By Peter Dell

I had the unique opportunity to go on the road with Shaded Red the end of December 1997 when they performed in the Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas and in Phoenix. It was a spur of the moment opportunity to go along. I was hanging out with Jamie just after Christmas while I was on winter break from school. As Jamie was packing for the trip, he told me about playing the Hard Rock cafes in Vegas and Phoenix. He casually invited me to come along, since it was just a few day long trip. I had to pay for my food, but Jamie said they had an extra bed in the rooms they had, so I’d have place to sleep.

We left early Tuesday morning December 30th from Denver, CO. That night Shaded Red opened for Mighty Joe Plum at the Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas, NV. I remember the stage at the Las Vegas Hard Rock was just about the size of 2 tables tucked into the corner of the restaurant. The manager of the restaurant assured us that many “big name” artists has played there. It was an interesting experience, and the band managed to get a picture in front of the iconic giant guitar outside the restaurant.

The following morning we drove to Phoenix for the concert that night. The stage was much better in Phoenix and they even had a dance floor for people to gather and watch the bands. I thought it was really cool be there for a concert on New Years Eve. However, as midnight approached Might Joe Plum played right through. After the song, someone mentioned… “oh, hey! Happy New Year!” and that was about it. I think people enjoyed the concert enough that it didn’t really matter they didn’t count down to the new year.

I managed to pick up some souvenirs at each Hard Rock, and the memories of going on the road for a few concerts. Glad I decided to go along last minute.

Below is a press release that Bass player Bryan Stacks shared about these concerts.