‘Raiding the Rock Vault’ at LVH mines classics

Spinal Tap had a mini Stonehenge, but “we have a Mayan jungle onstage,” John Payne says.

Payne is one of the veteran rockers who are “Raiding the Rock Vault,” a new classic-rock production show opening Saturday at the LVH, where it will run five days per week.

“The story actually starts in the future, when the world has been destroyed, and man comes back to the Earth to find these time capsules,” Payne explains. “This is where they find the rock vault, in a Mayan temple.”

But this is all really just an excuse to play “Stairway to Heaven.”

“It’s theatrical, but not overtheatrical. It’s still a concert,” Payne says. “It’s a concert with probably 10 percent theater rather than something like (the Broadway musical) ‘Rock of Ages.’ ”

A giant video screen and narration will help put rocking classics in a chronology from the ’60s through the ’90s, and from AM to FM to MTV.

“They were actually world and America-changing songs,” Payne says. “It was all linked with the (political) culture.”

The plan is for guest stars — starting with Bobby Kimball of Toto fame — to front the band of rockers with strong resumes.

Payne is at the helm of one branch of prog-rockers Asia. Howard Leese was guitarist for Heart and Paul Rodgers. Tracii Guns fronted L.A. Guns, Paul Shortino is a Las Vegas-based Quiet Riot alumnus and Robin McAuley sang for the McAuley Schenker Group. Jay Schellen (drums), Michael T. Ross (keyboards) and Andrew Freeman (guitar) round out the group.

Payne says it’s fun to play the songs they all love, but never did professionally.

“It’s just great fun with these evergreen songs and this time period of music which will never ever happen again,” he says.

“As much as we think we’re trying to break new ground and write new songs, there will never be another ‘Stairway to Heaven,’ or ‘Smoke on the Water’ or ‘My Generation.’ These were new things being born.”

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at
mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.