Tag Archives: las+vegas+shows

Cradle of Filth House of Blue 2/16/2016

Cradle of Filth had finally made their way back to America for their Witches of Hammer Tour. For those of you who do not know, the last time that Cradle was set to have an American tour they were not able to because America would not grant them visa's which is very confusing because their on stage performance does nothing that is offensive. Anyways the wait was well worth it, with an added date to Vegas it was quite a performance.

This was by far one of the barest sets I have seen, the only thing that was on stage was the very intense drum set, the amps that come with the venue, a rounded keyboard, a ramp underneath the banner and the banner itself. This is not to say that the stage was not full of entertainment, it just was not about the antics that the band could provide the audience but rather it was about what the band was playing. When you are listening to Cradle of Filth there is a certain type of expectation to hear the famous scream, much like Courtney Love, one expects to hear it and Filth did not let anyone down. In fact his vocals was so much better then any album he had put out. The fact that he can hit such high notes is amazing but to have the moment to check it off of a personal bucket list is always amazing. It is not only Filth that can those lovely notes but female vocalist and keyboard player Lindsay Schoolcraft. The two of them singing together for songs like “Nymphetamine”. This might have been an encore song but it by far stole the show. It is one thing to hear it on a record but another to hear it in person and the band had SLAYED this song. I was getting snapchats of this song from friends who went to other shows.

Aside from playing such classic the band had also played new songs off their album. For me one of the things I like is when the set seamless flows into one another, new and old, which is the case for the Cradle set. The way that it had flowed together was intertwining the old with the new which helps fans who have not had a chance to purchase the new album know what they are missing out on and that they need to go out and buy it 5 minutes ago. One of the nice thing about the guitarist and bass players is how they perform on stage. They did some of the head banging but they also played in a straight line stiffly but with creepy stares and smiles embodying the melody and lyrics of the song. It was pretty cool to see something different but something that had worked well with the flow of the music. It sets them apart from other bands who do nothing but head-bang.

The show was a great one to attend and it hurts my soul that this was not a sold out concert because by all means it should have been. Hearing songs like “Malice Through The Looking Glass” and “Gilded Cunt” where amazing and more people should have been there to witness such an event. On a side note I did buy the Jesus is a Cunt shirt and I will proudly wear that to various function and laugh at the gasp that it will receive.

Britney Spears “Piece of Me”

Britney Spears was one of those people that I never thought I would be able to see. Not only are her shows way out of my price range, but with the type of music I review people would never give me a chance to review her. I was lucky enough to work for a wonderful woman who bought me some tickets for the “Piece of Me” show here in Vegas and let me tell you this was an amazing event. I have heard a lot of bad press around it, oh she lip syncs oh she never has it together and to those hater I want them to suck mine and Britney's dick because the show I saw was great. I have been a Britney fan since I was 11, turning 27 next month this is a long time love. There were some dark years where it wasn't “gothic enough” to like her but you what I have to say to that? Fuck you go listen to some Britney because it great.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I sat in my seat but I was excited to see all the theatrics that went into this show. For her first song “Womanizer” she dropped down in a cage like ball and being a theater person I was excited to see where it was going to go from there. I was not disappointed in the least bit. And in her defense if she is lip syncing to most of those songs I get it. How the hell can you dance like that and sing perfectly? I went to see a show and I got show, lip syncing or not I don't care, I'll happily go see her show again after they revamp it. And by the way she actually sings a few songs in her set and you can tell because she does not dance and has a regular mic like every other band I have every reviewed.

One of m favorite fazes of the show was the performances to “Slave to You”. I loved the Cabaret feel that went with the show. I thought the chair dancing was so amazing and so old school Liza Minnelli that my little theater heart squeaked with glee to see my bitch dancing like a classic burlesque dancer. Then there was the Circus part of the show. Spears coming out in a ring of fire to perform the show was something I was not expected but I loved it none the less.

In general there was and is a lot of work that goes into this show. For songs like “Toxic” they started it differently and even had a tree she came out on with rain in different patterns that feel down from the ceiling. These dancers and Spears work hard every night they perform and I do not think they get enough credit for all the work that they put into a show like this. This would not be something that could tour and it is a privilege to be able to say that one was able to see her on her residence like seeing Elvis back in the day. Spears held true to what a Vegas show is suppose to be and I am glade that she will be here for another two years because I can name 2 friends who need to see it and another who like me need to see this again. Everything from the costumes to how the choreography was set up was amazing. And when I have the extra money I will buy myself a Britney Bitch shirt because she needs to be apart of my wardrobe. I could care less if it is not metal or gothic enough I love her and I loved the show.

Primus and the Chocolate factory featuring the Fungi with Special guest Clutch

There are very few moments in life where you know you saw something that was a one of a kind experience, sometimes you read about the show to be at, and for Primus and the Chocolate Factory featuring the Fungi band with special guest Clutch, it was the show to be at. I have been actively going to concerts since I was 12 and a music journalist for close to 5 years; I have seen everyone from Jackson Browne playing with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, to Black Sabbath, Skinny Puppy, Marilyn Manson, How to Destroy Angels first show and this show was the greatest thing I have ever witness. I need the video to this concert, the entire show. It was the most spectacular thing I have ever seen and this is why.

Clutch was requested by the band to come out to the Vegas show to play with the band. Front of men of both bands had talked about it while on stage, if this was a full blown tour with the duel bands it would be one dynamic concert to attend. With front man Neil Fallon, constant movement could come off as annoying or fake but rather a reflection of how the music and the energy that the band is giving off only reflects this on stage. (the photos I took only prove what he really looks like on stage through a lens of a camera) Much like with their last tour, they graced us audience members with a few songs from their upcoming album (due out in October). It is always nice to hear new music when the band is working on it because as fans it prompts us to really want the new album when it comes out. Aside from their new music, we were of course able to hear some of the classic songs like “Pure Rock Fury”, and “Unto the Beach.”. What is nice about seeing Fallon perform is that he not only gets into the grove of the song but we are able see him play different instruments for different songs. At one point he was playing with a cow bell and of course being a child of the 00's not only do I have a love of cow bell but I also have the need to yell out more cow bell because there is never to much cow bell. As a front man it is easy to think that they do nothing but sing but Fallon only proves that that is a small portion of what he contributes to the band. In general everyone works well with one another, and like Primus the sound was so on point it was ridiculous.

After Clutch had played their set, Primus came on to play their first set. That's right their first set. This was not like the 3d tour or what would come later. It was a stripped down version of their concerts, just the band jamming with lights that matched the speed of their music. They started the set with “Those Damned Blue Collar Tweakers”, and songs like “Frizzle Fry” played, two songs I was very excited to hear. It was a great set, they had picked a great selection for the first half, playing all of their songs but I needed to know what the Chocolate Factory was and that would come much later.

When they did take their break and came back, behind the curtain was literally the Chocolate Factory. Les Claypool came out on stage wearing a mask and holding a stand up bass, not only was that going on but there was huge mushrooms, lollipops, the ever lasting goop stopper, and Willy Wonka playing on the back of the screen. Each of part of the movie that was played corresponded with what part of the song they were playing. I was not sure what was going to happen but to hear all covers of Willy Wonka gave me goosebumps down my arm because I did not know about the album that came out the year before (where was my memo? I went out and bough it the next day). To be quite honest there are not enough words to describe how amazing this performance was. It was literally the greatest concert I have been to overall. Both bands were so amazing I can not praise this performance enough. There were OOMPA LOOMPAS ON STAGE for the Oompa Loompa songs. The encore for the band was on the chocolate factory set and it was amazing. It was just amazing. I am currently not taking interviews because I'm taking so many classes at the University of Las Vegas but I would interview Les Claypool anyways so I can discuss how this all came to be. This was the show to be at for sure. Claypool is known for the strange way that he plays the bass, and this only added to how the sound came off. The fact that he played his metal stand up bass for most of the songs only made the sound perfect. What was awesome was that the guitarist was the one who sang “I want it know” which was a spot on performance. I have been gushing about this show to anyone who would listen to me for me then 5 minutes it was just that amazing.

As a side note Primus made special candy bars for this tour and that is by far the coolest band merch I have ever bought. I am framing it and it will become some of the coolest wall art along with some of the photos I was able to take.