Images: Saves the Day, Weatherbox March 17, 2012 at the Carnival Court

Last month Manchester Orchestra, Saves the Day and Weatherbox were announced as headliners for a free St Patrick’s Day event that doubled as a farewell party for the O’Sheas Casino on the Strip. While none of those bands scream “St Patrick’s Day” to me, they do shout “great music” so I decided to brave the stormy weather and massive drunken foot traffic to catch some good tunes and attend what was without a doubt the strangest show experience I’ve had since launching Punks in Vegas.

Weather problems got the event moved to the canopied Carnival Court at Harrah’s. Not a bar and nightclub person, I felt a little out of my element surrounded by a sea of bumping and grinding to the strange mix of contemporary pop (LMFAO) and 90s one hit wonders (Tag Team) that blared over the speakers as Weatherbox set up. Despite confusion from folks who didn’t seem to know who they were and why the familiar tunes had stopped, the band did pull in a few new fans (a guy next to me proudly exclaimed that he had Googled them during their set and was going to download some tracks when he got home). And they more than satisfied their own fans, the about twenty of us that were right up front for their set.

Saves the Day was up next and it’s honestly a testament to the fan loyalty they’ve built up over the years that people stayed as long as they did to see them. Already running about 30 minutes behind due to the venue change, a massive, nearly 2-hour long wait occurred between Weatherbox’s and Saves the Day’s sets, a gap that guitarist Arun Bali explained was due to an absent sound guy. When the sound guy did finally arrive, things weren’t much better, as audio problems plagued the set, with the click track played over the speakers for the first few songs and frontman Chris Connelly’s voice nonexistent to anyone too far away from the stage monitors.

Audio problems aside, I was more than a little impressed by the band’s set that night. Many complained about their less-than-impassioned set with Bayside just a few months back, and I noted myself in my review of said show that  Connelly was having some problems with his vocals and stage presence. Maybe it was because of the holiday or maybe the low, intimate stage sparked something in them, because the band was on fire, bringing back memories of seeing them at the Sanctuary all those years ago. Classics like “Firefly” and “Holly Hox” had the crowd going bananas, crowd surfing to the front to sing along or just belting out lyrics from where they stood.

On top of that, newer material like “Eulogy” and “Deranged & Desperate” from last year’s Daybreak sounded full of an unexplainable energy and passion that made me want to go back and give those records another chance (which I have and I must say I’m liking Sound the Alarm and Daybreak much more than I gave them credit for when they were first released). Sets like this make me proud to say they were my favorite band for so long.

Unfortunately, their set was cut short due to a dispute that started when security tried blocking the view of underage fans who had gathered to watch the show from outside the velvet rope. Chris stood up for them and it cost them three songs from the setlist.

Manchester Orchestra was up next, and I’m sorry to say that due to the delays, venue shift and prior commitments, I was unable to stay for their set, which I heard was pretty fantastic. I look forward to seeing them again next time they come through town and I apologize to fans looking for coverage of them today.

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