Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Best Bets: Neon Reverb, Lionel Richie, 311 and more for your Las Vegas weekend

Lionel Richie Opening Night at Axis

Denise Truscello / WireImage / DeniseTruscello.net

Opening night of Lionel Richie’s residency “All the Hits” on Wednesday, April 27, 2016, at Axis at Planet Hollywood.

March Madness officially arrived in Las Vegas earlier this week as three major college basketball tournaments—the WAC at Orleans Arena, the Pac-12 at T-Mobile Arena and UNLV’s own Mountain West playoff at the Thomas & Mack Center—continue through Saturday. Once you’ve had your hoops fix, check out these musical offerings to round out your weekend.

NEON REVERB FESTIVAL Ten years in, this homegrown music festival is as strong and diverse as ever, with dozens of acts performing in six different downtown venues all weekend long. Make plans to check out the Blasters at Backstage Bar & Billiards on Saturday and Wavves at the Bunkhouse Saloon on Sunday. March 9-11, info at neonreverb.com.

TOWER OF POWER Head to the intimate-yet-high-energy showroom inside the South Point this weekend if you need a solid, soulful dose of the funk. Always anchored by its legendary horn section including bandleader and tenor sax man Emilio Castillo, Tower of Power plays three shows south of the Strip this weekend. March 9-11, info at southpointcasino.com.

LIONEL RICHIE: ALL THE HITS About his show at the newly renamed Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood, Lionel Richie told me in November: “I’m in that blessed category because I don’t need the dancers and all the stuff in between, I just need the next song.” And he’s right. If you’re looking for a Strip headliner that strips the show down to the music, “All The Hits” is the one you want. March 9-10, info at caesars.com.

ROGER DALTREY He was on the Strip last year when The Colosseum brought The Who for its first rock-band mini-residency. Now the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame frontman is back at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel for his second solo show this week, playing Who hits and rarities alongside solo songs like “Giving It All Away” and “Without Your Love.” March 10, info at hardrockhotel.com.

311 The Omaha-born funk-alt rockers love to play Las Vegas so much—it’s been a stop on virtually every 311 tour since the early 1990s—that they’ve chosen the Park Theater as the site of this year’s 311 Day concert, an event that draws fans from all over the world to a different arena in a different city every two years. This isn’t the first time 311 Day has landed in Vegas, but there’s a bonus second show this time around on Saturday night. March 10-11, info at mgmresorts.com.