Phil Soussan – Another Shot in the Dark in the Tuscany’s Copa Room!

Phil Soussan played the Copa Room at the Tuscany Hotel on Friday, March 13, 2026.

Phil Soussan is truly one of the music world’s unsung heroes. The bass man played on Ozzy Osbourne’s classic THE ULTIMATE SIN album, penning the hit “Shot in the Dark,” with his credentials also including worth with Billy Idol, Vince Neil, Beggars and Thieves, and countless others. In recent years, Mr. Soussan has come to call Vegas home, and getting to see this guy on stage doing his thing has always been a delight.

Again, the Tuscany’s Copa Room remains one of the better places to catch a rock show in an intimate setting, having picked up many gigs that likely would’ve played at Count’s Vamp’d, had that venue not closed last June. Thanks as always to Mike, Brian, Grayson, Mitch, and everyone else at the Tuscany who continues to do their part to keep live rock and roll going in Sin City.

I’ve seen Phil Soussan play many times over the years, including as a guest with other artists, a few years back when he played with RAIDING THE ROCK VAULT, with the Moby Dicks (Brian Tichy’s Led Zeppelin tribute, who’ll be returning to the Tuscany in a few weeks), and countless others. The guy always puts on a good show, no matter what the content may be! He’d previously done a handful of solo shows at Tuscany, and I was certainly eager to catch him doing his own thing again. The gig brought in a respectable crowd, with guests in the audience including Shrapnel Records founder Mike Varney, and vocalist Paul Shortino (Quiet Riot, Rough Cutt, King Kobra). Soussan used the same band he had last time with a single exception. Guitarists Christian Brady and Zach Throne returned, but on the drum stool was a young man I wasn’t familiar with named Chris Reeve, though he’d quickly prove he was up to the task at hand!

Mr. Soussan’s solo gigs are interesting because he takes on the mantle of lead vocalist in addition to bass player! This guy’s a great bassist, but one thing that floors me is how underrated he is as a singer. He could’ve simply done a show of cover tunes, but actually opened things up to much of his solo catalogue I hadn’t previously even know existed. From songs he’d recorded a while back to things from a forthcoming solo record, these were some of the most pleasant surprises of the evening. Much of his solo stuff that he performed was reminiscent of the blues-based classic rock songs of Paul Rodgers and Bad Company, and I do mean that in the best of ways. He also worked in a few other gems, including “Shot in the Dark” (the legendary tune he wrote for Ozzy and played bass on), a tune Soussan wrote with Vince Neil for which he turned over lead vocal duties to Mr. Throne, and even a cover of the classic Gary Moore tune “Back on the Streets.” Considering how few people are aware of the greatness of the late Gary Moore, and that even fewer people perform his material live, that was certainly a high water mark of the evening. This was a tight band with a great chemistry that was clearly having the time of their lives on stage.

This brings me to my only complaint with an otherwise excellent show – It was, more or less, the exact same show I saw back in December (other than the different drummer). Same setlist of solo tunes. Same Vince Neil cover. Same Gary Moore cover. The performance was great; don’t get me wrong. I just would’ve liked to see a few tracks I didn’t hear last time. Why not throw in a Beggars and Thieves track or two (their 1990 debut is criminally underrated), or some Billy Idol cuts? I do look forward to Mr. Soussan’s next show. I just hope it comes with a few new surprises.

Phil Soussan is a true rock and roller through and through, and the band he assembled on this evening in the Tuscany’s Copa Room proved it beautifully. While the setlist was a bit too close to the previous gig I saw, I can’t deny the man’s bass and vocal talents, and I do greatly look forward to his next performance and forthcoming solo record. Any rock and roller living in or visiting the Vegas Valley would be doing themselves a favor seeing Mr. Soussan on a live stage, doing what he does best.

PHOTO CREDIT: All Photos by Dave Childers for ZRockR Magazine – All Rights Reserved