Saturday night wasn’t planned — it was floating in the neon breeze — until Carmen Shortino dropped a message that hit like a power chord: her husband, Paul Shortino, was gearing up to blow the roof off one of my favorite Vegas hideouts, Arizona Charlie's. That was it. Decision made. Stamp it. Rock‑and‑roll approved!
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| "Shooting Star" At Arizona Charlie's |
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| "Shooting Star" |
But then the brain kicked in: Wait… with who? What band? What lineup is Paul unleashing tonight? So, I jump on Facebook, and boom — both Arizona Charlie’s locations (Decatur and Boulder Highway) were hyping country‑themed headliners!
And I’m sitting there thinking: Paul Shortino — the leather‑clad, arena‑tested, big‑voiced rock BaDD‑A$$ — doing COUNTRY? Now that sounded like the kind of wild Vegas curveball I live for. If Paul Shortino’s stepping into a country vibe, you know he’s about to twist it, torch it, and turn it into something unforgettable!
With that second message from Paul’s wife, it was like someone slammed a boot down on the big Green GO button — I (and my wife) blasted out the door and tore toward Arizona Charlie’s on North Decatur, one of my all‑time favorite Vegas battlegrounds where the local music scene doesn’t just hit play… it explodes!
When we rolled into the casino and pushed through the doors of the club, bam — instant shockwave. There stood Paul, not with some country outfit, but flanked by two full‑throttle rock assassins: my longtime brothers‑in‑noise, guitar destroyer Steve Burchell and drum detonator Mark Saul.
Long story short — forget the cowboy hats and country twang. What we were looking at was a brand‑new rock'n monster, a blues‑drenched, classic‑rock killer band, forged straight out of Paul Shortino’s Classic rock volcanic mind!
"Shooting Star" has officially crash‑landed onto the Vegas music scene. And trust me… this band isn’t arriving quietly. Vegas better brace itself for future shock!
The lights hit, and Shooting Star hit the stage, officially on the local Las Vegas music scene grid!
Opening with Honky Tonk Women and Rock Me Baby, two instant local‑scene wrecking balls that announced, loud and clear, this band wasn’t here to warm up the room — they were here to claim it!
From there, the night turned into a full‑throttle rock‑and‑roll rampage as Shooting Star tore through Rocky Mountain Way, Black Magic Woman, and a barrage of classics from the Eagles, Bad Company, Stevie Wonder, Tom Petty, and the immortal Smoke On The Water by Deep Purple. They kept the fire rolling with hits from the Doobie Brothers, Bryan Adams, Marvin Gaye, Journey, Quiet Riot, and even a blast of rock‑and‑roll royalty from Elvis.
Just before midnight, Paul sealed the night with a surprise solo encore — "What A Wonderful World" — the perfect victory lap after a night that hit like a freight train of blues, soul, and classic‑rock thunder!
Yes, "Shooting Star" has officially arrived!
We, the fans, need more Shooting Star in our lives — more of that volcanic Shortino magic, more of that Burchell‑and‑Saul thunder, more of that soul‑shaking rock‑and‑roll that hits you right in the chest and leaves you grinning all the way home!
Gary England
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