Michael Monroe at Vamp’d – A Finn in the City of Sin!

Michael Monroe played Count’s Vamp’d on Friday, April 11, 2025.

If you want the best rock and roll shows in Sin City, Count’s Vamp’d is the place to be. For over a decade, this has been Las Vegas’ playground for headbangers, attracting the best in local, national, and international talent. Danny and Korie Koker continue to bring in everything from local bands on the rise to the superstars who’ve toured the world. On April 11, one of Finland’s finest came to Nevada as part of a short American tour – Legendary Former Hanoi Rocks Vocalist Michael Monroe!

That Hanoi Rocks never became a household name is criminal. This is the band that influenced the look and sound of the whole Sunset Strip music scene in the 80s, but was unfortunately derailed by the tragic passing of their drummer Razzle (I won’t get into this story here; it’s been told countless times already). Ironically, Hanoi Rocks was overshadowed by the bands they influenced, but this didn’t stop their fearless frontman, Michael Monroe, from setting out on a solo career, and putting out some more damn good music. A Hanoi Rocks reunion briefly occurred in the 2000s, but before long, Mr. Monroe was back to a solo career, continuing to do what he does best.

Micheal Monroe doesn’t play concerts in the USA very often; the only place American audiences usually get to see him play is on cruise ships. In fact, this was Mr. Monroe’s first performance in Las Vegas in over NINE YEARS; he’d previously played Vamp’d way back in 2016. I was there, of course.

Michael Monroe’s show at Vamp’d was SOLD OUT, which goes to show the level of respect and fandom people have for this iconic and influential rock vocalist. The tables were removed from the main room of the venue; this is typically done when an above-average crowd is anticipated. And needless to say, the room was filled wall to wall with rock fans from all over. It was also unusual in that it was a single-set night. Most concerts at Vamp’d have two or three acts, but Mr. Monroe had an earlier doors open/start time, and was the only one performing.

Monroe took the stage with his band at approximately 9:00 PM on this Friday night, with the doors having opened two hours earlier. I, of course, got there as early as possible to secure a spot fairly close to the stage for getting some pictures. I wasn’t familiar with most of the backing musicians Mr. Monroe had in tow, but they quickly proved themselves to be up to the task of bringing these songs to life. Monroe’s backing band usually includes his ex-Hanoi Rocks bandmate Sami Yaffa, who unfortunately wasn’t able to enter the country for this go-around. But he recruited a more-than-suitable fill-in bassist – Todd Kerns! While originally from Canada, Mr. Kerns has resided in Las Vegas for many years, and is best known these days as the bassist in Slash’s band. The fact that he’s basically the world’s biggest Hanoi Rocks fan doesn’t hurt either; this was surely a dream gig for the guy!

Monroe himself has an unrivaled stage presence. This guy owns every single stage he stands on, and he proved that on this evening. Even in his 60s, he still sounds like the Finnish youth who once rocked the world with Hanoi Rocks, and that’s no small feat. At one point, he even left the stage and began standing on a makeshift bar in the audience, much to the surprise of venue staff, photographers, and enthusiastic fans! You never quite know what he’s going to do next, and bless him for that.

I was curious about what Monroe’s setlist would consist of. While best known for Hanoi Rocks, his solo discography is actually larger than that of Hanoi! And of course, there have been plenty of side projects as well. The night was kicked off with blistering rendition of Monroe’s solo anthem, “Dead, Jail or Rock N Roll” from his classic sophomore solo album, 1989’s NOT FAKIN’ IT. Roughly 2/3 of the set consisted of Michael Monroe solo tunes. I’ll confess that I’m not super knowledgeable about his solo discography, but I loved nearly everything I heard, from the popular to the obscure, and I’m now motorvated (I misspelled that on purpose) to check out more of his releases I’ve missed over the years.

Fortunately, the setlist wasn’t devoid of Hanoi Rocks material. Tunes played included “Don’t You Ever Leave Me,” (complete with one of his guitarists doing the spoken word interlude parts), “I Can’t Get It,” “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” (not to be confused with the Green Day song of the same name), “Up Around the Bend” (of course originally performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival), and “Taxi Driver.” There were a few somewhat disappointing omissions, including “Million Miles Away” from the Hanoi Rocks years, and “Not Fakin’ It” from Mr. Monroe’s solo career, but overall, with such a huge set of discographies to choose from, I don’t think a single person in Vamp’d on this evening was disappointed.

We had to wait nine years between Michael Monroe shows in Las Vegas, and I hope he doesn’t make us wait another nine before he returns. This was my show of the year so far, and there’s no doubt that this one will show up on my Best of the Year list when the time comes. Mr. Monroe in his 60s rocks just as hard as Mr. Monroe in his 20s. It was a killer setlist of both Hanoi and solo tunes, and getting Todd Kerns on bass was the icing on the cake. If you have an opportunity to see Michael Monroe, GO. Even if you’re not sure if you’re a fan or not, I can pretty much guarantee you’ll be one when the set ends.