Phil Soussan – A Shot in the Dark in the Tuscany Copa Room!

Phil Soussan played the Copa Room at the Tuscany Hotel and Casino on Saturday, December 6, 2025.

For decades, Phil Soussan has been one of the unsung heroes of the music world. This bassist is perhaps most famous for writing Ozzy Osbourne’s classic hit “Shot in the Dark,” but he’s collaborated with many artists over the years, including Vince Neil, Billy Idol, and was even a part of the classic lineup of the band Beggars and Thieves (a band that has ¾ of its original lineup living in Vegas, though oddly its members never seem to collaborate anymore). In more recent years he’s been rocking the world with Last in Line, consisting of former Dio band members. Mr. Soussan gets around, and I was thrilled to hear that he’d be doing a solo show at the Tuscany’s Copa Room, with a band also including Zachary Throne (Sin City Sinners), Christian Brady (Hellyeah), and Brent Fitz (of the Conspirators, Slash’s band).

It’s great to see the Tuscany’s Copa Room (again, not to be confused with the Bootlegger’s similarly-named venue) picking up much of the slack from the void left by Count’s Vamp’d closing earlier this year. It’s not been uncommon to see two of three rock shows a weekend since Vamp’d closed, with the Tuscany trying to cement itself as one of the new hubs of the Vegas rock scene. The Copa Room is a small and intimate room, but quite capable of delivering the entertainment Sin City’s rock fans are looking for, plus the staff are absolutely fantastic and accommodating.

What truly impressed me about this evening was how much of the Vegas music scene showed up to support Phil at his gig. I saw Danny and Korie Koker, the other Count’s 77 band members, Mike Varney, Eddie Trunk, Paul Shortino, Stacey Blades, Jake Bruen, Bree Elizabeth, and countless others. It’s always great to see the members of our music community supporting one another, and Mr. Soussan packed the Copa Room!

Before moving on with the review of the actual show, there is one other issue I do need to address. I love the Tuscany. The staff are great, and the room is actually becoming one of my favorites in Vegas. But too often, shows start late. And the start times, even as advertised, are too late. Phil Soussan’s gig was slated to start at 10, with doors opening at 9:45. However, doors ended up not opening until well after 10, with the show itself not even beginning until closer to 11. This room is shared with other shows, including a long-running Rat Pack tribute show (I actually crossed paths with the guy who plays Dean Martin when I was entering the building), so this does make for some hurdles. Again, I love the venue and its staff, but I don’t want to stand in a cigarette smoke-filled casino floor waiting to get in the room, nor do I want to attend a concert that doesn’t begin until 11:00 PM. Likewise, inside the room, the video screen promoting upcoming shows really needs to be turned off during performances; it’s quite a distraction, as more than a few friends told me during the show.

Anyway, now that we have that out of the way, let’s get down to the matter at hand – Phil’s gig! I wasn’t sure what we were going to get setlist-wise. I’m aware that Phil played with many musicians over the years but also had some solo material. So, what would this gig emphasize? It was all over the place, but I mean that in the best of ways. Most of the set consisted of his solo material, which I was admittedly unfamiliar with but surprisingly impressed by. The sounds here, from old and upcoming solo releases alike, ranged from Bad Company-esque blues-based rock to more modern power pop-driven sounds. One of the biggest surprises of the evening was the guy’s vocal abilities. Most folks know this guy as a bassist, but he can sure sing, as I quickly discovered!

The setlist wasn’t limited to his solo material. One of the biggest surprises of the evening was Phil letting Zach Throne take the microphone for a Vince Neil solo song that Phil had written/played on back in the day. Likewise, we got the obligatory rendition of “Shot in the Dark,” performing very damn well by the quartet on stage. Another fantastic surprise came in the form of one of the great Gary Moore’s classic anthems, “Back on the Streets.” Mr. Soussan and company didn’t fail to please, and I now find myself wanting to go out and explore his solo catalogue, including next year’s forthcoming release.

Phil Soussan remains an unsung hero in the world of rock and roll, and putting on this evening for a great cause was certainly one of the highlights of 2025 in rock for me, and likely all others in attendance. He’s a guy to keep an eye on, and I’ll be first in line to pick up his new album when it hits stores next years! This was another fantastic evening of rock at the Tuscany, and the year isn’t over yet!