Robo”.
To check out more music and videos from BE, click here: BEYOND EMPIRE
MEBITEK / Tactical Synopsis 03
MEBITEK: This artist describes his music as Dark Ambient Cinematic Atmospheres from Sardinia. As I scrolled through his videos, there is a mix of dark mood setting sound effects and beats that make you feel like your in a panic to get somewhere.
All the music and video images are created by Mebitek. This particular clip entitled “Tactical Synopsis 03” obtains one of those crazy rushed beats I spoke of. It is evident that this person would be quite talented at scoring and creating audio backgrounds for motion pictures…. most likely horror films.
Take a look & listen for yourself if interested: MEBITEK
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