Denise Truscello

By John Katsilometes

Published Friday, July 30, 2010 | 11:35 a.m.

Updated Friday, July 30, 2010 | 12:20 p.m.

Joe Photo

Today's M.I.A.: Todd Sampson (right) and Chris Moon

An early press photo of Samsons Army, with Todd at bottom-right.

Time to plug into the amp and tap the mic:

• An open-to-the-public tribute to Las Vegas punk pioneer Todd Sampson is set for Saturday night at Wasted Space at Hard Rock Hotel. The event designed is to be more a celebration of Sampson’s life than a funeral service. An open mic will be set onstage for anyone to talk of their memories of Sampson, who died early Sunday morning after collapsing onstage during an M.I.A. show at the Black Door ultralounge and supper club, which is located near Double Down Saloon on Paradise Road.

The cause of Sampson’s death is not yet known. He was 46, and for decades was a giant on the local music scene (as my colleague Spencer Patterson has ably related), having performed with the popular local bands Self Abuse and Samsons Army prior to M.I.A. He was known as a deeply caring person and passionate artist. Musicians who were touched by him, personally and musically, are traveling from as far away as Europe to take part in Saturday’s tribute, during which anyone wishing to perform will have a spot onstage. The staging itself will be something to behold, I'm told.

There is no admission charge, but the audience will be limited to ages 18-and-older, to keep with the hotel’s nightclub age requirements. For those wishing to donate at the door or otherwise, proceeds will go to Sampson’s family.

• Buzz from downtown is the nightclub/restaurant project planned for the moribund 7-Eleven structure on the corner of Fremont Street and LV Boulevard has hit a snag. The snag is significant, I'm hearing: The owner of that building is now facing foreclosure. But those in the neighborhood are hoping it is but a temporary setback. The plans for this project are said to be really impressive, representing a significant investment in a space that is dying for such.

• Hundreds of would-be Dorothys will be skipping into Fashion Show mall on Monday and Tuesday to audition to be the “new Dorothy” for an updated production of “Wizard.” The competition is being filmed for a reality show –and today, if you’re not working on a reality show, you only exist theoretically. The competition is being held at 11 malls owned by General Growth Properties, which owns Fashion Show mall. The first stop was to be today in Glendale. Then it’s Vegas. The ultimate destination is New York, where the winner will star in a limited engagement of “Wizard” in December at New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center . Of course, fans play their own role in this, voting for their favorites online at the “Wizard” website.

The show is produced by the Harold Arlen Foundation, which staged a version of the show a couple of years ago at Greek Isles. The Foundation is fronted by Sam Arlen, son of Harold Arlen, who was the original “Oz” composer; along with longtime Las Vegas vocalist and pianist George Bugatti. The Foundation has provided free music courses to students in the Clark County School District and has taught, so far, more than 6,000 kids.

Doors open at 6 a.m. each day. The auditions begin at 11. Judges include Angelica Bridges, who by then will longer be a member of the “Fantasy” cast at Luxor; and Tropicana Entertainment Director LeeAnn Groff-Daudet.

Tiffany Brown

Travis Briscoe, of the United States, takes his first ride in Sunday's PBR World Finals at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on April 18, 2010.

• The Thomas & Mack Center might be a bit long in the tooth compared to other arenas across the country. Well, not might. It is long in the tooth. But the venerable arena built in 1983 is still one of the busiest in the nation. The trade publication Venues Today ranks the T&M as the eighth-highest grossing arena in the nation with a capacity between 15,001-30,000. The T&M was No. 18 a year ago. The period dates from October 2009 to May 2010. The NFR and Professional Bull Riders World Finals were two events that vaulted the T&M into the top 10

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at twitter.com/JohnnyKats.