Las Vegas bands rocking it, coast to coast
Las Vegas’ superstar rock bands have come a long way from Cafe Espresso Roma and Hennessey’s Tavern.
These are two of the snug venues where, in their larval development, The Killers and Imagine Dragons once graced the marquee. Or, the chalkboard sign near the entrance.
The Vegas rockers continue to blow up, making waves (and news) coast-to-coast. The skinny from New Guinea on both bands:
‘Fuss’ in Manhattan
The Killers celebrated the 20th anniversary of “Hot Fuss” on Friday with a pop-up show at Bowery Ballroom in New York City.
The show in the renowned, 575-capacity venue was announced Wednesday. The band thundered through “Mr. Brightside,” “Somebody Told Me” and (a personal favorite) “On Top” from their debut album.
Beforehand, the band joked on social media, “Happy 20th to Hot Fuss! Only one more year ‘til you can hit the tables in Vegas.”
The 19-song performance was a warm-up for the Killers’ upcoming European tour, during which they play a half-dozen shows at The 02 Arena in London from July 4-July 11.
The band’s residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace is Aug. 14-30, in which “Hot Fuss” is being played end-to-end. This is the first such extended engagement by any Vegas-based band.
The Killers also now hold the record for the biggest single ever in the United Kingdom that has not gone No. 1. “Brightside ” is that song. Showing extraordinary capacity to hang around, “Mr. B.” (as I just started calling it) has been in the top 100 of the U.K.’s Official Charts listings for 20 years.
The song peaked at No. 10 in May 2004. It is also the third-greatest-selling song ever in the U.K. when sales and streams are combined. The song Ed Sheeran says is the U.K. national anthem overtook Oasis’s “Wonderwall” last month for the unique honor.
“It’s funny, I almost don’t feel so much a part of it anymore,” Brandon Flowers said in an interview with Official Charts Company, the U.K.’s leading music-ranking service. “It just exists in the world It’s amazing that I had something to do with it. I almost feel removed from it, because it’s so big.”
Dragons go Hollywood
Imagine Dragons has sold impressively, but not surprisingly for their run at the Hollywood Bowl from Oct. 22-23 and 26-27. It’s a “run” now, as it started as a single weekend, with three dates added to meet demand.
The shows are to promote, and we expect sample freely from, the upcoming release “Loom.” The album is due June 28.
The singles “Eyes Closed” (feat. J. Balvin) and “Nice To Meet You” have been released. The nine-song album, the band’s sixth studio release, follows the two-part studio album from 2022, “Mercury – Acts 1 & 2.”
The “Loom” world tour kicks off July 30 in Camden, N.J., and runs 36 dates, closing with the L.A. shows. There is no Las Vegas stop.
Celine confides
The more we learn about Celine Dion’s bout with Stiff Person Syndrome, the more we learn how serious is her condition. Dion tells Hoda Kotb in an upcoming NBC News special the spasms she suffers are so intense she suffered broken ribs. They also constricted her throat to the point of strangulation.
In her first TV interview since the 2022 diagnosis, Dion told Kotb: “I had broken ribs at one point, because sometimes when it’s very severe …” Kotb asks her: “It can spasm so hard it can break a rib?” and Dion nods.
The former Colosseum star also said that when she experiences muscle spasms in her throat, “it’s like somebody is strangling you, like someone is pushing your larynx.” She offered, “But it can also be in the abdominal (area), in the spine, in the ribs … It’s cramping, but it’s like in a position of, like, you cannot unlock them.” The special airs 10 p.m. Tuesday.
A moment with Pat
I interviewed Pat Sajak, who has stepped down after hosting “Wheel of Fortune” for 41 years, in the summer of 2009. This was when “Wheel” taped for two weeks at Sands Convention Center.
I asked Sajak about the appeal of the show. He was candid, and on the money.
Let’s face it, we’re not the highest-tech show out there. We could change things up, get rid of the ‘clunk-clunk-clunk’ of the wheel,” he said. “We don’t actually need Vanna (White) to turn the letters, you know? You do walk a tightrope in trying to be contemporary but keep the things that have worked over the years. Anecdotally, I’ve heard that a lot of the appeal is personal.”
Great Moments in Social Media
Imagine Dragons’ front man Dan Reynolds plays a sweet version of “Nice To Meet You” on acoustic acoustic, the message, “Be gentle on yourself.” Find it on the band’s official X page, @ImagineDragons.
Hook ‘em, boys
“Santa Fe’s Gotcha Hooked,”an album of 20 cuts five years in the making, is upon us. This is Santa Fe & The Fat City Horns’ latest masterpiece, and I say that without having even listened to it. The music was created in HD Audio (high-definition audio, way better than the low-definition 8-track days). Find it on santafeandthefatcityhorns.com.
Cool Hang Alert
See above. The Healing, as Santa Fe calls it, is on 7:30 p.m. Mondays at the Copa at Bootlegger Bistro. Text 702-609-3390 for seating directives.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.