Tours de Force

Spencer Patterson

Friday, July 25, 2003 | 8:30 a.m.

As it has grown in size and stature over the past decade, Las Vegas has become a regular stop along most of the nation's top concert tours.

Even so, this weekend is particularly busy for Southern Nevada music fans.

Beginning tonight and continuing through Sunday, a slew of major acts including the Dixie Chicks, Mariah Carey, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and rappers 50 Cent, Jay-Z and Busta Rhymes will descend on The Strip and points beyond.

Here is a look at some of the weekend's top draws:

Good seats for both shows sold out early, but that was before singer Natalie Maines' remarks in March about President Bush ignited a maelstrom of political controversy. So if you're still looking for tickets, you might find a few folks hoping to unload theirs before the show.

Expect the Chicks to draw heavily from their last three albums, Grammy winners "Wide Open Spaces" (1998) and "Fly" (1999) and last year's chart-topping "Home." Singer/songwriter Michelle Branch opens both shows.

Carey, who released "Charmbracelet" to little fanfare in December, is advertising her live show as "An Intimate Evening," prompting media sources to speculate the tour would land at clubs rather than stadiums. As it turns out, most of the venues are midsize, including Chicago's United Center and New York City's Radio City Music Hall.

Young is expected to play the entire project in its entirety before serving up some of his oldies during his encores. Country-folk singer Lucinda Williams opens the show.

"B.B. King Music Festival" at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, tonight: Blues legend (and Las Vegas resident) King shares the bill with guitar hero Jeff Beck, funk-jazz outfit Galactic and blues band Mofro, making this one of the weekend's most intriguing lineups.

The 77-year-old King released his latest album, "Reflections," to positive reviews in June. Former Yardbird Beck will hit stores with his latest CD, "Jeff," on Aug. 5. The Las Vegas date kicks off a long tour that will keep the four acts on the road through early September.

John Mellencamp at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel, tonight: The 51-year-old American rocker isn't quite touring, but he is playing a few scattered dates in support of his covers album, "Trouble No More."

The singer pays tribute to some of his blues and folk influences, putting his spin on music by the likes of Robert Johnson, Hoagy Carmichael and Skeeter Davis. Expect a sampling of that material, along with some of Mellencamp's most popular hits.

Jackson Browne, Steve Earle & the Dukes and Keb' Mo' at the Aladdin's Theatre for the Performing Arts, Sunday: Fans of roots rock and stripped-down country blues won't want to miss this promising three-man bill.

Though Browne might be the biggest name, Earle and Mo' both enjoy devoted cult followings. Throughout the tour, the trio have joined together onstage at various points in the show, along the lines of the recent Elton John-Billy Joel live collaborations.

"Rock the Mic" at the Thomas & Mack Center, Sunday: Some of the hip-hop world's top names -- 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Sean Paul and Fabolous -- team for this all-night party.

"Get Rich or Die Tryin'," 50 Cent's massively successful debut album, continues to dominate the charts, holding at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, 23 weeks after its release. Sean Paul's "Dutty Rock" and Fabolous' "Street Dreams" also continue to sell well, charting in at Nos. 16 and 48.

Liz Phair at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, Sunday: The once potty-mouthed indie queen -- who released quintessential female empowerment statement "Exile in Guyville" in 1993 -- has drawn ire from longtime fans for going commercial on her eponymously titled new album.

Phair responded in a recent Rolling Stone interview: "Music is art and can be enjoyed at many levels for different reasons, but I think for a lot of people it was like I was in office and had an affair. There was a sense that a scandal had happened."

Also on this weekend's crowded concert calendar: Steel Pulse at the Palms' Skinpool Lounge tonight, Billy Bob Thornton at the House of Blues tonight, a hair-metal reunion featuring Whitesnake, Warrant, Kip Winger and Slaughter at The Orleans Arena on Saturday, Meat Loaf and Cyndi Lauper at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Saturday, Aimee Mann and Duncan Sheik at the Paris Las Vegas pool on Saturday, the Dark Star Orchestra at the House of Blues on Saturday and Aaron Carter at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel on Sunday.

archive