Las Vegas, NV, Mandalay Bay 1/28/06

[penny74]

Posted by: princessprunella

Okay - confession time. My husband and I haven't been to a concert since college, but after having been introduced to Marty during Rockstar:INXS, we absolutely had to go and see the Lovehammers when they came to town.

We grabbed their new CD as soon as it came out & were so excited to see Marty live!

IT WAS AMAZING!! I know this is not news to all of you - but OMG!! I stood there (okay, I sat there, because no one was standing during the Lovehammers set & the stupid INXS fans were still all just arriving, trying to figure out if row E comes before row K, getting tanked and just being generally pathetic)...........okay sorry, back to the show. I sat there with this stupid grin on my face, singing along & rocking out in my seat & loving every moment of it!

Marty said that they would be signing CDs after the show, as we were leaving, we passed a HUGE line at the meet and greet....seriously, huge.

As for JD - he's either got the flu, or his voice is shot. They started their set late & we couldn't understand most of what he was saying to the crowd. I have to give him credit for doing the show, because I know he was in serious pain by the end of the night.

.....but Marty rocked! I'm so glad to have been introduced to his music & thanks to all of you on this board for helping me to feed my passion! Marty & the Lovehammers are awesome & when they make it back to Vegas, I'll be there!!



I

[penny74]

Posted by: river

I have to agree. Lovehammers Rocked Las Vegas! My friend and I flew in from Oklahoma City just to see Lovehammers. When they hit the stage it was so exciting!! I stood up right away, but it's true that no one else was standing. Except for the floor level, a lot them were on their feet. First Bobby came out and started firing up his drums, he can really play!! Then Dino and Billy came with the guitars going and a few seconds later, there he was! Marty was just awesome!! I had this huge smile on my face the whole time they were playing!! Marty was just all over the stage doing his mad conductor moves and singing his lungs out. They are definitely amazing to see live. At one point Marty ran out into the crowd. While he as running back he stopped and was hugging someone and didn't miss a note of the song. I could see that the person he was hugging was Ty Taylor! When the song was over and he was back on stage Marty said that Ty Taylor, Suzie McNeil, and Deanna Johnson were all there. The crowd went wild for the last two songs "Trees" and "Ring of Fire". And then it was over and the lights were on. I couldn't believe it was over, I wanted so much more!!

After about 30 minutes of INXS my friend and I went to get in line for the CD signing. And yes, I did buy another CD even though I already had one autographed by the band. I wasn't going to miss this chance to meet the whole band. We were probably the 10th and 11th people in line, and after reading Billy's post, it's a good thing we got out there early! The guys are so nice in person. When it was my turn I told Marty how great it was to meet him. He said it was nice to meet me as well and asked how I was doing. He let me take a picture with him and asked if I was going to do any gambling later. He then said that I looked lucky! When I came out of my haze of actually getting to talk to Marty I looked at the rest of the guys and saw that they all had finished signing my CD. I was so flustered by that I totally missed talking to Dino. I stopped myself from just rushing past everyone and spoke with Bobby and Billy. They are just the best bunch of guys. Very kind and personable. I asked if they were going to be doing anything later and Billy, looking very tired, laughed and said "Yeah, we're getting on th bus and heading to Denver." I wished them well and that was it. One of the best nights of my life!

Oh yeah, and just because Marty said I looked lucky I went out and played some slots. I won $50!!

Thank you Lovehammers!! Your concert was Rockin' :)and getting the opportunity to meet and talk with you made the whole evening unforgettable.

Christina

[penny74]

Posted by: ziggy2

All I can say about the Vegas show is WOW! The show was EXCELLENT as far as the Lovehammers performance! I have to agree with princessprunella about the rest.

I was screaming & singing right along with the other fans around us. We also had some people blocking our view trying to find seats. I was getting a little pissed, but luckily some other fans got fed up & asked them to move. Finally out of our way! At one point, when Marty jumped off stage & down in the crowed, the lights following him lost him for a bit as the crowed went crazy! The intermission between the Lovehammers set & INXS seemed like it took forever. JD's voice was just not strong. It was rough and horse, and we couldn't understand him. Not sure if he's losing his voice or sick.

We then got in line to get the new CD autographed & meet the guys. (Also met some very nice ladies in line!) Yes, I brought another CD just to have them sign it along with an expensive disposable camera to get pictures. I thought, why not treat myself & record this wonderful experience seeing the Lovehammers live! I'm a little shy and was very nervous. All I could say was great show or you guys were awesome. When I asked each one if I could get a picture with them they said sure & were more than happy to do it! So many fans & it was so packed that we couldn't go back the way we came. We had to go outside & walk threw the parking garage to get back to the casino.

Sorry this is so long, but I wanted to share my experience and say THANK YOU LOVEHAMMERS!

Just a note; We were aware of the hugh line, fans way, way back & wanted to go threw quickly because we knew the band wanted to meet everyone. I had another person going threw at the same time taking photos & it was very quick for us. I think the Event center was not prepared for how many fans the Lovehammers have!

[penny74]

Posted by: nancy

would also agree that the Lovehammers were the best part of the Vegas show. They sounded great and I only wish they could have played longer. We were sitting on the floor and everyone around us was standing for the entire set, but there were also quite a few empty seats. The people showing up late just to see INXS missed a great show. Anyway, we were close to the isle and when Marty came running down into the crowd he was close enough to touch but just too quick. We were just a couple rows back from Ty and Suzie and also saw Paul from the Houseband right in front of us. Unfortunately, by the time we got out to the lobby the line for autographs was huge and even though we waited for awhile they shut it down and security said there were just too many people and the Lovehammers had left. It was funny because security kept going up and down the line reminding people that the line was for just the Lovehammers, like that was going to get rid of some people. Everyone was like, "yeah, we know, that's who we're here to see". Obviously, it's not common knowledge how popular this band is. So, no up close and personal encounters this time. I did happen to see Dino racing through the casino later by himself-who knows where to. My next goal is to see just the Lovehammers headlining at a smaller venue. The posts from the Viper Room sound like that was a really great concert. But, I'm happy I finally got to see them at all, they really are a great live band.

[penny74]

Posted by: thesqrly1

Just got home from Vegas...all the other reviews were right on the money. Lovehammers sounded fantastic. We had pretty good seats in the first level up from the floor off to the side of the stage. I was on my feet for the whole show, screaming, singing, dancing, taking pictures and being told by security that I was not supposed to be taking pictures and to get out of the isle...Ya Right!!!! My boyfriend who really didn't know too much about the band was real impressed and says they are going to be big. After the show I went a bought a t-shirt to get signed. I was pretty close to the front of the line...there was no way I was going to miss this. There were a ton of people in line too. I got to tell Marty that the concert was my Xmas present and he said "no way...that's cool. Then the person I handed my camera to so I could get my picture w/Marty...took a picture of his arm and the corner of the table. I didn't know this until after I was out of line. I got my picture take w/Dino and told him that I had brought some panties to throw at him...but I forgot them in the room. He got a laught out of that. I also got my picture taken w/ Bobby and Billy. Then it was over...wanted to let everyone else in line to get a chance. When I looked at the pictures in my camera and realized that I didn't get a good one of me and Marty, I was kind of bummed. Then about an hour or so later, I was just wandering around the hotel and the next thing you know...I am on the escalater right behind Bobby, Dino and Billy...no Marty, he is pretty stealth. Anyhow I said hey Billy and he turned around and said "I remember you" and then he told me that they had to shup down the meet and greet because someone got trampled. I told him that I didn't get a good picture w/Marty and could he hook me up, but he didn't know where Marty was. Anyhow they were in a bit of a hurry but stopped down and let me get my picture taken with the three of them. What great guys. I told them they were awesome and to enjoy the ride. All in all a most excellent weekend. If someone will let me know how...I will try and send the pictures. Over and out.

[penny74]

Posted by: lhmfanaticpam

I have to share this. I've been aching to get to this board since Saturday and read the comments about the Vegas show. We are from Canada and are visiting friends in Mesa, AZ. I had us all go to Vegas this weekend so that I could go and see Marty and the band. We just got back to Mesa today.

I can tell you people that we have huge stars in the making. This band is going to be BIG. They are big now I realize but they are going to be as BIG as you get.

I have been to hundreds of rock concerts in my life over the past 30 years (I'm one of Marty and the LH's older fans and proud of it) and I have never seen any backup band command or generate as much excitement and crowd adulation as our boys. When Marty started singing Trees, the crowd went crazy. Honestly, I was picturing Inxs standing backstage going "What the H*** is going on, we're the big stars here."

It was brilliant for them to start while the lights were still off with a brilliant drum set. You could just feel the excitement building in the crowd - until that magical moment when the lights go up a bit and there is Marty standing at the front of the stage doing his conductor thing. Gee I love that - it's like he's drawing us all into his world. Well he had the crowd in the palm of his hands from that moment on. It was just brilliant.

Every fan on this Board recognized from the moment we saw him on the rock show that this was a very dynamic and unique performer and that we had "discovered" something that was going to bring us a great deal of pleasure in the future. After this tour, The LoveHammers will have captured the hearts of multi thousands of people who didn't watch the show.

I had a pair of small binoculars so I was able to see Marty's facial expressions up close. Thank goodness I had them as there were no big screens set up. He was really into the music and the lyrics - he sings with such intensity and sincerity. I'm not familiar with the songs yet because as I say, we're visiting friends, - but he sang one of his slow songs, and he was so beautiful singing it. For those of you that haven't seen them live yet - let me tell you - this is a very gorgeous man - he looks even younger than on the tv show. He doesn't have a line in his face - he didn't even look tired after all this touring. His high energy is amazing - he doesn't stop. He gives everything he has to his audience.

I'm hope it's okay that I'm rambling but I want to give a feel of the show to those of you that haven't seen it or won't be seeing it. Marty explained that Inxs have been very generous to them and kind and giving them good advice on a few things, such as ways to cure a hangover. He had a little impish grin on his face when he said that. It was very cute. He got really hot during his set. He had a jacket on over his red shirt which he took off. Then the next thing we knew, the buttons of his shirt were all udone. Then all of a sudden his shirt was off. He did it so fast, I didn't even see him take if off - and here's Marty standing on the stage, half naked. (he doesn't wear underpants kiddies). It was almost too much to handle - I'm not getting any younger you know.

Someone I met after the show told me that she was told that Marty had his parents at the Vegas show and that he was walking around the casino with them that afternoon. I thought that was so neat. They must be very proud of him - it's a tough business and he and the band have maintained their appreciation of their fans and have remained "nice guys".

I was hanging around right after their set to meet them and get my CD signed but at this show I found out they weren't coming out to the lobby until after Inxs were over (I didn't even care to see Inxs- not a JD fan) and I just couldn't stay that long (my friends were waiting to go back to our hotel). I'm so sorry to read today that they were unable to meet everyone because of the hotel or security not being prepared for such a large crowd. When Marty announced that he would sign each and everyone's CD, I believe he meant it and I believe he would have if he'd had a choice. Obviously there was poor planning on someone' part, but from what I have read, they respect and enjoy their fans. They probably felt as bad about it as the fans.

Anyway I guess that's long enough. I just wanted to contribute to letting the fans who weren't at the concert get a feel for what a fabulous evening it was. I can't wait to watch their climb to the top. Isn't it wonderful how much pleasure Marty and The LoveHammers have given all us fans. Thanks guys - can't wait to see you again. Pam

[penny74]

Posted by: scaryisgood

Sorry I waited this long to post my review of Vegas, but here goes...

I went with my 12-year old daughter, since my hubby is not a big concert-goer. BUT he was able to score us 4th row center seats the day before the show (he has a friend who knows a friend....) Anyway, we get there nice and early, and were told by security that disposable cameras WERE allowed so I ran all over Mandalay Bay looking for a shop that sold them. We finally found one, and made our way in.

Let me tell you - our seats were AWESOME! The people in the 2 rows directly in front of us didn't come in till INXS - so we had a straight-on up front view. When the band started wth the drums and the guitar and them when Marty came out - we in the front were ALL on our feet and absolutely screaming. I think I embarrassed my daughter a bit... Anyway, Marty comes out in a red jacket, red shirt and mirrored sunglasses and his pinstriped low-slung pants. I was snapping picture after picture. He looked SO freakin hot up close!!

I don't know about the rest of the crowd, but our entire section was standing, pumping fists, and ALOT of people were singing along. First the sunglasses came off, later the jacket. When they were playing the Tunnel, Marty climbed down into the audience and started walking up OUR aisle. As he went by, I touched his shoulder, and I can still remeber exactly what the fabric of that red shirt felt like (I'm nuts, I know). Then it was so weird, so entrancing, as he walked past us and farther back the aisle, he was singing "there's a light at the end of the tunnel...." and I looked at his back with the bright spotlight shining on him - it was him walking right towards that light at the end of the tunnel - So cool - I guess you'd have to see it, but it was the coolest part of the show for me. Then he stood up on a chair and started hugging and singing with - Ty! I could tell it was him from the spikey silhouette against the spotlight. As he walked back I stood right there waiting for him so I could get a good up-close with my camera, and then the picture didn't snap - ARRRRGGHH!

The rest of the show rocked - the shirt came unsnapped (more pics!) and then came all the way off (LOTS more pics!). Let me tell you - that man has the most beautiful pelvic bones I've ever seen. Those pants could NOT have gotten ANY lower. My daughter said "he's a little thin, but he must work out becuase he has nice muscles."

Anyway AWESOME show!! I went WAY too fast though. We decided to stick aound for INXS (my daughter wanted to hear "Pretty Vegas") - that's when all the drunken high-rollers showed up in the seats in front of us. They were up and down, changing seats, running out to buy more drinks the whole time. Yuk. Anyway JD really did sound very hoarse, and you couldn't understand a word he said when he spoke. The whole microphone stand thing - well - let's just say I'm glad my daughter had decided to sit down by then and her view was blocked... Ick. Oh, and then TY moved up to the aisle right next to us and was trying his damndest to get INXS's attention. He even climbed up on a chair and was pointing to them. They COMPLETLY ignored him. JD stuck his tounge out at him for about a second (not smiling) and moved on. I just thought they seemed incredibly rude to him, when he was so obviously excited to be there. Then Ty leaned over to talk to someone while he was still up on the chair and his butt crack showed a little bit. The drunken idiots in front of us all started pointing and laughing. I was about fed up by then. We decided to leave before the encore so we could get good seats in the Lovehammers line. Well, when we got out there - it was UNBELIEVABLE how long the line was!!! And the concert wasn't even over yet!! There must have been 300 (at least) in line. My daughter and I looked at each other and said no way. I'm glad we didn't stay, becuse it looks like we wouldn't have made it through.

Anyway. I went to get my pictures developed yesterday, I knew I had some GREAT shots! Then they call me from the store today, and tell me my film got stuck in the developer machine and all my pictures were ruined I actually cried... That SUCKED!! But I guess I'll always have the memories.

Sorry this got so long! I just love details, though. What a great show....

[penny74]

Posted by: hopeless4mc

How I didn't meet Marty in Vegas...
but not for lack of trying.

Hello,

Although I’m not much of a poster, I have been a faithful lurker since all of the boards have been up. Thanks everyone who has posted for the entertaining reads well into the wee hours of the night. Gee Marty, I think I got way more beauty sleep before RS INXS. I also think I need new glasses.

Anyway, I went to Lovehammers’ concert (with closing act INXS) last Saturday in Vegas. My sincerest apologies for not posting earlier, but it always takes me a few days to recuperate from Vegas. As I’ve told my husband, I have a love/hate relationship with Vegas. Sometimes I dread going to Vegas. Often, I equate sitting at the gaming tables with having another job. No matter how hard I work; the casino never pays me enough.

Which reminds me…before I forget…Hey Lovehammers, if you ever get around to reading this post, my husband and I would like to thank you for saving us A LOT of money. Your set and subsequent M&G were definitely the lengths of several bad shoes and devastating rolls (x 2, for my husband and myself). Anyway, I digress, posts about my blackjack and craps adventures can be found in another board.

As always, my luck in Vegas this past weekend was…how does the country song go…if-it-weren’t-for-back-luck-I’d-have-no-luck-at all? On Saturday morning, I decided to play hooky from the gaming tables. After telling the pit boss that I was taking a sick day, I set out on my all day search for Lovehammers. While I did meet some very interesting people, my Lovehammers hunt wasn’t very bountiful. The closest I came was passing someone who looked an awful lot like Dino Kourelis while I was enroute to the coffee shop. Now, I know everyone is thinking: “Hey what kind of fan is she, if she can’t even recognize Dino? Single-digit poster.”

Personally, I truly believe that the person I passed was indeed Dino. (And if not, well, a girl can dream can’t she? That goes double for a girl in Vegas. How else do you think the Mandalay Bay pays their electric bill?) Well, I have a perfectly good explanation why I can’t prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that I saw Dino. I passed the alleged Mr. Kourelis #2 from behind. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him, did a double-take, swung around, and then bumped into a family of four loaded up with shopping bags. Incidentally, the family was a young couple with in-laws/parents, which is what my husband and I refer to as Vegas Vacation Combo Platter #3. My husband and I are a Vegas Vacation Combo Platter #1 (i.e. DINK couple who enjoys donating money to casinos so that casinos can pay their electric bill). Hey, it’s a good cause; the desert gets pretty dark at night.

Sorry, I’m digressing again (and now you understand why I don’t post often). Thankfully, during my fender bender, no one was hurt/trampled; hot coffee wasn’t involved; and casino security was not required to disband us. (I’ll get to the casino security later). By the time all five of us wrapped up our apologies, Dino had, of course, vanished into the glittering palace of dreams. (Dino and me-no in the casino. That rhymes.) Here’s where the if-it-weren’t-for-bad-luck-blah-blah-blah part rears its ugly head, again. The whole fender bender probably lasted all of two microseconds and the surrounding masses didn’t even skip a beat. After replaying the scene in my head 500 times, I thought, “Gee, I was one, the family was a soccer wall of four. Hey, what gives?”

If I was lucky, I wouldn’t have had those darn cat-like reflexes, and I would have fallen down with a ladylike-damsel-call-of-distress cry of “Oohhh” (in reality: splat face down). If that had happened, I betcha Dino and the other three Lovehammers, including Mr. MARTY CASEY (sigh), would have come running from all four corners of the casino shouting “My Dear Lady, are you alright?” Why, because, that’s just the kind of guys they are. Lovehammers, my heroes (sigh). Remember, we’re in Vegas where a girl can dream ya know. Then, I would have been carried to the green bus and I would now have one of those stories like the people who get abducted by aliens and taken for a ride in the mothership, and no one would believe me…

Okay, during the afternoon, I decided to take the advice of Hammerheads worldwide and go look for the green bus. I wandered the Mandalay Bay’s back parking lots; watched some people walk some dogs; dodged some security guys on bikes; and grabbed a couple of quick peeks into the arena’s loading docks. Again, no dice. Interestingly, I did manage to find a green bus. After comparative analysis of decorative motifs, I eventually concluded that it was not the “roit” green bus. Here’s a picture of the green bus I found.
*Pics removed*

By the way, if I’m mistaken about my green bus not being the “roit” green bus, someone please, please, tell me, so I can hang a framed copy of this picture over my mantle.

During my walk back, I did manage to find the Jagermeister bus associated with the Disturbed concert at Mandalay Bay’s House of Blues on January 27-28. On Sunday, I even ran into some Disturbed band members, but so what? I went to Vegas in search of Lovehammers, not Disturbed guys. I know plenty of disturbed guys at home. No, Mr. Hopeless4MC, I’m not referring to you.

Okay, I’m not going to bore you with details of our pre-show preparations and dinner, so I’m fast forwarding this post to the concert. My husband and I had seats in Section 107, first row. For most people, these seats are good, but I’m short so I still had a little trouble seeing over people’s heads. While waiting for Lovehammers set to begin, we ran into some people we met at one of the blackjack tables the night before. One of them said “Hey, what are the odds of ending up with seats near each other two nights in a row in Vegas?” I’ve taken that as an omen from the gambling gods and am playing all of our seat numbers in this week’s lottery. Wish me luck.

After months and months of staring at my Mandalay Bay tickets stuck to the refrigerator and living vicariously through secondhand information pertaining to live Lovehammers performances, I finally got to see them! Lovehammers in Vegas, baby! My husband and I had a blast during Lovehammers’ set! Everyone, I concur, Marty, Dino, Billy, and Bobby do indeed rock the house!!! I know, I know, I hear ya as you’re saying, “Duh honey, why wouldn’t they?!?”

My hours and hours of singing along with Lovehammers in the shower and in the car certainly paid off. I sang like the karoake champion at my local roadhouse. They played my favorite song. Please, please don’t ask me which one is my favorite, because 1) it really depends on what time of the day it is, 2) it would be like asking me to chose between a hot fudge sundae with a red plastic spoon and a hot fudge sundae with a blue plastic spoon.

Sadly, I was in the middle of the M&G line when casino security pulled the plug on the M&G. Although it is unfortunate that I didn’t get to meet the guys, I think it’s great that the number of Lovehammers fans continues to increase at an alarming rate! The length of the line was amazing and reminiscent of Disneyworld. Go Lovehammers, go Lovehammers! Woohoo!!! 8-)While in line, I did meet some other very nice fans (Hi Angie from LV!). Kudos to all who were waiting in line with me like good citizens.

Also, my husband, who was wearing his Lovehammers concert shirt at the time, told me to send out a big hello to the nice group of women who accosted him when he went to check on the hubub at the front of the line. When I asked him, “Which board were they from?” He replied, “Who cares? I got accosted by a group of women! Woohoo!”

Gee, thanks Marty. Well, I guess it’s only fair for me to let him enjoy his accosting by female Lovehammers fans. After all, I did get to enjoy Marty’s progressive nekkidness (an extra added bonus) during the course of the Lovehammers’ set.

So now, I am staring at my Philly tickets, which are stuck to the refrigerator. Hopefully, I’ll make it to the front of the M&G line this time around. My husband hopes to get accosted again.

Over and out,

I am, and always will be, Hopeless4MC

P.S. I do hope JD feels better for tonight’s show. He was pretty sick in Vegas. And we all know what it’s like to go to work sick…