Punk Rock Bowling 2010 – Revival Tour – at Sunset Station – Las Vegas, NV

On Saturday night, the all ages portion of the Punk Rock Bowling and Music Festival was over, and acts such as Broadway Calls, Cobra Skulls, Old Man Markley, Riverboat Gamblers, Swinging Utters, Against Me, and the infamous Flogging Molly had just finished rocking a crowd of thousands, and many were heading to the casinos or the Vegas strip.

 

Day two of Punk Rock Bowling was far from over. I was amongst the hundreds getting their second wind and gearing up for one of the acts that had us the most excited about Punk Rock Bowling, The Revival Tour.

Club Madrid, inside the Sunset Hotel, would be featuring an all-star line-up of seasoned musicians such as Kevin Seconds, Steve Soto, Matt Hensley, Johnny of Old Man Markley, Nathan Maxwell, Chuck Ragan, John Gaunt and Ben Nichols. They were ready to put some folk/country heart and soul into Punk Rock Bowling. It was nearing midnight and after a long day of bowling and music, the crowd of drunken fans were packing into the sold out club for round two.

The show started with Steve Soto, who played several songs from his band The Twisted Hearts. He sounded much more raw in this presentation, which was really interesting and awesome because The Twisted Hearts have a very polished and technical sound. The crowd seemed to be enjoying the performance immensely. Nathan Maxwell from Flogging Molly and Original Bunny Gang, played his heart out. His music has a chill reggae feel that had the audience captivated, bobbing their heads and swaying to his beat. Kevin Seconds came up next and I couldn't help but start to think about how lucky we all were to be listening to his solo stuff and have the opportunity to see 7 Seconds the very next day. All the while during each performance, in true Revival fashion, friends like John Gaunt, Matt Hensley and Johnny from Old Man Markley would be assisting in the sets making each artists' performance that much more powerful.

Even though it was past 1am and many of the concert goers had been running on little to no sleep from the night before, the energy was intense and no one seemed to be slowing down. Ben Nichols took the stage, and Chuck Regan introduced then joined him in an amazing rendition of "Last Night in Town". It was obvious right away that he was a crowd favorite. People were buying him shots and screaming out the requests for their favorite songs. Graciously he obliged, performing hits like, "My Best Girl", "Nights Like These", and "I Kissed the Bottle". He even dedicated the song "Mom" to his mother, which was rather fitting since it was Mother's Day, he then took a shot of whiskey, and laughed and told everyone not to tell his mom he drinks.

It was finally time for Chuck Ragan's set. When Chuck's on stage, his presence demands all eyes; he plays with so much soul. His set was as powerful as his voice and the crowd sang along to all of his songs. He played a full set including songs like "Revival Road", "The Trench" and "Rotterdam".

At one point all the artists came out and played the song "Glory" together. When the show was done everyone seemed sad that it was over, yet seemed fulfilled by their experience all in the same breath. The Revival Tour is a great display of musicianship; they are an eclectic group of creative people coming together with a common goal. You will regret missing The Revival Tour if it comes to a town near you, so save yourself some sorrow by making sure you DON'T miss this invigorating performance in the future!
 

-Jessica M.-
Big Wheel Music Scene Reporter

 

More photos of the event can be seen HERE

 

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