Along For The Ride: Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend #15, 2012 ... Sin City at the Best

Friday, April 27, 2012

Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend #15, 2012 ... Sin City at the Best

"Snap, snap," as I thumbed the cards in my hand, laying them flat on the black jack table. Out of the corner of my eye, two spades, both black, a ten and an ace hit the orange felt. Glancing over to the guy with a "tatted" sleeve next to me, I asked, "Your first time at Viva?" He raised two fingers marking his second outing here. I said, "Me too," then I gave him a good luck wink as I got up and shuffled along the red and purple laced broadway with bandits standing tall, each side. The visual, guys and girls dressed in their best 50's garb crowded the landscape everywhere. How cool is that?

Viva Las Vegas, the weekend starts here. Image © "Along For The Ride"

Early Saturday morning I decided to do a little steppin out with my camera to put a finger on the shutter button and click away at some cars before the light got hard. Onlookers soon swarmed the car show lot and then it was time to turn my lense to the people, the stripers, the pin-ups, the well dressed, and the bad dudes havin' fun. This was the 15th Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend at The Orleans Hotel.

Viva is more of a time warp party, rather than just a rod gathering. It's four days of round the clock music, pool parties, burlesque shows, a film festival with a special Betty Page flick, bowling parties with Sailor Jerry "Gutter Shots," fashion shows, tattooing, dancing, dance lessons and contest, not to mention the vendors with vintage everything. Not far from that, in the car show area, the rides rolled in all day and night with nothing but good vibes. The cameras clicked as the ladies striking poses dressed the cars to their best. Saturday afternoon rocked the show area with Duane Eddy, then the Ventures and finished off with the Poll Cats on the main outdoor stage.

In my mind, one of the biggest pluses of the weekend are the people. They are there only to have fun, plenty of it. They're there with friends, car club buddies, or just by themselves taking it all in. I find something strangely refreshing to leave everyday life and immerse yourself in a 40's-50's world for a short time along with a mixture of all ages, especially youth marking their point in time with badass rides. Yep, even the young guys connecting with cars they've built, American iron, it's a cool thing. VLV 15 sold out fast and was pushed far over the top, my plans are already made to return next year for Viva Las Vegas 16.