1. A near-capacity crowd has packed Hard Rock Live on this Friday night for †††’s first Las Vegas performance. The quickly emerging band, pronounced "Crosses," is a side-project of Deftones frontman Chino Moreno featuring Far guitarist Shaun Lopez and producer/bassist Chuck Doom. That core trio is rounded out live by Dredg drummer Dino Campanella.

2. Aside from the intimate setting, great sound and Strip-view smoking balcony, one of the best aspects of this spot is the $5 PBR tall boy. No other strip venue can compete with that price, hipster-swill or not.

3. Moreno has an undeniably recognizable voice, so it's impossible to fully separate †††’s sound from Deftones', but the similarities end at his trademark dolphin-screech yell. ††† has more digital elements, with electronic drums woven through bright tones, frequent bass chords and clean guitar.

4. More than anything, the musicians look like they’re truly enjoying being onstage. Chino dances through the entire set, announcing, “We’re having a great time f*cking around up here.”

5. I like †††’s self-titled debut release, but the emotion and passion of the live performance brings the songs to life in such a satisfying way, the recorded versions now pale in comparison.