The best music in Las Vegas this weekend

Living in Las Vegas is an absolute luxury, for a variety of reasons, the biggest of which is probably the fact that any given weekend your options are endless with a roster of regal talent that would make music fans in most other cities drool. This weekend is no exception. Sorting through the list of concerts is overwhelming, which is exactly why we do the heavy lifting for you and sort through all the static and point you to the best shows. Keep reading for this weekend’s rundown.

FRIDAY, JUNE 12

NEON TREES at BOULEVARD POOL AT THE COSMOPOLITAN

Neon Trees are one of the smarter, more interesting, colorful and compelling mainstream pop acts to emerge in the past five years. Though ultimately a product of Provo, Utah, the outfit has strong Las Vegas ties, with bassist and native Las Vegan Branden Campbell, who grew up playing in local bands such as Soul Groan and Attaboy Skip (with Killers drummer Ronnie Vannucci), among its members. By complete happenstance, Campbell’s dad, Steve, works for Young Electric Sign Co. and installed the neon sign at the SoCal In-N-Out Burger that inspired the band’s name.

LUPE FIASCO at HOUSE OF BLUES

With an undeniable magnetism that makes his work infinitely interesting and consistently compelling, Lupe Fiasco stands out as a powerful performer and, at times, a polarizing presence in the music world. Onstage and off, he’s an artistic figure who has never been afraid to express himself, even when the things he has to say are sure to alienate. Catch Fiasco at the House of Blues with Charles Hamilton.

YELAWOLF at BROOKLYN BOWL

Most everything you need to know about Yelawolf can be gleaned from last winter’s “Shady CXVPHER.” Filmed on a farmstead in his hometown of Gadsen, Ala., the clip captures the Southern rapper’s unique swag and outlook, which is summed up in the last lines of his freestyle: “See, hip-hop is what you make of it, and I’m making a lot of it,” he says after singing half a bar of the apropos Sinatra refrain, “I did it my way.”

DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN at BEAUTY BAR

The Dillinger Escape Plan has always made music that’s incredibly gratifying to listen to. This holds true on “One of Us Is the Killer,” which showcases stupefying musicianship as usual but tempers the velocity with less aggressive, shifting rhythms and more melody. Catch Dillinger at Beauty Bar with Unfair Fight and A Friend A Foe.

AUBERGINE ELECTRIC at THE BUNKHOUSE

It’s a big weekend for Aubergine Electric, which makes its debut at The Bunkhouse on Friday in the company of James and Tsvet from Same Sex Mary and Ben Hale. The show kicks off at 9 p.m., and tickets are $8-$10. (702-854-1414)

WALK OFF HITS at THE PALMS

Walk Off Hits, Las Vegas’ resident power popsters — whose motto goes a little something like this: “We write funky pop, rock and soul tunes; we live in Las Vegas; we have Cleveland roots; we love our beautiful fans; we make you wanna dance” — are playing a set at the Palms on Friday. Stop by and see if all those claims prove to be true. Show starts at 10 p.m. and admission is free.

SATURDAY, JUNE 13

THE WEEKND at DRAI’S

If you’re a casual fan of music these days, you’re more apt to recognize The Weeknd by sound rather than name. The R&B troubadour, known aside from the moniker with the oddly absent vowel as Abel Tesfaye, is the ultra-smooth voice behind “Earned It,” the sizzling serenade from the enormously popular film “Fifty Shades of Grey.” That particular tune, like much of The Weeknd’s material, packs plenty of sex appeal, which makes it sizzle with or without the help of eye-popping imagery, thanks to his stunning falsetto. If you’re seeking a sexy soundtrack this, uh, weeknd, you’ve found it.

SCOTT WEILAND at SAYERS CLUB AT SLS LAS VEGAS

It’s been awhile since we’ve seen Scott Weiland live, so we can’t exactly attest to the caliber of his live sets as of late — there were some YouTube clips making the rounds that didn’t necessarily cast him in the best light — but when the guy is on, he’s a helluva performer. Seeing him with Stone Temple Pilots is probably the most satisfying scenario, but that doesn’t look like it will ever happen again, as relations with his former bandmates still seem to be incredibly contentious, even now with his spot being filled by Chester Bennington of Linkin Park. Watching him with the Wildabouts may be just as wild.

MOTELS/TUBES/SMITHEREENS at FREMONT STREET EXPERIENCE

While Fremont Street Experience frequently hosts free concerts, Saturday’s show is of particular note to Gen Xers, as it features a trio of top acts from their heyday, the Motels, the Tubes and the Smithereens, whose tunes still hold up more than three decades later. (877-834-2748)

REGGAE IN THE DESERT at CLARK COUNTY AMPHITHEATRE

The only thing we can think of that could possibly trump Reggae in the Desert — taking place Saturday at Clark County Amphitheatre — is reggae on a desert island with bottomless bottles of Captain Morgan splashed with fruit punch. That, or if organizers figured out a way to cram even more performers onto the bill, which is already pretty pleasing with JBoog, Maxi Priest, Yellowman, Anuhea, Etana, Stick Figure, Sister Nancy and Ludlow. Of course, that’s not even possible, unless the gig started at 6 a.m. Noon is pretty early as it is, though, so that might be pushing it.

AC/DC/OZZY & SABBATH/DIO TRIBUTE at COUNT’S VAMP’D

Catch another night of back-to-back tribute acts at Count’s Vamp’d: On Friday, High Voltage conjures the spirit of AC/DC. On Saturday, Children of the Grave pays homage to Black Sabbath and Ozzy, and Dio Rising channels Ronnie James Dio. Both nights are free. (702-220-8849)

DANCE! DANCE! DANCE!

As usual, the dance card in Las Vegas is crowded this weekend. On Friday, RL Grime is at Encore Beach Club (and Surrender on Saturday), Kaskade is at XS (and Encore Beach Club on Saturday); Calvin Harris is at Omnia (and Wet Republic on Saturday); the Chainsmokers are at Hakkasan. On Saturday, Dada Life is Hakkasan in the Main Room and Jesse Marco is at Hakkasan’s Ling Ling Club; Zedd is at XS Las Vegas (and Encore Beach Club on Sunday); Martin Garrix is at Wet Republic; Blau at Life Nightclub at SLS with EC Twins. On Sunday, Major Lazer is at XS for Sunday Nightswim.

Read more from Dave Herrera at bestoflasvegas.com. Tips, story ideas, recipes? Send them to dherrera@reviewjournal.com.