Red Bull Soundclash - CeeLo Green vs The Ting Tings
Making a happy decision, RedBull chose Las Vegas as one of the cities to help kick off the 2011 spring break season with a bang. The RedBull SoundClash is a special concert series featuring two artists with different styles, playing on opposing stages, competing back and fourth for a total of 5 rounds. This event born in 2009 has seen many great performances across the country, tonight under a neon lit sky, Las Vegas welcomed CeeLo Green vs The Ting Tings.
"Epic contest for musical supremacy ... will push them to the limits of their musical creativity"
This one time event was a steal at only $10 a ticket and was stiff competition to all other events that evening. Outside across from the beaming Luxor on a beautiful Las Vegas evening, six thousand fans arrived to watch the battle between CeeLo Green and The Ting Tings. This was a well planned event hosted by LaLa Anthony and live DJ Mick Boogie, there were many activities, redbull infused cocktails, and within an hour fans were buzzing with more than just excitement.
Since this event was different than most concerts, having each band play back and forth, reviewing it as two separate artists/performances is difficult. So let me begin by stating that both CeeLo and The Tings put on unique and high-energy acts round after round. I believe the best way to approach sharing the experience of this concert will be achieved by breaking it down round by round.
Round 1 - Warmup: Each artist completes three songs. CeeLo kicked off the show first with Lady Killer, Brіght Lights, аnd Crazy. Backed by his highly attractive all female band, CeeLo and the ladies kept it going strong, but were held back by a bad sound mix all evening. The Ting Tings answered back with ferocity playing Keep Yουr Head, Hit Mе Down Sonny (a new song), аnd an intense version of Shut Up аnd Lеt Mе Gο in which Katie killed a bass drum.
Round 2 - Cover (DJ drops track - Band covers track): After LaLa introduced the round, Mick Boogie began playing Should I Stay or Should I Go by The Clash, meaning both bands would take a turn covering this song. Just a few moments later, CeeLo kicked it off with a rock and roll style cover and the Tings wrapped it up with a indie-pop version, both doing great on the fly.
Round 3 - TakeOver (One artist starts - The other finishes): Similar to the cover round, this time one band starts one of their songs, the other covers the remainder of the opposing artists' song. The Ting Tings selected Be The One and Fruit Machine to pass over to CeeLo.
Round 4 - SoundClash (DJ drops track - In style): Each band had to play one of their songs in the DJ Mick Boogie selected style, reggae, an excellent choice I must add. This was perhaps CeeLo's strongest moment, where despite the audio problems, his voice jived well with the groves of his band and got the sea of fans dancing. The Ting Tings successfully converted their heavily electronic Great DJ and pulled off a smooth/slow version of We Walk in full reggae style.
Round 5 - WildCard: During this final round, each band welcomed a special guest to help them rock the house and close their performance. CeeLo once again reunited his original crew, Goodie MOB, closing his show with Get Rich to This to a pleased audience. The Ting Tings took a lighter approach, getting an Elvis impersonator to roughly join in on their hit That's Not my Name.
For a special encore, CeeLo welcomed the Tings on his stage and together they performed CeeLo's chart topper Fuck You. A mix of the incredible music we had all just experienced and the roughly four redbulls we had each consumed at this point, fans cleared out slowly. Many of us stayed creating several dance circles to the continued DJ mix and made many new friends in the crowd. This event truly was "Epic" as advertised by RedBull and confirmed by the fans in attendance.
Written by dot shiva
Sneak Peak: Celine Dion's Return to Las Vegas
A New Day, Dion's first engagement at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace ran March 2003 through December 2007 and was seen by 3 million people. This show, produced by Franco Dragone (Cirque du Soleil), backed Celine's incredible voice with stunning artistic displays and was a huge success for everyone involved. Needless to say, both Caesars Palace and Celine Dion were ecstatic to reunite for a new 3 year, roughly 210 show engagement.
By happenstance I found myself invited to attend a special preview of her new show entitled Celine before it's premiere on March 15th, 2011. This performance was a real treat as we got to see every number they rehearsed, whether it would make each night's cut or not. As the lights went down, a short video was shown that encapsulated her time away from Las Vegas, in which she completed two albums, a world tour, and gave birth to twin sons just last year. This intimate look into Celine's life and love of her family was a touching theme that ran throughout the show.
A striking contrast to acrobatics and artists, Dion's show took a more simplistic and iconic approach. This was realized by stage design that included modular lit platforms, starry skies, moving screens, delicate backdrops and a beautifully lit stage that spilled across The Colosseum walls captivating an entire audience of 4,000. With each new song or set change, I continuously found myself more and more impressed not only visually, but by her voice that rang clear as a bell against the harmony of a 31 piece live orchestra.
Celine perfectly sang each song, which included her most popular hits, a few silver-screen surprises, and a touching french song that brought her to tears. Celine and her orchestra performed a variety of music, sampling from many of her favorite artists including Carole King, Billy Joel, Journey, The Beatles, and even gave a touching tribute to Michael Jackson. Fans were astounded by the show, as song after song, through the burst of applause I heard the audience buzz with "Wow," "I love this song," and an occasional "We love you Celine!"
For any Celine Dion fan, this show is an absolute must see. For all others, seeing is believing. I found the spectacle alone impressive enough to understand why Celine sells out nearly every 4,000 seat show. To purchase tickets or get more information about Celine, please visit the official website.
Written by dot shiva