Vegas Baby! - Saturday Night - Part 1

Vegas Trip Day 2

I'm sitting here in a coffee shop chillin' and in the process writing this latest entry in my blog. I'm constantly reminded how lame, small minded, and ignorant Seattle is in many ways. On my way to McCarran Airport (in Vegas), while double fisting Mango Margarita's, I reflected on how much more there is outside the lameness of Seattle. During the next two days of this trip I made some decisions about the direction I wanted to take in my life.

Up to this point in my life I was recovering from the breakup of my Fiancée and me. Now this isn't the normal sort of breakup, nooooooo. This was one of the more fucked up ways that people breakup. People who I used to call 'family' and 'friends' broke us up for whatever fucked up reason they could muster to justify their actions.

To this day, no one has apologized or even attempted to 'pay the piper' as it were. (I'm the piper! Pay up Biatches!!) I'm not expecting much because they're collectively slime balls and cowards. I know who exactly they are and who they have conned into believing whatever story they could muster to not only break us up but to slander me behind my back. I'm debating on writing a book about this whole incident but I probably won't as I'm moving on with my life.

Anyways, Day two in Vegas began with Sore feet and a slight hangover.

If I may take an aside here.

If any of you who read this and plan on walking around Vegas from Casino to Casino, make sure that you bring really comfortable shoes with you. If you don't, like I didn't, you'll end up with blisters galore. I counted 11 different blisters on my feet at one time during my trip. Just keep this tip in mind when you next book a trip to Vegas.

Ok so I woke up and the first thing on my mind was Breakfast. When you go to Vegas you'll see a lot of things that all the Casinos collectively do very well, entertainment, gambling, shopping, etc. However, there is one thing that ALL of the Casino's are collectively horrid at. Breakfast. If you go out on the town the night before, let me assure you that everyone gets up at the same time and are all looking for Breakfast. This means lines of people at all the Casinos all wanting Breakfast. Needless to say I only ate breakfast once during my time in Vegas and that was at 3:30 in the morning. Unless you plan on getting up early with all the Senior Citizens (before 10:00 AM) you might as well order from Room Service. Trust me, you may pay more but it's worth it in the long run.

After stuffing my face with some coffee and pastries I went about my list of tasks for the day which were:

- Secure Slipknot Tickets
- Look for a long sleeved black shirt (Seattle Stores Suck)
- Go to multiple casinos and get Odds for NHL Teams for the Upcoming season.
- Check out Vegas

One thing I forgot to take with me to Vegas was a list from pollstar.com of what artist was playing around Vegas. For some reason or another, I thought that the Slipknot show was at the Hard Rock Casino. So, I hopped a cab and it took me to the Casino. For those of you who aren't familiar with Vegas, the Hard Rock Casino is located about a mile or so east of the 'Strip' so it's really out of the way from the rest of the Casino's on the Strip. I got there and went to the Ticket Desk and they looked at me as if I was drunk, which really wasn't far from the truth, (oddly enough, at this very moment I'm listening to 'Sober' By Tool) and then said that Slipknot wasn't playing at the Hard Rock. So I started to make my way to the Pool at the Hard Rock as I've heard tons of stories about how this pool is one of the inspirations behind the new Las Vegas Marketing slogan 'What Happens In Vegas Stays in Vegas'. I was imagining how this is like the Vegas Version of the Playboy Mansion. Beautiful Women everywhere. When I got to the door to the pool, there was a bouncer and a big sign that said 'Hotel Guests Only'. Crap, there goes that idea. I later learned that you could pay your way into the pool but it would cost you.
So, I started to call TicketBastard (Ticketmaster) in Vegas to find out where the Slipknot show was. I learned that the show was at one of the southern most Casino's on the Strip, the House of Blues at the Mandalay Bay Casino. So after another Cab ride (no way I was walking this in 110 degree heat) I made it to the Mandalay Bay Casino. I've got to admit this wasn't going to be one of my stops during my trip to Vegas, until I found out that the Slipknot show was there. I got to the ticket booth and they were sold out except for $350 VIP booths that seat four. I like Slipknot but I'm not that big enough of a Fan to see them for $350. I had one more chance to get tickets and that was with Scalpers but I needed to get back to my room to find out where the Scalping agencies are located in Vegas.

So, now that I'm at the Southern most Casino on the Strip I decided to start walking back to my Hotel Room which was AT least three to four miles away. I walked from the Mandalay Bay through:

- Luxor
- Excalibur
- New York, New York

I've been to the Luxor and Excalibur before and they both seem to have slipped into the 'real crappy casinos' category since I last was there. When I got to the New York, New York I decided to look around a bit as I've never been to this Casino before. It's a pretty loud and tacky place but I found some great places to eat and visit when I come back next time. Now it may be me but it seems that this casino is the 'gay' casino in Las Vegas as I had groups of sick and nasty men following me in groups and it gave me the creeps. I consider myself pretty 'street smart' so I got out of there as I was pretty disgusted with the incident (In retrospect I should have noted the lack of single women there but I was more interested in checking out the casino).

I crossed the street and made my way to the M 'n M store. That's right, an entire store dedicated to the candy. Everything you could expect from this place was there, 'tourist trap' crap, different types of M 'n M's and even...are you ready for this..Christmas Ornaments. I got out of there as I've never seen so much crap stacked up in one store in my entire life. So I made my way to the Coca-Cola store which was right next door to the M 'n M store. Well, this was even more crap stacked up in one store. Just about the same amount of 'tourist trap' crap and Coke flavors imaginable. Didn't spend too much time there.

Next stop, The Harley Davidson Cafe/Store. By the time I made it here you could feel the 110 degree heat push all the sweat out one's pores. I went into the merchandise entrance and it was like the T-shirt section of the 'Hard Rock' Casino except that it was all Harley Davidson T-shirts. Didn't spend too much time there either. By this time, my underwear was completely drenched with sweat and sticking to my ass and my feet were re-defining how blisters are formed. I needed to get back to my hotel room, soak my feet and get a crowbar to pry my sweaty underwear from my ass. This is about 1:00PM and I have another 18 hours to write about on this day. I hope you can see why it's taking me so long to write about my trip to Vegas.

Bumbershoot - Sunday - Part 1

Just a quick Blurb. If ever there is anyone who books acts for Bumbershoot should read this, I say the following with all due respect. Given that, the person who made the decision to book Bo Diddley into McCaw Hall should be fired and never allowed to book concerts ever again. The only booking they should ever be allowed to do again is in a library as a librarian.

I don't have any problem with the venue of McCaw hall. However, when there are literally a thousand people waiting outside the hall and people being turned away from the hall by the hundreds (seriously), someone in charge of Booking obviously can't tell the difference between a great act like Bo Diddley and their asshole. For future reference, Bo Diddley belongs in Memorial Stadium or Key Arena (if available).

That is all...

Bumbershoot - Day Two -Trey Anastacio/Junkie XL

Well, one of the great things about living in Downtown Seattle is that you're within walking distance of the Seattle Center, in my case, it's about two blocks to the Space Needle. I chose to live where I'm currently at for events such as Bumbershoot. I wasn't able to attend Friday's shows but I attended Saturday's shows. I was able to see parts of some shows but not enough to be able to write a review.

Anyways, one of the main reasons I wanted to go to Bumbershoot this year is to see Former Phish frontman Trey Anastacio. Now bands like Phish, moe., and other 'Jam Bands' is that they get their bad rap from the legions of unwashed, sage burning wanna be hippies that follow these bands around the nation when they go on tour. Me personally, since I'm a musician, I think of bands like these as Jazz Bands in the Rock Vein which technically they are.

Trey Anastacio is one of the most gifted musicians in Rock Music Today. In Addition to touring with Phish, and his own solo band, he played with fellow Virginian Dave Matthews on his solo tour. His solo show at Bumbershoot was a long desired act that the organizers at Bumbershoot have been wanting to book for quite some time.

The first few songs of the show were mostly derived from his first solo CD. As I've said before, he is a great musician but one of the greatest weaknesses or drawbacks on his solo tour is that he, for the most part, plays songs from his first CD.

Phish was infamous for not only not repeating the same setlist on every tour stop but they've also have been known to have some fun in their concerts by playing non-Phish songs.

They have been known to play covers of 'Sabotage' by the Boys, 'Gettin Jiggy wid it' by Will Smith, and they have also been known to play covers of entire CD's of other bands like every single track from the Beatles 'White Album' on a New Year's Eve Show in years past. I've even heard a recording of Phish performing Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon' from start to finish.

These are the expectations for concerts that Trey and Phish have brought to fans over they years.

Needless to say the Show at Bumbershoot, as musically amazing it was, fell SEVERELY short in the variety of song selection department. I got bored after an hour into the show and left to find some other band that was playing at the time.

I then Opened up my trusty Bumbershoot Guide and made my way to a Techno/House/Dance DJ from Amsterdam called Junkie XL.

The blurb in the Bumbershoot guide (and the deciding factor to go check Junkie XL out) was:

"Amsterdam-based workaholic ("studio Jumkie" DJ eXpands the Limits of perception and reality with three albums, seven singles, and #1 Status in 22 countries under his belt."

From the European DJ's I've see, heard, and/or danced to this is was REALLY bold statement to make. Well, Junkie XL not only lived up to this billing but he overwhelmingly surpassed any expectations I had about what he could bring to the table. He was setup in the EMP 'Sky Church', a place where I've seen many bands (Public Enemy, moe., and Chuck Berry to name a few) and had two electronic mixing consoles setup. Clad in what seemed to be a white cap, white shirt and white slacks, he was ripping out some amazing mixes and some great beats. The best way to describe how he brought the crowd into a frenzy again and again is that he's the electronic version of a shaman. I know that seems goofy but I can't think of another way to describe the amazing display of electronic music I heard. The only time I've heard DJ's that are even in the same ballpark as Junkie XL were:

- In Europe at Clubs in Amsterdam, London, and Austria.
- On the Moby's Area:One Tour (Paul Okenfold and The Orb)
- At Club Pure in Las Vegas (review coming in my next transmission)

The beats and song selections were seamlessy sewn together like one two hour long track of music. I haven't danced my ass off to a DJ or in a Concert like this in a Long, long time. Anyways, as I was listening to Junkie XL, I was thinking that if I ever came into some money or was in charge of putting together an awesome party, Junkie XL would be at the top of my list of Artists that I'd bring to spin some infectious grooves.

Well, gotta go and see if I can get into see Bo Diddley, Isreal Vibrations, and eventually Elvis....Costello.



Trey Anastacio on my -5000 Megapixel Camera



Junkie XL

Vegas Baby! - Friday Night

That's what Seal decided to call Las Vegas during his show at the mirage. Can't say that I blame him. Well, contrary to popular opinion and conclusions drawn up by the many sewing cicrles (dubbed the 'got-no-lifers') I decided to go to Las Vegas for three reasons:

1) I haven't had a vacation in over two years and needed to get out and party my ass off. (Which I did)
2) Well, I was at work one day and browsing pollstar.com, as I like to do sometimes, just looking at what artists were playing around the country. I then clicked my way to the Shows playing Las Vegas on the same weekend.

Seal
Al Green
Velvet Revolver
Ultimate Fighting Championships
George Wallace
Tom Jones
Rob Zombie
Slipknot
Toby Keith/Lee Ann Womack/Shooter Jennings

This list doesn't include the shows that are playing on a more permanant basis...and yes I'm not listing Celne Dion on purpose.

3) Place a few bets at a Casino's Sports Book.

Friday Night

Anyways, going to see concerts was a great reason to head out to Las Vegas as I wanted to go see Seal, Al Green,

Velvet Revolver, Slipknot, and/or Rob Zombie. Not only that but I've been watching Vegas Related shows on the Travel Channel and E! so I had a bunch of other things I wanted to go check out (especially the Clubs!). So I booked my trip and headed to the Desert.

Just a word of advice, if a travel agent ever asks you if you'd like to have ground transportation to and from the Airport, SAY NO. Take a cab to and from the Airport, otherwise you'll be waiting in the desert sun breathing in disel exhaust.

Anyways, I made it to my hotel, the Flamingo, and the first order of Business was to get Tickets for the shows I wanted to see. I was wanted to see Seal on Friday night at the Mirage, Velvet Revolver on Saturday night at the Alladin, and Slipknot on Sunday night at the House of Blues. I was able to see everything I wanted to see except for Slipknot. Slipknot was so sold out scalpers were asking for WAY more than double the face price of $55. Once I got tickets for Seal and Velvet Revolver the next order of businsess was to get into shorts flip flops and a tshirt and look for booze. Within the Flamingo is Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, a place I've always wanted to go to in New Orleans or Key West. Anyways, I quickly got loaded on 'Last Mango in Paris' Margaritas (Mango Margaritas)the Official Drink of my Vacation and just kicked back and chilled until it was time to go see Seal.

Seal was nothing less than amazing especially the Venue he was in. This Venue at the Mirage is so intimate it's like watching a concert in your living room. Seal wasn't supporting any new CD's or anything like that it seemed like a tour just to have fun (Plus No Opening Act). The Concert started off with the first track off of his first CD and the whole show went up from there. The energy from the crowd was amamzing which Seal and his band (to whom he refers to as 'his family') took in and directed the concert to another level. The Show seemed short but was worth the $$$ I spent on the show.

One thing to note about the show is that Sigfreid and Roy attended the show. From what I understood it was the first public appearance of Roy after getting mauled by one if his tigers on Stage. When they entered the crowd gave them a standing ovation and soon after the ovation ended, a good portion of the crowd went up and got pictures of the two together. Me personally, I'm a pretty big chicken when It comes to getting a photo with Stars/Celebrities which happened twice my weekend in Vegas (the other time was Pete Rose signing autographs at the Forum Shops in Ceasers Palace).

The Seal show got out at approximately 11:30-11:45PM and I as wondering what I was going to do with the rest of the evening. I mean I'm on Vacation and 11:30 PM is WAY too early a time to go to bed. (Keep in mind I got up at 5:30 AM to get ready to go to catch my plane to Vegas.) So I started thinking about where I wanted to go for the rest of the evening. Well, as I stated earlier, I watched a bunch of shows on the Travel Channel and E! so I drew upon the cool things I remembered about places where I wanted to go. The first place I wanted to Visit was the The Palms Casino.

Let me tell you that Beautiful Women were EVERYWHERE in the Casino. Granted a good portion of the Beautiful Women were hookers (the clubs at The Palms let 'Women Who are residents of Las Vegas' into the clubs for free). Anyways, I checked out the Casino and it seemed smaller from how it's portrayed on TV. I sat down for one of two short gambling sessions during my weekend in Vegas and I played until I was practically fell asleep at the table which was about 2:00AM or so. In retrospect, I should have ordered up some Red Bull but didn't think about it until Saturday night (Actually Early Sunday Morning) at Ceasers Palace. I then went back to my hotel, got some late night Grub and then crashed. Naturally, I didn't fall asleep until 5:00 am which would make my time that I was awake for just about twenty four hours straight.

More later...

Here's some Friday pix from my -500 Pixel Camera Phone.

This blog has returned from going moblie!

Well as I said, this blog went mobile in August. Where to you ask?

Four days in Sin City Baby!!! Got about 14 hours of sleep the whole weekend.

I'll post the pictures and other fun things I did in Vegas!