CONCERTS
Anderson .Paak (September 28, BleauLive Theater) Some know him as DJ Pee .Wee, others see him as the Soul Train reincarnate in R&B duo Silk Sonic. But before all that, Anderson .Paak blasted his way up the charts as the funky, alternative rapper, producer and drummer, penning earworms like “Come Down.” The Free Nationals will reunite with .Paak for a rare performance of his 2016 album, Malibu, played in full. —Amber Sampson
Still Woozy with Gus Dapperton and PawPaw Rod (September 30, Theater at Virgin) The solo project of Sven Eric Gamsky, Still Woozy’s heavily prescribed dose of garage pop swirls with ear candy hooks and the euphoric embrace of summer love. His chill catalog has earned him the right to collaborate with Remi Wolf and Omar Apollo, and also co-write and co-produce “Too Late” off of SZA’s SOS album. Need we say more?—AS
Tems (September 29, Theater at Virgin) A darling of the Nigerian R&B scene, Tems captivated listeners with velvety vocals on Wizkid’s sleekly produced Afrobeat hit “Essence.” We’ve been jonesing for her debut album, Born in the Wild, ever since. On her first world tour, Tems sets out to make an even greater impression. —AS
Conan Gray with Maisie Peters (October 11, the Chelsea) Bearing a striking resemblance to a modern-day Disney prince, Conan Gray’s restoring the voice of expressionistic pop for his generation. The 25-year-old singer amassed a fan base for his stinging accounts of unrequited love (“Heather”) and his biting wit toward the occasional ex (“Maniac”). See him in a mid-sized venue while you can. He won’t stay there long. —AS
Hans Zimmer Live (October 12, T-Mobile Arena) The Oscar-winning composer of the scores to The Lion King, Dune, Inception and more has achieved rockstar-like standing on music streaming services. Onstage, he proves that he deserves it. Zimmer’s large, insanely gifted ensemble and winning setlist of straight-up bangers will melt you in your seat. —Geoff Carter
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard(November 8, PH Live) They’ve made prog records. They’ve made psychedelic records. They’ve made electronic records. Truly, only two things tie King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s discography together: The Melbourne band’s eagerness to try anything … and their contagious joy in jamming it all out on stage. —GC
Tears For Fears (October 30-November 2, BleauLive Theater) The amazing thing about Tears For Fears isn’t the sheer number of hits they racked up in the 1980s, including “Shout” and “Mad World.” It’s that Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith don’t behave like a nostalgia act. Years after their heyday, they come on like they still want to rule the world.—GC
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Dogstar (September 20, the Chelsea); Inner Wave (September 20, Fremont Country Club); The Eagles (September 20-January 25, Sphere); The Smashing Pumpkins with Pvris (September 27, BleauLive Theater); Snow Tha Product (September 27, Brooklyn Bowl); Wu-Tang Clan(September 27-28, Theater at Virgin); Experience Hendrix (September 27, Reynolds Hall); Nicki Minaj (September 28, MGM Grand Garden Arena); Tom Jones (September 28-29, Encore Theater); First Ladies of Disco (September 29, Myron’s); Kool & The Gang (October 4-5, Westgate International Theater); Las Vegas Philharmonic: The Beatles 60th Anniversary Concert(October 5, Reynolds Hall); Dropkick Murphys with The Scratch (October 6, Brooklyn Bowl); Earth, Wind & Fire (October 9-19, Venetian Theatre); Death From Above 1979 (October 10, Swan Dive); Modern English (October 12, Swan Dive); The Strike (October 12, the Beverly Theater); French Police with Wisteria, Social Order (October 12, Backstage Bar & Billiards); Spider Man: Across the Spider-Verse in concert (October 12, Reynolds Hall); Breaking Benjamin and Staind with Daughtry, Lakeview (October 15, PH Live); Cold War Kids (October 16, House of Blues); Kiesza (October 17, Swan Dive); A Day To Remember (October 17, BleauLive Theater); Cobra Starship with 3OH!3, Millionaires (October 17, Brooklyn Bowl); Gwar (October 17, House of Blues); The Used & Taking Back Sunday with LS Dunes, Taylor Acorn (October 18, BleauLive Theater); Simple Plan with Boys Like Girls, Medina Lake (October 18, Brooklyn Bowl); Lenny Kravitz (October 18-26, Dolby Live); Porter Robinson (October 19, BleauLive Theater); Cannons with Glass Spells (October 20, A-Lot at Area15); Destroyer (October 20, Swan Dive); Disney & Pixar’s Coco Live-to-Film Concert (October 25, Artemus W. Concert Ham Hall); Kehlani (October 26, Michelob Ultra Arena); Cypress Hill (October 26, Downtown Las Vegas Events Center); I Don’t Know How But They Found Me (October 26, House of Blues); New Edition (October 30-November 2, Encore Theater); Wooli (November 8, Downtown Las Vegas Events Center); Rex Orange County (November 15, BleauLive Theater); Ken Carson(November 16, Brooklyn Bowl); The Drums (November 16, House of Blues); Avatar: The Last Airbender in concert(November 16, Reynolds Hall); Ludacris, Alesso, OneRepublic, more at T-Mobile Zone (November 21-23, Sphere Stage); Talib Kweli (November 30, Swan Dive); Tchami with Malaa (November 30, Downtown Las Vegas Events Center).
FESTIVALS
Bright Eyes
Best Friends Forever Festival (October 11-13, Downtown Las Vegas Events Center) From the creators of Salt Lake City’s famed Kilby Block Party, S&S Presents a weekender straight outta the ’90s. The Best Friends Forever Festival will conjure all the emo and indie darlings of our youth, bringing stalwarts like Bright Eyes, Sunny Day Real Estate, Built to Spill, The Jesus Lizard, Unwound and countless others together for a much-needed reunion of rock. –AS
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iHeartRadio Music Festival (September 20-21, T-Mobile Arena); Reggae Rise Up (October 4-6, Downtown Las Vegas Events Center); When We Were Young (October 19, Las Vegas Festival Grounds); Dillinger Block Party Halloween Music Festival (October 26, the Dillinger in Boulder City); SEMA Fest (November 8, Las Vegas Convention Center); Neon City Festival (November 22-24, Downtown Las Vegas).
DIY FESTIVALS FOR LOCALS BY LOCALS
Same Sex Mary
Life Is Sh*t laid the runny runway for DIY punk rock fests to flourish in the face of corporate conformity. And when it returns September 28, for its 12th year as a free, locals-centric alternative to Life Is Beautiful, it’ll do so with an ally.
Punk Rock Is Beautiful, a one-day festival created by Vegas punk trio Twist Off and Mad Rabbit Media, will debut at the Space on September 21, a week prior to Life Is Sh*t, with a stacked undercard of 10 local bands from the hardcore and punk scene.
“The thing that’s really great about the hardcore genre is that there’s really no separation between the band, the stage in general, and the people who are going to see it,” says Kaesen Samson, frontman of Twist Off. “They encourage people to get up and they’re always handing the mic off to a fan who’s just yelling the words. Everybody’s a part of the band.”
Craving a festival with more representation of that energy, Samson connected with Asteroid M. Records founder Cody Leavitt, who brought the Punk Rock Museum in to also support the festival. Proceeds will benefit the Vegas Pet Rescue Project, similarly to how Life Is Sh*t serves as a fundraiser for the summer camp program Girls Rock Vegas.
Where Life Is Sh*t has attracted national legends like The Vibrators and Hamell on Trial, Punk Rock Is Beautiful zeros in on the Vegas community for an equally homegrown experience that spotlights familiar names like Oscopy, Pure Sport, Run Your Luck, Species and more.
And did we mention this year’s Life Is Sh*t event is also … the sh*t? The festival brings back its beloved Outhouse poetry stage and its physical zines, and debuts its new Sh*t Kicker Kickoff on Friday, featuring country and blues acts like Nashville’s Zach Wilson and Tucson’s Dedd Horsemen. Denver rock trio FaceMan then leads us into our punkified weekend with Reno’s Pussy Velour, Vegas’ own Msmr, Same Sex Mary, the Style Cramps, Trash Animals and others.
You can’t go wrong with either of these fests. But for the love of all that’s good, support one, and “have something that’s built by locals for locals,” Samson says. –Amber Sampson
STAGE
Back to the Future
Scream’d final encore (September 13-November 9, Majestic Repertory Theater) Like the film franchise, Majestic Rep’s Scream’d has lived many lives. It debuted in fall 2023 and went viral on TikTok, prompting it to come back in January. Then in August, artistic director Troy Heard announced that Majestic is in the process of moving the production to a new city. Don’t miss the final encore before the big move!
The House on Watch Hill (September 27-November 3, Vegas Theatre Company) Horror just gets better when it goes retro, and that’s exactly what The House on Watch Hill is doing. This Vegas Theatre Company world premiere production follows a horror-obsessed 14-year-old determined to build the greatest haunted house Cincinnati has ever seen.
Bodytraffic (September 28, Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall)LA-based dance group Bodytraffic brings its inspiring show to UNLV, presenting a masterclass for UNLV dancers days prior to their performance. They’re living their mission of educating audiences and inciting positive change, and you’re invited to be a part of it.
Miss Behave’s Mavericks (Ongoing starting October 2, Plaza) The Plaza Showroom gets a new resident with Mavericks, last seen in a bravura 2022 run at Fremont East’s Cheapshot. This unruly, world-class variety show delivers a flirty, filthy and fabulous blend of comedy, circus, burlesque and more.
Back to the Future: The Musical (October 23-November 3, Reynolds Hall) Great Scott! Blast to the past with Back to the Future in musical format. In this Broadway production, expect songs from the classic 1985 film including “The Power of Love,” “Johnny B. Goode,” “Earth Angel” and “Back in Time.”
Love for Three Oranges (November 3, 5, 10 & 12, Omega Mart) Always seeking to innovate, Vegas City Opera is partnering with Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart to unveil this whimsical interpretation of The Love for Three Oranges by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev. Patrons of Omega Mart, where the production takes place, can travel through several storylines through daily interactive presentations.
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The Cher Show (September 17-22, Reynolds Hall); A Public Fit: Staged reading ofNative Garden (September 27-28, Clark County Library); UNLV Dance: Together 8 (October 4-5 at Judy Bayley Theatre); Opera Las Vegas: Again and Again and Again (October 11-13, the Space);Vegas City Opera: Intrigue (October 18-19, Charleston Heights Arts Center); Nevada Ballet Theater: Cinderella (October 18-20, Reynolds Hall); The Half-life of Marie Curie (October 18-November 3, Las Vegas Little Theatre); A Public Fit: The Minutes (October 25-November 18, Super Summer Theatre Studios); Nevada Conservatory Theater: A Skeptic and a Bruja(October 30-November 10 at UNLV Black Box Theater); UNLV Dance: Geometries (November 1-2, Alta Ham Fine Arts); Confessions of a Showgirl (November 6, Myron’s); UNLV Opera: Three Sisters Who Are Not Sisters and How Clear She Shines! (November 14-15, Lee and Thomas Beam Music Center); UNLV Dance: Nexus (November 15-16, Alta Ham Fine Arts); Shrek the Musical (November 26-December 1, Reynolds Hall).
COMEDY
Bob the Drag Queen
Wiseguys at Westgate When we last spoke to Keith Stubbs, owner of the acclaimed Wiseguys Comedy, he’d just hard-launched his second Las Vegas club at Town Square. In that very venue, he also assured us of two things: “We’re not going anywhere, and we’re not opening another one.”
A year after that promise, Stubbs is primed to launch his third Wiseguys operation in Las Vegas at Westgate’s Cabaret Theater on September 20, with comic Greg Hahn headlining two nights, followed by Dwayne Perkins and Seth Tippetts in the weeks to come. At this rate, and with four other Wiseguys clubs in Utah, Stubbs might be building a comedy empire, even if he doesn’t believe it.
The club founder says Westgate initially reached out to him about bringing Wiseguys to its intimate showroom, eager to capture even a sliver of the energy Stubbs had created at his original Arts District club.
“It’s a beautiful space, and it’s going to be great for comedy,” he says. “It’s smaller than Town Square, but bigger than the Arts District club, so it’s kind of in between there. It has a nice balcony, tiered seating. It really is exceptional.” –Amber Sampson
Kill Tony Live (September 25, Resorts World) “The #1 live podcast in the world” is coming to Vegas. Tony Hinchcliffe and Brian Redban’s live comedy podcast—where aspiring comedians perform for one minute, followed by an interview and a roast—is raw, unscripted and unapologetically hilarious. Kill Tony is the comedy brawl that Vegas deserves.
Kenan Thompson (Starting September 20, every Friday & Saturday, Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club) Saturday Night Live star Kenan Thompson brings Your Vote, Their Victory, an interactive comedy experience, to the Strip. Audience members vote and rank the night’s performers. Established comics and up and comers compete for career-boosting recognition and a chance to attend SNL as Thompson’s guest.
Bob the Drag Queen (November 15, The Theater at Virgin) Get ready for a no-holds-barred night with Bob the Drag Queen, where sass meets stand-up. The “This Is Wild” Tour promises bold comedy, music and crowd work—all delivered with that razor sharp wit and charisma only Bob can serve. This one’s strictly for adults.
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Carlos Mencia(September 8-November 25, Harrah’s Showroom); Mike Epps (September 20-21, Venetian Theatre); Corey Holcomb(September 21, House of Blues); Girls GottaEat: No Crumbs Tour (September 21, the Chelsea); David Spade & Nikki Glaser (September 27-28, Venetian Theatre); Skankfest 2024: Vegas Attacks! (September 27-28, Notoriety); Bert Kreischer (September 27-28, Resorts World); Sarah Silverman (September 28, Pearl Concert Theater); World Series of Comedy (September 22-28, LA Comedy Club); NateBargatze (October 2, 4-5, Encore Theater); Ron White (October 4, the Chelsea); Cancelled Podcast: Tana Mongeau and Brooke Schofield (October 5, the Chelsea); Laugh After Dark Comedy Fest (October 7-9, Arts District); Ray Romano (October 11-12, Summit Showroom); Rob Schneider(October 12, Pearl Theater); Nick Swardson (October 19, Summit Showroom); Coco Peru (October 19, Myron’s); Jeff Dunham (October 20, PH Live); Bill Maher (November 1-2, David Copperfield Theater); Chelsea Handler (November 2, 30, the Chelsea); Jo Koy (November 8, T-Mobile Arena); Iliza Shlesinger (November 15, the Chelsea); Daniel Tosh (November 16, the Chelsea); Kevin Sullivan (November 17, Wise Guys Town Square); David Lucas (November 29-30, Wise Guys Town Square).
Literature
John Waters
John Waters at the Las Vegas Vally Book Festival In a 2022 interview with NPR, John Waters explained why he’d decided to try his hand at literary fiction. “Same reason I took LSD when I was 70,” he said. “The same reason I hitchhiked across America when I was 66. Why not try to write your first novel in your mid-70s? I want to keep trying new things. Dare yourself.”
It’s difficult to imagine many dares Waters hasn’t yet taken. The legendary, Baltimore-born writer/director of such trashy masterworks as Pink Flamingos, Hairspray, Polyester, Serial Mom and Desperate Living has made a habit of stepping confidently into places you’d never expect him—sitcoms, art museums, the Chucky franchise—without stooping to clear the doorway. Waters doesn’t dabble in artistic disciplines; artistic disciplines dabble in John Waters. And his 2022 “debut” novel, Liarmouth, follows a bunch of nonfiction books he’s already written about his obsessions and real-life adventures.
Meaning: His upcoming appearance at the Las Vegas Book Festival, hosted by the Historic Fifth Street School on October 19, isn’t just an opportunity to hear from a novelist whose work is almost certain to become a major motion picture. It’s a rare encounter with the restlessly creative and probably still wonderfully dirty mind of one of America’s greatest living cultural figures. This is the man who once famously said, “If you go home with somebody and they don’t have books, don’t f*ck them,” daring you to hear what’s on his mind.
“I’m now a middle-of-the-road madman,” Waters said in a November 2023 interview with the Weekly. “The world we live in has more rules than my parents’ world did, and there’s a certain humor in that. … To me, the ultimate sin is self-righteousness, no matter what your politics are. If you want to win, you don’t make your enemies feel stupid, you make them feel smart. Then you get them to laugh, and then they’ll listen.” Whether you think him a genius or a vulgarian, one thing is certain to happen if you go to the book festival to hear John Waters speak: You will be utterly fascinated by him. You may even envy his fearlessness. –Geoff Carter
Desert Superbloom: Las Vegas Writers on Scarcity & Abundance (October 17, Clark County Library) The longtime Las Vegas Writes project continues with this new collection of original essays and stories by local writers, including Jennifer Battisti, Nicole Damon, Melissa Gill, Shannon Salter, Autumn Widdoes, Staci Layne Wilson and more. They’ll read from their works at this launch event.
Stephen Bright in Conversation with Dayvid Figler (October 10, UNLV Rogers Literature & Law Building, Room 101) Former president and senior counsel of the Southern Center for Human Rights and co-author of The Fear of Too Much Justice: Race, Poverty, and the Persistence of Inequality in the Criminal Courts, Bright will talk about the inequities of our justice system with Figler, host of City Cast Las Vegas and an attorney himself.
André Aciman (October 25, Segue at the Beverly Theater) Aciman, the author of Call Me by Your Name, Out of Egypt, Eight White Nights and other acclaimed works, talks about his latest book Roman Year, an autobiographical work detailing the period in his young life after he and his family were expelled from Egypt, landing in Rome—a city he came to love.
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Maryam Ala Amjadi in Conversation with Doug Unger (September 25, UNLV Rogers Literature & Law Building, Room 101); Charles Bock (October 29, Segue at the Beverly Theater); Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival (November 2, Clark County Library); Breakout Writers Series: Diana Khoi Nguyen (November 13, Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art); An Evening with Teju Cole (November 19, The Beverly Theater).
FOOD & DRINK
Four Sixes Ranch Steakhouse
Four Sixes Ranch Steakhouse Pop-up This exciting nightly pop-up opened on September 16 and pairs the spirit of TV western Yellowstone with the luxury of the Las Vegas Strip. The show’s creator, Taylor Sheridan, purchased the legendary 260,000-acre Four Sixes Ranch near Lubbock, Texas, in 2022, continuing its legacy of beef production, raising ranch horses and maintaining its scenic beauty.
The Four Sixes Ranch Steakhouse takes over the Tableau restaurant space near the lobby of the Wynn Tower Suites (and utilizes the talents of its chef, veteran Vegas star David Middleton) to create an experience emphasizing Western authenticity, building on ingredients from Texas and prime steaks and cuts from the ranch. Get ready for prime beef tartare prepared with grilled shallots and serrano peppers, a full breed Wagyu cattle 40-ounce tomahawk steak carved tableside, and a Campfire Old Fashioned cocktail smoked on a whiskey barrel stove (conceived of course by Wynn master mixologist Mariena Mercer Boarini).
“The passions in my life are telling stories and food and with each plate served at Four Sixes Ranch Steakhouse, Chef David and I get to do both,” Sheridan said in a news release.
Signature Series at Fontainebleau (Select dates through March 2025, Fontainebleau) These finely curated foodie features present the perfect chance to explore the cuisine of the Strip’s newest resort. After the September 21 Perfect Pour event celebrating National Bourbon Month, the next opportunity is Art of the Grill on October 5 at Mediterranean eatery La Côte with one of our favorites, chef Patrick Munster of Don’s Prime.
Downtown Brew Festival (October 19, Clark County Amphitheater) One of the Valley’s coziest and most popular beer-centric events is back with music from San Diego funk-rockers The Routine, DJ Neek and Retrosonic, VIP bites from Tacos & Beer chef John Simmons and STK chef Stephen Hopcraft, and suds from dozens of local and guest breweries.
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Oktoberfest at Hofbrauhaus(September 13-October 31, Hofbrauhaus Las Vegas); San Gennaro Feast (September 18-22, M Resort); Oktoberfest at the Front Yard (September 21, Front Yard at Ellis Island Casino); Lake Las Vegas Classic (September 27-28, Reflection Bay Golf Club); Las Vegas Greek Fest (September 27-29, St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church); Great American Foodie Fest(September 27-29, Galleria at Sunset); Green Our Planet Student Farmers Market (October 16, Clark County Government Center); Aki Matsuri Japanese Festival (October 12, Water Street Plaza); Cigar Aficionado Big Smoke (November 1-2, Paris); Las Vegas Pizza Festival (November 16, Industrial Event Space).
Film
V-U2: An Immersive Concert Film (Through October 31, Sphere) If you missed U2’s historic 40-date run of shows at Sphere, good news: Filmmaker Morleigh Steinberg and her husband, The Edge, hit the venue’s record button for you. Shot with a proprietary high-definition camera, V-U2 captures the band’s Sphere production in spectacular detail—and augments the images with Sphere’s precise sound mix and haptic-feedback seats. Few concert films have come closer to re-creating the experience of watching a band perform live.
The Wake (October 1-31, the Beverly Theater) Uh-oh. The call is coming from inside the cinema. It’s the Beverly Theater’s chief experience officer Kip Kelly, who says that the Bev will once again screen a series of classic scary movies throughout October, with the intent of showing a heart-stopping 50 movies over 31 days. A limited number ofthebeverlytheater.com.$100 “Slash Passes”—so named because they offer a steep discount on all the screenings, and allow you to cut the line like a proper maniac—are on sale now at
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The Time Masters (September 21-25, the Beverly Theater); Dazed & Confused:30th Anniversary (September 29, the Beverly Theater); Pride(October 14, Sahara West Library); The Rocky Horror Picture Show with Nell Campbell (October 31, Downtown Las Vegas Events Center).
Visual Art
Laura Esbensen, Soma
Luis Varela-Rico, Paso Neto (Through October 26, Nuwu Art Gallery + Community Center) Known for his public art works (“Radial Symmetry” in the Arts District, and “Norte y Sur” at Eastern and I-215), Varela-Rico mounts his first solo exhibition, featuring works he created just to satisfy himself. Drawing on his Mexican heritage and his gift for shaping metal into flowing forms, Nuwu’s Peso Neto promises to be both a summation of his work to date—and a peek at where he might go next.
Laura Esbensen, Soma (October 3-December 13, Core Contemporary) Esbensen, a multidisciplinary artist who splits her time between Las Vegas and San Diego, makes abstract sculpture—using epoxies, plastics and various construction materials—that nod to the human body, specifically the mutilation of it and the process of healing that follows. Soma promises to be a bracing, humorous introduction to her work. It’ll get under your skin.
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Contemporary Ex-votos: Devotion Beyond Medium (Through November 23, Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art); Nevada, P.S. I Love You Postcard Project Exhibition (Through December 2, National Desert Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center); I Need Space to Roam (Through December 7, Left of Center Gallery); Sharon K. Schafer, Circle of Animal (October 3-November 26, Nevada Humanities); From Grain to Pixel: Contemporary Chinese Photography (Through October 6, Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art); Chuy Hartman (Punk Rock Museum, October 11-November 10).
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