Tight-knit music scenes laugh together and cry together, and Las Vegas’ will surely be doing a lot of both December 16 and 17 at the Plaza Hotel.
Dusty Sunshine
“I’m sure it’ll be a whirlwind of emotion, something that a lot of us have needed to process it all,” says promoter Tsvetelina Stefanova, who helped create and produce Blairfest, a festival in honor of Downtown scene mainstay Blair Dewane, who died in September.
Echoes co-organizer Ryan Pardey, “The guy was so loved, I feel like we need to get together and celebrate his incredible life. And I don’t think there’s any way to do it other than to have a great show with all these local artists.”
The list of performers reads like a local who’s who from the past decade and a half, names like Dusty Sunshine, Dark Black, Hassan Hamilton, Glass Pools, Coco Jenkins and Late for Dinner on Friday, and Mercy Music, Stefanova’s Same Sex Mary, Indigo Kidd, Pardey’s Halloween Town, Beverly Chillz and Trevor and the Joneses on Saturday.
Saturday’s schedule will also be highlighted by sets from bands featuring two of Blair Dewane’s brothers, Zach Dewane’s Equinox and Ian Dewane and Friends, the latter playing songs by Blair and Ian’s beloved bands The Skooners and Rusty Maples, with an array of Vegas musicians contributing live vocals. Saturday attendees will also get to watch a 30-minute retrospective video about Blair and his music.
Indigo Kidd
“I try to put my head down and help with organizing this thing, but every time I think about what I’m actually doing, it just sucks,” Pardey says. “I found myself in tears thinking about it the other day. But Blair was so funny and irreverent, I feel like he would want us to have a good time and not be crying in our beer too long.”
Though Pardey says he checked on the possibility of reviving shuttered former scene hub the Bunkhouse Saloon for the weekend, logistics proved too difficult, so Blairfest will take place in the Plaza Showroom both nights, with the hotel’s nearby lounge, the Sand Dollar Downtown, serving as a second stage on Saturday.
“[The Showroom] is such a beautiful space, a super-classic old-Vegas room,” Stefanova says. “I’ve always dreamed of doing something there, like a festival, and they’ve been so accommodating and generous with what they’re offering us to do this.”
The tribute will also stretch into Sunday, with a “Blairaoke” event scheduled for 9 p.m. at Starboard Tack—a fitting way to cap off a weekend honoring Dewane, who hosted regular karaoke nights at Bunkhouse.
Same Sex Mary
Though Blairfest will be free to attend, organizers are encouraging donations. Once production costs have been offset, all remaining funds will benefit Positively Arts, an organization dedicated to “empower[ing] kids for life by building confidence through performance and artistic discovery.”
The Plaza has made discounted rooms available to family and friends coming in from out of town, to join in a celebration of a musician so central to Las Vegas’ sound through the years.
“Luckily, he had so much great music that we can all revisit,” Pardey says. “I find myself driving around town listening to his songs. That’s the upside. He left us with something, and anytime we want to visit with him we can go there.”
BLAIRFEST December 16 & 17, doors 6 p.m., Plaza Showroom & Sand Dollar Downtown.
Click HERE to subscribe for free to the Weekly Fix, the digital edition of Las Vegas Weekly! Stay up to date with the latest on Las Vegas concerts, shows, restaurants, bars and more, sent directly to your inbox!
