Las Vegas Weekly

July 1, 2008 · 5:59 PM

Follow Yellow Brick Road to new stations

By John Katsilometes

Yellow Brick Road, shown during its Railhead run in 2004.

Photo: Las Vegas Sun

From across the club I heard my name, then the question, “Got any requests?” It was Brody Dolyniuk, barking into his microphone from the stage at the Railhead at Boulder Station. It was the last Friday before the last Saturday at the Railhead for the city’s premier classic rock-cover band, which has been going off the rails on the crazy train at Boulder Station since 1998. There have been a few other stops for YBR, including a brief stint at Red Rock Resort, where the sound level for such rock classics as “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” spilled into the casino. When asked to turn it down, the band opted to leave.

Rightfully so. “Turn it down” is not in the band’s vocabulary. Actually, countless terms are not in the band’s vocabulary. "We'll take any requests for Abba," is another.

Anyhow, when I heard Brody, whom I’ve known for a few years, yell to me in great amplification, the first song I thought of requesting was “Tom Sawyer.” Upon hearing that, Brody called out, “Sorry! We’ve already played our Rush song for this set!” They do know “Limelight,” and I think “Freewill.” Their Rush repertoire at least approaches an actual medley.

The band’s move out of Boulder Station has nothing to do with the band’s ability to lure a crowd. The hotel is closing the Railhead for renovations (and I hear those renovations will make the Railhead space the hotel’s buffet, at least temporarily), so YBR will play it station-to-station at Green Valley Ranch’s Ovation Showroom on Wednesdays from 9 p.m.-11 p.m., Sunset Station’s Club Madrid on Fridays from 11 p.m.-2 a.m., and back to Green Valley Ranch on Saturday’s from 11 p.m.-2 a.m. This week, Thursday, they play the Independence Day Jubilee at Seastrand Park in North Las Vegas (that’s 6330 Camino Eldorado 89031, now go to Mapquest) from 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.

Whenever anyone asks me for the best free show in town, I usually say Yellow Brick Road. It’s a tough call. The Boulder Blues Series is enormously entertaining, as are my friends The Fab, which has expertly covered Beatles songs at various locales since 1995. Santa Fe, the sizzling former backing band for Clint Holmes, puts on a consistently entertaining show on Mondays at the Palms. And even Tommy Rocker’s open-mic act at the old Tommy Rocker’s Cantina was more entertaining that a lot of paid shows I’ve seen (I think I’ll mention Toni Braxton here). But YBR has the widest appeal, I feel, of any free show. As they say (“they” being Motley Crue), they play it loud and they play it proud. Queen, Led Zeppelin, Ozzy, Van Halen, Journey, Pink Floyd, The Who and of course Rush are sampled during each YBR show. It’s a lot like my iPod, come to life.

And a couple of songs after telling the crowd, “No more Rush,” Dolyniuk did dial up “Tom Sawyer.” Mean, mean pride, indeed. See you at Green Valley Ranch.

Share This