Columnist Spencer Patterson: This year rivals 2002 for blockbuster shows

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Dec. 19, 2003 | 9:36 a.m.

Spencer Patterson covers music for the Sun. His music notes column appears Fridays. Reach him at spencer@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-2309.

For fans of big-name rock performers, there will probably never be another year in Las Vegas like it.

We're speaking, of course, of 2002.

Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Robert Plant, the Rolling Stones and the Who were just a few of the Hall of Famers who stopped in Southern Nevada last year, all within a few months of each other.

A case could be made, however, that 2003 turned out just as well for local music fans, particularly those with varied musical tastes.

The year served a musical buffet that included the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, another Stones show, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Phish, 50 Cent, Missy Elliott, Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera, the Dixie Chicks, Kiss and Aerosmith, and Cher.

Obviously, I didn't see every single concert. But I did make it to about 60, including many of the biggies.

So here are my rankings for Las Vegas' top headliners of 2003. The first three earned 5-star ratings from the Sun.

1. The White Stripes at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel, Sept. 20: Who knew two people could make such an excellent racket? The Stripes live up to their considerable hype in their Vegas debut.

2. Neil Young & Crazy Horse at The Joint, July 26: Young bags his "Greendale" production for a monstrous romp through one of rock's preeminent catalogs.

3. Elvis Costello at The Joint, July 18: Elvis is King for a night, blazing through a series of enduring classics.

4. Willie Nelson at House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, Dec. 5: A night of country music reverence, both by and for 70-year-old Willie Nelson.

5. Sigur Ros at The Joint, April 5: Jon Thor Birgisson's anguished voice drove my wife to tears. In a good way.

6. Interpol at Huntridge Theatre, Oct. 4: Indie scenesters bring debut album to life.

7. Dee Dee Bridgewater, Clark County Government Center Amphitheater, July 7: Henderson's own emerges with a breathtaking Jazz in the Park performance.

8. Duran Duran at The Joint, July 17: The original lineup sounds like ... the original lineup in this early reunion outing.

9. String Cheese Incident at Cox Pavilion, Oct. 31: Halloween fun, from a band that treats its fans right.

10. Norah Jones at The Joint, Aug. 18: A classy set from this year's Grammy Award-winning smash.

Strong opening acts were also in good supply throughout 2003. A few of my favorites:

1. Wilco (for R.E.M.) at Thomas & Mack Center, Sept. 11: Too bad Jeff Tweedy and his boys didn't get to play the longer set.

2. Lucinda Williams (for Neil Young & Crazy Horse) at The Joint, July 26: Blues, country, rock, folk. Lucinda can do it all.

3. Karl Denson's Tiny Universe (for the Allman Brothers Band) at The Joint, Sept. 12: One funky good time.

4. DJ Hurricane (for the Beastie Boys) at House of Blues, April 25: Guest D.M.C. joined in for this Jam Master Jay benefit show.

5. The Killers (for the Libertines) at the Huntridge, Aug. 5: Las Vegas foursome outshines British buzz band.

Also noteworthy: Chris Robinson (for Elvis Costello) at The Joint, July 18; Dropkick Murphys (for the Sex Pistols) at The Joint, Sept. 5; Franky Perez (for ZZ Top) at Mandalay Bay Events Center, Aug. 20.

On sale

Metallica plays the Thomas & Mack Center on March 13 with Godsmack. Tickets are $55 and $75 and go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Thomas & Mack box office and other UNLVtickets outlets, by phone at 739-3267 and online at www.cc.com and www.unlvtickets.com.

Liz Phair returns to the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay on Feb. 28. Tickets are $22.50 and $25 and go on sale Jan. 10 at 10 a.m. at the House of Blues box office, at TicketMaster outlets, by phone at 474-4000 and online at www.hob.com and www.ticketmaster.com.

Sevendust stops at the House of Blues on Feb. 8. Tickets are $17.50 and $19.50 and went on sale this morning through the House of Blues box office and TicketMaster.

Mest plays the House of Blues on Jan. 31 with Home Grown, Fall Out Boy and Madcap. Tickets are $12.50 and go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. through the House of Blues box office and TicketMaster.

Tickets are on sale now for two other recent additions to the House of Blues concert calendar: Mushroomhead with Dope, 40 Below Summer and Twisted Method on Jan. 29 ($12.50, $13.50) and Flogging Molly with Throw Rag on Feb. 6. ($15).