Las Vegas Weekly

August 22, 2009 · 5:36 PM

Black Eyed Peas give surprise performance at Rain

By Melissa Arseniuk

Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas played a surprise set at Rain Nightclub on August 21, 2009.

Photo: Melissa Arseniuk

Friday was a good, good night at Rain nightclub.

The Palms hotspot made a last-minute announcement yesterday and said Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas would perform at the club that night.

The announcement was made just before 5 p.m., around five hours before the club was set to open.

Later that night, partiers got more than they bargained for when two of Will.i.am’s three Black Eyed Peas bandmates joined him onstage.

Will.i.am, whose real name is William James Adams, Jr., made his way to the DJ booth just after 2 a.m. Saturday morning following a shortened set by Friday night resident DJ AM.

The hip-hop superstar played a handful of mash-ups for partiers before bandmates Taboo Nawasha and apl.de.ap surprised the audience and joined him onstage.

Nawasha and apl.de.ap’s appearance was unexpected, as the previously issued release from earlier in the day did not include any details about either of Will.i.am’s the Black Eyed Peas bandmates.

Unfortunately, the fourth, final and female pillar of the Peas was not at Rain last night: Fergie did not join her fellow Peas at the Palms.

Still, Will.i.am, Nawasha and apl.de.ap performed a handful of the group’s singles without their leading lady, including their most recent hit, "I Gotta Feeling.” Afterward, Nawasha and apl.de.ap left the stage and left Will.i.am to his solo set.

The award-winning artist spent about an hour at the turntables last night before retiring to the stage-side VIP where he joined both his bandmates and the party.

After about half an hour, the talent trio and their entourage left the club and reportedly moved the party to MGM Grand.

Before they left, apl.de.ap told the Weekly that the band is in town preparing for an upcoming gig at Mandalay Bay.

Unfortunately, that show appears to be a private event; MGM Mirage has no Black Eyed Peas concert listed in their current events calendar.

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