Question of the Day - 01 July 2024

For those of you unfamiliar with Spandex Nation, it’s an '80s-themed “hair band” that plays family-friendly versions of various and sundry heavy-metal hits. They play songs by all the obvious suspects: Ratt, Quiet Riot, Poison, Guns ’n Roses, along with songs by groups one wouldn’t consider to be heavy metal, like Journey and Bon Jovi. Either way, it’s nostalgia.

As for the change.org petition, we’re not sure what the kerfuffle is about. 

If you check the Spandex Nation schedule, you’ll see that they're still playing the Main Stage at Fremont Street Experience, although evidently not as frequently as before. They’re doing basically one Fremont Street performance to every three at Carnival Court at Harrah’s, the outside bar and stage at Harrah's.

As for paying the piper, the ratio of shows on the Las Vegas Strip versus those downtown (3-to-1) sort of speaks for itself.

To wit: Carnival Court is owned by a multi-billion-dollar company (Caesars Entertainment) with an armada of casinos and a heavy emphasis on musical entertainment. Fremont Street Experience is funded by a consortium of downtown casinos, some of which are presently on their uppers or have been in the recent past. Advantage: Caesars.

As mentioned, why someone felt it incumbent to start a change.org petition to bring Spandex Nation (which performs in alternation with tribute act the Monroy Band) back to Fremont Street is beyond us. Fact it, they never left, unless their online schedule is outdated, wrong, or deliberately deceptive (and if it's any of those, we stand corrected).

Besides, unless Change members can pass the hat in sufficient amounts as to actually underwrite Spandex Nation’s appearance fees, it’s extremely unlikely the Fremont Street Experience can compete with the deep-pocketed and higher-visibility Strip venue where they also appear.