CRASHING WAYWARD Brings Their New Album LISTEN! Live to The Industrial Sound!

Crashing Wayward played their album release party at The Industrial Sound on Wednesday, June 28, 2023.

Crashing Wayward has been making a name for themselves on the Vegas scene and beyond recently. The release of their full-length debut album, LISTEN!, shows that the quintet won’t be going away anytime soon, continuing to serve up their brand of modern rock. Vocalist Peter Summit, guitarists Stacey Blades (formerly of LA Guns) and David Harris, bassist Carl Raether, and drummer Shon McKee have announced their presence in a big way with the album release…

…and any noteworthy release deserves a release event, which we got in the form of this past Wednesday evening. I’d never been to or even heard of The Industrial Sound prior to this event, but any chance I can get to check out a new venue (or even just one that’s new to me) is welcome. Sin City needs all the venues it can get, particularly in a day and age when they come and go without a trace. What was delivered on this night was an epic set of rock and roll, but unfortunately incorrect information, including regarding start times, worked against the experience.

The event that was advertised was to have its doors open at 8:00 PM, with the band taking the stage roughly an hour later, along with other features including a merch table, professional artists, food trucks, and more. Like a day or two prior to the event, it was announced that modern rockers Shinedown would also be performing at the event. That was even more grounds for celebration, seeing as how they’re some of the best talent the music world of the past two decades or so has had to offer. So…. would Shinedown be opening for Crashing Wayward or vice versa? How long would the event be going? Not having anything else to go by, I went by the original advertised start time.

Having never been to the venue before, I wanted to get there early and make sure there was enough parking. They actually have a pretty large gated lot just south of the building, which while it could use some development and renovating, was at least big enough to accommodate many vehicles; in a day and age where free parking is becoming increasingly rare, this was a breath of fresh air. The building is located in a rather sketchy area, right between the Strip and Downtown Vegas, though the actual building is quite large and surprisingly nice once you get inside.

I arrived in the parking lot around 7:20 PM or so, waiting and killing time for the 8:00 start time. I then received a text from a fellow journalist/media personality asking if “I was in yet.” This was particularly puzzling, as doors weren’t supposed to open until 8:00 PM. I went to the door to see if I could get in. And while the staff up front need to work on their customer service skills a bit, before long I was in.

And Shinedown was already playing. Apparently they’d started playing at 6:00 PM. WTF!? Apparently the Shinedown thing was a separate event hosted by a local radio station, but again, none of this was advertised, and what I’d heard wasn’t advertised correctly. Following the Shinedown set, much of the crowd left the venue outright.

The event was advertised as having an 8:00 doors open time. So I only caught Shinedown’s last two songs because the information I was given regarding doors opening/event starting times was way off. I received a text from my photographer (who was also going by the advertise event start time) asking if Crashing Wayward was opening for Shinedown. When I responded saying that Shinedown had just finished, and that Crashing Wayward was apparently playing at 8:15 PM, that obviously came as a shock. As my photographer would arrive late due to begin given the wrong time, I was told to take pics as a backup.

Despite the wrong times being advertised for everything throughout the evening, once Crashing Wayward took the stage, they were understandably excellent. If these are the hands that modern rock is in, we can breathe easy knowing there’s a kick-ass band carrying the torch. The stage is a good size, and even has a video screen which videographers were using to project footage. There were also ample seating/tables behind the stage, but plenty of room upfront for those who wanted to rock out and/or take pics/video. The venue was not massively crowded, but for a Wednesday night, this was a respectable turnout. Of course, the band was happy to take pics/sign autographs following their performance. They were off the stage by 9:15 PM, which is an unusually early ending time for a Vegas concert, but honestly, a welcomed change from the nights that go past midnight; I wish this could be the norm everywhere going forward. This fan just wishes the correct event times had been advertised.

On an unrelated note, when I entered the venue, I was given a raffle ticket, but no raffle ever actually took place (unless it happened prior to the advertised start time).

The Industrial Sound is a sizable spot that has tremendous potential to be one of the next great concert venues in Vegas (ads for the venue/on the video screen carried the caption “Big Hair Rocks” which makes me wonder if they’re planning a concert series). I don’t know where the blame for this particular night falls, but the incorrect advertising of start times needs to be addressed. I can understand a show occasionally maybe starting half an hour late or so due to technical delays/set up issues/etc., but when you have discrepancies of several hours that result in fans and press missing large portions of the event, this is unacceptable. That I arrived so late because no one told me the correct start time means I’m not even able to review the Shinedown portion of the evening; a damn shame considering they’re a fantastic band that deserves respect.

But on the positive side, what I did see, including the spacious venue with a large stage and a great performance from Crashing Wayward, were incredible. LISTEN! is the first release from the band, and I truly hope it won’t be the last. Let’s hope The Industrial Sound does become a regular concert spot for Las Vegas, and that the incorrectly advertised event times are just a one-off mistake. In the meantime, pick up LISTEN! and catch Crashing Wayward in concert the next chance you get!