‘Raiding the Rock Vault’ settles in at the Rio

Courtesy Raiding the Rock Vault

Megan Ruger and Howard Leese in “Raiding the Rock Vault.”

By Brock Radke (speak to)

Monday, Jan. twenty, 2020 | 2 a.m.

The tricky-charging and endlessly enjoyable “Raiding the Rock Vault” opened at its fourth property in approximately 7 several years in Las Vegas this thirty day period, exploding onto the phase at the 172 new music club and cafe near the Chippendales Theater at the Rio. The demonstrate features classic rock hits from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s carried out by all-pro musicians who’ve been singing and enjoying with people legendary acts for several years. It originated in Vegas in the spring of 2013 at the Las Vegas Hilton and has persevered by moves to the Tropicana and Tough Rock Resort.

At the Rio, it can make good use of its upstairs nook to produce a kind of Sunset Strip vibe and the KISS mini golfing attraction is a quick escalator journey away, so there’s that. The 172 place was prepared as an intimate dwell new music location internet hosting touring and community acts but is now targeted on internet hosting the “Vault” and the rock-and-roll-themed burlesque creation “Little Miss out on Awful.”

The people who are turning the Tough Rock Resort into Virgin Las Vegas wanted to bring the “Vault” back again when the resort re-opens later on this calendar year (it closes immediately after the Super Bowl) so time will explain to if 172 proves to be a much better property. When I visited Wednesday night, the place was packed and the new music was effective and you can even purchase sushi and snacks from the tables in the back again of the place, rounding out the working experience.

The “Vault” seriously is a time-examined tour of rock by the generations, opening with tunes from the Woodstock period like two standouts, the Jimi Hendrix edition of Bob Dylan’s “All Together the Watchtower” and the Rolling Stones’ epic “Gimme Shelter.” Joyfully producing up the band that night have been Howard Leese and Rowan Robertson on guitar, Blas Elias on drums, Michael T. Ross on keyboards and Dan Grennes on bass. These veteran gamers are getting just as good a time as the viewers though reeling off these classics.

The loudest cheers arrived for the duration of the exactly performed “Hotel California” and “Stairway To Heaven,” obviously, and ’80s mega-hits “Livin’ On A Prayer” by Bon Jovi and “Separate Means (Worlds Apart)” by Journey. I just observed Journey at Caesars Palace in Oct and Bon Jovi a short while ago declared a tour quit at T-Cell Arena coming this summer time. The at any time-surging attractiveness of this new music in Las Vegas is evident with each efficiency in “Raiding the Rock Vault.” But it usually feels like a celebration of rock and by no means a corny tribute demonstrate, many thanks to the performers’ excessive ability and enthusiastic existence.

Foremost the way Wednesday have been vocalists Paul Shortino (of Rough Cutt and Peaceful Riot), Todd Kerns (from Slash’s band the Conspirators and the Age of Electric), John Bisaha (from The Babys) and Megan Ruger. Every single experienced shining times though sharing mic responsibilities, like Shortino doing the Doors, the 3 gentlemen teaming up for excess electricity for the duration of “Hotel California” and “Stairway,” and Ruger scorching the Coronary heart hit “Alone,” a tune that seriously resonated when Leese took the guitar solo. He was a member of Coronary heart for more than twenty several years and recorded that exact solo for the band’s cover of the song on the 1987 album “Bad Animals.” It was Heart’s largest chart hit, spending 3 summer time weeks on the Billboard Sizzling one hundred.

I remember seeing that video on MTV for what seemed like permanently for the duration of my early several years in Las Vegas. Yet another neat connection in this demonstrate is Elias pounding away at the back again of the phase, the initial drummer for Vegas-born metallic act Slaughter and a multipurpose artist who also performs with the Blue Guy Team and excursions with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

The “Vault” packs so significantly new music into approximately ninety minutes, even rampaging by many medleys to include beloved riffs and choruses. The band steers Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” into Aerosmith’s “Dream On” and Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar On Me” into Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Enjoy.” From Queen to Van Halen, there’s no sub-style this team just can’t cope with, and that can make this a have to-see for faithful followers.

“Raiding the Rock Vault” is carried out at seven:30 p.m. Saturday by Wednesday at 172 at the Rio (3700 W. Flamingo Highway, 702-513-3356) and more information can be discovered at raidingtherockvault.com.