SPECIAL TO VIEWRock tribute band Yellow Brick Road has been a staple at Boulder Station for years. The band plays classic hits from Aerosmith, Van Halen and other artists, but doesn?t necessarily see itself as a typical tribute band.
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Station Casinos' eclectic band line up is drawing attention from fans all over the valley. Whether you're into '80s hair band rock, waling guitar rifts courtesy of a classic rock enthusiast band or the quirky Euro-pop sets of a character-driven tribute band, chances are that there's at least one show guaranteed to get you out of your seat and on the dance floor.
Comedic tribute band the Whip-Its are known not just for an uncanny auditory presentation of "fun" rock 'n' roll, but for the shtick that goes with it.
Lead singer Dieter Louis Lewis, a character based on the Mike Meyers character of "Saturday Night Live" fame, is famous for greeting amused audience members with a leotard-clad backside as he takes the stage.
"We are the Whip-Its," he announces in a faux-German accent. "I am known as Sprockets, and we are here to entertain."
The band, which also features female singer Ivana, specializes in European dance and American chart toppers of the 1980s.
"The band was spawned from the premise, the idea that a boutique band could do impressions without being a tribute band," band manager Jarrid Mendelson said. "The dynamic of this band revolves around the characters, and it seems to really get people going. I mean, there are people who show up at gigs dressed like Sprockets. It's great."
According to Mendelson, the band's aim is not to achieve worldwide fame or even please everyone who comes to a show.
"We just want to find a home circuit where our fans can come out and we can all enjoy a great evening of entertainment," Mendelson said. "Our shtick isn't for everyone. But if you get it, you get it."
The Whip-Its play at 9 p.m. Fridays at Club Madrid at Sunset Station and at 10 p.m. Saturdays at the Santa Fe Station's Chrome Showroom. There is a $5 cover charge, but ladies get in free.
For those who don't "get it," a stroll down the Yellow Brick Road may be in order.
Classic rock tribute band Yellow Brick Road has been playing the Vegas club circuit for 10 years, and according to fans such as Sabrina Garret, the band has reached legendary status.
"I know people who drive from Arizona to see these guys play," Garret said. "And everything that they do is spot-on. They don't try to put their own twist on songs. The vocal renditions match what you would hear on the album. I think their energy and that factor into why they have become so popular."
Yellow Brick Road has been known to pack the house, especially at Boulder Station's Railhead Showroom from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Admission is free.
"We've been the weekend house band at the Railhead since they reopened it in the fall of 2000," lead singer Brody Dolyniuk said. "We have some very interesting and unique people who attend our shows, so usually the wildest things happen right on the dance floor. You could say we've probably seen it all. A big part of the YBR experience is the people-watching."
The band plays classic hits from bands including Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Van Halen, Pink Floyd, Journey and "arena rock" bands from 30 years ago.
"It's a high-energy rock concert, our format is very loose and intimate, and I enjoy working the audience and involving them in the show, singing, clapping along, requesting their favorites," Dolyniuk said. "Occasionally, I'll get into character and act like the person I'm singing as. We go to great lengths to ensure that the songs sound as closely as possible to the original."
Although Dolyniuk said that the band members pride themselves on being able to replicate a group's original sound note for note, they don't necessarily see themselves as a tribute band.
"You might consider YBR a group of musical chameleons," Dolyniuk said. "The word 'tribute' seems to take on many different meanings these days. There are many successful ones, some even touring the world with full production crews."
According to Dolyniuk, the band's strength lies in its versatility and a light-hearted attitude.
"We don't walk around in public pretending to be Ozzy Osbourne or Mick Jagger," Dolyniuk said. "Even when we perform in character, the approach is very tongue-in-cheek. You might even say that we're spoofing them a little. None of us takes ourselves too seriously."
While the band occasionally does write original material, Dolyniuk said that incorporating that music into the live show would be a step away from the original reason the group was formed.
"YBR was created for the purpose of playing the best songs in rock music history, for the sake of fun and entertainment," Dolyniuk said. "We are having fun, but also we are trying to continually raise the bar and outdo ourselves. We've enjoyed one of the longest runs in the Las Vegas music scene while preserving what we consider to be the greatest era in rock music ... and having a blast doing it."
Popular '80s rock bands such as Warrant and Winger have headlined Sunset Station's Club Madrid in the past few months, kicking off what Station Casinos vice president of entertainment Joe Santiago calls, "a concert series featuring the great hair bands from that period of music."
The latest band to join the series is Great White, known for its saucy love anthem "Once Bitten, Twice Shy."
"I think that we have really developed a niche with this series," Santiago said. "The first concert sold out, and we're proud to have Great White on board."
Lead singer Jack Russell said that the band couldn't be happier than to make a Vegas stop during its 20th anniversary tour.
"It's nice that we still have so many fans who want to hear us play after all of these years," Russell said. "And what we're seeing now at our shows is a concentration of the original fans, with a newer generation mixed in. The fan response is just overwhelming with three generations in the audience. There's this tangible nostalgia in the air, and we think the Vegas show will be the best yet."
Great White will play Sunset Station's Club Madrid at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $10 at the door.
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