Good Charlotte on Fremont Street in Las Vegas

Good Charlotte kicks off the One Louder Summer Concert Series on Fremont Street in Las Vegas on Memorial Day Weekend.

Every summer the Fremont Street experience and partner casinos bring a free concert series to the outdoor stages with national recording artists. This concert series has been growing every year and it seems like this year they are determined to beat last year with more shows and a diverse lineup. Rock pop-punk mainstay Good Charlotte kicks off this year’s concert series to a packed crowd. These concerts are unique because not only are they free but they are played outdoors under the video canopy in the shadow of the surrounding casinos. This creates a unique party atmosphere that really cannot be replicated elsewhere.

Before Good Charlotte takes the stage, the crowd is treated to one of the resident dancing DJ’s which always does a great job of pumping up the crowd. The signature Fremont Street canopy plays its tribute to Imagine Dragons and then it is time for Good Charlotte. Joel and Benji Madden take the stage followed by the rest of the band. They immediately launch into “The Anthem” followed by “Riot Girl.” In between these two songs, Joel takes time to talk to the crowd and explain that their drummer Dean Butterworth was injured last minute and they have a friend filling in on drums because they didn’t want to cancel on this show. While no one wants to hear that there is something going on with Butterworth, this is nice to see because they had a string of recently canceled shows.  

Joel and Benji both take a lot of time talking to the crowd about various topics. They talk about their history over the years and ask the crowd where they were at certain time periods. They also talk to the parents in the crowd asking them to lift their babies up. This is a sweet kind moment that these parents particularly enjoy. This is far more conversation with the crowd then is typical for a Good Charlotte show, but the crowd is loving it.  

The set is brief – only nine songs – which people weren’t sure if that was due to the venue or the band’s friend filling in on drums, however the songs they do play are a huge success.  “Girls & Boys,” “The Young and the Hopeless” and “I Just Want to Live” have the crowd singing along. When they play “Dance Floor Anthem,” the packed crowd does their best to dance and jump along with the band. The set closes with “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” This song is such a high note that when the band leaves the stage the crowd lingers for five minutes hoping they are returning for an encore. It is not until the overhead music begins to play that they accept the show is over and begin to leave.

The show is fun and energetic and all around a good time which is why people wanted a little more. In any case, it is a great way to kick off the Summer Concert Series and Memorial Day Weekend.  If the rest of the shows follow suit, this is going to be a successful summer on Fremont Street.