If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow, it’s probably ‘Raiding the Rock Vault’ at Trop

By John Katsilometes

Monday, Nov. 17, 2014 | 6 p.m.

The other day, while performing my semiannual purging of garments, I came across an oldie: A T-shirt from the “Monster Circus” production at Las Vegas Hilton.

You might remember this show, or not, as the hard-rock tribute production fronted by Dee Snider of Twisted Sister. The band was a lineup of crack sidemen and singers, including bassist Rudy Sarzo for Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake and Dio; singer and guitarist John Corabi of Motley Crue and Ratt; drummer Fred Coury of Cinderella; guitarist Bruce Kulick of KISS; and guitarist Tony Montana of Great White.

What set “Monster Circus” apart from a straightforward cover-band showcase was its circus theme. A custodian turned into a clown at the start of this show, and there was dancing and pyro provided by “Sexy & Dangerous” featuring flamethrower Jennifer Romas. But the circus was really just a rock show powered by great performers who might not be familiar to the casual music fan but who were highly regarded among hard-rock and heavy metal devotees.

Sound familiar? It is the same sort of template employed by “Raiding the Rock Vault.”

The difference is “Monster Circus” ran out of amperage — or, rather, money — after a set of a half-dozen weekend runs in the spring of 2009. By the summer, the circus pulled up stakes, much to the dismay of fans who loved Snider’s take on “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “Metal Health,” along with Ozzy’s “Crazy Train” (so apt whenever Snider was onstage) and AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.” More than five years later, all that’s left of “Monster Circus” are the memories of those gents clad in leather, pounding their fists and railing at the audience — and maybe a few T-shirts.

“Raiding the Rock Vault,” by comparison, has found the right notes to stay onstage in Las Vegas. The show recently reopened at Tropicana Theater, having bugged out of Westgate in September after a hasty announcement that it had signed a deal at the Trop.

By now, the “Rock Vault” lineup is comfortably familiar: The band that opened at Las Vegas Hilton in March 2013 is still largely intact, with charter members Paul Shortino, Andrew Freeman, Howard Leese, Jay Schellen, Michael T. Ross and Robin McAuley still in the fray. The newer members are former Bon Jovi bassist Hugh McDonald, guitar hero Doug Aldridge of Whitesnake and female vocalists Carol-Lyn Liddle and Stephanie Calvert (with Liddle taking three of the four weeks each month).

Gone is the ambitious but expensive concept of guest vocalists who were often outstanding (Mickey Thomas of Starship and Jon Anderson of Yes) or … less than such (Bobby Kimball of Toto). There is talk of guest stars in a more informal context, as Shortino mentioned during an episode of "Kats With the Dish" that Bally's vocal acrobat Veronic was interested in joining the show for a number. But it is highly unlikely that we’ll see, say, Steve Perry or Sammy Hagar recruited to join “Rock Vault.”

Spending its money wisely, “Rock Vault” also is in a more favorable location on the Strip and has actually seen a profit onstage, finishing in the black in some performances. It’s a great start, at least, at the new home.

As is common in the world of rock ’n’ roll, the “Rock Vault” family has been shaken up during its run in Las Vegas, as co-writer and one-time frontman John Payne was dismissed from the act and has summarily sued his longtime friend and short-time producer, Sir Harry Cowell. Still unresolved, that lawsuit lives in some other enclave — The Litigation Vault — as the show blithely rages on. (When asked if he was planning to attend a show at the Trop, Payne joked that he would be busy “gardening,” apparently forgetting the fate of an ex-Spinal Tap drummer.)

What has saved “Rock Vault” from a “Monster Circus”-styled fate is it has managed to maintain cash and confidence during its stay in Las Vegas. Remember, this show was all but spiked a year ago at LVH until the hotel was persuaded to invest in the production and market the show aggressively at the casino. Otherwise, LVH — at the time being shopped to eventual owner David Siegel of Westgate — would have fallen back to a rotation of true tribute acts in that legendary theater. That, or risk leaving the venue totally empty.

As it happened, “Rock Vault” kept LVH animated while the hotel reciprocated with an investment that kept the show onstage. If not for that influx of revenue from LVH, “Rock Vault” would have pulled the plug last December and started hunting for a new room then.

The Tropicana has long been discussed as a possible future home of the show, from the days this year when Trop CEO Alex Yemenidjian was spotted in the theater scouting for a new production after “Mamma Mia!” closed. “Rock Vault” is such a ready-made production, and the Trop also found a full-scale magic show in Jan Rouven’s production at the Riviera. Rouven’s “New Illusions” opens Nov. 28 at the Trop, which is suddenly abuzz with a variety of entertainment.

Today’s “Rock Vault” at the Trop is leaner, more cohesive and about 30 minutes shorter than what was performed at LVH and Westgate. All of the moves are welcomed, as Tropicana Theater is actually smaller by a noticeable measure than Westgate Theater. It’s somewhat surprising to notice just how much larger the stage is at Westgate than at the theater that was once home to “Folies Bergere.”

But “Rock Vault” still has ample room to roam, and the band’s close physical proximity seems to tighten the sound, too. And after an opening stretch when Schellen’s snare sounded like an M-1000 being fired from the stage, the sound is far improved. The idea is to provide a full audio experience without being too loud, a tall order when you are dealing with musicians accustomed to playing at ear-piercing levels, but “Rock Vault” just about has it dialed in.

The song list has been altered some, with Supertramp’s “Breakfast in America” the highlight of the upgrades. Still in the fold are “My Generation” by The Who, “Light My Fire” by The Doors, “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zep and “Separate Ways” by Journey (I’m finished with trying to suggest using another Van Halen song, any other Van Halen song, than “Jump” to close this show). Leese actually sings in the new version of the show, “All Along the Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix, and Heart’s “Alone” is among the three songs expertly delivered by the alternating female singers. That song is a genuine crowd favorite.

Elsewhere, “Rock Vault” continues to qualify as a production show with the use of actors Ryan Mueller and Scott Kinworthy and dancers/choreographers Sarah Jessica Rhodes and Christine Renee Richards (the boxing number for “Eye of the Tiger” is one fun new segment in the show, designed quickly after it reopened).

The story is different now, for those who are concerned about the show’s plot, as Kinworthy and Mueller play a pair of craggy stoners who have spent the better part of four decades chasing rock bands across the country. The skits conceived by Payne have been cloven, as has the story arc in which guys dressed in hazmat suits uncover this mysterious vault of music buried among ferns and fronds onstage. That opening scene became known as the “Orkin Scene,” and the Star Nursery-fashioned botanical effects were pretty much pointless by the time the music started.

Now, it’s just a couple of old rockers waxing nostalgic about their days on the road, getting high and sharing yarns about gigs gone awry. The tale recounted from the stage about the rock star who nakedly locked himself out of the hotel room is based on something that actually happened to Mr. Shortino, who tells this story with such verve and hilarity that it could serve as the show’s opening act.

It’s funny how it has all worked out for the great performers and personalities in “Raiding the Rock Vault,” a show that remains relentless in its zeal to produce flawless rock and roll. You feel its rebirth just as you enter Tropicana Theater, where, off to the right, is the show’s gift shop. Feel free to stop in and pick up an official “Rock Vault" T-shirt. You’ll thank me later.

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.