Punk Rock Bowling @ Downtown Events Center

The late morning started with Erik & India at Eggworks for breakfast.  Another old favorite breakfast place from our days of living here.  Afterwards we just took it easy until we headed downtown in the late afternoon.

We got down to town earlier than predicted.  Enough time to catch Niis.  A few songs anyway.  I felt like I was being yelled at.  During and between songs.  We left the sunny main stage area to grab a water and head over to the side stage.

This was the reason I had to be hear early today.  The mighty Cosmic Psychos.  Saw them last October for the first time in 31 years, and here they are, back in the US.  Just for Punk Rock Bowling.  Not more an appropriate band.  They only get a 20 minute set, but they have set a standard for the day.  A Nice Day To Go To The Pub lets the crowd know they are dealing with Australian rock royalty, and leads into a crowd singing Fuckwit City.  All 7 songs are what they played back in Asheville, and just as great.  The finale sees Macca do his famous shirt-off belly roll with a guitar over the back of the head during David Lee Roth.  Fun set.  Wished they'd played longer

Cosmic Psychos setlist

Back over to the main field for Destroy Boys, where a majority of us preferred the Golden Nugget's shade to standing closer to the band.  A good set of songs that I didn't know, except for the Should I Stay Or Should I Go cover.  Destroy Boys had a good energy and did their best to pump up the crowd, which was not an easy task this early in the day, and in this heat.

Destroy Boys setlist

We took a break for an early dinner (missing Snooper) before heading back into the now majority shaded main stage area.  When that sun is gone, it feels so much better.  And when it sets, it feels perfect.  The Subhumans then gave us 40 minutes of old school English punk.   Alot of political and social commentary from another band that I had not heard before, even though I'd heard their name for years.  Too Fat, Too Thin was a favorite of the night.

Subhumans setlist

The first chords of Starcrawler were ringing out as we reached the side stage.  Singer Arrow de Wilde has a unique stage presence.  Her tall figure stalking the stage really fits the music.  I had seen de Wilde walking around earlier, not knowing who she wa.  But she is a lot taller than I am and her distinguished mane of hair makes her hard to miss.  Her stage presence makes her seem bigger.  And the crowd love them.  Maybe some LA people who know the band, but they were deservedly well received.  As usual I didn't know any of their songs, but quickly joined in to the recognisable Ramones cover Pet Semetary.

One of the reasons I came out for this show was Rocket From The Crypt.  It had been 25 years since I last saw them, opening for Mudhoney in Sydney, though I have seen other John Reis bands in the meantime Hot Snakes, The Night Marchers & Me First & The Gimme Gimmes).  Hoping to hear some of their RFTC album, we got 13 songs from other albums instead.  While a great rock band, they weren't like any other "punk band" on the line up.  A mid set On A Rope was my favorite.  Not quite as I remembered all those years ago, but still glad I got to see Rocket From The Crypt again.

Rocket From The Crypt setlist

Back over to the small stage as The Chats arrive to a thunderous applause.  No talking tonight, just ripping through as many songs as possible in 50 minutes.  Pretty much the same songs as the Neighborhood Theatre 2 weeks ago, but definitely at a faster pace.  6L GTR amped up the crowd sufficiently, and it never settled down after that.  The Smoko / Pub Feed ender was fantastic and had the crowd exhausted.  Another great performance from this band.  I'll happily see them anytime they come around.

The Chats setlist

Another reason for the trip out was for Devo.  It's been a while since we saw them at the old Joint, and it seems like they are wrapping up touring after 50 years, so I got to see them while I can.  The show starts with a Devo video introducing their career by "manager" Rod Rooter, before the red dome hats hit the stage.  It was a slow start, but once they started Girl U Want, the crowd whipped into a frenzy.  Quickly followed by their most recognizable song, Whip It, Devo showed they are still ahead of their time.  So good!  A costume change after Planet Earth - into their yellow plastic Devo suits - saw them play 5 awesome songs til the end of their set.  Uncontrollable Urge was a song I knew but didn't realize was theirs, and Smart Patrol/Mr DNA was a definite highlight.  We only got Freedom Of Choice as an encore, but what a way to end.  This show was just as good as the first time I saw Devo in 1997 at Livid.  It was worth the trip to Vegas on it's own

Devo setlist

The Crap Facts:
This is my 506th concert.
This is my 6th concert at The Downtown Events Center.
This is my 152nd concert in Las Vegas.
This is my 152nd concert in Nevada.
This is my 307th concert in the USA.
Niis are the 586th band I've seen.
This is my 4th Cosmic Psychos show.
Destroy Boys are the 587th band I've seen.
Subhumans are the 588th band I've seen.
Starcrawler are the 589th band I've seen.
This is my 3rd Rocket From The Crypt show.
This is my 3rd The Chats show.
This is my 3rd Devo show.