The little things, like performing with Carlos. (Photos by Erik Kabik | Retna)

Carlos Santana is taking a page out of the Sinatra playbook. The Chairman scored in ’93 with his duets album; Santana held a listening party yesterday afternoon at Vanity for Guitar Heaven with an axe-centric version of the same concept.

The record covers tunes from Deep Purple, The Doors, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and the Stones — “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking,” which features an extended Mick Taylor solo that’s more or less one long Santana riff anyway.

Then, at night, Santana got on stage at The Joint for Supernatural where Arie came out to do The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” Rossdale performed T. Rex’s “Bang A Gong” and Daughtry went for Def Leppard’s “Photograph.” Yep. That’s an American Idol dude doing a hair metal song with a guy who performed at Woodstock. Find your social commentary in that where you will.

By Jason Scavone

Future Zowie Bowie member. (Photo by Scott Harrison. Additional photos by Erik Kabik, Dave Proctor | Retna)

Everything went all retro this weekend with Billy Idol at The Pearl — although he was flashing his abs like The Situation. That’s a thing that really needs to stop. Like, right now. The Venn diagram of people who want to see abs and people who want to see Billy Idol barely touches.

Also on the nostalgia trip was Meat Loaf Friday night at The Joint, where his daughter, Pearl, opened. She’s married to Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian, who was at the gig. Throwback rockers Wolfmother did Friday Night Live at the Hard Rock Hotel pool, which is about the closest you’ll get to Zeppelin without going to 1976.

By Jason Scavone

Penn Jillette is like Day Man, fighter of the Night Man. (Photos by Hew Burney | SpyOnVegas.com)

When in doubt, get a girl in a Marie Antoinette dress that doubles as a cupcake dispenser.

We’re going to take that to heart after seeing the theory put into practice Saturday night at the AFAN Black & White Party at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel. The party drew plenty of local talent, including Zowie Bowie, Greg London, Frank Marino, the Men of X, several Miss USA girls, Congresswoman Shelly Berkley and Penn & Teller, who raised more than $150,000 for AFAN this year. For the full rundown of costumed fund-raising check out the gallery at SpyOn.

By Jason Scavone

When not tweaking the Pope, they’re doing charity events.

The 24th annual AFAN Black & White Party goes down tonight at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel to raise money for the AIDS charity. In the mix are Penn & Teller, the Men of X, the X Burlesque girls and the Crazy Horse Paris girls. That’s a charity party, for the record, that pre-dates The Simpsons. Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone

Awfully agrarian for sci-fi guys.

Sci-fi epics and prog rock aren’t anything new together — just ask Styx. Actually, you know what? Let’s leave Styx right the hell out of this. Anyway, it’s the scope and breadth of Coheed and Cambria’s overarching story, The Amory Wars, that separates it — at least by an ocean of ambition — from any of its sci-metal peers. Not only is it told over five albums, not only is there a series of comic books to tell the story, but the final (and chronologically first) installment of the story, Year of the Black Rainbow, was released this spring in a deluxe edition that included a 352-page novel.

Coheed kicks off a big weekend for, lack of a better term, hard rock for nerds. They’re doing a free acoustic performance and autograph signing session at 5 p.m. at Zia Record Exchange (4225 S. Eastern Ave.) Then later in the evening, they play The Joint with Porcupine Tree and The Dear Hunter. Tomorrow night The Joint has Primus (and you can get tickets for both shows as part of a Prog Rock Package for $54.50). Plus, prog grandpas Rush play the MGM Grand Garden Arena tomorrow as well.

Drummer Chris Pennie joined Coheed in 2007 after leaving pioneering experimental hardcore act The Dillinger Escape Plan. He helped write Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow (album titles are one of the many, many dense and baffling elements to Coheed outsiders) but couldn’t play on the studio album for contractual reasons. Black Rainbow, was his first studio joint with the band. We had the chance to talk with Pennie about jumping into a space-epic, playing complex music, and why Coheed fans are better than ICP fans. Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone

Don’t think you’re off the hook either, Cedric the Entertainer. (Photos by Erik Kabik | Retna)

Beloved star of necessary remake The Honeymooners, Mike Epps was at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel Sunday to show us all why Art Carney was completely replaceable. Seriously, we as a society aren’t heaping enough scorn on that movie just for getting made.

By Jason Scavone

They came out, they played. (Photos by Erik Kabik | Hard Rock Hotel)

If O. Henry had been into pop-punk instead of turn-of-the-century short stories, he would have founded The Offspring. Why does every other song need to be a little morality play? We have no idea, but it’s been their thing starting with “Come Out and Play” (violence is bad!) and “Bad Habit” (violence is sometimes OK if it involves a vehicle!) all the way through “Hit That” (casual sex can have consequences!) to “Hammerhead” (violence has unfortunate consequences for those who practice it, even when it’s justified!). The lesson here: Dexter Holland loves thinking about both violence and consequences.

The ‘Spring (it’s what the kids call them) debuted a new, untitled song during their Friday night tilt at The Joint, but Vegas fans missed out when the band did The Clash’s “Guns of Brixton” the next night in Reno.

By Jason Scavone

Bros punching bros. (Photo by Al Power | SpyOnVegas.com)

It’s time again to watch the burly powerhouses of the nightlife industry bludgeon cleft palates out of existence, as Fight Club IV goes down at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel to benefit The Smile Train, with an afterparty at Wasted Space. If you’ve been itching to see hosts and promoters beat the hell out of each other in the service to charity, your dreams are finally coming true. Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone

Yes, you. (Photos by Erik Kabik | Retna)

Denis Leary was at The Joint inside the Hard Rock hotel Saturday night with The Enablers and The Rehab Horns for an evening of, well, Assholery.

Leary was doing the Rescue Me Comedy Tour 2 with Adam Ferrara and Lenny Clarke to push the new season of the show. It’s going to to be hard to top the last one where Lenny Clarke said when he fights lesbians he turns into Dyke Tyson, but they usually find a way to sneak Callie Thorne’s boobs onto the show, so we’ll keep tuning in.

By Jason Scavone

Absolutely nothing has changed since the ’80s.

After five seasons of Rescue Me, there’s no way we can hear the Von Bondies without thinking about firefighters. Fortunately, no one ever hears the Von Bondies ever, unless it’s in the context of “Jack White just assaulted members of the …” Tonight, Denis Leary, Lenny Clarke and Adam Ferrara head up the second edition of the Rescue Me Comedy Tour at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel. Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone