(a) setlist

The best part about seeing local Las Vegas bands led by local Las Vegas legends is that no one knows the setlist and no one cares.

(b) highlights

• finally hearing songs I remember downloading off Myspace circa 2006
• the Bunkhouse Saloon atmosphere: two parts broken-neon-cowboy, one part hip Downtown Vegas makes for a sweet spot
• good ole fashion rock ‘n’ roll with a dusty country hint

(c) lowlights

• taking photos in this venue feels impossible when the lighting is so fickle and makes every photo look exposed to UV rays; (ironic that lights were lowlights, yeah?)

(d) overall thoughts

I discovered both Halloweentown (fronted by the infamous Ryan Pardey aka the Captain aka Bad Santa [see: several different Killers’ Christmas music videos]) back in 2006 when Ryan spent his time touring with The Killers, and Romance Fantasy (fronted by Ryan’s brother Rod Pardey aka Michael Valentine [see: a wonderful b-side on an iconic Killers album]) through osmosis over the years. Romance Fantasy had a bit of a Southern California-beachy rock ‘n’ roll vibe with comforting vocals and catchy choruses – though I’m a Beach Boys fan, so I dig that. Halloweentown tapped into country soul; every song had heart and a story, if you know what I mean.

Bottom line: Loved the local cowboy vibe of the venue, the good ole fashioned rock ‘n’ roll tunes, and hope the Bunkhouse Saloon stays open for the foreseeable future.