VEGASinsight Archives

Jell-O wrestling at McFadden’s has nothing to do with Halloween. We just wanted to use the picture. Good costume idea, though, huh?

It seems like mere seconds after we posted our round-up preview of concerts, parties and events that may be worth checking out this Halloween, a whole new batch of Vegas-tastic on-goings appeared. So we’ll forgo the niceties and dive right in. You only have three days left, so make your plans now.

Revolution Lounge at the Mirage: “Pretty in Pink Halloween” featuring resident DJ Minor spinning mash-ups, hip-hop and Top 40. A pretty-in-pink-themed costume contest will find the top five pink ladies walking away with P.I.N.K. vodka gift boxes worth a total of $5000 in cash and prizes. Doors at 10 p.m., complimentary P.I.N.K. vodka for the ladies until midnight. $20 cover for men, $10 for visiting ladies and free for local women.

Rok Vegas at New York-New York: Carmen Electra hosts Rok’s first Halloween bash with her fiancee, former Korn guitarist Rob Patterson spinning a special DJ set.

Adventuredome at Circus Circus: Fright Dome closing night, 7 p.m. to midnight, featuring 23 rides and attractions, Lady Diable and her Xtreme Sideshow, Scare Zones, a stunt show and acclaimed haunted houses.

New York-New York: “Screamers – The Haunted Bridge” turns the hotel and casino’s Brooklyn Bridge replica into a terrifying haunted house. Admission is $20 per person, $15 for hotel guests and open to all ages (children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult). Open from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.

PT’s/Sierra Gold: Second Annual Wicked Costume Contest at 7 p.m., all 36 locations, featuring Bud, Bud Light and Bacardi specials. One winner from each bar will receive $100 cash.

SushiSamba at the Palazzo: “Spooky KaBOOki” Halloween celebration featuring DJ Dracula, free Japanese candy, cocktail and desert specials, and a costume contest with a grand prize trip for two to Miami and dinner at SushiSamba.

McFadden’s at the Rio: Drink with the Devil with free admission for guests in costume, drink specials and a $1000 cash prize for overall best costume, plus bar tabs for “sexiest,” “scariest,” “most Irish” and “dirtiest Devil” winning costumes. $10 for women and $20 for men gets an open bar from 10 p.m. to midnight.

Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay: Haunted Reef from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Open to all ages – children under 12 in costume receive free admission. Guests 17 or older donating at the United Blood Services booth from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. receive complimentary entry as well.

Tao at the Venetian: Third annual Taolloween party hosted by Tera Patrick at 10 p.m. Music by DJs Reach and Hideo.

I have a love-hate relationship with The Killers. I loved Hot Fuss, despite whatever middling review I gave it in the Las Vegas Weekly. That disc lived in my car for a long time. But I was very disappointed with Sam’s Town, probably because the band’s drastic change in sound seemed forced, not organic as I think they expected it to appear. The sophomore songs did grow on me after seeing them performed live a few times, but I still do not have Sam’s Town and that’s fine.

What’s odd is that the band’s B-sides, bonus tracks and unreleased songs in the interim seem to be my favorites. I have a collection of gems such as “Where Is She” and “Where the White Boys Dance” that always seemed, to me, more worthy than half the material on Sam’s Town.

Well, now The Killers have released Sawdust, a collection of those rarities, B-sides and other stuff sitting around the band’s vault. And, after listening to a song I’d not previously heard (the Sam’s Town bonus track “All the Pretty Face”), my belief that this material is much more favorable to my ears is reinforced.

If you’d like to discover for yourself and live in Las Vegas, head to Tao inside the Venetian at 11 p.m. tonight, where Vinyl Wednesdays is hosting a release party for Sawdust. The MADaM crew is giving away copies of the disc and other Killers swag, the Bargain DJ Collective is spinning and there will be local art. So your only excuse for not going is because your mom said “no.”

Turns out Perry Farrell did show up last night to Vinyl Wednesdays at Tao, as did Satellite Party opening act MINK. But based on my unscientific vocal surveying conducted over the last two days, no one cares. I was hard-pressed to find anyone who even knows who Farrell is, and those who did were only superficially familiar with his Jane’s Addiction work, likely only “Been Caught Stealing.”

Maybe it’s a generational thing. Those of us oft-identified as “Generation X” tend to hold Jane’s Addiction and its ringleader Farrell as pioneers of the alternative rock domination of the 1990s. But I guess those under 25 (under 30??) really have no sense of history or care to delve deeper into musical history beyond Fall Out Boy and the Used.

Not that Farrell hanging out at a club is a drawing point for me–I was going to Tao last night to see Danny Roberts’ art and to meet with one of my friends. And the Lollapalooza founder arrived with little fanfare (despite the promoters trying to build some sort of hushed din). He walked right past me with a small procession of people and headed (of course) back to a roped-off area in the back of the dining area. I asked one of our company’s photogs to be sure to snap a few pics of Farrell just because it would be cool to have in the next issue of Racket, but I think the best he got was MINK.

I know the announcement of Farrell’s attendance at the party was late coming (I received a call about 3 p.m. yesterday about it), so maybe more promotion would have yielded a bigger crowd. But all I know is when the Plain White T’s were in attendance at Vinyl Wednesdays a month or two back, there was a line around the corner to get in and the place was packed.

And have you heard Plain White T’s? Ugh.

Moving on to sexier things: I’ve never really found Alicia Silverstone attractive, but the new PSA she filmed for PETA is kinda hot. I am reconsidering my opinion on the matter. Click here to see why.