Iggy! Jello! Gimme Gimmes! | Vegas Seven, Seven Nights | May 25-31, 2017 by Vegas Seven

W HA T TO DO

AF T ER DARK By JASON R. LATHAM

Bob Saget

FRIDAY 26 TASTE: Swing by Downtown early for a patriotic

THURSDAY 25 Memorial Day Weekend is a five-night affair in Las Vegas, so don’t get left behind or you’ll be playing catch-up until Monday. TASTE: It’s National Wine Day. You’re gonna see

memes and snaps about “wine o’clock” all day. It’s gonna make you thirsty ... You’re in luck. HEXX Kitchen + Bar at Paris Las Vegas is hosting a wine tasting with three 3-ounce pours from select options for $25. hexxlasvegas.com You should have no problem finding a glass of wine (or anything else) at the Las Vegas Epicurean Affair on The Palazzo Las Vegas Pool Deck. SUGARCANE executive chef Timon Balloo hosts an evening of cocktails and cuisine featuring offerings from nearly 80 Las Vegas restaurants. 7 p.m., $110, venetian.com DANCE: You don’t often see Ty Dolla $ign as a solo act,

but tonight he’s on his own at TAO Nightclub inside The Venetian. 10:30 p.m., $23–$32, taolasvegas.com

Meanwhile, Zedd leads off Hakkasan Nightclub’s MDW lineup, with an assist from Stretch. 10:30 p.m., $20–$30, inside MGM Grand, hakkasanlasvegas.com

May 25–31, 2017 vegasseven.com

cocktail at Fremont East’s Therapy restaurant. The menu includes Star Spangled Lemonade with blueberry liqueur and Dos Armadillos tequila for $10. There’s also a Rocket Shot made with Malibu rum, Blue Curaçao liqueur and grenadine for $5. Yum. therapylv.com

If that’s not enough for you, DJ Snake hosts Surrender Nightclub’s Nightswim. 10:30 p.m., $25–$45, inside Encore at Wynn Las Vegas, surrendernightclub.com Or get crunk with Lil Jon at 1 OAK Nightclub inside The Mirage. Admit it, it’s been forever since you actually got crunk. 10:30 p.m., $30–$40, 1oaklasvegas.com

HEAR: Stick around and see Little River Band at

Golden Nugget. A lot of people say “Reminiscing” is LRB’s greatest musical achievement, but one could make the argument for “Playing to Win.” You decide. 8 p.m., $43–$173, 129 Fremont St., goldennugget.com

LAUGH: It’ll be wall-to-wall F-bombs when Bob Saget

takes the stage at Brooklyn Bowl. 7 p.m., $30–$100, at The Linq Promenade, brooklynbowl.com/las-vegas And, Community alum Joel McHale headlines at Treasure Island Hotel and Casino. 9 p.m., $48–$76, treasureisland.com. Check out our interview with McHale at vegasseven.com/joelmchale. EXPERIENCE: Rock musical Hedwig and the Angry

Inch continues its run at Mandalay Bay’s House of Blues. 10:30 p.m., $32, houseofblues.com/lasvegas DANCE: Picking up where it left off last weekend,

XS Nightclub’s 8 Year Anniversary event rolls on with the Chainsmokers. 10 p.m., $45–$65, inside Encore at Wynn Las Vegas, xslasvegas.com

SATURDAY 27 TASTE: The Springs Preserve serves up beers from

around the world at its annual Brews and Blues Festival. Every ticket is good for unlimited beer samples, and the evening’s entertainment includes the Ace Tones and Ghost Town Blues Band. 4 p.m., $35–$40, springspreserve.org HEAR: Downtown Grand opens a new concert venue on Third Street and taps Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil for its kickoff show. 7 p.m., free, downtowngrand.com

If you’re more of a ’90s person, Stratosphere Hotel welcomes all-stars Smash Mouth to its Elation Pool. 9 p.m., $35, stratospherehotel.com DANCE: Saturday’s nightclub lineup is ridiculous.

See for yourself.

First, you’ve got Life Is Beautiful Music & Art Festival 2017 headliner 2 Chainz putting on a show

Clockwise from left: New Kids on the Block; Gucci Mane; The Phantom of the Opera

at 1 OAK. 10:30 p.m., $30–$50, inside The Mirage, 1oaklasvegas.com Then there’s Gucci Mane, who gets the call at Marquee Nightclub inside The Cosmopolitan. 10:30 p.m., $45–$83, marqueelasvegas.com Lil Wayne is on The Cromwell rooftop at Drai’s

Nightclub. $40–$60, draisnightlife.com

And Kygo checks in for Nightswim at XS’s 8 Year Anniversary party. 10 p.m., $50–$100, inside Encore at Wynn Las Vegas, xslasvegas.com. Read more about Kygo in this issue.

MONDAY 29

inside Caesars Palace. 10:30 p.m., $20–$30, omnianightclub.com

And XS dials up David Guetta for its 8 Year Anniversary event. 10 p.m., $40–$75, xslasvegas.com

SUNDAY 28 HEAR: Welcome to Throwback City. It’s like the Co-

lumbia House music catalog came to life and sent its biggest acts to Las Vegas for one night only.

First up, it’s the Total Package Tour at T-Mobile Arena, starring New Kids On The Block, Paula Abdul and Vegas headliners Boyz II Men. If late ’80s/early ’90s pop music was your thing, you belong here. 7:30 p.m., $35–$130, t-mobilearena.com If your tastes lean toward ’80s rock, be at Sunset Station for Loverboy and Starship featuring Mickey Thomas. Hold up, why is Starship second-billed? This is the group that did “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” from that movie Mannequin— one of the best songs ever made … in some people’s opinion. 8 p.m., $24–$44, stationcasinos.com/events And lordy, it gets even better. “King of New Jack Swing” Teddy Riley brings Teddy Riley and Friends to The Amp at Craig Ranch in North Las Vegas. Are you ready for this lineup? It’s Guy, Blackstreet, Al B. Sure!, Christopher Williams, Big Bub, Kool Moe Dee and Wreckx-N-Effect. That’s a must-see. 7 p.m., $30–$70, Craig Ranch Regional Park, 628 W. Craig Rd., ticketmaster.com DANCE: Drai’s keeps killing it with its headliners.

Tonight Wiz Khalifa takes the stage with an assist by DJ Franzen. $40–$60, inside The Cromwell, draisnightlife.com Meanwhile, Fast & Furious franchise star Ludacris comes to Light at Mandalay Bay. 10 p.m., $25–$51, thelightvegas.com

May 25–31, 2017 vegasseven.com

TASTE: Did you work or play all day? Doesn’t matter, you’re probably hungry, so it’s a good thing Red Rock Resort and Green Valley Ranch Resort are bringing back their seasonal tastings menus, Taste the Rock and Taste to Share, respectively. 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., stationcasinosblog. com/taste-the-rock/ and greenvalleyranch.sclv.com/ tastetoshare DANCE: You’re probably thinking, “We just had all

of these big-time DJs blow through town, but where was Steve Aoki?” Breathe easy. He’s at Jewel Nightclub. 10:30 p.m., $20–$30, inside Aria, jewelnightclub.com

And the 8 Year Anniversary at XS goes out with a bang as Diplo takes the stage. 10 p.m., $20–$30, inside Encore at Wynn Las Vegas, xslasvegas.com

TUESDAY 30 DANCE: If you’re not trying to cram in what’s left

of your Netflix queue before it all goes away on Thursday, hit up Omnia Nightclub to see Julian Jordan. 10:30 p.m., $20–$40, inside Caesars Palace, omnianightclub.com

WEDNESDAY 31 TASTE: Enjoy half-priced bottles and glasses of wine at UnWined Wednesdays at Hyde Bellagio. 5 p.m., inside Bellagio, hydebellagio.com EXPERIENCE: The Phantom of the Opera kicks off

its run of 16 performances at The Smith Center. 7:30 p.m., $36–$137, thesmithcenter.com 7

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK BY AUSTIN HARGRAVE; PHANTOM OF THE OPERA BY MATTHEW MURPHY; GUCCI MANE BY JONATHAN MANNION

Martin Garrix is spinning at Omnia Nightclub

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H o l i d ay

In the

By LISSA TOWNSEND RODGERS

Sun

PUNK ROCK BOWLING TAKES OVER LAS VEGAS AGAIN It’s been nearly two decades since the first Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival brought a few dozen bowling teams and a band or two to Las Vegas. The event has since expanded to take over an entire weekend and, seemingly, the whole city. As thousands of punks converge on Vegas, here are a few highlights. At the festival proper, punk godfather Iggy Pop will headline Saturday’s gig, sharing the stage with showmen Me First and the Gimme Gimmes as well as punky ska outfit the Interrupters. Sunday’s big name is (the seemingly ubiquitous) Bad Religion, along with skate punks Fidlar and thrash-happy chicks the Venomous Pinks. On Monday, it’s Cock Sparrer, the Adicts and Pennywise for your old-school punk pleasure. If big crowds aren’t your thing, there are a number of official PRB club shows scheduled for smaller venues Downtown. Thursday kicks off with the O.G.s of garage, the Sonics. Other bands this weekend include the heroes of ’70s CBGB, Television, as well as pop-punk outfit Mr. T. Experience, Giuda’s glam-punk and Hepcat’s ska dance party. And the Gold Spike will be hosting afternoon punk rock pool parties Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Of course, there are plenty of unofficial events that offer the PRB flavor. Beauty Bar is hosting matinee shows in its backyard for those who want to get their ears and liver to work early. Friday night, feral rockers the Mentors take the stage at the Dive Bar, and on Saturday night, Evel Pie is throwing a punk rock pizza party with bands and a $5 beer-and-slice deal; that night, Jello Biafra will also host his Incredibly Strange Dance Party at the Golden Tiki and a dozen thrash bands play at the Hard Hat Lounge until the wee hours. Even if you don’t intend to be part of Punk Rock Bowling, you may find it impossible to avoid. May 25–31, 2017 vegasseven.com

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

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Jello Biafra Tells It Like It Is The Dead Kennedys lead singer sounds off on Trump and Sin City As lead singer of the Dead Kennedys, Jello Biafra brought absurdist humor and informed politics to punk rock with songs like “California Über Alles” and “Holiday in Cambodia.” Over the past two decades, he’s performed and recorded as a spoken word artist, collaborated with a variety of musicians, run a record label (Alternative Tentacles) and run for office (mayor of San Francisco). On Saturday, he’ll be having an “Incredibly Strange Dance Party” at the Golden Tiki, where he’ll spin “a mixture of garage and soul, some trash, dementia and, of course, the punk.” Biafra spoke to Vegas Seven about Sin City, Donald Trump and fighting back—brick by brick and prank by prank. (His responses have been edited for length and clarity.) “I think [Donald Trump’s] psycho tweets and tantrums are very carefully timed and much more thought out than we’re led to believe. With stuff that’s going wrong, or [when] Congress is ramming through something that’s really horrible—about wiping out important environmental regulations, or cutting education, or blowing up internet neutrality—it doesn’t get the coverage it should, because it’s Trump all the time. That’s the reason [why] people dreaming of impeachment can probably just dream on.

“The billionaires, millionaires and predatory corporations know they need to hang on to Trump at all costs, because this is their chance of a lifetime to get away with looting the country. They think this is the best chance they’ve ever had to not just take America back to 1950s, but to the 1850s. Put in President Mike Pence and people are gonna be much more on guard … [Trump] already had this rabid fan base, a cult following, even— people we didn’t know so well who spent all their time indoors watching him fire people on TV and thought he was really, really cool. They didn’t vote for him in spite of him being a racist, a bully. They voted for him because of that. I thought it might take 10 or 20 years to recover from the damage he’s done. Now, I’m not sure we ever will. “I don’t think it’s worth horrible things happening to innocent people, simply ’cause it might inspire better art. Plus, the whole urban legend that Reagan and Thatcher abusing power made punk rock better is complete bullshit: Dead Kennedys, the Bad Brains, Crass, the Clash, Black Flag were all fully formed at least two years before Reagan or Thatcher took power. There was a huge outpouring of anger when Crown Prince [George] W. [Bush] invaded Iraq, but did that stop the war? No. The damn thing is still going on. However, that doesn’t mean you don’t keep pushing, or otherwise the damage will be worse. “City elections, state legislatures, school boards—hardly anybody shows up and votes for that, or pays attention to [local] initiatives on the ballot. That’s where the more decent, thinking people show up and vote, the more likely we are to at least get some stuff fixed. Brick by brick, from the ground up. “Not only is there an urgent need to fight all this shit, but there can also be a certain joy in pulling pranks on

Fun-Loving

Punk

ME FIRST AND THE GIMME GIMMES KEEP IT LIGHT May 25–31, 2017 vegasseven.com

the powers that be. Not that this is all fun and games, but it shouldn’t all be a miserable hassle, either. I loved that carefully concocted prank at the Conservative Political Action Conference that Trump spoke at. Somebody handed out Russian flags with “TRUMP” on them to all the delegates and they were gleefully waving them, not realizing it was a Russian flag. I have long been a fan of creative crime. Crime is the last unspoiled art form left on earth. You don’t go to art school to learn creative crime: Everybody does it on their own. “The first time I ever saw Las Vegas was flying in for the New Year’s Eve-eve Dead Kennedys show. It was supposed to be us, Bad Brains, M.I.A., the Remains. Oh, my God—I saw it from the air and kept visualizing the Bad Brains freaking out on the plane. ‘Babylon! That’s Babylon!’ Sure, it’s Babylon. … This place is so disturbed, either every city in the world should be like this or no other city in the world should be like this.” Jello Biafra’s Incredibly Strange Dance Party May 27, 11:30 p.m., $5, the Golden Tiki, facebook.com/thegoldentikivegas

“I think a lot of bands, especially so-called punk bands of the ’80s and ’90s, are a little bit too preoccupied with some kind of weird, misguided notion of realness. And I think performance should be the exact opposite.” So says Spike Slawson, lead singer of punk rock cover band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. On stages overrun with posturing and lecturing, the Gimme Gimmes are about having a good time. Decked out in tuxedos, they goof through the ukulele opening of a thrash cover of R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly”; in Hawaiian shirts, they drive through a pummeling rendition of Elton John’s “Rocket Man.” “It’s entertaining for me, too. Which is why I do it,” Slawson says. “It’s fun to get into a different character. And with the Gimme Gimmes, I think we’re able to focus almost solely on how we present it.” The members of the Gimmes have “day jobs” in bands such as NOFX, Lagwagon and the Foo Fighters; Spike also plays with a ukulele-centric band called Uke-Hunt. The Gimmes just released a greatest hits album, entitled Rake It In: The Greatestest Hits, and are playing this weekend’s Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival on their current tour. Spike says he enjoys Punk Rock Bowling more now that the festival has

JELLO BIAFRA BY MONTECRUZ FOTO/FLICKR

[ AS TOLD TO ]

7 GREAT I GGY POP MOMENTS

Ray, I beg to differ. This is a man’s dress.’” —One of many Iggy anecdotes, this one from The Doors’ Ray Manzarek in Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk.

Iggy’s best-known song is likely “Lust for Life,” the full-tilt swagger rock anthem he wrote with David Bowie. The song’s main riff was copped from the call signal for the Armed Forces Network, while much of its sex-and-junk imagery comes from William S. Burroughs’ The Ticket That Exploded. Ironically, it became the theme for a Royal Caribbean Cruises commercial, albeit with the line “liquor and drugs” replaced with “looks so fine.”

Highlighting a career that includes involvement in gang fights, nude modeling and an honor from the French government

Photography MASAYOSHI SUKITA If there was a Mount Rushmore of rock, Iggy Pop’s face should be staring out from the center. If there is a family tree of punk, the sinewy arms of Iggy are wrapped around its roots, ever since his rise to infamy as the leader of the Stooges almost 50 years ago. But, of course, the Iguana is no dinosaur—he’s collaborated with David Bowie and Debbie Harry, but also New Order, Dangermouse, Peaches and Queens of the Stone Age, as well as being the first septuagenarian to headline Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival. In a life full of (kicked-over) milestones, here are seven that stand out.

1. Tappan Junior High was a pres-

tigious school outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan, attended by the spawn of cabinet secretaries and auto company presidents. In 1962, the boy declared “Most Likely to Succeed” was student body vice-president and avid golfer James Osterberg Jr., who signed a number of his classmates’ yearbooks, “From the 43rd President of the United States.” Osterberg would indeed find success and renown—as Iggy Pop.

GIMME GIMMES BY K ATIE HOVL AND

If there is an origin moment—or

sound—of punk rock, it may well be “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” the song (and the performance) that put Iggy and the Stooges on the map. A primal stomp accompanied by sleigh bells and masochism, it’s been played in the background of video games and haute couture fashion shows, and covered by Nirvana and Boy George.

In early 1974, the Stooges were heading toward their final crash and burn. Onstage in Detroit, Iggy antagonized and got pummeled by a member of a local biker gang, the Scorpions—and then went on the radio and challenged the gang to a rematch at an upcoming gig. A few days later, the Scorpions showed up at the Michigan Palace in full force—as did a rival gang recruited by the Stooges. Pelted with ice, coins, vegetables and beer cans, the Stooges

took fire and fueled a vicious set, as Pop taunted the audience and basked in their hostility: “Thank you very much to the person who threw this glass bottle at my head. It nearly killed me, but you missed!” The Stooges’ last gig has been preserved as Metallic K.O., which critic Lester Bangs described as “the only rock album I know where you can actually hear hurled beer bottles breaking against guitar strings.”

“... Bail was only like a hundred bucks, hundred and fifty bucks. ‘Okay, boom, here’s the money, Can you let the man out?’ And 15, 20 minutes later out comes this weaving, wavering, staggering James ‘Iggy Pop’ Osterberg, wearing a dress at the Hollywood station. A full-length dress. I looked at him and said, ‘Jim, is that a woman’s dress?’ And Iggy said, ‘No,

widened its scope a bit. “It’s not all stuff that just fits into a certain subgenre of punk or even just the umbrella of punk itself. They’ve stretched the definition of the genre a little bit.” Spike and his bandmates are also looking forward to sharing the PRB stage with another great showman. “Iggy. I don’t even think I’m going to change. I’m going to leave my monkey suit on and watch the master work.” Me First and the Gimme Gimmes have played Vegas many times—after all, what town is going to appreciate fezzes and versions of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” like we will? Slawson digs the town offstage, as well. “Fremont Street is like a reality show all its own. All those beautiful neon signs,” he says. “And East Fremont Street: It’s just a trashier side of Vegas. As a San Franciscan, I look at that as kind of [Las Vegas’] Tenderloin, but just a weird desert one. It’s just a trashier side of Vegas. That, I can appreciate. I’ve never walked there where somebody didn’t yell something out of a car at me.” What is he looking forward to in Vegas during this visit? “Delicious moments. Like it says on the side of the pizza box.” He adds, “that would also be my drag name.”

In 2016, the Brooklyn Museum of Art hosted an exhibition entitled Iggy Pop Life Class, which was created by artist Jeremy Deller and involved Pop serving as a nude model for several drawing sessions, resulting in over 100 works. Rock ’n’ roll may be largely about sex, drugs and broken bottles, but it’s also about an artist letting a bunch of people take naked pictures of them when they’re pushing 70. That is some “I don’t give a fuck” right there.

On April 24, 2017, Iggy Pop was declared a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government “for his contribution to the arts in France and throughout the world.”

Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival May 27–29, single-day pass $50, three-day pass $125, Downtown Events Center, punkrockbowling.com