A rotating cast of costumed performers channeling KISS, Heart, Def Leppard and Ozzy Osbourne has taken up residence at The Strat Hotel, Casino & Tower, where Ikons of Rock opened its newest Las Vegas Strip engagement. The 70-minute multimedia production blends live music, era-authentic costuming and immersive visual effects into a single show built around the idea that classic rock icons never really left the building.
From a Hard Rock Cocktail Lounge to a Strip Theater
The move to The Strat caps a rapid rise for a show that only launched on the Strip in January as a planned year-long engagement at the Hard Rock Cafe Las Vegas, according to Nevada Business Magazine. Executive producers Scot Gaines and Dennis Varghese brought the production to Las Vegas in partnership with Steve Arnold of A&R Management and show founder Darren Moore, according to BroadwayWorld. In an appearance covered by KTNV, Moore and featured performer Drew Hart discussed how the show brings legendary performers back to life for audiences on Morning Blend.
Moore serves as producer, creator and headliner of Ikons of Rock, per the same KTNV segment, with Hart among the featured performers portraying the show's rotating lineup of rock legends. The production celebrates artists including KISS, Heart, Def Leppard and Ozzy Osbourne, KTNV reports, though the show's scope extends considerably further than that core roster.
More Than 50 Acts in the Rotation
Beyond the headline names, Ikons of Rock utilizes a rotating ensemble that emulates more than 50 classic rock acts, with tributes to Queen, Van Halen (covering both the David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar eras), Alice Cooper, Joan Jett and Rob Zombie rounding out the repertoire, according to Whatsup Vegas. That breadth lets the production vary its setlist between performances, giving repeat visitors a reason to come back for a different lineup of impersonated icons.
Backing the costumed frontmen is a live band stocked with veteran Canadian musicians, including Saskatchewan-born bassist Todd Kerns and Winnipeg-born drummer Brent Fitz, both of whom have toured internationally with major rock acts, per the show's Facebook page. Each performance also includes a complimentary post-show meet-and-greet where audience members can take photos with cast members in full costume, according to Spotlight.Vegas — an intimacy that separates the showroom experience from stadium-scale arena concerts.
A Frontman Rooted in Canada's Touring Circuit
Moore, a Stonewall, Manitoba native, previously sang with the Canadian Music Hall of Fame classic rock band Harlequin before developing Ikons of Rock out of his long-running Canadian tribute group Snake Oil, according to Manitoba News 101. The costume concept itself began almost by accident, Moore has said, when he showed up to a low-key gig dressed as a member of KISS, prompting his bandmates to dress as other classic rock icons the following night — an organic spark that BroadwayWorld reports eventually grew into the full-scale spectacle now playing The Strat.
Tickets and Show Times
The STRAT Theater is a 600-seat, 7,790-square-foot showroom at 2000 S. Las Vegas Blvd. that has been exclusively programmed and managed by SPI Entertainment under CEO Adam Steck since May 2021, a model the venue has also used for its Debbie Gibson holiday residency. Tickets for Ikons of Rock start at approximately $68 to $73, with performances scheduled six nights a week from Tuesday through Sunday, leaving Mondays dark, according to Vegas4Locals. The pricing keeps the production well below the cost of many A-list Strip headliners while still delivering a live band and full costume changes across dozens of rock acts.
