Grunge Nation – The 90s Greatest Alternative Rock Hits Live in the Tuscany Copa Room!

Grunge Nation played the Tuscany Hotel’s Copa Room on Friday, January 30, 2026.

With the closure of Count’s Vamp’d last summer, there are many venues stepping in, taking over many of the shows that would’ve played out there, had that house of rock still been in operation. The Tuscany’s Copa Room is one of these, having become my new regular concert spot over the last few months. Big thanks to Mitch, Grayson, Mike, Brian (who was a regular fixture at Vamp’d), and everyone who keeps rock going in this spot.

The Copa Room is a small and intimate environment, and is actually quite a good space to see a show in. The lounge ambience it offers is a far cry from some other venues; you can tell this room was made more with the Rat Pack tribute show they host most nights a week in mind rather than rock, but it works better than you’d expect for rock and roll gigs. It’s certainly not a bad place to be!

Upon arriving at the Tuscany for this gig, I was immediately shocked at how big the line was to get in the show! I love seeing this big a crowd attracted to live music, in a day and age when electronic dance beats are dominating. Making this a free show and all ages certainly didn’t hurt either. Clearly, Las Vegas has plenty of people who still want real, live rock and roll music without backing tracks or any unwanted artificial BS. The doors opened fairly close to 10, and while the show started slightly late, it at least wasn’t a massive delay (I’ve seen shows here advertised as starting at 10 start closer to 11, so this was a breath of fresh air in a way).

Grunge Nation teams up four of the top musicians in Vegas who want to keep the sounds of the 90s alive, but who are also willing to branch out slightly as needed. The band features Chris Iorio on Guitar, Merry Adin on Bass, Chas Cantrell on drums, and Chris James on lead vocals. I’ve seen many of these musicians with other groups around the scene for years, and they definitely know how to please. And of course, several of them were decked out in flannel, staying true to the look of the era!

Crafting a setlist that keeps the audience engaged can be a tough task. You want the big hits for the people who enjoyed them in their heyday, but you also want to throw in a few hidden gems for people as well. From the get-go, the quartet beautifully demonstrated they knew the best songs of the era, but also how to mix things up and give some surprises throughout. Kicking things off with Nirvana’s “Breed” (a minor hit/somewhat of a deep cut), the band launched into plenty of other staples of 90s rock, including Smashing Pumpkins’ “Bullet With Butterfly Wings,” Stone Temple Pilots’ “Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart,” Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy,” and Soundgarden’s “Fell On Black Days.” The tribute to late Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell was taken one step further with “Cochise” from Audioslave’s self-titled 2002 debut; the supergroup that teamed Cornell with members of Rage Against the Machine. And the first set was closed with a classic crossover hit; “Cult of Personality” by Living Colour!

The group certainly delivered; the crowd was one of the most enthusiastic I’ve seen in the Copa Room, with plenty of people rocking out and banging their heads on the small dance floor area in front of the stage. Grunge Nation always encourages crowd participation, and it showed on this evening. My only minor complaint with the evening (and this certainly isn’t the band’s fault) is that the shows at the Tuscany simply start too late for bands to be playing multiple sets. A single 90-minute set would’ve worked better; I’ll be the first to admit I couldn’t stay up long enough to get through the entire show, great as it was.

If you love the rock sounds of the 90s, Grunge Nation knows how to deliver them in fine form. You’ll get four of Vegas’ best resurrecting the tunes of a bygone era, and that’s exactly what they did in a spot that’s become one of Sin City’s best locations for live music in recent months. No grunge fan should go through life without a Grunge Nation gig. Don’t miss the next live show!

PHOTO CREDIT: All photos by Stephy Muzio for ZRockR Magazine – All Rights Reserved