The Casino File
The folks at the Prudential North2Shore Festival and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City certainly knew what they were doing when they booked Low Cut Connie to kick off its monthly “Garden State Live” concert series, which is dedicated to New Jersey-based artists who primarily write and perform their own material.
The flashy, wildly entertaining sextet led by Cherry Hill native Adam Weiner turned in an electrifying set that ably illustrated why he is a “critics’ darling” as well as a favorite of such musical giants as Elton John and Bruce Springsteen.
Taking the Sound Waves stage to the pre-recorded strains of the song “Don’t Bogart That Joint” by the long-forgotten Fraternity of Man (which appeared on the “Easy Rider” soundtrack), Weiner and his team wasted no time in establishing the evening’s template with the raucous “Back in School” which, like so many of the set’s offerings, showed off Weiner’s facile lyric-writing, from-the-heart vocal style and animated and (literally) acrobatic piano playing.
From there, Low Cut Connie kept the party going with a selection of similarly formatted numbers, among them “Rio,” “Hey! Little Child” and “Dirty Water,” all of which had the room reelin’ and rockin’. The latter was an especially sweet treat as it bookended two covers, Rod Stewart’s “Hot Legs” and “Bang A Gong” by 1970s glam-rock progenitors, T Rex (somewhat younger folks may recall it as a 1985 hit by the British “supergroup” Power Station).
The entire set was borne on the superb playing and singing by Weiner’s backing unit. Of particular note were the sexy, sassy vocalizing of the provocatively dressed Amanda “Rocky” Bullwinkel, and sharp lead guitar work by Rich Stanley (who, interestingly, looked as if he stepped out of a circa-1971 southern-rock band). The rhythm section comprised of guitarist Kelsey Cork, bassist Nick Perri and drummer Jarae Lewis provided faultless powerhouse underpinnings for Stanley and Weiner’s soloing.
Despite the sure-handed support, a Low Cut Connie performance is always the Adam Weiner Show, and Friday night the 32-year-old rocker didn’t disappoint.
He proved to be an engaging and savvy entertainer who carries on the tradition of high-energy front men, from the piano-pounding 1950s deities Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard, to flamboyant, high-energy ’70s showmen like Peter Wolf of The J Geils Band, the aforementioned Rod Stewart and Elton and, above all else, Springsteen, with whom he shares a vaudevillian sense of theatrics and stage presence and a predilection for the gritty underbelly of classic pop—as well as an on-your-knees-and-testify belief in the redemptive and healing powers of what the poet once described as “good old rock & roll.”
Weiner was a joy to behold as he yelped, growled, praised and cursed from his knees, atop his piano or while cruising the floor among his adoring fans.
But Weiner is no second-rate impersonator. Despite his obvious influences, he emerges as unique in style and execution, propelled by dynamite material, a delightful sense of fun and what is clearly the soul of an old-school entertainer.
The result was a most memorable turn.
Top-notch opener
We were also impressed by the opening act, Isn’t It Always. The trio led by guitarist-vocalist-composer Devin Scheck (who actually works at Hard Rock) is, on the surface, a crunching, high-volume power trio that straddles an intriguing line between ’90s punk and Rush-adjacent prog-rock. But like Green Day (an obvious reference point for those new to the unit), there was a discernible musicality hiding in the craters of the band’s cranked-to-11 sonic blitzkrieg that made their brief set way more than just a noise-fest.
About the room
We can’t leave Friday’s rave-up without a word or two about the Sound Waves as a rock-music venue. Although I’ve been attending shows there for 35 years (it was there when Trump Taj Mahal Casino-Resort opened in 1990), this was the first time I’d ever seen an open-floor configuration in the room rather than rows and rows of folding chairs (at least in my memory; that’s what happens when you have but 18 remaining functioning brain cells).
There was plenty of room for the 415 ticketholders (it can clearly hold significantly more) and the room’s sizeable proscenium stage and superior acoustics and sightlines suggest there is definitely value in utilizing it beyond the “Garden State Live” format.
Lights out at Premier
Aug. 31 will see “last call” at Premier Nightclub inside Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa.
The bayside pleasure dome has announced that it is shuttering the nine-year-old danceteria, but has not yet divulged what it plans to do with the soon-to-be-empty space.
“We are incredibly grateful to our dedicated team who brought Premier’s energy to life night after night and to our loyal guests who have played a pivotal role in making the venue one of Atlantic City’s most iconic nightlife destinations,” said Niklas Rytterstrom, the Big B’s president & COO, in a press release.
“As we bid farewell to Premier, we remain committed to evolving the nightlife experience at Borgata and look forward to sharing what’s next for the space in the months to come.”
Chuck Darrow has spent more than 40 years writing about Atlantic City casinos.
