Columnist Spencer Patterson: Blue Note Las Vegas was great … I imagine

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Jan. 24, 2003 | 9:08 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.

Since learning that Blue Note Las Vegas closed its doors and sold its space last week, I've been trying to figure out exactly why the club didn't succeed.

In the end, all I had to do was look in the mirror.

I've long been an avid jazz listener, so news of the renowned New York-based chain's Las Vegas expansion excited me greatly back in 2000. I even thought the spot might become a regular hangout, a place where I could catch acts that had long steered clear of Southern Nevada.

Yet for one reason or another, I never made it to Blue Note Las Vegas. That is, until I became the Sun's music writer last fall and covering the club became part of my job.

December's hip-hop show, headlined by Wu-Tang Clan member GZA, would be the first and only time I'd catch a performance at the Blue Note.

Some of the reasons for my failure to frequent the Blue Note, including general lethargy and the fact that I spent most nights covering my old sports beat, had little to do with the club itself.

Other factors likely kept many folks away. Examples:

Access: Even though it was technically part of the Desert Passage mall at the Aladdin, the Blue Note Las Vegas had no interior access, meaning the only way into the club was through its Harmon Avenue exterior entrance. As a result, the venue's walk-up traffic suffered.

Parking: Normally, not having to walk through a casino or mall might appeal to locals who grow tired of having to do so at most of Southern Nevada's concert halls. But many also resent the concept of valet parking, the only option available to those driving to the club.

Ticket prices: While the Blue Note's admission prices generally seemed reasonable (usually in the $20 to $30 range), attendees were also hit with drink minimums. That practice might be commonplace in jazz-rich New York City, but here in all-you-can-eat-for-$8.95 Las Vegas, it didn't sit well with some local music fans.

Lack of name acts: For every Pat Metheny or Chick Corea the Blue Note attracted, the club's schedule was weakened by regular visits from relative unknowns, not to mention frequent dark periods of inactivity.

As exciting an idea as it may have been, in many ways the Blue Note was doomed to fail from the start. After all, if the club couldn't even attract a longtime jazz enthusiast such as me, what chance did it really have?

Music notes

Change of venues: The Las Vegas Jam Band Society is working to find a new location to house next month's Particle concerts, originally scheduled for Feb. 15 and Feb. 16 at the Blue Note. The shows are slated to begin at midnight, after Phish's two Thomas & Mack appearances.

"At this point I would say it's 99-percent certain the shows will happen somewhere," George Lyons, head of the Jam Band Society's production committee, said. "We're considering two sites, and we hope to have confirmation on one of them soon."

Lyons said 1,100 tickets have already been sold for the two nights, 700 for Saturday and 400 for Sunday.

Thursday's Robert Walter's 20th Congress show was moved from the Blue Note to Danny's II on Rainbow Boulevard. Once the Particle shows are finalized, that will leave the Dark Star Orchestra's Feb. 22 date as the only remaining Jam Band Society promotion without a home.

"We have every intention of doing that show. It's just a matter of making the budget work," Lyons said. "We'll turn our attention to that once we've finished re-booking Particle."

Packing the House: While most of Southern Nevada's concert venues are relatively quiet this time of year, the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay has loaded its schedule with a diverse group of mid-tier acts, from the Pretenders to Henry Rollins to Backstreet Boy Nick Carter.

Judging from Erykah Badu's performance last Saturday, the venue's approach is working. The soulful singer drew a full house of devoted fans, many of whom sang along with every note of her more familiar songs.

Backed by a skillful band and three expressive vocalists, Badu also premiered material from her upcoming third album, "Worldwide Underground," due out Feb. 7.

Quick hits

A look at a few of the shows scheduled to hit Southern Nevada in the next week:

The Huntridge Theatre hosts punk band A.F.I. tonight at 7, a show that sold out weeks ago along with the rest of A.F.I.'s upcoming tour dates. The Northern California-based quartet is set to release its new album, "Sing the Sorrow," is set for a March 18 release. Himsa and Bleeding Through open.

Country star George Strait plays the Mandalay Bay Events Center tonight at 8. In December, Strait set an all-time record for an artist in any genre with his 50th No. 1 single, which came coincidentally at the age of 50. Tammy Cochran opens the sold-out concert.

Columbian pop sensation Shakira follows Strait to the Mandalay Bay Events Center Saturday night at 8 for another sold-out performance, part of her "Tour of the Mongoose." Shakira's first English-language album, 2001's "Laundry Service," achieved multiplatinum success in the U.S. Pay the Girls opens.

Alternative New Orleans band Cowboy Mouth returns to Las Vegas for a House of Blues appearance Wednesday night at 6:30. Although the quartet has not released an album since 2000, they continue to tour extensively. Marron 5 and The Peak Show open. Tickets are $15.

Modern rockers Piebald conclude a 2 1/2-month tour -- the band's first since singer Travis Shettel underwent surgery on his vocal chords last September -- with a 7 p.m. show Thursday at the Huntridge. Minus the Bear, Noise Ratchet and My Chemical Romance open. Tickets are $10.

On sale

Tickets for Kiss' March 16 show at Rain in the Desert at the Palms go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. Tickets are $125 and $300 and will be available at the Palms box office, at Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 474-4000 or online at Ticketmaster.com.

Backstreet Boy Nick Carter will perform a solo show March 7 at the House of Blues. Tickets are $20 and $25 and go on sale Saturday at noon at the House of Blues box office, by phone at 632-7600, online at hob.com and through Ticketmaster.

Ambient Icelandic indie rockers Sigur Ros invade The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel April 5. Tickets are $27.50 and $22.50 and go on sale Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Hard Rock box office and through Ticketmaster.

Techno-pop duo Erasure plays The Joint March 19. Tickets are $45.50 and go on sale Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Hard Rock box office and through Ticketmaster.

Tickets for three House of Blues shows went on sale this week: Latin pop singer Charlie Zaa on Feb. 23 ($25-45), a spoken word performance by Henry Rollins Feb. 28 ($20) and veteran guitarist George Thorogood April 19 ($35-$45). Tickets are available through the House of Blues box office or Ticketmaster.