We’ve arrived at the end of 2025. This year has been a rough one. Las Vegas saw the closure of Count’s Vamp’d, my favorite venue in the world, and the world at large took a big hit with the loss of rock titans like Ozzy Osbourne and Ace Frehley. But all things considered, we still got some great music, both on the live stage and on albums. In the wake of Vamp’d closing, other venues have begun to pick up the slack, so I’m pleased to say we still have a music scene with plenty of passionate rock fans.
It’s time again, so let’s get right down to business!
-Best Reissue of a Classic Album:
KISS: DRESSED TO KILL Box Set
How many more years are we going to raid the KISS vault for unreleased stuff? Hey, there’s no bigger fan than me, and if we can keep getting sweet rarities from back in the day, I’ll be first in line for them. The band’s classic 1975 album gets a solid reissue here with some rare unreleased tracks (mostly demos, outtakes, and the like), but perhaps most importantly, vintage concerts. It’s a treasure trove for KISS fans like myself.
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-Best Reissue of a Classic Album Honorable Mention:
Green Day: WARNING 25th Anniversary Deluxe Box Set
Are these guys still banned in Vegas? Whether they are or not, I love their music. WARNING, originally released back in 2000, gets the Deluxe Edition treatment as so many other releases in their catalogue have, giving us the original album remastered, plus plenty of rarities, and perhaps most importantly, a vintage live show. So… which albums in the band’s back catalogue have yet to get this treatment now?
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-Best New Live Release of Vintage Material:
KISS: ALIVE! Box Set
Yup, these guys again. Not one but two killer box sets in a relatively short period. The band’s seminal live album (exactly how live it is remains open to interpretation) gets a reissue here, along with some additional vintage concerts, capturing the band in their truest element from their most classic era. You wanted the best… you got it here.
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-Best New Live Release of Vintage Material Honorable Mention:
Sweet: LIVE AT THE MARQUEE 1986
Sweet were titans of 70s glam rock in England, even if they’re only known for a small assortment of hits here in the States. By the time the 80s rolled around these guys were largely considered yesterday’s news… but they were still making music with a great lineup including former Iron Maiden singer Paul Mario Day and Uriah Heep keyboardist Phil Lanzon. This is a great live recording from a band most people had written off by 1986. Don’t make that same mistake!
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-Best Rock Movie:
BECOMING LED ZEPPELIN
Do you want to journey back in time to the beginning of one of classic rock’s greatest bands? This documentary is fantastic, featuring some amazing archival material both on and off the stage. While it only covers the era leading up to the band’s first two studio albums, it’s packed with info and footage well worth seeing for any fan of the band. Don’t pass this one by. Hopefully, we’ll get more docs covering the later years of the band!
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-Best Rock Movie Honorable Mention:
SPINAL TAP II: THE END CONTINUES
The world’s greatest mockumentary (if you will, rockumentary), gets a long overdue proper sequel. Does it go to 11 to the extend it’s legendary 1984 predecessor does? Not quite, but it’s a more-than-worthy sequel. 41 years after the fact, these guys are still hilarious, and the music is fantastic. We even get some fun cameos as well, which thankfully don’t overshadow the hilarious yet musically capable actors.
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-Best Concert Film/Best Live Release of New Material
Def Leppard: DIAMOND STAR HEROES
Def Leppard returns to their hometown of Sheffield for a spirited concert, unleashing old and new tunes alike on an enthusiastic audience. The quintet still has great chemistry and spirit on a live stage despite all they’ve been through, and Joe Elliott remains one of the quintessential rock singers. As an added bonus, the 4K release of this concert even includes the band’s Leadmill concert, filmed a few nights prior (this concert had previously been available on DVD and Blu-ray).
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-Best Release From a Local Artist:
Cyanide: 21 GUN SALUTE
How many bands is Robert Hussey in? I have no idea! He’s got tributes to Iron Maiden, Poison, Motley Crue, and his band of original music, Cyanide, which feels like a flashback to the bygone days of the Sunset Strip and the Decade of Decadence. It’s been a decade since Hussey’s last Cyanide release, and changing out every band members, but nothing’s been lost in the interim. This album is a nice slice of 80s flavored sleaze rock as only Mr. Hussey could deliver. Essential listening all around.
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-Best Albums of the Year (not ranked, and in no particular order):
Just a brief disclaimer that I normally do a pretty thorough ranking of Albums of the Year, including runners-up. This year, I’ve been a bit distracted, and haven’t been able to do as many album reviews as I like. So, for this year only, I’m simply listing a handful of my favorite releases from the near. No rankings. And keep in mind, this is just a small sampling since I haven’t gotten to hear everything yet this year I want to. Here we go!
-Bangalore Choir: RAPID FIRE SUCCESSION: ON FIRE PART II
This is one of those great bands that was criminally underrated in their original tenure due to bad timing and the changes in the music industry that were seen far and wide in the early 1990s. Fronted by one-time Accept vocalist David Reece, their Max Norman-produced debut was a forgotten masterpiece. But Reece is still alive and well making new music with Bangalore Choir, and guess what? It’s every bit as good as what we got back in the day.
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-MAGIC POWER: ALL-STAR TRIBUTE TO TRIUMPH:
It’s rare a tribute album lands on a Best of the Year list for me, but this all-star tribute to Canada’s other power trio is that good. Sebastian Bach, Dee Snider, and Slash are among the names you’ll find paying tribute on here, and the end results absolutely don’t fail to please.
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-Alice Cooper: THE REVENGE OF ALICE COOPER
He’s back. Granted, he never really went away. Alice has been doing his thing for over half a century, and this album reunites him with his classic band, in the form of a pre-recorded repurposed guitar solo, even deceased classic guitarist Glen Buxton!
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-Robin McAuley: SOULBOUND
This guy may be the best vocalist ever. From AOR to pop to melodic rock and the straight-up hard rock he did with Michael Schenker back in the day, I love what he delivers. This latest solo effort is no slouch. This guy could sing the damn phone book and I’d still buy it.
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-CAN’T GET ENOUGH: A TRIBUTE TO BAD COMPANY
What’s this? Another tribute album on here? Has Hell frozen over? Quite possibly, but this is another damn good collection of rock all-stars paying tribute to the classic rock greats. Halestorm, the Pretty Reckless, Slash, and even members of Def Leppard deliver the goods. Vocalist Paul Rodgers himself even has a guest spot on Blackberry Smoke’s take on the title cut from 1976’s RUN WITH THE PACK.
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-Ghost: SKELETA
I know a lot of you are probably tired of hearing about these guys, but you know what? If they can keep delivering good music and keep people young and old alike interested in rock and roll, they’re good in my book. Decidedly different from previous efforts but still uniquely Ghost, this one’s been enjoying regular rotation in my music library this year.
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And now, we continue to the year’s concerts! As always, I must give the disclaimer that I am NOT able to attend every concert I wish to, and scheduling adds further difficulties. That said, I’m delighted to see that in the closure of Vamp’d, many other venues have stepped forth to book bands. Let’s get on with it!
-Best Performance From a Locally Based Artist:
The Far Worst, multiple performances
Despite that name, these guys are one of the best bands in Las Vegas. Bree Elizabeth remains a beautiful, charismatic frontwoman who can win over any crowd, and she’s now joined by her lover and collaborator, former Noize Complaint vocalist Jake Bruen, who now plays in the band as a bassist! It’s a match made in rock and roll heaven, and this band continues to unleash high energy shows and make new and exciting music. I’ll never get tired of this group, and I can’t wait to see what the next few years have in store!
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-Best Performance From a Locally Based Artist Honorable Mention:
Teenage Wasteland and Bad Co Nation, Count’s Vamp’d
This was a killer tribute night to British rock and roll. Newbies Bad Co Nation did a great tribute to Bad Company and Paul Rodgers, doing justice to those British blues-based classics. And Teenage Wasteland’s final Vamp’d gig was one for the memories, with the group even making a half-hour diversion to pay tribute to another one of the greatest British bands: Led Zeppelin! Both of these groups know British classic rock inside and out, and they demonstrated it beautifully on this night.
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-Best Concerts of the Year Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):
-Marty Friedman, Count’s Vamp’d
The ex-Megadeth guitarist is living in Japan nowadays, and has put together a killer band of Japanese musicians. This show was something truly unique, and blew me away.
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-Brit Floyd, Lee’s Family Forum
I love the music of Pink Floyd but am too young to have ever seen the real band live. This live performance from a British tribute band feature full-on laser lights and video footage combined with world class musicianship. I’ll never get to see a Pink Floyd show, but I can say without reservations that this was the next best thing.
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-America, The Theater at Virgin
Vocalist Dewey Bunnell remains the one original member of this classic soft rock/folk band, but he’s done a superb job keeping it alive with one of the most unique voices in the music business. The current band has other musicians performing lead vocals to keep these tunes true to the originals, making this a surprisingly strong performance.
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-Geoff Tate, The Theater at Virgin
The classic Queensryche vocalist decided to unleash the OPERATION: MINDCRIME album in its entirety on the world once more, and he gave audiences the thinking man’s rock opera in all its glory.
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-Dellacoma, Copa Room at the Bootlegger
This Australian band popped up at Vamp’d a few times over the years, so I was glad to see Danny and Korie Koker pulled them out of the woodwork for the first of their “Vamp’d Beyond” gigs at the Bootlegger’s Copa Room. Every time these guys hit up the States is cause for celebration.
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-Fever Dog, Count’s Vamp’d
Never has any newer band done a better job capturing the sights and sounds of bombastic 70s-style glam rock spectacle than these guys have. Their shows at Vamp’d were always a highlight, and I hope we’ll see them pop up at other venues around Vegas in the coming years.
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-Pat Travers, Count’s Vamp’d
The legendary 70s classic rocker emerged on the stage at Vamp’d one last time in 2025. He didn’t disappoint, unleashing killer renditions of some of his biggest hits from back in the day.
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-Lovedrive, multiple shows
One of the world’s best tribute bands. They’ve played many venues in Vegas over the years, and they never fail to please, capturing the looks and the sounds of Germany’s greatest heavy metal group.
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-Count’s 77, multiple shows
It’ll be weird seeing Danny “The Count” Koker’s signature band playing at venues other than Vamp’d (and I’ve been seeing these guys since back when they were called Zito 77!), but I’ll welcome any opportunity to see him and his band unleashing covers and original rock tunes on any live stage.
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-The Ultimate Doors, Count’s Vamp’d
This band lives up to their name. They also attracted one of the biggest crowds I’ve ever seen in the history of Vamp’d, bringing back Jim Morrison’s legacy in fine form, even depicting him at his most drunk and high, truly faithfully replicating a Doors concert.
And now, the best concerts of the year!
5: Phil Soussan, Copa Room at the Tuscany Hotel and Casino
Mr. Soussan may not instantly be a household name, but if you’re a fan of hard rock or heavy metal, the odds are good you’ve heard something he wrote or played on. His resume includes stints with Beggars and Thieves, Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol, and Vince Neil. This night gave us many of his solo songs I was unfamiliar with, as well as surprise covers that even included a Gary Moore song! This guy sings as good as he plays the bass, something I wasn’t previously aware of. A great night of rock.
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4: RivetSkull, The Space
I’d never heard of these guys before, but when I heard that they’d be doing a tribute to Ronnie James Dio, I knew I wanted to be there. The group performs a set of original tunes at their songs, but also unleashes plenty of classic Ronnie songs from Dio, Rainbow, and Black Sabbath. They were one of my greatest discoveries of 2025, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they have in store for 2026!
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3: Jeff Young, Backstage Bar and Billiards
Another former Megadeth guitarist shows up on the list! For my first trip to BBB, Mr. Young rocked the stage with a combination of original tunes and covers, as well as a fantastic ensemble of musicians. There were plenty of surprises to be had here, and not a dull moment in the mix.
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2: Bruce Dickinson, House of Blues at Mandalay Bay
Getting to see the lead vocalist of Iron Maiden in a small venue? Yes please! This set consisted almost entirely of Dickinson solo material, shedding some long overdue light on his material outside of Maiden, in support of his most recent studio album, THE MANDRAKE PROJECT. Despite his battles with cancer, the rock singer/aviator/fencer continues doing what he does best, and this show demonstrated that beautifully.
And lastly, the Number One show of the year….
Michael Monroe, Count’s Vampd
The voice of Hanoi Rocks is as strong as ever. The band who served as the biggest influence on the style of the onslaught of 80s hair/glam bands that was largely overshadowed and haunted by tragedy has a legacy that lives on, and Mr. Monroe is determined as all hell to ensure just that. This was a great set of his solo tunes and the Hanoi classics, and it was my favorite rock show in all of 2025, not to mention one of the last great and big shows at Vamp’d. Did I mention Todd Kerns was on bass? Nights like this are the reason I’ll truly miss the venue. What a night it was.
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Despite the tragedies, 2025 has given us some great music, both recorded and on the live stage! What will be in store for Las Vegas’ music scene in 2026? We’ll be finding out very soon. See you next year, and looking forward to a whole lot of rock!
Links to past Best of the Year articles: 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014
Opinions given in this article are exclusively those of the author.