Monster Circus

Dee Snider says '80s metal still rocks today because "it was fun, it was outrageous, it was rebellious. It was about partyin' and havin' a great time."

And what place does that remind us of?

"That's Vegas, man! That's Vegas by definition. Everything '80s rock was (about) is Las Vegas."

And so the Twisted Sister guy considers it a "perfect marriage" for the hair-metal era to be formatted into a Las Vegas Hilton show called "Monster Circus," which aims to be a repeat attraction two weekends of every month.

Snider is the special guest for the first two weeks of the late show that launches today. He fronts a core band of Sunset Strip rock alumni assembled by Tony Montana, former bassist of Great White.

But the name promises more than just a cover-tune pickup band along the lines of Camp Freddy, a loose affiliation of younger L.A. rockers who occasionally show up in Las Vegas. In "Monster Circus," an animated clown, a live ringmaster, sideshow acts, dancers and pyrotechnics frame the core group that includes bassist Rudy Sarzo (Whitesnake, Ozzy Osbourne), singer-guitarist John Corabi (Mötley Crüe), drummer Fred Coury (Cinderella) and guitarist Bruce Kulick (Kiss).

And Montana says the guest stars will reach beyond authentic survivors of the era to "closet metalheads in country and R&B who would just love to get up and show everybody that they can do it."

But the circus doesn't exactly hit town with a captured market. Already stars on the locals scene are the Sin City Sinners, helmed by former Faster Pussycat bassist Brent Muscat. The band hosted '80s teen queen Tiffany last weekend at Santa Fe Station and didn't even sell tickets.

"I like those guys, and I'm glad they're coming," Muscat says of the "Circus." "But I had to laugh when I heard their radio ad. I said, 'We've been doing this for two years.' "

Starting with a weekly Tuesday gig at the Divebar, The Sinners have added Thursdays at the Hard Rock Hotel, Fridays at Santa Fe Station and Saturdays at Green Valley Ranch.

Being free (everywhere but the Hard Rock) "definitely helps," Muscat says. But what excites him most is, "I wanted to build a rock scene in Vegas, and we're creating a community."

Station Casinos also host plenty of '80s rock road dogs, including Guns 'N Roses vet Gilby Clarke at Sunset Station March 27, Ratt's Stephen Pearcy on April 4, and a double bill of Britny Fox and Pretty Boy Floyd on April 18.

But don't expect "Monster Circus" -- or any of the above -- to dwell on the lipstick, spandex, and mile-high perms that marked the early-MTV look of hair metal. "We're delivering the music earnestly. ... I think they'll just need to hear downbeat one and they'll know that we mean business," Montana says. "There's not a case of hair mousse backstage. We're not taking that route."

That would be the job of Steel Panther (formerly Metal Skool), a Spinal Tap-like spoof of the whole glam-rock era. Lexxi Foxxx and his bandmates have an open-ended booking on Fridays at Green Valley Ranch and Saturdays at Aliante Station.

"Whether it's a comedic imitation or a literal imitation, they say it's the sincerest form of flattery. There's something there to mock, something there to emulate," figures Snider, who turned 54 Sunday and was once the bane of Tipper Gore. "It speaks, I think, to the larger-than-life-ness of the era and the personalities. That's been lost a lot (with new bands)."

Snider notes the pop-metal revival reaches all the way to Broadway. Previews began this week for "Rock of Ages," a stage musical about the Sunset Strip rock era that had a showcase run at the Flamingo in 2006.

"I think the appeal is even greater right now," Snider says of shaking long hair in the face of hard times. "They want to raise a middle finger to their daily problems, which was very big in the '80s, and have a party. Enough whining and complaining. We hear it all day long on the news."

"I think the rock generation, we all have a very young attitude," says the 58-year-old Sarzo, who came to prominence in the early '80s as a member of Ozzy Osbourne's best-remembered solo band. "We are the most outspoken generation in recent history," he says. "Being in touch with that will keep you young. Keep you basically ageless."

"There's an element of self-deprecation, I guess," says Montana, who hatched the "Monster Circus" idea two years ago. "These guys, they're easy and nobody takes themselves too seriously. If they did, it just wouldn't work. We're here to play, and to deliver the music well."

The format allows the band to reach beyond its direct foundation in '80s pop metal to more timeless, often better-regarded chestnuts such as Aerosmith's "Dream On" or AC/DC's "Back in Black."

"When you're in the New York-New Jersey bar band circuit, your livelihood depends on being able to do covers," Snider says of his flair for Led Zeppelin and AC/DC. "It was my Robert Plant impersonation that got me into Twisted Sister."

Snider likes the idea of rocking in one place so much that he's threatening to promote himself. "My plan is to infiltrate and take over," he says with a laugh. "They got this crazy-ass clown. Why do you need a crazy-ass clown to host it? They got Dee Snider!

"So if the clown disappears after the second weekend, I'll have a really good alibi."

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.