Columnist Spencer Patterson: Vegas’ blues heritage celebrated at festival

Spencer Patterson

Friday, April 15, 2005 | 8:30 a.m.

Local blues fans were dealt a tough blow in January when longtime local hub the Sand Dollar Lounge abruptly shut its doors.

On Sunday the Southern Nevada Blues Association provides temporary relief, in the form of the Las Vegas Centennial Blues Festival.

Scheduled to run from noon to 6 p.m. at the Sammy Davis Jr. Festival Plaza at Lorenzi Park (3333 W. Washington Ave.), the event pays tribute to blues musicians who either live in Southern Nevada or have contributed to the area's blues heritage.

"The history of Las Vegas leans more toward jazz and big-band music," R.J. Bianchino, vice president of the Southern Nevada Blues Association, said. "But we've always had a pretty good local blues scene, and a lot of great blues musicians have lived in Las Vegas over the years."

Blues greats B.B. King, Ruth Brown and Little Milton will be honored, as will late musicians Albert Collins, Louis Jordan and Joe Williams. All are or were Southern Nevada residents except Jordan, an R&B bandleader who helped break the color barrier in Las Vegas.

Milton, a respected Mississippi-born vocalist and guitarist who spent much of his career based in Chicago, also headlines Sunday's show.

"My hat's off to any organization that's trying to make sure that they keep the music alive, because it's the foundation, in my opinion, of all of the soulful music," Milton, 70, said.

"And the true stories of everyday life ... Lots of people will ask about certain lyrics in a song, 'Did that really happen to you?' And the answer to that is, 'No, not necessarily. But it most certainly did happen to somebody, somewhere.' "

Bianchino lauded Milton as an emblem of the blues genre's rich history.

"He dates back to the Sun Records rock 'n' roll era. Little Milton did work with the Ike Turner band for Sun Records, and then he went on to Chess Records and had big hits for them in the '50s and he's been going strong ever since," Bianchino said. "And there's a song he made famous called 'The Blues is Alright' that's become an anthem for many blues bands."

Though Milton has lived in Las Vegas for 12 years, he performs infrequently around town, making Sunday's appearance something of a rarity.

"To me the home is like a haven. When I come in off the road, it's like tranquility, peace and quiet. That's what it means to me," Milton said. "But I'm looking forward to this. I get a chance to see so many familiar faces."

Three local blues outfits will join Milton on the festival bill: John Earl & The Boogieman Band, Scott Rhiner & The Moanin' Blacksnakes and the Spellcasters.

The International House of Blues Foundation's Schoolhouse Band, which features young musicians from local elementary schools, is slated to open the show. Student performances from members of that group will also take place between main acts.

Performing acts have been encouraged to play numbers associated with the day's honorees. Milton could do something from King's repertoire, Earl might cover one of Milton's songs, and so on.

The event has been funded by a grant from the Las Vegas Centennial Committee. Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is expected to be in attendance for part of the show.

"We really wanted to be involved in the Las Vegas centennial," said Micah Jonathan Bleecher, incoming president of the Southern Nevada Blues Association. "They announced the (Red Hot) Chili Peppers show (Monday). I like to say, 'OK, the Chili Peppers may be the hottest event, but we are definitely the coolest event.' "

Tickets are $5 at the gate. Children under 12 get in free.

Music notes

One hot night: As noted above, on Monday the city of Las Vegas announced the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Weezer will play a free-to-the-public July 2 concert celebrating Vegas' centennial.

While the choice of acts is solid and the price is certainly right, the choice of venues is odd, to say the least. Outdoor shows in July are never pleasant, and staging one on the asphalt of the Las Vegas Convention Center's gold lot won't cool things down at all.

At his news conference, Mayor Goodman said the location was chosen because of its proximity to the Strip. That's interesting, but the Convention Center is outside Las Vegas proper, so that argument doesn't make much sense.

Not many facilities can host crowds of 50,000, but Sam Boyd Stadium seems like a more worthy option. The grassy fields near Sam Boyd also might have worked, as could Desert Breeze Park, site of last summer's "Warped Tour" stop.

Parking also looms as a significant issue, considering the show will take place in the Convention Center's biggest spillover lot.

Down at the District: The District at Green Valley Ranch kicks off its annual concert series with a performance by Beatles tribute outfit the Fab at 3 p.m. Saturday.

Shows continue each Friday and Saturday -- usually running from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. -- through the summer, with a variety of acts already signed on. Admission is free.

Killing the competition: The Killers return home for a show tonight at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel. Tickets have been sold out for weeks.

The red-hot Las Vegas quartet recently spent three weeks at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 album chart (they're No. 11 this week), but made bigger news online by trading barbs with New York buzz band the Bravery.

"Look at a band like the Bravery. They're signed because we're a band," Killers frontman Brandon Flowers told MTV. "I think people will see through them."

Bravery vocalist Sam Endicott responded in an interview on San Francisco's KITS 105.3-FM (Live 105): "The poor little guy (Flowers). He's very scared. I mean, I feel bad talking bad about him because it's like hitting a girl. It's like picking on a kid in a wheelchair because he has no personality and no sense of humor at all."

Ouch. Makes that 50 Cent vs. The Game hip-hop feud look a bit tame. Here's hoping the retro-'80s boys can avoid gunplay.

Doors open at 7 p.m. for tonight's show. Canadian twin-sister indie-pop duo Tegan and Sara are scheduled to open.

On sale

U2 has added a second Las Vegas date, Nov. 5, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Tickets cost $52, $99.75 and $183.75 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the MGM Grand box office, at Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 474-4000 and at www.ticketmaster.com.

U2's Nov. 4 MGM Grand show sold out in around 10 minutes last Saturday. The band most recently played Las Vegas on Nov. 18, 2001, at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Alicia Keys lands at the MGM Grand Garden Arena for two concerts, May 27 and 28. Tickets are $50, $75 and $125 and go on sale at noon Saturday at the MGM Grand box office and through Ticketmaster.

The Mandalay Bay Events Center hosts a concert celebrating the 40th anniversary of the "Academy of Country Music Awards" on May 18, one night after this year's awards show. The show will include performances by several of this year's winners. Tickets are $52.50 and $105 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Mandalay Bay box office and through Ticketmaster.

Lyle Lovett performs at the Mandalay Bay Beach on July 2. Tickets are $46.75 and are on sale now through the Mandalay Bay box office and Ticketmaster.

Pat Benatar touches down at the Mandalay Bay Beach on July 15. Tickets are $41.25 and are on sale now through the Mandalay Bay box office and Ticketmaster.

Queens of the Stone Age play the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay on May 20. Tickets are $23 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the House of Blues box office and through Ticketmaster.

Tesla brings its "Five-Man Acoustical Jam" to the House of Blues on May 16. Tickets are $22 and $35 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday through the House of Blues box office and Ticketmaster.

Joe Nichols stops at the House of Blues on May 14. Tickets are $25, $30 and $35 and are on sale now through the House of Blues box office and Ticketmaster.

Whitesnake hits the House of Blues on July 1. Tickets are $30, $35 and $40 and are on sale now through the House of Blues box office and Ticketmaster.

Al Green holds court at the House of Blues on Aug. 20. Tickets are $52, $65 and $75 and are on sale now through the House of Blues box office and Ticketmaster.