Phoenix Plays Final Club Show Of The ‘Alpha Zulu’ Tour At Brooklyn Bowl

As I walked down the Linq Promenade on my way to Brooklyn Bowl, I didn’t even care that it was our first 100° day of the year. The only thing on my mind was that Las Vegas was getting to witness the final club show of Phoenix’s Alpha Zulu US tour. Phoenix has been on multiple legs of the Alpha Zulu tour since 2022, this one including shows across the west coast.

Beastie Vee

Knowing nothing about the opening act, my expectations at the start of the set were very neutral. However, once Beastie Vee took the stage, myself and the crowd were nothing short of shocked. I’ve been to a countless number of concerts in my years, and have seen bands with two members, three members, five members, hell even TWELVE members. But I don’t think anyone was expecting a French, industrial/post punk one-man-band to be on stage that night. Beastie Vee entered through the dimly lit fog, and sat at his drum set, planted directly in the center of the stage. Audience members watched the intensely powerful drum intro with their heads bobbing as they could feel the energy of the set begin to build. And then the VOCALS. Beastie Vee’s hauntingly melodic voice filled the room as the crowd erupted in cheers. For one guy sitting behind a drum set and singing, Beastie Vee curated an insanely energetic setlist that had me HANGING on the end of each song like I was binging a show that I couldn’t wait to see the next episode of (Pretty Little Liars). After an incredible performance, the venue was filled with the chatter of people all asking the same question: “Who WAS that guy?”

Originally from Réunion Island, Beastie Vee settled in New York City to begin his music career. While he has not been particularly active since the release of his self titled debut album in 2021, Beastie Vee appears to be set on a promising future of live shows. Vegas would certainly be happy to see him back again soon!

Phoenix

When I tell you I was STOKED for this set, it’s an understatement. I’ve been a fan of Phoenix since I was twelve years old. I remember sitting in my kitchen after school listening to X107.5 when I heard ‘1901’ for the first time. From that moment, I was a Phoenix fan for life. For some reason though, I had never seen them live!

Phoenix are no stranger to creating powerful live performances, so I was nothing short of excited for what they were about to bring to the table. I could feel the anticipation in the room as the lights went down and the band stepped out to the deafening roar of the Brooklyn Bowl crowd. The intro to ‘Lisztomania’ began to play, and it was time – Phoenix had returned to Las Vegas.

With hands in the air throughout the entire set, the audience screamed every word. Nothing else in the world mattered to anyone in the room other than experiencing the moment. Thomas Mars began singing and I was absolutely blown off my feet! He sounds EXACTLY like he does on his records which I always love. The vocals were backed but some of the most talented musicians I’ve ever seen. Guitar tones that absolutely blossomed off the records, keys and synth parts that reverberated off the venue walls, drums and bass that pounded through the floors. You could hear every piece working together to create the iconic Phoenix sound.

Being a photographer, one of the things that I ironically loved about this set was the low lighting. This set was very backlit, with a lot of moving lights that were meticulously placed and designed to create a different feeling for each song. Phoenix continued the night with a brief message from vocalist Thomas Mars, in which he talked about their love for Vegas, and their excitement for their upcoming festival season. Audience members jumped and danced with their hands in the air as the band continued their set, playing hits such as ‘Entertainment’ and ‘Lasso’, and classics from their earlier stuff like ‘Too Young’ and ‘Love Like a Sunset’ (pt I & pt II). However, I think my favorite song of the night was the title track off of their most recent album ‘Alpha Zulu’. A very bouncy, but haunting song, and the combination of the bands performance and lighting design was spectacular.

After a stellar 14 song set, Phoenix blessed us with a FOUR song encore, beginning with the most beautiful, stripped down rendition of ‘Telefono’ I’ve ever heard. Two more songs, and there it was. The song I heard as a middle school kid that made me fall in love with Phoenix. ‘1901’. The guys finished it off with their biggest hit, as the crowd sang back with every word. As they finished that song, Thomas Mars made his way into the crowd with his microphone, finding a spot in the center to climb on top of the audience and say his goodbyes.

Phoenix closed out the club venue portion of their ‘Alpha Zulu’ tour with Las Vegas, as they immediately jumped into their festival run with a performance the following night at Just Like Heaven Fest in Pasadena, CA.