Black Keys & Cage The Elephant @ The Chelsea

There was no way I was going to miss this show. 2 of my current favorite bands on the same bill, in an a venue holding its first ever show.

With Erik, Shelly & Dave we got to the Cosmo early to sell A's ticket. Unfortunately pregnancy doesn't allow her to be on her feet for long periods. (Weezer almost killed her). It took a while, but we found a punter who bought the ticket and we joined the seemingly mile long line to get in. It took forever to get in but we caught up with the Erik & Shelly near the front of the stage. Dave made the grave mistake of then lining up for drink. Seems like this venue has some kinks to work out. As it turns out the venue is a cavernous ballroom and while the flat floor was not ideal for some, it was certainly nice to have carpet underneath.

Cage The Elephant came out all guns blazing. They played only a short set, with a good mix of the first and new album. I love this band. There music is great and they have a passion for it as well - which extends to there performance. As an opening act, the set was short but finished in a blaze of glory as singer, Matt Shultz, dived into the crowd as was carried all the way through the venue, into the bleachers and finally out the back of the ballroom.

The Black Keys then stepped it up a notch again. They were in fine form from the get go. Patrick Carney's drumming is powerful and dynamic and the driving force behind this 2 piece blues / rock band. Each song was better than the last with Shot Stack Billy and I'll Be Your Man personal highlights. Would of liked to have heard Have Love Will Travel, and we may have heard it if the relatively short set had of been longer.  There was a point when I doubted whether the venue was actually ready.  At one point during the set, chunks of the roof were coming off to the sound of the music.

Overall a great night. 2 great live bands in an OK venue - it will be interesting to see what other shows the Cosmopolitan will put on there in the future.

The Crap Facts:

This is my 312th concert.
The Chelsea is the 85th venue I've seen a concert in.
This is my 108th concert in Las Vegas.

This is my 108th concert in Nevada.

This is my 120th concert in the USA.
This is my 2nd Cage The Elephant concert.
This is my 2nd Black Keys concert.

Black Keys are the 750th time I've seen a band.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Book & Stage

New venue. And one that is having BRMC play for free. Am I dreaming? Am I still in Vegas? Could this be too good to be true. Apparently not. The Cosmopolitan has a bar which they are treating as a sports book during the day and a music venue at nights (hence the name Book & Stage). They are featuring bands doing 1 or 2 sets a night in a mini-residency. And tonight it's Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.

It is an odd shaped stage, which sees the band separated from the crowd by the oval-shaped bar. But still it's free. A good size crowd packed into the small venue and the band were awesome. There was supposed to be 2 sets and I got there for the 10pm, and it went longer than expected and from I what I heard there was no return at midnight. Highlight for me was Spread Your Love, which the Cosmo had actually been using for their advertising campaign. Would love to have known what uncultured punters in the casino thought when they heard the song.  Also saw the Black Keys in the audience - bit of celebrity spotting.

It will be interesting to see what other bands the Cosmo will bring in (I have already missed Fitz & The Tantrums), but I hope there are plenty more. It is a good small venue, and you definitely can't beat the price.

The Crap Facts:

This is my 311th concert.

Book & Stage is the 84th venue I've seen a concert in.

This is my 107th concert in Las Vegas.

This is my 107th concert in Nevada.

This is my 119th concert in the USA.

This is my 2nd Black Rebel Motorcycle Club concert.