“Rock of Ages” Closes at Venetian, Moves to Rio Las Vegas

By Scott Roeben, on January 03 2016
2 min read 5 comments
Las Vegas Las Vegas Shows

“Rock of Ages” closed at Venetian Las Vegas on Jan. 3, 2016, with plans to open at Rio Las Vegas in the former Crown Theater, now to be called the Rock of Ages Theater.

The show re-opens at Rio Las Vegas on Jan. 25, 2016.

Rock of Ages
“Rock of Ages” features lots of hair band hits from the 1980s, so you’re likely to know all the words.

“Rock of Ages” is a Broadway-style show set in L.A.’s Sunset Strip.

The show features karaoke-style performances of about 30 rock favorites, loosely strung together with a paper-thin story we’re unable to relay because we have only a faint memory of it before we escorted ourself out to get more liquor.

“Rock of Ages” isn’t awful, mind you, we just sort of don’t see the point of its existence.

Rock of Ages slot machine
No word on whether this custom “Rock of Ages” slot bank will be moving to Rio along with the show.

Easily the best part of “Rock of Ages” at the Venetian was its set design.

The original set boasted an amusing billboard, a Jack Daniel’s ad with the message, “I did WHAT with my sister?” The show’s producers and set designers didn’t know it, but the billboard was actually a Photoshopped image we created back in 2002 for our long ago abandoned humor site, Dribbleglass.com.

How our phony billboard came to be part of the “Rock of Ages” set, or whether the show’s producers even knew the billboard was fake, we may never know. Either way, this blog will take its Las Vegas immortality where we can get it.

Jack Daniels billboard
Our phony billboards caused quite a stir back in the day, including another for Southern Comfort. Read more.

“Rock of Ages” opened at Venetian in December 2012 and performed more than 1,000 shows in that location.

The Venetian is cleaning house with its entertainment offerings, with “Frank: The Man, The Music” (not great) and Human Nature (great, but with lots of unnecessary lip-syncing) also being shown the door.

“Rock of Ages” should be a much-needed boost for the ever-struggling Rio, and while the show isn’t for everyone, lots of people say it rocks.

Let us know what you think, and best of luck to “Rock of Ages” as it settles into its new home.