Cage The Elephant & Bad Cop @ Cosmopolitan Pool

It had already been a long day by the time I got to the Cosmopolitan Pool.  What with Reggae & Phil arriving at 7am, the boys first birthday party at a park in Summerlin, and a house full of people, I could've easily just called it a night.  Thankfully I didn't!

It had been unusually cold all day, with rain while we were outside with the boys.  But with my trusty cardigan and beanie, Reggae, Phil & I met the Hills and braved the elements.

We were there early to see Bad Cop, a Tennessee band who were pretty good.  While it seemed as though no one in Las Vegas knew who they were, they played some great rock and go the crowd warmed up for the main event.

From the get go Cage were on fire!  They were out of the gates with 2024 and lead singer Matthew Shultz was dancing around stage like these songs were all his favorite of all time.  He has a crazy energy and does not stop for the whole show.  Even with the wind and the cold, the sound was great and there was not one lowlight to be spoken of (except maybe the small amount of attendees at the show).  In One Ear was wild, as was Back Against The Wall, and to hear everyone sing Ain't No Rest For The Wicked at full belt was awesome.  I had been listening to the Live At Chicago's Vic CD and was hoping they'd do the Psycho Killer cover, but was just as stoked to hear Pavement's False Skorpions finish a blazing show.

The night finished with me dropping Phil & Reggae off at the airport as they continue their journey home via Hawaii (I wish that was me).  I think they liked the show, I know the Hills did, and I as sure loved it.  Hope they come back through town soon

The Crap Facts:

This is my 327th concert.

This is my 3rd concert at Cosmopolitan Pool.

This is my 123rd concert in Las Vegas.

This is my 123rd concert in Nevada.

This is my 135th concert in the USA.
Bad Cop are the 391st band I've seen.
This is my 3rd Cage The Elephant concert.

Mastodon & Opeth @ House Of Blues

Because I'm old now it is very rare that I don't call a venue to find out what time a band starts and I arrive a couple of minutes before they take the stage.  This was going to be the case with Mastodon, until I read an article about Opeth.  Described as a European black metal band, who unbeknowst to me, have been around for years, I decided to get in a little early and check these guys out.  They have a big following as the House of Blues is already near full.  I don't know any songs but instead of metal, it was more of like an atmospheric rock, which after time was agitating the crowd.  This is apparently Opeth's new direction and not so popular with their old-school fans.  It is not until the last 2 songs that they, and the crowd, cut loose with some great riffs and some music befitting of a Mastodon opener.  Glad I made the effort to get there to see them, but probably wouldn't see them again - unless it was guaranteed they'd play old stuff - I'm not much into the atmospherics.

Soon after, Mastodon arrived to thunderous applause, though the crowd seemed to have thinned out slightly after Opeth (fine by this old guy).  Now that I'm a dad, I notice a lot of dad-like things, and early on in the set it was great to see the lead singer spot his young son watching from above.  Father & son got a great buzz out of the exchange and it seemed to spur Troy Sanders on.  This is the Heritage Hunter Tour, so Mastodon played a lot from their latest album.  Highlights for me were Crack The Skye, Curl Of The Burl & Blood & Thunder.  This is my 4th time seeing Mastodon, but 1st time at one of their shows (had seen them at festivals and opening for Alice In Chains before).  Great show, but a little short for my liking.  With 5 albums worth of material, I thought we may have gotten more, though the 10pm House Of Blues curfew for all ages shows probably had some thing to do with it.

The Crap Facts:

This is my 326th concert.

This is my 41st concert at House Of Blues.

This is my 122nd concert in Las Vegas.

This is my 122nd concert in Nevada.

This is my 134th concert in the USA.
Opeth are the 390th band I've seen.
This is my 4th Mastodon concert.

Madness @ House Of Blues

Another older band to check out! These are usually hit (Leonard Cohen) or miss (Bad Brains) but a risk that need to be taken.

Needless to say a right decision was made.

After dinner at Hussong’s in Mandalay Place , I walked into a relatively packed House of Blues with Erik & Spooner and got our regular spot, down the front on the left hand side. We only had to wait a few minutes before we were graced with the presence of the 10 piece English legends. And from the get go it was all good. The crowd, a lot of which were English – and a lot older than I (it’s nice not to be the old guy at the show for a change) – reacted with wild abandon when the band started with One Step Beyond. Madness then preceded to give Las Vegas a lesson in great ska shows over the next hour plus. Songs were somewhat familiar to me but the energy of band and the crowd made this a night to remember. It wasn’t until the last four songs that I got to hear all I wanted. House Of Fun, Baggy Trousers, It Must Be Love & Our House finished off the set, and the crowd was going nuts. After a brief break, we got a 3 song encore which left me wanting more. Unfortunately we did get Chas Smith coming back out to thank the crowd, wearing nothing but a towel – which was taken from him by the saxophone player. Leaving him to walk off stage nude as the crowd roared approval again.

I love going to concerts, and there is nothing better than a good one. But tonight I’ve never been so glad to see a show. The thought of reading about how good this show was would’ve been devastating. I wonder what the chances of ever seeing Madness again are.

The Crap Facts:

This is my 325th concert.

This is my 40th concert at House Of Blues.

This is my 121st concert in Las Vegas.

This is my 121st concert in Nevada.

This is my 133rd concert in the USA.
Madness are the 389th band I've seen.