NOT PICTURED: Tiger. For riding.

Killswitch Engage hits the stage at the House of Blues inside Mandalay Bay tonight with Dark Tranquility and The Devil Wears Prada. The band, we assume. Not the movie. Although that would be kind of awesome to screen before a metal show. Anyway, Killswitch made some noise with “My Curse,” but they totally made a rookie mistake by covering “Holy Diver.” Yes, Dio is awesome, and yes it’s tempting to want to do awesome material, but, know your limitations. Not everyone can be a rock dwarf with pipes on loan from Satan himself. There’s no shame in not being Dio. Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone

Hey look, it’s death metal Kurt Kobain and his two balding pals.

Do you like your blast beats and Cookie Monster vocals delivered with a side of Egyptian mythology? Presumably because you didn’t get enough oblique references to hieroglyphics and Osiris on last night’s Lost. Well, you’re in luck, fans of Anubis/death metal. Nile is at the House of Blues inside Mandalay Bay tonight with Immolation and Abigail Williams. Fun Nile fact: They’re an American death metal band and they’re not from Florida. South Carolina, but still. Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone

Hey look, it’s Every Metal Band Photo Ever, 1984-2010 (inclusive).

In general, we’re behind any band that names themselves after a move you’d find in a Bruce Lee movie. (Which is why we’re totally learning guitar for Badly Overdubbed Translation.) Still, every time we hear Five Finger Death Punch’s “Hard to See” all we can hear is the drum parts and intro they ripped off from Anthrax’s “Only.” Either way, they’re at the House of Blues inside Mandalay Bay tonight with Shadows Fall, Throwdown and 2 Cents, with an afterparty set for Wasted Space at the Hard Rock Hotel. Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone

Sticking with the guyliner, huh? Bold choice.

We’re as surprised as you are to find out Papa Roach is still a Thing. But apparently they are, and they’re bringing their post-nu-metal schtick to the House of Blues tonight at Mandalay Bay along with the After Midnight Project. Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone

There is little discernible difference between Atreyu and the kids hanging out behind your 7-11.

Atreyu, which made the extra-metal move of naming their metal band after a character from The Neverending Story joins up with Hollywood Undead and Escape the Fate tonight at House of Blues inside Mandalay Bay. Seriously, at least give them this: That name doesn’t sound like they care whether you think they rock hard or not. Cannibal Corpse? They totally have something to prove. Atreyu? Nothing to prove at all. Their afterparty is set for Wasted Space at the Hard Rock Hotel. Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone

This is about to get brutal, y’all.

We can say without a doubt that this is going to be the finest cartoon rockers and critically acclaimed prog-metal show of the night. Basically, what we’re trying to tell you is: We hope you’re fans of the double-kick drum. Brandon Small takes his animated masters of brutality, Dethklok, to the stage at House of Blues inside Mandalay Bay along with the fully 3-D Mastodon. Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone

Hero to techno-loving, bald men everywhere. (Photos by Scott Harrison | Retna)

The vegan-est guy to ever get dissed by Eminem, Moby, was at the House of Blues inside Mandalay Bay Saturday night, touring in support for Wait for Me. Man, remember when Moby was a thing? In another five years we’re going to all be combing through our CD collections and be like “Play? I don’t ever remember buying Play.” We’re pretty sure there was something hypnotic in “South Side” that made us into an army of Moby-buying zombies, which, as evil-genius plans go, is pretty benign. It’s a lot better than in the ’70s when everyone wound up with those Concert for Bangladesh albums.

Also making the rounds Friday night were the Amazing Jonathan at Circus Circus’ Fright Dome, where Lionsgate executives were checking out the Saw haunted houses; Asher Brooks of Fame celebrating his 21st birthday at Hawaiian Tropic Zone inside Planet Hollywood with six friends and three bottles of Goose; and Alfonso Ribeiro at Body English jamming to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song.

By Jason Scavone

Epic moustache win. (Photos by Erik Kabik | Retna)

Fresh off his Jerry-less Grateful Dead reunion tour, Bob Weir was at the House of Blues inside Mandalay Bay Wednesday night with his band Ratdog and his sweet, sweet moustache. Seriously. Get a good look at that thing. It’s like he’s an old-timey banker in a low-budget Western. That thing is magnificent. If you didn’t know any better you’d completely expect nothing but ragtime standards instead of a couple sets of Dead songs.

By Jason Scavone

Enjoy this view of Pepper Keenan’s junkal region. (Photos by Scott Harrison | Retna)

Stoner-adjacent metal band Down was at the House of Blues inside Mandalay Bay last night, with former Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo, guitarist Pepper Keenan from Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar guitarist Kirk Windstein of Crowbar, (currently minus Pantera bassist Rex Brown) and drummer Jimmy Bower of Eyehategod.

It was nice of Anselmo to dress in the metal uniform of cargo shorts and sleeveless T-shirt, though. If anyone turned up before the soundcheck and didn’t know who was playing, they could make a snap decision the second they saw the cargo shorts. He was also rocking the Mostly Shaved Head Except For a Floppy Top cut that was a go-to metal dude look in the early ’90s. It’s like we’re back in junior high, or watching a Faith No More video or something.

By Jason Scavone

Clearly this photo is staged. No one actually likes the Pirates.

Rap’s Cheech and Chong, Method Man and Redman, will be performing at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay on Thursday night as part of the the Footprint in Hip Hop concert tour.

Method Man, who apparently did not die at the hands of Slim Charles as originally reported, is reteaming with long-time collaborator and personal drug mule Redman to promote their newest team-up album Blackout! 2. Joining them on the tour is Method Man’s fellow Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah.

Doors open at 8 p.m. Show starts at 9 p.m.

By Jared Harmon