10 best things to do in Las Vegas this weekend — Aug. 18-20
Las Vegas is getting a little more psycho this weekend.
Psycho Las Vegas is descending on the Hard Rock Hotel once again. The hard rock fest is bringing 80 bands and fans from across the country for a head-banging three days.
Circus Circus is also attracting a psycho crowd, as Fright Dome interviews begin today for the Halloween attraction.
The chaotic, yet light-hearted “Miss Behave Gameshow” is also running all weekend at Bally’s.
Here are your top picks for what to see, eat and do this weekend in Las Vegas.
Grab a bite
Do you only eat pizza by the slice and folded in half? Or with a thin crust and sliced into squares? Whether you prefer your pizza in the style of New York, Chicago, Detroit or California, there’s a pizza spot in Las Vegas that serves what you prefer. Find your “real” pizza here.
Get a drink
With rum, fruit juice and fire, the Beach Club cocktail might be more at home in a tiki bar than The Cromwell’s posh lounge Bound. But in addition to its herbal flavors, the Fernet-Branca brings a hip elegance befitting its home. Learn how to make it yourself here.
Rock out
“Love Is Mystical,” these Cali alt-rockers declare on the lead single of their latest record, “L.A. Divine,” but their appeal is far less so: their hook-heavy, mildly danceable tunes — goosed by singer-pianist Nathan Willett’s mucho-melodramatic yelp — push all the obvious buttons, but that doesn’t lessen the fun of pressing “play” on any of their six albums. See them at 7 p.m. Friday at The Pearl at the Palms. Tickets are $30 to $60; call 702-944-3200.
See a show
It’s like a teenager’s house party after Mom and Dad have left for the night, combined with the vibe of a really hip cabaret, presented as the sort of show that apocalypse survivors would enjoy if they needed a few laughs.
And that’s all meant in a totally complimentary way.
“The Miss Behave Gameshow” is hard to describe, despite its basic structure as an audience-participation game show, mostly because it includes an ever-changing bit of everything. See the show at Bally’s at 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Read more about the show here.
Catch a movie
Three Sundance favorites are hitting theaters this weekend.
As “Wind River’s” mystery unfolds, it’s accented by sudden bursts of suspense. And its remote, atypical setting feels as though it’s a part of a different world.
On the surface, it’s as though Mooney, co-writer Kevin Costello and director Dave McCary were watching “Room” and collectively said, “You know how we can make this hilarious?” “Brigsby Bear” is a comedy, but it’s also a triumphant celebration of the outsider in all of us.
Unfolding in the shadow of the riots over the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody, “STEP” shows Cori, Blessin and their teammates balancing college and financial aid applications, interviews and essays with rehearsals for a multistate competition. Parents may be unreliable, boyfriends may be unsupportive, but the step team is always there as an escape from the daily struggle of being poor, black and female in today’s America.
Read more and see the trailers here.
Stay in
Empty bottles, full hearts: There’s a range of emotions and sounds in this latest roundup of recommended new Las Vegas music releases. Fans of go-for-broke hip-hop should listen to Mike Xavier’s newest track. And if you like rootsy narratives that feel as real as documentary footage, give Jeff Mix and The Songhearts a listen.
Hear all four new Las Vegas music releases here.
Get Psycho
Now in its second year, the three-day Psycho Las Vegas fest encompasses a wide array of heavy sounds, from jazz to prog, garage rock to pitch-dark dance music. There’s popular metallers with a technical bent (Mastodon, Gojira), malevolent sounding electronica (Gost), blackened Norwegian folk (Myrkur), high-impact instrumentalists (Pelican), inspired collaborations (Cult of Luna with Julie Christmas) and scads more among the nearly 80 performers who will play on three stages at the Hard Rock Hotel starting Friday.
Head downtown
The Fremont Street Experience will debut a tribute to Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington on Saturday night on its Viva Vision multimedia show under the canopy. Kicking off at 8 p.m. and running every hour on the hour through 1 a.m., the six-minute montage will include Linkin Park hits “In The End,” “Burn It Down” and “Numb.” Bennington took his own life in July. See more downtown events here.
Apply for fright
The Circus Circus Fright Dome will be hiring more than 400 actors, performers and entertainers for its 2017 Fright Dome.
The attraction is looking for guides, actors, strolling entertainers, stage performers, makeup artists, FX specialists and more for its 15th anniversary. Interviews will take place 2-6 p.m Aug. 18, 19, 25, 26 and Sept. 9 at Circus Circus in the Skyrise Casino, on the main level, 2880 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Find out more here.
Go thrifting
National Thrift Shop Day was on Thursday, but you can still get in on the second-hand celebration. Three RJ reporters scoured three Las Vegas’ thrift shops for the best finds. This weekend, pop into Glam Factory Vintage, Cleopatra’s Treasures and Dinosaurs and Roses for a great bargain on a one-of-a-kind piece.
Read more about the thrift shops here.
Contact Janna Karel at jkarel@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jannainprogress on Twitter.
