A&E

2012 Fall A+E Guide: Concerts

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Fiona Apple returns to town (finally!) September 15 at the Joint.
Photo: Jack Plunkett/AP

Mary J. Blige & D’Angelo (The Pearl, September 7) Jane’s Addiction and Gotye are also in town that night, but funky neo-soulster D’Angelo is a tough man to catch in concert—not to mention a legendary performer—so he and the always-reliable Mary J. get the Weekly nod.

Neon Reverb (Downtown, September 11-16) The twice-annual festival’s fall edition features a leaner, meaner show schedule, with touring acts like Ty Segall, Moonface, Thee Oh Sees, JJAMZ and Tijuana Panthers set to team up with such local favorites as The Clydesdale, A Crowd of Small Adventures, Rhyme N Rhythm and The Big Friendly Corporation at a cluster of East Fremont venues. Miss out and risk hearing your friends talk about it until March.

Fiona Apple (The Joint, September 15) The brooding singer/songwriter/pianist hasn’t played Las Vegas since Vegoose 2006, and her current shows—“combative, thrilling, sometimes scary,” in the words of the Chicago Tribune’s Greg Kot—sound like they might add up to the tour of the year.

Animal Collective (House of Blues, September 25) The oddball experimentalists’ live show isn’t for everyone. Hell, it isn’t even for everyone who likes Animal Collective. But if you’re willing to set aside all expectations, you just might have the time of your life.

Rise Against with Gaslight Anthem & Hot Water Music (The Joint, October 1) If the punk-rocking headliners—who’ve reached Nos. 2 and 3 on the Billboard 200 with their past two albums—have you on the fence, that power-packed opening card should not. Did we mention tickets start at $35?

Peter Gabriel (Planet Hollywood, October 5) A lot of concert bucket lists surely begin with this increasingly reluctant performer, and if a Vegas stopover weren’t news enough, he’s celebrating the 25th anniversary of So with a full live rendition. Which means “Red Rain,” “Sledgehammer,” “In Your Eyes” … hey, what if Kate Bush shows up for “Don’t Give Up” …

The xx (Cosmopolitan, October 10) Ethereal dream-pop—from the Mercury Prize-winning Brits, who release second album Coexist this week—floating over the deck of the Boulevard Pool? Wednesday night or not, we’re there.

Madonna (MGM Grand, October 13-14) Mock her Super Bowl halftime performance or the drug-hinting name of her latest album (MDNA) all you want, but Madonna’s concerts are always a party. Or in this case, two parties.

Guns N’ Roses (The Joint, October 31-November 24) What are the chances Axl Rose will show up on time 12 times in 25 days? Probably worse than the odds Slash will pop in to play guitar. But with GNR, that’s part of the experience, right? And if Josh Bell’s review of the New Year’s Eve show at the same venue is any indication (“his voice sounded great, keeping its power for the entirety of the marathon three-hour concert”), the current lineup is more than a cheap imitation of the classic version.

Also: Jane’s Addiction (Cosmopolitan, September 7); Gotye (House of Blues, September 7); The Hives (Cosmopolitan, September 13); Adam Ant (Hard Rock Cafe, September 14); Silversun Pickups (The Joint, September 14); Hall & Oates (The Joint, September 20); Robert Randolph & The Family Band (Vinyl, September 20); iHeartRadio Festival (MGM Grand, September 21-22); The Greyboy Allstars (Hard Rock Cafe, September 28); Rock Vegas Festival (Mandalay Bay, September 28-29); Justin Bieber (MGM Grand, September 20); Metric (House of Blues, October 6,); Shpongle (House of Blues, October 12); Kendrick Lamar (Hard Rock Cafe, October 19); Melvins (LVCS, October 23); Eddie Vedder (The Pearl, October 31-November 1); Mike Watt + Missingmen (Vinyl, November 3); Minus the Bear & Cursive (Fremont Country Club, November 7); Morrissey (Cosmopolitan, November 23); Rush (MGM Grand, November 23).

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