Rock Vault Reloaded

With so much entertainment in Vegas to choose from on any given night, the pressure is on for productions to keep things alive and interesting. A noticeable recent trend is to give a show some room to grow and allow varied performers and production revisions as needed. With this approach, Raiding the Rock Vault continues to be a Rock N' Roll fantasy come to life.

I checked it out for a third time recently as I'd heard they've made some changes. Although I will miss John Payne who departed this spring and was replaced in the line up, his mark will last in his own way as co-creator of this super group....Having said that,  Rock Vault has taken on a life of its own which I predict will last even beyond its creators or current members.

Raiding the Rock Vault....Photo by Erik Nielsen

In addition to band changes, some of the production has been pared down. The extraneous opening and a few of the skits have been cut or shortened letting it shapeshift  into more of a true musical and concert experience.  I like this. They've also amp'd up the dancers a bit, and I must say I was impressed. A couple of them were so hot they almost turned me gay for a minute! This time I went on a Monday night, which was interesting because the audience seemed more reserved than on the weekend nights, at least in the beginning. One guy even told me to sit down at one point. I did because I knew that wouldn't last long and the VERY next song he was on HIS feet...as everyone eventually always is at this show!

I know for a fact the more high energy the crowd is, the more we give the performers on stage to work with. However I noticed with the Rock Vault performers, having seen them three times now, that they always seem to give it their all even on a Monday night. They emit rock n' roll out of every pour every moment on stage and it's palpable....probably not easy to do five nights a week.

In addition, the lighting for RTRV is as much a part of the impact of this show as anything else.  It's truly fantastic!...I don't know who does it but it blows me away. Why would I mention lighting? There's a saying in the biz that "lighting is everything".....this is true to a certain degree. Because when done right it enhances a production in ways that are noticeable and also in ways that are nuanced. Oh, and I don't know who their stylist or costume designer is, but I could do a story on just that alone. It's all it should be and more and befitting of the various personalities onstage.

The show is still housed in Elvis Presley's former showroom at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino.

Doug Aldrich & Howard Leese, Photo by Erik Nielsen

The group has released two albums of their music, both in CD and downloadable form (see below).
I hope they someday release a Rock Vault concert DVD.

Paul Shortino & 2 hot dancers,  Photo by Erik Nielsen

Although I mentioned Carol-Lyn Liddle in a previous article I have to take a minute to say Carol, you are a vocal goddess and now one of my fave singers, (along with Shakira and Stevie Nicks). Stephanie Calvert I still haven't yet heard do her thing.

Carol Lyn Liddle....photo from Raiding the Rock Vault Facebook Page

Raiding the Rock Vault Line Up...

Howard Leese -Guitar (Heart, Bad Company)
Doug Aldrich -Guitar (Whitesnake)
Robin McAuley -Lead Vocals (MSG, Survivor)
Paul Shortino -Lead Vocals (Rough Cutt, Quiet Riot)
Jay Schellen -Drums (Hurricane, Asia)
Andrew Freeman -Lead Vocals (Offpsring)
Michael T. Ross -Keyboards (Lita Ford)
Hugh McDonald -Bass (Bon Jovi, Ringo Starr)
Carol-Lyn Liddle -Lead Vocals (Masters of Rock)
Stephanie Calvert -Lead Vocals (Starship)


The show's current actors...Ryan Mueller, Sarah Jessica Rhodes, Scott Kinworthy and Christine Richards.

Songs from the Vault....Volume I and Volume II now both available on iTunes and other music sites...

Songs From the Vault Volume I


https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/raiding-rock-vault-songs-from/id898281952

Songs From the Vault Volume II

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/raiding-rock-vault-songs-from/id672761731





My past blogs about Raiding the Rock Vault:

http://hollywoodunderdog.blogspot.com/2014/05/raiding-rock-vaultagain.html

http://hollywoodunderdog.blogspot.com/2013/03/therockvault.html


Anna Wendt Copyright 2014