Sublime with Rome at Mandalay Bay Beach in Las Vegas, NV

Sublime with Rome kicks off the summer season at the Mandalay Bay Beach with support from SOJA for the ultimate pool party.

The summer concerts at the Mandalay Bay Beach signal the start of summer.  With the sandy beach and the shallow wave pool with the stage rising out of it there is no question this is a unique environment for a show.  The party is ready to start early.  People are standing in the pool around the stage while others have brought blankets that they are laying out on the sand as the sun goes down and the lucky people who purchased the VIP cabanas begin to pour in.  For an environment like this, you need a certain type of show, something that screams summer and fun and SOJA and Sublime with Rome are just those two bands, it is easy to see why they play this venue.

As the sun sets SOJA takes the stage.  This reggae band from Washington DC is exactly what you expect from a reggae band and a summer beach party.  The guitars and horns create a fun but mellow sound that the crowd dances along to.  Lead singer Jacob Hemphill and bassist Bobby Lee Jefferson both sing and they clearly have a long history together with the way they play off each other.  Hemphill explains later that he met Jefferson in first grade when he moved to the United States.  This long-enduring friendship explains their chemistry together.  SOJA is a band where no member seems to be the focus instead, each member is highlighted at various points.  Their hour-long set includes songs like “Sorry,'” “You Don’t Know Me,” “Your Song,” and “Not Done Yet.”  This reggae sound in this setting leaves you thinking you are someplace tropical rather than the middle of the desert.

The set starts off strong with “Smoke Two Joints,” “Wrong Way” and “Date Rape.”  The crowd has their hands in the air and they are singing along to every lyric.  Sometimes it is easy to forget just how large of a catalog a band has and that might be the case here, but we are quickly reminded of all the popular songs as they are played, including “40oz to Freedom,” “Doin’ Time” and “Badfish.”  The crowd keeps dancing and singing along and the drinks begin to flow more freely.  It is clear everyone is having an amazing time.  The hour and a half long fifteen song set concludes with a four-song encore which includes “What I Got” and “Santeria.”  The crowd doesn’t slow down for one minute of the performance.  The band delivers a fun hit-packed set that takes you down memory lane, not only of their music but it reminds the crowd of fun times they have had in the past.

Not only is this a unique venue, but they really know how to pick shows that go with the overall vibe they are trying to create.  SOJA and Sublime with Rome welcomed the crowd to summer in Las Vegas with the ultimate beach party.  The night was fun and happy, and everyone left with a smile on their face and their shoes in their hands from a night at “the beach.”

SOJA
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