I arrived at the venue at 8:30 sharp, somehow it slipped my mind that this was Beauty Bar time we were talking about. The flyer to the Western Haunts show said it was supposed to start at 8:30, which actually meant 11:45. I wandered Fremont a little bit, every so often I’d walk past and try to see what was going on through the dirty windows. Eventually the band did a sound check, which sounded flawless. A few minutes later, I watched the band excitedly leave the Beauty Bar in search of food, taking pictures with their cell phones of the neon signs that surrounded us. They seemed genuinely excited to be playing in Vegas and it put a smile on my face.
Waiting outside for the show to begin, harmonies reminiscent of Fleet Foxes with a hint of Wild Nothing flowed out the double door entrance. The show finally began, opening up with “A Zealot Sun” from their January 2011 album “Shed Your Summer Shell“. Inside, the small stage was cluttered with keyboards, a lap steel, guitars, drums, effects pedals sprinkled through out, and of course the five burly dudes from Seattle. Records often portray bands sounding different than their live performances and usually it’s a bit disappointing, but I can honestly say that this band puts on an amazing show without sacrificing any of the ambiance. Needless to say the show was worth the late start.
ArtsVegas: Covering Las Vegas Art and culture since 2009.
Written by Stephanie Gonzales
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