Count’s 77 Rocks the Rio’s Masquerade Village!

This article was written by Taylor T. Carlson, with additional input/photography by David Childers.

Count’s 77 played the Masquerade Village Stage at the Rio Hotel/Casino on Saturday, May 23, 2026.

Count’s 77 (formerly Zito 77) has been rocking Vegas for over a decade now, with two studio albums and more on the way. Danny “The Count” Koker, Stoney Curtis, Barry Barnes, and John Zito continued to impress audiences, showing that this is no mere “gimmick band.” In recent years, the band was joined by drummer Jeff Tortora (Raiding the Rock Vault, Tinnitus, Blue Man Group), and for this evening, they were joined by keyboardist Jonathan Gilcrest.

With the closure of Count’s Vamp’d last year, Danny and wife Korie Koker have begun booking shows elsewhere under the “Vamp’d Beyond” moniker. The past shows in this branding have been at the Bootlegger restaurant’s Copa Room on South Las Vegas Blvd., but on this evening, for the first time ever, one of these shows was being booked at a different locale: The long-standing Rio Hotel and Casino, on a stage right in the middle of the locale’s casino floor!

But this evening was going to be more than just a concert, with Danny and company offering a meet and greet prior to the gig with the crew from Mr. Koker’s hit TV series, COUNTING CARS, from his auto customization business, Count’s Kustoms, taking place at the Count’s Tattoo Company shop upstairs. There was a surprisingly good-sized line to meet the crew, but they took the time to chat with everyone that came through, signing photos for each guest. The event did start a bit late and sadly Danny was MIA during it (as he was downstairs sound checking with his band), but it was a cool way to start a great evening of rock and roll. Additionally, the Rio is also home to Gene Simmons’ KISS World, so my friends and I stuck our heads in there between the meet and greet and the gig itself.

Around 9:00 PM, the show began. Right from the get-go, it was clear this stage and this venue was something special. With a double set of stairs on top of what likely used to be a fountain with water features, the band wasted no time getting down to business. The Masquerade Village section of Rio, on the casino floor, was packed with patrons, from those who were unmistakably followers of Danny and company, to those who were just tourists in town for the long weekend. Legendary rock bassist Phil Soussan was in the audience, as were many of the Count’s Kustoms crew, including Horny Mike! Probably the only complaint I had with the venue/stage is that there was a bit of a cigarette smoke smell present, despite the signs posted claiming this was a no smoking area of the casino floor.

A Count’s 77 show is great because you always get a combination of well-performed cover tunes spanning a variety of genres and eras (how many other band’s play both Bob Seger’s “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” and Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades” in the same set?) plus a ton of killer original tunes that sound like they could’ve come from the classic rock era the band purports to be the biggest fans of. The group has two albums out so far; their self-titled debut from 2014, and the follow-up, SOUL TRANSFUSION, both of which got plenty of representation here. Cuts like “Let the Rockin’ Do the Talkin’,” “Do You Feel Me?,” “End of the Day,” “Your Love Ain’t Right,” “Summer of ’77,” and “Riding With the Sons of Perdition” rock just as hard now as they did the day they were released. Combined with covers of tunes from the likes of Grand Funk Railroad, Elton John, Ides of March, and Cream, it was an epic gig with everything blending together seamlessly.

It could be easy to dismiss Count’s 77 as “The Band With the Guy From COUNTING CARS.” But make no mistake; they’re no gimmick band. Stoney Curtis, one of the many great guitarists discovered by the legendary Mike Varney, makes himself known at every single gig in a big way, and is always excellently complemented by the slide work from fellow guitarist John Zito. Barry Barnes is always a fantastic high-energy bass player (he’s the only guy to be in Count’s 77 plus Zito and Curtis’ respective solo bands) who at one point even flung himself out into the crowd mid-song! Jeff Tortora remains a criminally underrated drummer, who pounded the skins with unrivaled ferocity despite a broken finger! Rounding out the lineup for the evening was keyboardist Jonathan Gilcrest; his keys gave several of these tunes at added atmosphere and fullness (not all Count’s 77 shows have a keyboardist present, and in the past this role has typically been filled by Britny Fox member Tommy Paris).

The band even took things one step further with an afterparty atop the Rio at the Voodoo Lounge, with a killer view overlooking Sin City. I was admittedly a bit under the weather and didn’t make it to the afterparty, but based on the photos many of the fans and band members and crew have posted, it was one hell of a good time. Definitely next time though!

I’ll never stop going and seeing Count’s 77 shows; there’s no better time when it comes to live music in Las Vegas. It’ll be interesting to see if further Vamp’d Beyond shows are booked for this stage in the Rio; it’s a great stage with plenty of room for spectators and fans to rock out! If you’re at all a fan of rocking out and having a good time with nice combination of covers and originals, you can’t go wrong with a Count’s 77 gig… and in early July, the band will be opening for LA Guns at the Cannery!

PHOTO CREDIT: Live photos by Dave Childers for ZRockR Magazine – @2026 – All Rights Reserved.