Las Vegas Weekly

October 1, 2009 · 8:22 AM

Biggest Tattoo Show on Earth to feature Dave Navarro, Tommy Lee

By Robin Leach

Mario Barth.

Photo: WJ Agency

Tattoo mogul Mario Barth is set to rock Las Vegas when he kicks off his annual, four-day Biggest Tattoo Show on Earth today. The gathering that’s a potent mix of rock, art and entertainment is billed as the world’s largest skin and body modification convention and takes place at Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

Motley Crue superstar Tommy Lee helps launch all the festivities at the opening VIP party tonight at the resort’s Rum Jungle. Other notable guests scheduled to attend include Jack Osbourne, Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray, Steve Jones of The Sex Pistols, Billy Morrison of The Cult, Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses, Mix Master Mike of The Beastie Boys, Jim Jones, Sully Erma of Godsmack, Brandon Boyd of Incubus, Billy Duffy of The Cult, Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, Sean Stewart and Evan Seinfeld of Biohazard and The Spyderz as emcee of the mayhem! Slash has invited them all to Jet in The Mirage for his next-night after-party with Darling Stilettos.

Mario’s convention is a unique opportunity for the public to be tattooed by the world’s top artists. Industry icons from Japan and Samoa have been flown in to Las Vegas to work on convention guests. The events continue all over Las Vegas, with DJ Mix Master Mike on Saturday at Rok Vegas in New York New York.

Mario will host Inkedmagazine’s first Inked True Colors Awards on Saturday at the Hard Rock Hotel with special musical performance by The Bronx. The convention’s closing party will take place at the Bank in the Bellagio on Sunday starring Dave Navarro with DJ Skribble and DJ Slynkee.

Top tattoo industry icons attending include Stanley Moskowitz, Lyle Tuttle, Japan’s Horitoshi family, the Borneo Headhunters, Polynesian Sua Petelo family and Peter Sulu Ape -- more than 500 of the world’s top artists and vendors in all.

Mario, who has an extraordinary clientele including Usher, Sylvester Stallone, Lenny Kravitz, Tommy Lee and many others, will give me a tour of the show tomorrow afternoon, and we’ll have the interview and photo gallery next week.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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