Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

No festival action set for MGM Festival Grounds until ’16; Michael Grimm resets Vinyl schedule

Taylor Swift-2015 Rock in Rio USA-Weekend Two

Fred Morledge / PhotoFM.com

Taylor Swift performs at Rock in Rio USA on Friday, May 15, 2015, at MGM Resorts Festival Grounds.

2015 Rock in Rio USA: Day 1

The first day of Rock in Rio USA on Friday, May 8, 2015, featured The Pretty Reckless, Foster the People, Mana, No Doubt and more on the Las Vegas Strip. Launch slideshow »

2015 Rock in Rio USA: Day 2

Day 2 of Rock in Rio USA on Saturday, May 9, 2015, with Rise Against, Metallica and more on the Las Vegas Strip. Launch slideshow »

2015 Rock in Rio USA: Day 3

Rock in Rio USA on Friday, May 15, 2015, in Las Vegas. Launch slideshow »

2015 Rock in Rio USA: Day 4

Rock in Rio USA on Saturday, May 16, 2015, at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. Launch slideshow »

There is to be a dearth of rockin’ at the site of Rock in Rio USA.

After speculation that a fall event would serve as a follow-up to Rock in Rio USA at MGM Resorts Festival Grounds, it appears that nothing will be staged at the parcel on Sahara Avenue and the Strip until next spring.

The next event scheduled for Festival Grounds is the three-day “Party for a Cause” music festival April 1-3 to be paired with the return of the Academy of Country Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena. The headliners are Carrie Underwood on Friday, Dierks Bentley on Saturday and Kenny Chesney on Sunday.

Meantime, MGM Resorts officials are scheduled to meet with Clark County officials in August to evaluate the logistics of Rock in Rio USA, which was in May. That meeting is not yet on the calendar, and officials are not booking any events until that meeting is held.

Initially, MGM Resorts Vice President of Entertainment Chris Baldizan said the company had been authorized to host as many as a dozen events per year at the site (and Rock in Rio counts as a single event), saying, “We wouldn’t have built this venue for one particular event. We’re looking at other music festivals. We’re looking at nontraditional events, sporting events, food festivals, boxing, rodeo, UFC, rugby, soccer …”

But nothing in any of those genres has been scheduled.

What has become clear is that the August meeting of MGM officials with the county presents a short timeframe to book, announce, plan and build the infrastructure for any event of significance at the grounds this fall or even by the end of this year.

The Life Is Beautiful festival is set for Sept. 25-27 downtown, which effectively wipes out those dates for any competing event at Festival Grounds. Something could be cobbled together for October, but any event would nearly abut Life Is Beautiful, and the weather is a concern for the later months.

To the south, MGM Resorts Village is hosting the only outdoor festivals in the company’s entertainment lineup. Slipknot headlines its “Last Stand Tour” on Aug. 28. Guests include Lamb of God, Bullet For My Valentine and Motionless in White.

On Sept. 19, the Village hosts the iHeart Radio Music Festival’s “Daytime Village” lineup featuring Hozier, Trey Songz, Rock the Moon and Nick Jonas, among others. On Oct. 2-4, it’s the return of the Route 91 Harvest Festival, trotting out Florida Georgia Line, Keith Urban and Tim McGraw as the nightly headliners.

The overarching vision from MGM Resorts is that the Village would be used as a triple-A venue, prepping performances for the big-league stadium that is MGM Resorts Festival Grounds. Route 91 has been held up by officials as one that could expand in demand and move to Festival Grounds. It seems the calendar for that to happen is wide open.

• On the topic of music and those who perform it, Michael Grimm and the Hard Rock Hotel are back in business. Just two weeks after announcing that Grimm’s residency at the hotel was canceled, new dates have been booked for his return to Vinyl. He opens Friday night; remaining dates are 10:30 p.m. Saturday and 9 p.m. July 24 and July 25.

The most telling difference in this run is that Grimm is performing for free through the month of July; his was originally a ticketed show ($20 for GA, $10 for locals with valid ID) before the run was cut short June 18 as the performances were falling short of profitability.

Grimm’s camp was hoping to draw more tourists to the show at $20, but those who turned out were typically his local fans who were admitted for the less-expensive fee.

As Grimm’s wife and manager, Lucie, explains, the free shows were booked to appease ticketholders who were affected by the cancellations. Grimm is to head out for a tour in September through mid-October and travel to Switzerland to take part in the SEAT Music Session tour, 12 dates in that country sponsored by one of its leading automotive manufacturers.

He also is looking at dates in Las Vegas in August at a venue being built at New York-New York, where he has previously appeared at Brooklyn Bridge. His new album, simply titled “Grimm,” is on sale at MichaelGrimmMusic.com.

As always, Grimm’s songwriting and musicianship are impressive, but gaining a grip on a consistent gig in Las Vegas has not come so easily.

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.

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