Fremont Street Experience Names Free 2024 Concert Series Roster
Fremont Street Experience has announced the bands for its 2024 “Downtown Rocks” free concert series.
Yes, you read that correctly. “Free.” It’s an increasingly rare word in Las Vegas, like “crabs.” (Thank you, pubic grooming!) No tickets needed, no processing or concession fees, no auto-gratuities, no bait-and-switch.
Just good, old-fashioned free, incredibly loud entertainment from bands we couldn’t pick out of a police line-up, but again, free.
Fremont Street Experience is a unique venue for concerts, as the level of stimulation is exceptionally high. Shows take place under the street’s Viva Vision video screen, which has recently been upstaged by The Sphere at Venetian, but The Sphere’s shows are anything but free.
We trust you’re champing at the bit to see the concert schedule so you can make your vacation plans, so here’s a look.
We have never felt more out of the music loop than this very moment.
Acts include Seether, Hoobastank with Soul Asylum, Boys Like Girls, Chris Janson, Sebastian Bach, Common Kings, Joe Nichols and Sublime With Rome.
As we aren’t all that familiar with these bands, it’s hard to say what the strategy is with this year’s collection of acts.
The usual M.O. is to book throwback bands in the $20,000-40,000 range, usually with some name recognition among mature fans, as they have the most value to the casinos along Fremont Street (the folks who pay for the concerts). Outdoor bars make a killing on concert nights, but casinos also like when guests with disposable income dine at their restaurants and gamble before and after the shows.
As has been true historically, there isn’t a ton of diversity in this year’s line-up, other than Common Kings, an “American, Hawaiian and Samoan reggae rock/pop band,” according to Wikipedia.
We did recognize this Hoobastank song from 2003. Which is now more than two decades ago. We are not sure how that’s possible.
You can find all the times and stages on the official Fremont Street Experience Web site, which we helped build. Not that everything has to be about us.
All shows start at 9:00 p.m., except Soul Asylum (8:00 p.m.)
Fremont Street Experience has three stages: 1st Street (between Binion’s and Circa), 3rd Street (between The D and Four Queens) and Main Street (between Golden Gate and Circa, with its back to Plaza, long story). The Main Street stage can’t easily accommodate big crowds, so all the shows announced so far are scheduled for the 1st Street and 3rd Street stages.
These concerts are first-come, first-served, and there’s no seating unless you know Derek Stevens (owner of Circa, The D and Golden Gate). He has a sweet viewing box at The D. Binion’s and Four Queens also make the most of their patios, adjacent to the 1st and 3rd Street stages. (Not free, check with the individual casinos for details.)
We are often asked about VIP passes for these concerts, as pass-holders get access to an area just in front of the stage, typically with more elbow room. These passes are distributed through the member casinos of Fremont Street Experience.
The best way to get a VIP pass is to schmooze a casino host at your favorite downtown casino. Before we worked there, Fremont Street Experience did VIP pass giveaways, but we found that required “effort,” so we put a stop to that. Just gamble a lot, you’ll be good.
Free concerts at Fremont Street Experience are treated like special events, so there’s a perimeter set up with concert-style security checks.
Most of the nearby parking lots have “event parking” flat fees, usually in the $20 range. Golden Nugget can go as high as $50, but they don’t actually expect people to pay that. They want to ensure there are spaces for their regular customers. Did we mention the concerts are free?
Beyond its free concert series, Fremont Street Experience offers free live entertainment 365 days a year. The house bands tend to be awesome.
Fremont Street Experience also hosts a free DJ concert series, pretty much every Friday night, a fact we just learned about while perusing their Web site.
Given the ungodly prices of concerts today, Fremont Street Experience’s free concert series is a gift from the heavens, whether you know the bands or not. Arrive early and plan to stay late (traffic congestion is common, and the people-watching gets better as the evening progresses).
We’ll update our story when those TBA slots are announced, so stay tuned.
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