Las Vegas Mixtape v25: Eagles Ascend at Sphere, Trop Implosion Party, and More

Track #4: Rival Sons @Brooklyn Bowl

There was that amazing time in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s when Rock Gods like the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin ruled the Earth, blowing everyone away with their virtuosity and intimidating, larger-than-life stature. This is the era that came to mind while watching Rival Sons headline the Brooklyn Bowl on theLINQ Promenade last month.

Formed in Southern CA, Rival Sons are a twice-Grammy-nominated rock quartet whose debut album came out in 2009. They answer to no one and continue to create music that’s gutsy, moving, and vital. Onstage, they operate with an astounding level of musical and emotional power.  Soulful, raspy vocalist Jay Buchanan supplies the grit, guitarist Scott Holiday provides electric sizzle, and bassist Dave Beste and drummer Michael Miley are thrillingly locked in as a rhythmic unit.

Taking the stage minus his bandmates, Buchanan performed “Shooting Stars” acoustically and promptly mowed down the audience with one of rock’s best voices. Set highlights also included the foreboding and fiery “Nobody Wants to Die”—from their “Darkfighter” album, the first of two discs they released last year—and the anthemic “Keep on Swinging,” which Holiday shot up with crunchy riffs and awe-inspiring flights.

Rival Sons are a musician’s musician group; they were handpicked as the sole opening act on Black Sabbath’s 2016-2017 farewell tour. This is one R-O-C-K band for everyone to believe in. As Buchanan humbly said at the end of their Brooklyn Bowl set, “We’re Rival Sons. We play rock and roll music.”