J.T. The Brick owes rockin’ marriage to the Stones

J.T. The Brick and his wife, Julie, beryllium it each to the Rolling Stones and the fabled Center Bar astatine Hard Rock Hotel.

The Stones are inactive rocking. So are J.T. and Julie.

The Center Bar, sadly, is not.

The fashionable nationalist “Mad Dog Sports” big connected SiriusXM and seasoned broadcaster (whose ineligible sanction is John Tournour), attended the historical Stones amusement astatine The Joint astatine the Hard Rock connected Feb. 15, 1998.

It was the time aft Valentine’s Day, but emotion was inactive successful the air.

The Brick had a front-row summons to a singularly chaotic Stones amusement connected its “Bridges To Babylon” tour. The bid was playing arenas but for the Vegas date, wherever 2,000 fans jammed into the aged Hard Rock euphony hallway (today’s Theater astatine Virgin Hotel Las Vegas).

We took to calling that Stones performance The Fire Code Show, for its imaginable usurpation of capableness limits.

The performance was singular musically, opening with a spree of “(I Can’t Get No Satisfaction,” “You Got Me Rocking” and “Flip The Switch”) and for its superstar personage turnout. The database was dotted with specified name-checks arsenic Jack Nicholson, Sting, Brad Pitt, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Gwen Stefani, Jenny McCarthy, Dennis Hopper, Lars Ulrich of Metallica, Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson.

The Hard Rock casino level was raging. As was customary successful The Center Bar’s aureate era, J.T. sidled up to a alien astatine the bar. She was solo, having won the accidental to bargain a balcony summons by dropping her summons to a erstwhile John Mellencamp amusement astatine the Joint into a drum for a random drawing.

Julie’s sanction was drawn, and she was acceptable for the Stones show, further mapping this couple’s way to destiny.

“We started talking, and I said I would find her successful the balcony during the show, and during Sheryl Crow’s set I grabbed a pass, which was a medallion, and took it to her and brought her down,” J.T., who works often arsenic big and emcee of Las Vegas Raiders events, said Friday. “What a night. It was the top amusement they person ever done, successful my opinion. Julie and I started dating the pursuing week. But if I were 3 feet successful either direction, it would’t person happened.”

John and Julie were joined Sept. 4, 1999 astatine Guardian Angel Cathedral successful Las Vegas. The reception was astatine Monte Carlo, today’s Park MGM. This year, the mates celebrated their 22nd anniversary.

“Everything I person successful my beingness is due to the fact that of that night,” said The Brick, who has a brace of front-pit tickets to Saturday’s amusement astatine Allegiant Stadium. “I’m not adjacent going to archer you what they cost. But we had to beryllium astatine this one.”

Three Stones throws

A trifecta of memories from Stones shows caught successful Vegas, and 1 during my days successful Chico successful Northern California:

Nov 18, 2005, MGM Grand Garden Arena: Early successful the show, Mick Jagger chugged a vessel of water, past kicked the instrumentality into the crowd. The vessel landed conscionable implicit the heads of Brandon Flowers and Ronnie Vannucci of the Killers, a random improvement arsenic the 2 were astatine the amusement arsenic fans.

This was conscionable arsenic the set kicked into “Tumblin’ Dice.” Jagger besides seized the city’s blistery tourism slogan, saying, “I’ve heard that caller slogan, ‘What happens successful Vegas stays successful Vegas.’ Does that mean my money, too?”

That performance fell successful the midst of a singular tally astatine the Grand Garden Arena, during which Paul McCartney and U2 Played successful the Grand Garden, the zenith of the venue’s 28-year history.

May 11, 2013, Grand Garden Arena: Katy Perry arrived successful an unbilled, but expected, duet connected “Beast of Burden.” She and the set had sent connection implicit societal media earlier the amusement that she would beryllium onstage. What wasn’t planned was Perry popping Jagger successful the look with the nighttime during the chaotic performance. The circuit besides marked the instrumentality of Mick Taylor, a Stones stalwart from 1969-‘74.

Nov. 4, 1989, Oakland Coliseum: Going disconnected the Vegas listing for this historical show, the archetypal performance astatine the Coliseum oregon the Bay Area aft the ‘89 Loma Prieto earthquake. My begetter had really fluked his mode into tickets, proceeding connected the vigor the amusement was astir to spell onsale and pulling into a Tower Records store (a depiction of this past ticket-buying process tin beryllium recovered connected hieroglyphics connected the broadside of the Coliseum).

This was the “Steel Wheels” tour, with Living Colour opening. Getting to the Coliseum was a grind, with entree inactive curtailed due to the fact that of freeway damage. Jagger remarked astatine however grateful helium was to beryllium performing a amusement little than 3 weeks aft the tragedy. “Northern California is simply a large spot to be, but you don’t request maine to archer you that.” No substance the conditions, the Stones person ever answered the call.

Flat gone

There are nary plans to revive “Exhibitionism,” the Rolling Stones memorabilia show astatine The Palazzo, successful Las Vegas. Co-producer Adam Steck of SPI Entertainment said Thursday the grounds had satisfied its expectations, closing Feb. 25, 2018. There was speech astatine the clip for a instrumentality trip. The installations included sets, guitars, drums, costumes and recreations of the band’s flats from London successful 1962. Cool capable to person been a imperishable attraction.

On authenticity

Vegas guitar large Jimmy McIntosh is simply a immense Stones instrumentality and historian. He’s adjacent recorded with Ronnie Wood. McIntosh, a subordinate of the “Jersey Boys” set successful its days astatine Palazzo and besides Paris Las Vegas, is simply a longtime subordinate with the Lon Bronson Band. One nighttime astatine Cabaret Jazz (now Myron’s) astatine the Smith Center, upon Bronson’s goading, Jimmy Mac recited the full Jagger rant from the signifier astatine the ill-fated Altamont concert. This takes devotion, stone fans.

Cool Hang Alert

Keeping successful the stone mode, the ace screen set Alter Ego plays 1st Street Stage connected the Fremont Street Experience from 8 p.m.-1 a.m. Saturday. The set volition toggle the George Thorogood and the Destroyers acceptable connected the 3rd Street Stage. We grooved to Alter Ego connected June 1 reopening of unrecorded entertainment connected FSE. They sounded great, adjacent up to 4 a.m.

John Katsilometes’ file runs regular successful the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast tin beryllium recovered astatine reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him astatine jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats connected Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 connected Instagram.