The Strokes with Ben Kweller rocked The Joint, kicking off the first night of The Strokes’ fall tour at The Hard Rock Hotel Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada Nov 9th. Opening the City Of Sin with his rendition of Vanilla Ice’s, “Ice, Ice Baby”, BK got the crowds’ attention and a confused reaction. A man in the crowd threw beer up at the stage, managing only to drizzle some on BK, who didn’t even acknowledge it. The crowd aided security by pointing the drunk dude out and he was swiftly brought outside. BK continued to play a strong set including “How it Should Be (Sha Sha)”, “Wasted & Ready”, “Walk on Me”, and “Falling”. Switching between guitar and keyboards, he kept his feet dancing and the show lively. Although the crowd did not seem at all familiar with his lyrics, they seemed to feel his groove (minus the drunk guy). BK did his thing, entertaining the rest of the sinners till the end of his set.
Technical difficulties, such as opening and strategically placing beer bottles around the stage, delayed The Strokes set by 45 minutes or so. All the while the crowd in this smaller sized venue grew denser, sweatier and more agitated. The crowd erupted into cheers at The Strokes entrance who in turn rectified their tardiness entirely by opening with “New York City Cops”. As the set progressed through “Soma” and “Barely Legal”, the crowd slowly grew into an electrified frenzy, exploding into riotousness at “Take It Or Leave It”. Julian dove into the crowd and was surfed right back to his spot on stage. The front of the stage looked like an incubating area for trample victims. The Strokes took over The Joint properly, the way only professional rock stars can. Everyone who dared to brave the pit, left the show covered with other people’s sweat, peppered with bruises and feeling totally satisfied that rock & roll is alive and well.
Source: Jaemee Monahan
