After nearly two years of non-sop success and going from strength to strength, smash hit indie band The Bayonets received a explosively warm welcome from a full house as they stepped onto the stage in Vegas’s world famous Hard Hock Hotel and Casino.
The second of only a handful of shows, The Bayonets rocked the crowd for close to a hour with a whirlwind performance of some of the biggest hits from their debut album as well as digging deep to find a few gems to sprinkle in.
The tight band consisted of core members Brian Ray and Lucrecia Lopez Sanz on guitar and Oliver Leiber on drums, as well as erstwhile members Davey Faragher on bass and Loren Gold on keyboards. Each performed flawlessly and with a undwindling energy.
The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino’s Vinyl is described as the newest and smallest live entertainment venue, with an old school speakeasy vibe. Chicago common brick, scratched wood floors, and standing room only in a single room with stellar sound quality.
As promised the venue had some awesome acoustics and a back wall that had a unique curve to it. Alongside the stage were two large screens at either side that were emblazoned with The Bayonets’ logo. It looked every inch the unique venue…In fact so impressive was the performance space that lead singer Brian Ray raved about the room after the show!
Travelling from Washington state, Bayonets fans Shelly and Michael Solle managed to catch and report on the show:
The show started around 10:40pm. Oliver opened the show with the amazing thudding drums of Cotton Candy. As we looked around the room we could see people bobbing their heads along to the music. The energy started to rise with Sucker For Love, and Lucrecia provided some exceptionally on point vocals on Whatcha Got. She has a beautiful voice.
So Easy Rider was great live, but as the opening chord of Vagabond Soul rung out we were immediately concerned: No horns? No Steven Tyler? How would it sound? But Loren Gold’s magic made it a delight to listen to.
A cheeky introduction to Smartphone drew cheers and applause and a rocking performance of Last Man Standing was another great showcase of Brian and Lucrecia’s undeniable vocal chemistry. Switching gears from the bands new album Crash Boom Bang!, Brian reached back to his second solo album to perform fan favorite I Found You, which featured each member taking solos during the instrumental break in the song.
In introducing the next song, Brian related a story about his sister receiving a male visitor when he was a just young boy. He remembered the man driving a white mini-cooper, wearing a suit, long black hair, and mutton chop sideburns. Brian saw him and said “That is what I’ve got to do!” Later, that man wrote a song about Brian’s older sister, Jean Ray. With that, the band launched into Neil Young’s Cinnamon Girl.
As the night wore on, Crash Boom Bang! brought dancers to the open floor in front of the stage, and the night was rounded off with Smokey Robinsons’s hit record Tears of a Clown. It was a fantastic night and it was awesome to meet the band after!
The Bayonets concert setlist
Cotton Candy
Sucker For Love
Whatcha Got
So Easy Rider
Vagabond Soul
Smartphone
Last Man Standing
I Found You
Cinnamon Girl
Crash Boom Bang!
Tears of a Clown
(NOTE: All photos in this post courtesy of Chris Vranian)
Josh Gill 