Todd Kerns and Friends Invade the Bootlegger’s Copa Room!

Todd Kerns and Friends played the Bootlegger’s Copa Room on Saturday, February 21, 2026.

Is there anything Todd “Dammit” Kerns can’t do? From his tenure as a rocker in Canada in the 90s with Age of Electric to playing weekly on the mean streets of Sin City, from playing bass for the mighty Slash to a forthcoming tour with Triumph, he’s been everywhere and done it all. And he remains a personal favorite musician all these years later, continuing to entertain the masses. Locally, nationally, and internationally.

Ron Mancuso’s family has owned the Bootlegger Bistro for decades, and it’s remained a hot spot over the years. The restaurant’s separate entertainment space in back of the building, the Copa Room (not to be confused with the similarly named venue at the Tuscany Hotel and Casino, which regularly books rock acts these days). I, like so many rockers in Vegas, was heartbroken with the closure of Count’s Vamp’d last year, but was delighted to see that Danny and Korie Koker would still be keeping the music alive, with their company Motormouth Productions putting on “Vamp’d Beyond” shows at the Bootlegger’s Copa Room. While these gigs are fairly sporadic (so far its been once a month or once every other month), it’s a great room with an “Old Vegas” vibe which makes for a surprisingly fun spot to see a rock show. Needless to say, I was ecstatic to see that one of the gigs coming to the Bootlegger’s Copa as part of the Vamp’d Beyond series would be Todd Kerns!

Todd Kerns shows aren’t just concerts. They’re EVENTS. The fandom for Mr. Kerns is through the roof, and rightfully so. People fly to Vegas from across the country, and in come cases, from outside the country, just to come and watch this guy do his thing. As someone who regularly saw Todd’s weekly gigs back in the day around Sin City, these are always like a “homecoming” of sorts for me.

Todd’s gigs are usually billed as “Todd Kerns and Friends” because he assembles all-star bands of several fantastic musicians, many of whom now call Vegas their home. The musicians Todd assembled for this gig (many of whom alternated their positions on stage throughout the gig) were Brent Muscat, Stacey Blades, Blas Elias, Doc Ellis, Zachary Throne, and Jimmy Romero. With tenures here that include groups like Faster Pussycat, LA Guns, and Slaughter, that lineup is certainly nothing to scoff at!

Todd’s gigs usually follow a structure of a VIP event that fans can pay extra to attend which usually includes some kind of gift, a photo with Todd and the band, and then the actual concert itself later in the evening. The VIP event is usually sort of a sound check/open jam, where audience members can shout out random songs/bands, and Todd and company will attempt to play them. Often with surprisingly good results!

After the VIP event ended and folks got their pictures with Todd and band, the doors eventually opened to the public, with the show itself beginning not long after 9:00 PM. One thing that truly amazes me about Mr. Kerns’ gigs is how he seems to have a chemistry with everyone he shares the stage with, and a charismatic presence that keeps all eyes in the audience glued to the front of the room whenever he’s performing. Seriously, does this guy ever age? The setlist for the evening was not unlike the weekly gigs that Mr. Kerns and Mr. Muscat once regularly did around town, with a variety of great covers and originals. Songs like “Turn it Up,” “Blow-Up Doll,” and “Arianna Incomplete” have lived rent-free in my head for over a decade now, but that’s fine with me! Getting to hear them live again is always a delight. Other highlights included Brent Muscat taking the mic for a cover of the Rolling Stones’ classic “Gimme Shelter” and a tune from his Faster Pussycat days, “Bathroom Wall,” as well as Kerns putting a hard rock spin on tunes like Donny Iris’ “Ah! Leah!,” and Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game,” and Doc Ellis performing vocals on a mash-up of Dramarama’s “Anything Anything” and Sponge’s “Plowed.”

If I have one minor criticism of the otherwise excellent night, it’s that there weren’t really any surprises. A Todd Kerns gig is always a great concert and get-together for the fans, no questions asked. But I do wish they’d thrown in a few unexpected covers or brought in a surprise guest or two (there’s no shortage of people in Vegas to fill that need). Don’t get me wrong though; I’ll never tire of Todd’s performances. This guy could sing the phone book, and I’d still be first in line to watch and listen.

All in all, this was another damn fine night of rock and roll. Thanks to Monique, Danny, Korie, Jimmy, Brian, Ron, and everyone making this Vamp’d Beyond evening at the Bootlegger’s Copa Room a reality, with Mr. Kerns and company doing their thing on stage. Todd’s off on tour with Triumph soon, but you owe it to yourself to catch this guy doing his thing on a live stage, no matter where or who he’s doing it with.