Images: SAVE YAYO Benefit Show feat. Caravels, HOTS, Stolas & more March 1, 2013 at Yayo Taco

It’s an unfortunate reality check when kids in a town as bustling, sprawling, and modern as Las Vegas are forced to come together to attempt to save an establishment as vital and generous as Yayo Taco. And its even harder to understand when you go to big events like last weekend’s Extreme Thing and it’s crawling with music-lovers rarely seen at any other venue in town. But for as much criticism as our scene receives (no all-ages venues, no support for the rare venues we do get, etc..), March 1st at Yayo Taco showed that plenty of people still care about seeing live music thrive in Las Vegas.

This was by far the most people that I’ve seen in or around Yayo in the long time I’ve been watching shows there. There was no parking and the place was packed with people eager to do what they could to save the place. No one was talking about the health code fines that lead to Yayo’s closing, or how much money was needed to pay them back, everyone was just focused on emptying their pockets of all they had to keep this tiny little place alive. The lineup itself was expansive and diverse with locals Alaska, 1819, Stolas (who KILLED IT, caps needed), and InReflect. But each of the bands shifted any focus on them to the task at hand and it was awesome to see a community come together and act on a shared goal.

So I’m sure you’re wondering, “did it work?” On its face, the event was successful. They made enough money to pay off the fines that were owed to the Health District, so the restaurant was allowed to reopen. Beyond that, the future of Yayo as an all-ages music venue seems uncertain. There’ve been rumors of it being sold, or being staffed by volunteers during shows. Shows that were scheduled to happen there are still being moved elsewhere, but we’re keeping up hope that Yayo will thrive again. We’ll keep you posted on any developments.

-Felipe Garcia

Photos by Photos by Tyler Newton | http://500px.com/spottedlens

and Emily Matview | https://www.flickr.com/photos/holdfastnow/