See Usher, Radio Moscow in Las Vegas this week
Radio Moscow
Guitars for days — nay! — guitars for weeks, months, years is what you get with throwback rockers Radio Moscow, who reel in the years with ’70s-style riff rock that will magically transform your pantaloons into bell-bottoms. See them at 9 p.m. Sunday at The Bunkhouse Saloon. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 day of show; call 702-982-1764.
Minus the Bear
With choruses and chops equally outsized, this Seattle quintet favors buoyancy and intricacy alike with tastefully noodly indie rock that even prog plebeians can dig. See them at 9 p.m. Sunday at The Bunkhouse Saloon. Tickets are $20 in advance, $22 day of show; call 702-982-1764.
X
As evocative of their native L.A. as fellow punk prime movers the Ramones were of New York City, X have embodied the vibrantly mixed cultures of their hometown for 40 years now with punk rock roots music earthy as it is adrenalized. See them at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Brooklyn Bowl at The Linq. Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 day of show; call 702-862-2695.
Usher
“Confessions,” “Raymond v. Raymond,” “Looking 4 Myself,” “Hard II Love”: Liquid-hipped R&B superstar Usher’s album titles alone betray both a man in need of a few couch trips and a remarkable aversion to prepositions. C’mon, buddy, no need to be so hard on yourself. Go ahead, look in the mirror and repeat after us: “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.” See him at 7 p.m. Friday at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Tickets start at $49; call 702-698-7778.
Mary J. Blige
Sixteen years after promising “No More Drama” on the album of the same name, Mary J. Blige continues to trade in the stuff. It’s easy to forgive the false advertising: Blige’s intensely cathartic catalog continues to be hip-hop soul’s greatest pressure valve. See her at 8 p.m. Friday at The Pearl at the Palms. Tickets start at $69; call 702-944-3200.
