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SATURDAY LATE NITE :: 10.29.05 :: LAS VEGAS, NV
Words by John Smrtic
String Cheese Incident :: 10.29.05 :: The Orleans
SCI :: Vegoose Late Nite :: By John Smrtic |
In a town like Vegas where the stakes are high, the buildings larger than life, and the illusion even bigger, playing one of the major late nite concerts on Halloween weekend during the inaugural Vegoose festival is no menial task. Bringing your game is good and satisfying indeed, but to match or even exceed the fantasy of this synthetic city in the middle of the dessert, something more is required. Just after the stroke of midnight, when the chips were down, The String Cheese Incident dropped what very well could have been the hottest, glitziest, most transcendent show on or off the strip.
Earlier that Saturday afternoon, SCI threw down one of the better major festival sets the band has ever delivered, and many Cheeseheads left Vegoose early to hustle over to the Orleans Arena for the evening's revelry. The buzz that something special was afoot was strong, and though not blatantly advertised as such, Peak Experience Productions played a major role in the magic. The arena itself was rather large, and though plenty of costumed freaks had assembled, there was more than ample personal space and dancing room just about everywhere.
SCI :: Vegoose Late Nite :: By John Smrtic |
So the vibe was high and the scene was set as SCI took the stage just after midnight. Flanked by the Panjea horns, Chris Cuzme and Dan Sears, The Boys got the party started right with a strong "Get Down Tonight" cover sung by bassist Keith Moseley. The first set was strong, dabbling in bluegrass with "Sittin' on Top of the World," Latin with "MLT," and the horns returning for standout takes on "Sirens" and "Lost." After an intense jam featuring drummer/percussionist Michael Travis and percussionist Jason Hann, all hell would break loose... literally. Kyle Hollingsworth's keyboard notes would scream the introductory lines to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" as the crowd responded with a deafening, welcoming cheer.
As Michael Kang belted out the familiar lyrics, the Orleans Arena transformed into "Freak du Soleil" as showgirls descended from the raptors and ghoulish apparitions cast shadows on huge screens while other ghosts danced on platforms. Fire eaters would compete with a massive balloon drop and disco ball as the ensuing madness nearly threw the 1980's funk into the background. It was truly one of those amazing concert, and... well... life moments, where the senses are pleasantly overwhelmed and one doesn't even know where to look. An even scarier Jacko impersonator would put the icing on the cake as the raging audience settled in for the set break.
SCI :: Vegoose Late Nite :: By Jeffrey V. Smith |
Set II would be musically superior, if possible, allowing the late nite partying to continue at full throttle. The band made sure the elevated mood didn't fade after the first set circus, opening appropriately with Gram Parsons' (sung by Bill Nershi) hip-hop rocker "Ohh Las Vegas." The band paid special tribute to New Orleans by welcoming Umphrey's McGee guitarist Brendan Bayliss to the stage for a horn-laced "Hey Pocky Way." The musical highlight of the evening would be the near forty-minute set-closing segue bending the Talking Heads' "Naïve Melody" into the tribal drum-and-bass meltdown "Desert Dawn" and then finally, into "Restless Wind." If all this wasn't enough, SCI encored with a stellar "Miss Brown's Teahouse," sending the drooling hoards out into the Vegas Dawn still in space-funk mode. I could only nod my head in both amazement and agreement as "Instant Classic!" was the post-show phrase of choice.
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