The Ultimate Doors Break On Through Sin City!

The Ultimate Doors tribute band played Vamp’d on Saturday, March 15, 2025, with support act Outlaw Acoustic.

Leave it to the people at Count’s Vamp’d to continue delivering the rock and roll goodness Las Vegas needs. When it comes to music in Sin City, there’s no better place to be, with a wide array of shows covering many genres, from covers to originals. This rock fan loves the music of the Doors, and was ecstatic to learn that a tribute would be hitting up Vamp’d…

…and the fans came out in droves. The first thing I noticed when I pulled up to Vamp’d was that the parking lot was JAMMED. Inside the venue, it was equally crowded. And keep in mind this was for a tribute band! According to another one of my friends attending the concert, this was a bigger crowd than Robby Krieger (the actual guitarist of the Doors) pulled in when he played Vamp’d last year, a show I unfortunately missed. That should say something right there!

Most shows at Vamp’d feature a support act, and on this evening, the support act was the trio Outlaw Acoustic. This is, essentially, a trip of local musicians, in their own words, playing acoustic songs that weren’t meant to be played acoustic. The lineup of this group has varied from gig to gig, but on this evening featured vocalist Keith Steven Caplan, best known around Vegas as the frontman in the Teenage Wasteland Who tribute. Basically, they delivered what was promised, and I mean that in the best of ways, giving audiences a setlist that covered a wide array of rock history and genres. It was the perfect way to start the evening.

The Doors. Do these classic rock icons even need an explanation? Fronted by Jim Morrison, the trio, which also featured guitarist Robby Krieger, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, and drummer John Densmore, released six studio albums from 1969-1971. Their unique sound combined with Morrison’s outlandish behavior, made them classic rock icons. Attempts to keep the band afloat following Morrison’s 1971 death were unsuccessful, though the members of the band remained active to some degree in varying capacities. Sadly, Ray Manzarek, who’d also worked with punk pioneers X in the early 1980s, died in 2013.

So it’s no surprise, that given the band’s lofty reputation, they retain a pretty rabid fanbase, both of the aging rock fans who knew the band when they were together, and their children and grandchildren who have discovered and embraced the music over time. Over half a century after Jim Morrison’s death, their music has never declined in popularity, with their tunes remaining staples of classic rock radio. Naturally, there are plenty of Doors tribute bands out there, and I’d never seen one before despite my being a fan. Would a band calling themselves The Ultimate Doors live up to that lofty title?

I’m pleased to say that this show shattered my expectations and then some, with what was easily the best performance of live Doors music I’ve ever seen. Right from the get-go when the foursome took the stage, you could tell that these guys go for authenticity. The guy playing Ray Manzarek had an authentic period organ. Those playing Mr. Krieger and Mr. Densmore had appropriate clothing and instruments as well. And the most integral part of anyone portraying the Doors musicians is whoever plays the lead role of Jim Morrison. To say that this frontman didn’t disappoint would be an understatement. Further going for authenticity, the band does NOT have a bass player (this is how the actual band played back in the day, using organ to fill out the lower end). Appearance-wise, these guys impressed me before they played a note.

Would they play as good as they looked?

I’m happy to say the answer here was a resounding yes. This band put on a high-energy performance embracing these tunes from the band’s classic 1967-1971 heyday, performing not only many of the classics, but also a ton of deep tracks that aren’t exactly classic rock radio regulars. Cuts like “Light My Fire,” “Hello I Love You,” “Touch Me,” “People are Strange,” “Love Me Two Times,” “Roadhouse Blues,” “LA Woman,” and “Riders on the Storm” got the powerful live renditions you’d expect, but the band wasn’t afraid to dig a bit deeper with fare like “Love Street,” “Moonlight Drive,” and even-full length performances of album closers “The End” and “When the Music’s Over.”

One thing that impressed me most about this show was just how much the man portraying Jim Morrison had studied vintage live footage of the man and incorporated it into the live show. There were many moments I suspect were intentional flubs and goofs as homages to how Morrison actually behaved on stage, and then references to more legendary moments like the band’s classic Hollywood Bowl concert, including drunken/high rants about topics like astrology, and bending over and pointing his backside to the crowd. A fan like me appreciated these moments. I would’ve been happy just seeing a guy dressed as Jim Morrison singing Doors tunes, but seeing someone who actually “did the research” and incorporated it into the performance only added to the evening’s entertainment.

Probably the only minor complaint I have with the otherwise excellent show was that certain tunes were relegated to being parts of medleys. This is often done to fit in more songs when it comes to concerts, though some of these tunes deserved to have full-length performances. The band’s take on Willie Dixon’s “Back Door Man” comes to mind here; it was a bit disappointing to only hear the first verse, never even getting to the “pork and beans” part before moving on with the next song in the medley. Even with the Doors only recording six albums in a four-year period, there are still a ton of tracks to choose and select from, and overall, I do think these guys did a solid job choosing their setlist despite their minor criticism.

The Ultimate Doors is a group that lives up to their name. They defy expectations and resurrect this music as no other band I’ve ever seen does. If you’re a fan of the Doors and these guys come to your town, you won’t regret laying down the cash to check out their gig.

PHOTO CREDIT: Live photos by Dave Childers for ZrockR Magazine – (c) 2025 – All RIghts Reserved.