Vegas headliner Frankie Moreno plugs in The Amp
It’s a closed show that’s open to everyone.
Frankie Moreno is opening a six-week “Virtual Residency” from 8-9 p.m. Thursday at The Amp at Craig Ranch Regional Park in North Las Vegas.
Moreno is reuniting with his 10-piece band — including his brother and songwriting partner, Tony Moreno — for the first time in more than 70 days. The musicians will be socially distant but musically in sync.
The show is the first Las Vegas production to assemble a full band in a large-scale venue in the COVID-19 era.
“I had never seen this place until a couple of weeks ago and I was totally blown away,” Moreno says. “We thought it would be perfect for a 100 percent live show, a four-camera shoot, the whole band able to perform together again.”
The Moreno band is playing an amphitheater with an 8,000-person capacity, which will be totally empty aside from a few members of the production team. The show streams live on the Craig Ranch Regional Park Facebook page and is being shared on the Gibson guitars Facebook page.
The guitar manufacturer is co-sponsoring the series, and Moreno is giving out a guitar during every show. He’s also welcoming guest stars to the outdoor venue.
“We could have someone comment online that they are in the neighborhood, and we’ll get them to do a song, or do something from the stage,” Moreno says. “But for the first show I think it’ll just be us. It’ll be a little nerve-wracking to be playing for the first time in so long with no audience.”
Moreno plans to roll out his latest string of singles performed during his own weekly Facebook Live shows. All of those songs have reached the top 10 of various Billboard and iTunes charts. The list: “Livin’ Lazy,” No. 3 iTunes U.S. Reggae; “Breakfast in Bed” No. 5 iTunes U.S. Reggae; “I’m Goin’ Places” No. 10 iTunes U.S. Singer/Songwriter charts; “I’ll Bring the Wine,” No. 7 U.S. Reggae. Moreno’s latest album, “Hawaiian Honey,” hit No. 5 on Billboard’s World charts the week after its March 20 release.
Moreno plans to continue the pattern of releasing a new single each week, with “Everything” set to debut Thursday night. All proceeds are going to the WHO.
For Moreno, who has played all variety of venues — including Carnegie Hall, Myron’s Cabaret Jazz and the South Point Showroom — The Amp presents a new vibe.
“We can make a scene out there, with families and food trucks and people sitting on the grass,” Moreno says. “It’s a new option, and we can continue to play there even after this is behind us.”
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 Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.