{"id":1494,"date":"2025-01-23T14:40:49","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T22:40:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stand77.biz\/category\/casino-resorts\/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-at-life-is-beautifuls-big-beautiful-block-party-in-downtown-las-vegas\/"},"modified":"2025-01-23T14:40:49","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T22:40:49","slug":"the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-at-life-is-beautifuls-big-beautiful-block-party-in-downtown-las-vegas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stand77.biz\/category\/casino-resorts\/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-at-life-is-beautifuls-big-beautiful-block-party-in-downtown-las-vegas\/","title":{"rendered":"The good, the bad and the ugly at Life Is Beautiful&#8217;s Big Beautiful Block Party in Downtown Las Vegas"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<h2>The Good<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The lineup and stage:<\/strong> The music brought all 17,000 attendees together over the course of the weekend and two Downtown stages combined to create one mega-altar for dance. Acts kept a tight schedule for the most part, with one concluding just as the other prepared to take the secondary stage. This kept the show rolling, giving partiers a reason to stay put\u2014even if it meant forgoing a bathroom break.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"inline inline-slideshow inline-right\" id=\"slideshow_life-is-beautiful-presents-\">\n<h4 class=\"highlight\">\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/lasvegasweekly.com\/photos\/galleries\/2024\/sep\/28\/life-is-beautiful-presents-\/\">Life Is Beautiful: A Big Beautiful Block Party<\/a><br \/>\n    <\/h4>\n<div class=\"inline-content\">\n<div class=\"slideshow-block\">\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\/css2?family=Material+Symbols+Outlined:opsz,wght,FILL,GRAD@24,400,0,0\"\/>\n<div class=\"gallery-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"slide-figure\">\n<style><![CDATA[\n    .ripple-container {\n        width: 200px;\n        height: 200px;\n        display: inline-block;\n        overflow: hidden;\n        background: rgba(241, 242, 243, 0);\n        margin: auto;\n    }\n    .rings div {\n        position: absolute;\n        border-width: 12px;\n        border-style: solid;\n        opacity: 1;\n        border-radius: 50%;\n        animation: rings 1.4925373134328357s cubic-bezier(0,0.2,0.8,1) infinite;\n    }\n    .rings div:nth-child(1) {\n        border-color: #695b50;\n        animation-delay: 0s;\n    }\n    .rings div:nth-child(2) {\n        border-color: #9e8978;\n        animation-delay: -0.7462686567164178s;\n    }\n    .rings {\n        width: 100%;\n        height: 100%;\n        position: relative;\n        transform: translateZ(0) scale(1);\n        backface-visibility: hidden;\n        transform-origin: 0 0;\n    }\n    .rings div {\n        box-sizing: content-box;\n    }\n    @keyframes rings {\n        0% {\n            top: 88px;\n            left: 88px;\n            width: 0;\n            height: 0;\n            opacity: 1;\n        }\n        100% {\n            top: 24px;\n            left: 24px;\n            width: 128px;\n            height: 128px;\n            opacity: 0;\n        }\n    }\n]]><\/style>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"slide-img\" src=\"\" alt=\"Slide image\"\/><br \/>\n    <\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<style><![CDATA[\n    .gallery-wrapper {\n        margin-bottom: 14px;\n    }\n    .slide-figure {\n        position: relative;\n        margin: 0;\n        height: 550px;\n        width: 100%;\n        background: #cccc;\n        display: flex;\n        overflow: hidden;\n    }\n    .slide-img {\n        width: 0px;\n    }\n    .material-symbols-outlined {\n        font-size: 20px;\n    }\n    .prev span, .next span {\n        font-weight: 600;\n    }\n    .tool-bar {\n        background: transparent;\n        display: flex;\n        justify-content: space-between;\n        align-items: start;\n        line-height: 0;\n    }\n    .counter {\n        color: #000;\n        font-weight: 600;\n        display: flex;\n        gap: 8px;\n        padding: 8px;\n        min-width: 104px;\n        box-sizing: border-box;\n        align-items: center;\n    }\n    .tool-group {\n        min-width: 104px;\n        justify-content: end;\n    }\n    .button-group {\n        display: flex;\n    }\n    .button-group a:hover {\n        text-decoration: none;\n    }\n    .tool-button {\n        display: flex;\n        border: none;\n        cursor: pointer;\n        color: #000;\n        padding: 0;\n        background: transparent;\n        padding: 8px;\n        transition: all 0.3s ease-in-out;\n        border-radius: 6px;\n    }\n    .tool-button:hover {\n        background: #e7e7e7;\n    }\n    .slide-description {\n        font-size: 14px;\n        line-height: 20px;\n        color: #4A5568;\n        padding: 4px;\n    }\n    @media (max-width: 700px) {\n        .slide-figure {\n            background: #000;\n            height: auto;\n            aspect-ratio: 4\/3;\n        }\n        .slide-img {\n            object-fit: contain;\n        }\n        .toggle-fullscreen {\n            display: none;\n        }\n    }\n]]><\/style>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- \/inline-content -->\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Jungle:<\/strong> The London-based trio weren\u2019t exactly thrilled about the desert heat (\u201cThis is f**ked up,\u201d vocalist Tom McFarland said), but they carried on like pros, conducting their own festival-size discotheque. Backed by a full touring band of percussionists, keyboardists and guitarists, Jungle took up every inch of the stage, in both sound and proximity, as it executed \u201cCasio,\u201d \u201cBack On 74\u201d and \u201cAll of the Time\u201d with unflappable finesse, a disco-funk act on the verge being, dare we say, perfect. Lydia Kitto, the newest queen of the Jungle, also beguiled the masses with her vintage falsetto, especially on new single \u201cLet\u2019s Go Back.\u201d The world\u2019s largest dance party then ensued, as thousands surrendered to the groove, writhing and rollicking to \u201cKeep Moving\u201d like their lives depended on it. For those still stumped on how to make a good disco show, take a page from Jungle\u2019s book. <em>\u2013Amber Sampson<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>LCD Soundsystem:<\/strong> \u201cWe haven\u2019t been here in a while. Sorry about that,\u201d said LCD Soundsystem\u2019s artfully disheveled frontman James Murphy, offhandedly apologizing for the band\u2019s decade-plus gap between visits to Las Vegas. Shortly after that, he added, \u201cIt\u2019s hot here. It\u2019s very hot. I don\u2019t know why you guys picked this place.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was about it for stage banter, save for an offhand comment later in the set apologizing for the lack of stage banter (\u201cWe\u2019re not that interesting\u201d). Instead, LCD adopted a less-talk, more-rock approach, delivering an airtight 12-song set of vintage LCD hits that, contrary to Murphy\u2019s discomfort, burned the place down. Opening with \u201cGet Innocuous!\u201d and careening into \u201cI Can Change\u201d and \u201cYou Wanted a Hit,\u201d Murphy really didn\u2019t have to explain anything; the band\u2019s crashing, hypnotic beats said everything.<\/p>\n<p>Picking favorites was impossible. LCD 2024\u2014Murphy on vocals and percussion, Al Doyle and Matt Thornley on guitars, Tyler Pope on bass, Korey Richey and Nancy Whang on synths and Pat Mahoney on drums, though everyone seems to play a bit of everything\u2014is an unfailingly precise alt.disco delivery device, approaching every song as if they\u2019d only come up with it a few days before and had just now perfected it. If you didn\u2019t know that \u201cTribulations,\u201d \u201cSomeone Great,\u201d \u201cLosing My Edge,\u201d \u201cDance Yrself Clean\u201d and \u201cNew York, I Love You But You\u2019re Bringing Me Down\u201d hailed from the Obama era, nothing in the band\u2019s fiery and relentless delivery would have let on.<\/p>\n<p>LCD Soundsystem concluded their 12-song Life Is Beautiful set as they began it: Dazzling the crowd with a note-perfect, spirited take on one of the hits they claim not to write. \u201cAll My Friends\u201d sent the crowd into a bouncy euphoria, and then LCD Soundsystem disappeared from Vegas once again, hopefully not for another 10 years. Someone, please offer this band a local, lengthy, preferably climate-controlled residency. <em>\u2013Geoff Carter<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Badbadnotgood:<\/strong> Auditory abduction are the first words that come to mind when trying to describe Badbadnotgood\u2019s set Saturday evening, September 28. The incredibly versatile jazz ensemble is known to have one of the most impressive production discographies in the game. And although they\u2019ve worked with respectfully hyped rap artists from Kendrick Lamar and Ghostface Killah to dream-like vocalists Kali Uchis and Daniel Caesar, the band\u2019s downtempo sound has the legs to stand on its own. The length of the band\u2019s set felt jammy, but in a deeply personal way that mimics what it may be like to sit in the studio with them as they sweat out a song. There was playful onstage bander, trippy visuals and moments that each instrumentalist stood out, leaving the early audience in a collective awe. The cherry on top was a tribute to one of the greatest composers of our time, the late MF Doom. Badbad\u2019s collaborative track, \u201cThe Chocolate Conquistadors,\u201d was met with praise upon the opening drum roll. And as the band carried on, the iconic Madvillain gladiator mask flashed onscreen, as if Doom was still here watching over us all.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thundercat:<\/strong> We just wanna party with Thundercat! This neo-funk bass guitar noodler gave this block party the jolt of energy we needed to get the night moving. As the two-time Grammy Award-winning artist took to the stage, the crowd acted accordingly and matched his off-kilter persona and manic charm. It\u2019s impossible to resist his jazzy improvisation and tunnel of musical psychedelia. He, of course, played the certified bangers \u201cFunny Thing,\u201d and \u201cDurag,\u201d but only after letting us peek into his mind of instrumental magic. Meanwhile, the backing band kept up with ease, as if it were just another day at the office. While Thundercat\u2019s set may not have been for everyone, it\u2019s hard not to appreciate his authenticity and willingness to give us more than his records already do. <em>\u2013Gabriela Rodriguez\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>The Bad<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Gear issues:<\/strong> Fans expecting to catch an earful of Toro Y Moi\u2019s new album, <em>Hole Erth<\/em>, waited 40 minutes as the musician struggled with technical difficulties. Toro Y Moi eventually appeared onstage to explain that his band\u2019s gear had been fried by the heat and that he\u2019d play a couple songs on guitar before his time ended. That flexibility earned the singer-songwriter and DJ a gracious amount of applause, and he remained apologetic throughout. But it\u2019s also hard to ignore how hollow new songs like \u201cTuesday\u201d and \u201cUndercurrent\u201d sounded without their signature distortion and percussion. \u201cIf someone wants me to come spin at their club or some sh** like that, I\u2019ll do it tonight. I wanna make it up to somebody,\u201d the artist said after playing \u201cSandhills.\u201d Rumors swirled that Hard Hat Lounge might recruit Toro Y Moi for that offer. Sadly nothing came of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>The \u201cart\u201d:<\/strong> Life Is Beautiful\u2019s robust art program is something we\u2019ve come to expect from the Downtown festival, but the Block Party severely lacked in this area. A handful of cube-shaped light installations and two photo-op signs don\u2019t fill in for the murals, installations and overall quirky sh** we\u2019re used to seeing. The arts and culture aspect of this Block Party waned in comparison to previous LIB years, leaving us with a parking lot of pretty lights\u2014disappointing considering what we know this festival is capable of doing and has done. But it also created a sense of scarcity. Other than to dance, there wasn\u2019t much incentive to move around.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lack of vendor variety:<\/strong> Sticker shock set in pretty quickly once we saw the festival prices of food and drinks for a block party that has been so carefully billed as a non-festival. Even mocktails were in the $20 range. It would\u2019ve been nice to also see more local vendors on tap. We have so much amazing food at our fingertips and within a block\u2019s walk Downtown, it disappointed us to see local brands being so underutilized. <em>\u2013AS<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>The Ugly<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Parking:<\/strong> Attendees arriving by car were herded towards $50 paid valet parking, despite the presence of a giant, inexpensive city garage at the festival grounds\u2019 southern edge. Some parked farther away in the massive Fremont Street Experience garages, trading the expense for a nearly half-mile walk in the heat. Others tried street parking along Fremont East; one of our staffers returned at the end of the night to find her car badly vandalized.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The heat:<\/strong> The nighttime temperature on Saturday evening was 100 degrees at 7 p.m., and never dipped below 91 degrees. Numerous attendees near the stage were seen being carried away\u2014some by festival staff, some by friends\u2014as the close quarters and the heat radiating from the Plaza\u2019s asphalt lot took their toll. Even the performers commented, unfavorably, on the heat. An increased amount of shade sails, perhaps, or boxed trees placed along the periphery of the festival footprint is an absolute must for next year\u2019s Block Party\u2014if there is a next year. <em>\u2013GC<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script>\n!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\nn.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\nif(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\nn.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\nt.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\ns.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\nfbq('init', '1235562847030139');\nfbq('track', 'PageView');\n<\/script><script>(function(d, s, id) {\n          var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];\n          if (d.getElementById(id)) return;\n          js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;\n          js.src = \"\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1&appId=114455478590878\";\n          fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);\n        }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/lasvegasweekly.com\/\/ae\/music\/2024\/oct\/02\/life-is-beautiful-block-party-downtown-las-vegas\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] The Good The lineup and stage: The music brought all 17,000 attendees together over the course of the weekend and two Downtown stages combined to create one mega-altar for dance. Acts kept a tight&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1495,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[637],"class_list":["post-1494","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stand77.biz\/category\/casino-resorts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1494","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stand77.biz\/category\/casino-resorts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stand77.biz\/category\/casino-resorts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stand77.biz\/category\/casino-resorts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stand77.biz\/category\/casino-resorts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1494"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stand77.biz\/category\/casino-resorts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1494\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stand77.biz\/category\/casino-resorts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stand77.biz\/category\/casino-resorts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stand77.biz\/category\/casino-resorts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1494"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stand77.biz\/category\/casino-resorts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}