Pavilion show to get heads banging

Whether that’s good news depends on what you like and, perhaps, where you live. Either way, Saturday’s loud and proud ’80s rock bill of Vince Neil, Quiet Riot and Slaughter is more remarkable for where it is than what it is.

The show will be at the Henderson Pavilion, and has the potential to be only the second act in the amphitheater’s seven-year history to sell out all 2,444 reserved seats. The first sellout didn’t occur until June 11, when Weird Al Yankovic set the benchmark.

The Pavilion is similar in design to “shed” venues such as the Hyundai Pavilion at Glen Helen in California, but lies in a delicate place. It’s run by the city of Henderson and so must avoid “being perceived as underutilized or a tax burden,” notes Bud Pico, program manager for the city’s Department of Cultural Arts and Tourism.

On the other hand, the ’80s rock bill would be business as usual for nearby Sunset Station, a private enterprise that can enjoy all markup from alcohol sales. (Beer sales at the Pavilion benefit Nevada Services for the Blind; Pico thinks that organization will be happy come Sunday.)

Green Valley Ranch is almost next door to the Pavilion. Either Station Casino property could easily outbid the responsible limits of a municipal budget if the Pavilion tried to book big enough acts to fill its general-admission lawn to the full capacity of 5,500.

“This happens to be one where we got lucky and (the casinos) weren’t looking at it,” Pico says. The Pavilion isn’t pursuing more commercial concerts as stated policy, but Neil and Co. are “part of an overall strategic plan to mix it up a little bit.”

There also is an issue of security, and how much neighbors will “Cum On Feel The Noize” when Quiet Riot plays its 1983 hit. Pico says no Pavilion event can exceed 105 decibels. “We have to be cognizant of our neighbors out there. The Green Valley homeowner’s association would definitely let us know if we were exceeding those levels, and they haven’t yet.”

However, the biggest test so far has been the more pop-oriented band Hellogoodbye.

Pico says security for Saturday’s headbanging won’t be any greater than it is for a ballet or any other event, but that’s because the ballet may have had “more than necessary.”

“At a ballet, the last thing you expect is for something negative to happen, but we still had police officers,” he says. “We have a (security) formula, regardless of the event, and it is an overkill formula.” …

The ’80s show may be the closest Quiet Riot’s DuBrow has ever played to his own home, but he won’t get to enjoy it. The band plays in Atlantic City on Friday night, flies in for the Henderson gig, then flies back to Connecticut for another concert on Sunday.

“I won’t even go to my house,” he says. “When they call it Labor Day weekend, they really mean it for us.” …

Ticket sales for “Jersey Boys” began last week, seven months before the first scheduled performance April 4. That’s a surprisingly long advance window for a Broadway musical set for an open-end run at the Palazzo, versus one-night concert tours. More curious still when you figure someone that eager to see the musical could catch the national tour in San Diego and Costa Mesa, Calif., or Tempe, Ariz., this fall.

The Web site for ticket sales (https://tickets.venetian.com/Online/default.asp) does include a seating chart offering a preview of the new theater’s layout. The early schedule also offers shows at 7 and 10 p.m. on several Saturdays, suggesting the Las Vegas edition will be shorter than the two-act Broadway version. That decision still was pending when the deal was announced; producers are not contractually obligated to deliver a 90-minute trim.

“Jersey Boys” will be the most expensive Broadway-to-Vegas title for a small number of seats: $220 for one front-and-center section. The more predominant $135 orchestra and front-mezzanine ticket is cheaper than comparable seats for “Phantom” ($157) and “The Producers” ($143.50), but more than the best seats for “Monty Python’s Spamalot” ($108.90).

Mike Weatherford’s entertainment column appears Thursdays and Sundays. Contact him at 383-0288 or e-mail him at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com.