Bad Co Nation and Teenage Wasteland – Vamp’d Salutes Classic British Rock!

Teenage Wasteland played Count’s Vamp’d on Saturday, June 7, 2025, with support act Bad Co Nation.

Even though the days at Vamp’d have drawn to a close, it’s no secret that Danny and Korie Koker went out with a bang, giving audiences some damn good rock and roll shows right up until the day of closure . A few weeks prior to the closure saw the arrival of one beloved local tribute band, as well as one this rock and roll fan hadn’t seen before.

Kicking off the festivities was Bad Co Nation, a tribute to Bad Company, one of the UK’s greatest classic 70s rock band. While I’ve certainly see many bands play Bad Company songs, I’ve never seen a full-on tribute to the group, so this was something I was certainly looking forward to. While the actual classic Bad Company band consisted of four members, including classic vocalist Paul Rodgers, this group had a fifth member for additional guitar and keyboard parts, which is actually smart move. Appearance-wise I don’t think you’ll ever mistake these guys for the real band, but Bad Company isn’t a band that was widely known for a particular image, so in this case that’s not a detriment.

But how did they sound? In the simplest terms possible, pretty damn good. The band’s vocalist had some powerful pipes; this is a must if you’re singing songs that were originally performed by Paul Rodgers. Everyone was more than up to the task at hands, and an enthusiastic audience was singing along and having a great time. You could tell these guys have not only studied the studio recordings of these songs extensively, but also the live versions.

The setlist was surprisingly diverse, covering all the hits plus a few surprises. Memorable cuts like “Can’t Get Enough,” “Ready for Love,” “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” “Burnin’ Sky,” and “Rock and Roll Fantasy” were all given fantastic life, but the band wasn’t afraid to go deeper as well. One of the biggest surprises was hearing “Gone, Gone, Gone” from 1979’s DESOLATION ANGELS record; this is one of the very few songs late bassist Boz Burrell ever wrote for the band, and it’s a personal favorite. The band even went back a bit further in Paul Rodgers’ career for his hit with the band Free, 1970’s “All Right Now” from that group’s seminal FIRE AND WATER album.

Probably my only complaint with an otherwise stellar setlist was the omission of the title cut from RUN WITH THE PACK, as well as that album’s non-single hit, “Silver, Blue and Gold.” If I see these guys again, I’d love to see them dip their toes into some other related tunes, including Paul Rodgers’ days with The Firm, and maybe even the Brian Howe era. But no big complaints here. The audience, this member included, loved what was played. I will definitely see these guys again.

Headlining the evening was Las Vegas’ premier tribute to The Who – Teenage Wasteland. I’ve been seeing these guys since they were called The Who Invasion. Keith Stephen Caplan, Jon Stenber, and Chris Guida are all still doing what they do best, alongside the newest member, guitarist Steve Burchell (the last time I saw the group, Aaron Archer was filling in on guitar). These guys have a great chemistry with one another and clearly have a definite passion for the music. They also look the part as well; Mr. Caplan makes for one hell of a frontman, portraying Roger Daltrey. I’d personally love it if these guys would follow Bad Co Nation’s example and hire a fifth member for the songs that require an orchestral/keyboard track, but they know what they’re doing. This is the music of The Who done right.

The Who had a wide array of radically different sounding songs from their original tenure of album releases from 1965-1982, which was beautifully demonstrated here. Old school cuts like “My Generation,” “I Can’t Explain,” “I Can See for Miles,” “Magic Bus,” and “I Can See for Miles” play great alongside later cuts like ”Eminence Front” and “Who Are You,” making for a killer variety of material. The band’s two biggest albums, the concept album Tommy from 1969, and its follow-up, 1971’s WHO’S NEXT, got fine representation in the set, with the former including “I’m Free,” “Pinball Wizard,” and a blistering version of “See Me, Feel Me” based on the classic live incarnation the band performed back in the day. The latter album was represented in cuts like “Baba O’Riley,” “Behind Blue Eyes,” and a fantastic closing rendition of “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” Could I sit here and nitpick the songs I didn’t hear that I wanted to? Yeah. But I had too good of a time to care.

As this was Teenage Wasteland’s final performance at Vamp’d, they claimed to the crowd they wanted to pay tribute to another one of the big British bands from back in the day; they audience knew they were getting The Who and Bad Company music, but who could this other band be they wanted to do a tribute to? Led Zeppelin of course! The band even changed outfits and gave the crowd some amazing performances from throughout that band’s storied discography, including “Good Times Bad Times,” “Dazed and Confused,” “Whole Lotta Love,” “Dancing Days,” and “The Song Remains the Same.” An unexpected surprise of the best kind. The show lasted until nearly 12:30 AM (the latest I’ve been at Vamp’d in a long time!), but again, I enjoyed myself too much to mind. The lack of sleep was worth it.

I’m filled with many emotions following the closure of Vamp’d, but this killer pair of bands made me forget my sorrows for several hours on the night they played. Both bands tore it up, paying tribute to some of the best in British rock, and you owe it to yourself to see both bands, who’ll hopefully be playing in another venue sometime in the near future.

PHOTO CREDIT: Live photos by Stephy Muzio for ZRockR Magazine – (c) 2025 – All Rights Reserved.