Las Vegas rock festival to make comeback after 10-year absence

The festival that taught a generation of Las Vegas kids how to crowd-surf, skin knees and scramble to beat curfew has announced its return lineup.

The Extreme Thing Sports and Music Festival is returning for its 25th anniversary March 20 at Desert Breeze Event Center, 8455 Kids Zone Parkway. Some of the kids on that parkway are now in their 40s, more attentive to mortgage payments than moshing.

Ticket sales open at 10 a.m. Monday at ExtremeThingLV.com, starting with general admission at $59.99 (fees not included). VIP and merch packages are also offered.

The rock show is being revived for the first time since 2016, with 20 bands in play and Las Vegas’ Findlay Automotive Group along for the ride.

Founder Brian Saliba knows says the crowd is split. Folks who wore wallet chains when the festival kicked off are now bringing their kids.

“When we decided to bring back Extreme Thing, we knew we had to go cater to two different generations, and this delivers,” says Saliba, the former Clark County events director. “We have four stages covering the range of music Extreme Thing was known for, along with newer bands for a new generation of fans. It’s 25 years in the making, and we’re pumped to bring it back.”

The Smile Stage is for the punk-ska, checkered Vans set. The Interrupters close the night, with The Aquabats and The Casualties on the bill. Extreme Thing alums Voodoo Glow Skulls and Slow Gherkin are back in the fold. Roman Candle and Mexican Slum Rats get things moving early.

The Beer Zombies Stage will weigh in heavily. The Ghost Inside returns, and so does Las Vegas’ own Escape the Fate. They played Extreme Thing early in their career, back when “making it” meant a van that started on the key’s first turn. Carnifex, Bleeding Through, Left to Suffer, Evergreen Terrace and Wristmeetrazor fill out the lineup.

The 601 Fremont Stage brings more Vegas affiliation for the hometown crowd. Las Vegas’ Molotov Solution leads in, with Aurorawave, Vegas-born The Higher, Lady Radiator and The Dollheads mixing it up through the day.

The 601 Fremont title nods to the address of Backstage Bar and Billiards and Fremont Country Club. Saliba is a talent booker for those Fremont Street venues.

The Rockstars of Tomorrow Stage is the farm system. Local acts earn their spots through the Battle of the Fans competition. Several local garage bands will be busy in the coming months.

The “Sports” in Extreme Thing Sports and Music Festival still counts. Freak Show Wrestling is back. So is the Extreme Carnival, plus interactive fan experiences, lifestyle vendors and a food court. It’s a punk show, a wrestling card and a county fair in one rowdy Saturday.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.