There were plenty of tickets left, Howard Jones would make an unlikely sell-out event in Vegas I think. $25 for a seat in the center rear. (When we saw the G3 tour at the House of Blues, we payed more than that for a standing position down stairs.)  Doors open at 7:00, HoJo expected on stage at 9:00. It was 5:30. We had plenty time to wander around, decide where we were going to have dinner, eat, then wander around some more.

The Mandalay Bay is one of the newer casinos, with an Indonesian theme, and is actually quite pleasant, particularly on a Saturday night. Lots of interesting people walking around. (And I’m not just talking about the painted-on dresses, although it has to be noted there were a few of those.)

After eating at the buffet, we wandered out into the casino. The sea of slots is broken up by islands of bars and lounges, with live bands. In one, we stopped, sat, and enjoyed drinks while listening to a very talented jazz/pickup band. The bass player kept looking in my direction. He might have been hitting on me, but I choose to believe that he was admiring my Spock’s Beard T-shirt. He could play bass a damned sight better than me, is for sure.

Howard Jones has gone loud and techno, and based his set mostly on his first album, which is a shame, because he’s written some good stuff over the years, including the anthem to mediocrity, No One Is To Blame. I did get to hear Things Can Only Get Better, and a nice rendition of Hide and Seek. The only downer was that the woman sitting next to me managed to knock her drink into my lap.

We left at the end of the evening with ringing ears and a full belly.