Vegas/Rated is Las Vegas’ answer to such glossy pop-cult/lifestyle guides as PAPER and BlackBook.  It’s fresh, it’s relevant, and it’s produced beautifully.  The layouts are clean and easy to read; the photos are saturated in color and alive with the latest technological finishing processes; and the articles written with erudition and wit by a stable of writers who answer to Editor in Chief, Melinda Sheckells.  Along with Laura Downey and Liz Sewell, Sheckells has assembled a fabulously strong team (including yours-truly) that turns-out an addictively readable periodical.

Thursday night, Vegas/Rated celebrated its One Year Anniversary with a party at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, in conjunction with that property’s Thursdays Live concert series at BLVD Social Club by the Boulevard Pool.  The evening’s concert was a much-hyped performance by those stylish Swede rockers, The Hives, who were touring in promotion of their fifth studio album, Lex Hives; and who had performed, the night before, on The Conan O’Brien Show, on TBS.

The scene was pretty massive.  VIPs with the Vegas/Rated group took-over the balcony and mezzanine levels, overlooking the stage from a spectacular vantage; and there were more under-45 –sters (hip-, scene-, etc.) and –istas (fashion-, styl-, barr-, fabul-, etc.) than you could squeeze into a 24-hour tattoo-parlor/launderette fronting for an underground full-body-contact hopscotch ring.

The Hives rocked, the drinks flowed, the people mingled, friends caught-up, people with ironically worn facial hair or piercings checked each other out.  Through it all, Jacob and I ran into Michael McGraw and Sean McClenahan, chatted with Alan Creel, caught-up with Judy Stone, met a fan (Hey, Lucky!) who’d caught my MCing-gig during Fashion’s Night Out at CRYSTALS at CityCenter, posed for Hew Burney, was introduced by the über-fierce DJ88 to her friend Jolene Mannina, who produces food-truck battles featuring chefs from the city’s finest restaurants (but more on that in an upcoming post), and bumped (literally) into Michael Crandall and Courtney Schorr.

All told – a great party at a great place full of great people.  And really, how great is that?

VEGAS/RATED - One Year Anniversary Party
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
Live performance by The Hives presented by BLVD Social Club
Click HERE for info

Get into it!