Slick Rick
Ice House Lounge, May 31
“La di da di, we like to party
We don’t cause trouble, we don’t bother nobody
We’re just some men that’s on the mic
And when we rock upon the mic we rock the mic RIGHT!”
The Hold Steady
Beauty Bar, June 3
Drinkin’, druggin’ and debauchin’ are the lyrical calling cards of these indie-rock Kerouacs, whose latest collection of gutter-glam narratives, Boys and Girls in America, was one of the best-reviewed CDs of Aught Six. You can bet we (and all our little hood-rat friends) will be at this too-good-to-be-true-in-Vegas gig.
The True Colors Tour
MGM Grand Garden Arena, June 8
The only thing better than rocking out for equality is hosting the kickoff date of this five- (yes, five!) hour Pride-athon. Spearheaded by Cyndi Lauper and hosted by comedian Margaret Cho, the lineup includes Debbie Harry, Erasure, Dresden Dolls, The Gossip, MisShapes and special guests The Indigo Girls.
Morrissey
The Pearl, June 9
This new-ish Palms venue has already proven its viability with Gwen Stefani, the UFC, Carlos Mencia and an impending Tool make-up date, but nothing says “entertainment powerhouse” like booking an intimate evening with the Pope of Mope. The ex-Smith’s recent Ringleader of the Tormentors may have lacked the subtle gravity of 2004’s You Are the Quarry, but he’s still one of the most Moz-merizing live performers around.
Keith Urban
Mandalay Bay Events Center, June 9
He’s out of rehab and ready to rock, and country star Urban will be supporting his recent release, Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Thing, with a massive arena tour, touching down in Vegas in June. His pop-friendly brand of adult-contemporary country is perfect for a wide, mainstream audience, and his big sound should easily fill the arena. Don’t forget to arrive early for talented female country duo The Wreckers, featuring Michelle Branch.
Los Lobos
Canyon Club, June 10
Los Lobos rock ass every time out, but we’re mostly interested in this show to get a look inside the Four Queens’ shiny new rock club. ’Cause you know, when it comes to Vegas venues, blink and you just might miss one. Did someone say Celebrity?
The Police
MGM Grand Garden Arena, June 15
The moment we’ve been waiting for all our lives has finally arrived! Okay, that’s overstating things a tad, but Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland have some damn cool tunes in their five-album grab bag, most of which have been dormant the past 23 years. Let’s just hope we get some “Born in the ’50s” and “Fallout” to go with our “Every Breath You Take” and “Message in a Bottle.”
Roger Waters
MGM Grand Garden Arena, June 16
The third weekend in June has shaped up rather nicely for retro-rock lovers, with the man behind most of Pink Floyd’s masterworks scheduled to follow The Police, just one night apart on the very same stage. If recent shows are an indication, expect two monster sets, including a full rendering of Dark Side of the Moon, goodies from Wish You Were Here, The Wall, Animals and The Final Cut and a few obligatory solo cuts.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
University Theatre, June 18
The garage-psych San Fran trio makes good on last year’s Vegoose bailout with this intimate, all-ages gig. The timing might be better now anyway, since BRMC will have a new album—May 1 release Baby 81—to stoke its stage fire.
Naked Eyes, Missing Persons, A Flock of Seagulls
The Club at the Cannery, June 23
Mock if you must, but this ’80s bill is more than a collection of New Wave one-hit wonders. Why, Naked Eyes had two legit hits (“Always Something There to Remind Me” and “Promises, Promises”), as did A Flock of Seagulls (“I Ran (So Far Away)” and “Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)”). And don’t even get us started on Missing Persons ...
Rush
MGM Grand Garden Arena, July 28
If you’re already in the Canadians’ unswerving cult of followers, you know their marathon live performances simply aren’t to be missed. If you’re not, odds are you wouldn’t be caught dead at one of their shows. Anyone on the fence—if there really is such a person some 33 years into Rush’s career—ought to head to the MGM and choose a side already.
Also worth a look: The Killers, Hard Rock Hotel, June 1; The Faint, House of Blues, June 7; John Mayer with Ben Folds, Mandalay Bay Events Center, June 8; Bill Frisell, Jazz in the Park, June 9; Bloc Party, The Pearl, June 13; Diana Krall, Las Vegas Hilton, June 14-17; Fall Out Boy, The Pearl, June 24; Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, MGM Grand Garden Arena, August 4; “Sounds of the Underground,” House of Blues, August 6; Beyoncé, MGM Grand Garden Arena, August 25.
... and seven albums to save up for
Wilco
Sky Blue Sky, May 15
2002’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot leaked nine months early. 2004’s A Ghost Is Born hit the webwaves early as well. And not that we condone such actions, but a friend of a friend might have mentioned something about Jeff Tweedy and Co.’s latest allegedly falling somewhere between a theoretical Television and a supposed Abbey Road-era Beatles. Hypothetically.
Ozzy Osbourne
Black Rain, May 22
We know that Ozzy has become sort of a joke, with his reality show and his sad willingness to mug pathetically at any and all TV events. But back in the day before all of that, Ozzy really, totally rocked, and he promises that his first studio album in six years is the “true follow-up” to 1991’s No More Tears. Guitarist Zakk Wylde can shred with the best of them, and nothing would please us more than to see Ozzy back on top of the hard-rock heap.
R. Kelly
Double Up, May 29
We won’t touch that album title, but you gotta admit, dude is a commanding presence, even when he’s singing about midgets jumping out of cabinets and wiping cherry pie crust off their faces. Kanye, T.I., Ciara, Snoop, Ludacris, David Banner and Young Jeezy are all reported to guest on the new joint, so give up the moral high ground and just listen to the man sing.
The White Stripes
Icky Thump, June 19
Now that he’s been with three other men, can Jack White really return to the bosom of his wife ... er, ex-wife ... er, sister? We think so, if only because, while we prefer the full-band feel of his recent Raconteurs trip, he seemed to write better songs when he only saw red and white.
Ryan Adams
Easy Tiger, June 26
2005 saw three albums (one of them a double) on Lost Highway Records; 2006 the release of 11 independents via his website. Somewhere in there he produced Willie Nelson’s Songbird. March 2007 brought forth another website seven. Lost Highway backs these latest 13 tracks, and we need a nap just from typing out this paragraph.
The Smashing Pumpkins
Zeitgeist, July 7
Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin are in; D’Arcy and James Iha, not so much. But don’t decry the reunion as just another incarnation of the ill-fated Zwan. After all, dude took out a full-page ad! In the newspaper and everything! Guess they’ll solidify the final lineup when the band hits the European-festival circuit in late May.
Meat Puppets
Rise to Your Knees, July 17
The Puppets’ last comeback album, 2000’s Golden Lies, kinda blew, but we have faith that this Kirkwood family reunion will result in something meatier, if not Up on the Sun-quality, at least maybe Too High to Die-worthy ... Please?
Also worth a look: Digitalism, Idealism, June 5; The Chemical Brothers, We Are the Night, June 19; Bryan Ferry, Dylanesque, June 19; M.I.A., Kala, June 26; Common, Finding Forever, July 10; Spoon, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, July 10; Architecture in Helsinki, Places Like This, August 7; The New Pornographers, Challengers, August 21.