Las Vegas Weekly

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Spencer Patterson

Thu, Oct 23, 2008 (midnight)

Margarita by the yard, meet iPhone. MacBook, may we present football filled with beer.

A rare live performance at Las Vegas’ newest Apple Store conjured forth an odd-looking assemblage Saturday night, with curious tourists and dedicated locals sharing footing near the “Genius Bar” at the back of the electronics hub inside the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace.

At the center of it all: The Bleachers, the accomplished band behind this year’s superb local disc Conjure. The trio—Joe Maloney, Marco Brizuela and David Hines—played five tunes from that CD, one from 2006 predecessor Suspicion and, somewhat surprisingly, 10 compositions not yet available to the public. Among the promising new material: “Apparition,” a rhythmically dynamic tune about a Maloney dream involving “gravediggers, Brazil and love,” and “New Dub,” a thundering number that finished with Brizuela on his knees pressed up against his amp.

Brizuela also offered up a requisite, but heartfelt, product endorsement, revealing that The Bleachers have recorded all of their music to date using Apple computers. “They work great, and you look great working on them,” he said with a grin.

Though the store’s mostly unadorned white ceiling and walls made for some rather pronounced sound ricochets, the experience appeared to leave both band and fans pleased at having baptized a nifty new haunt for live music. Here’s hoping the show there is just one of many to come.