The 18th annual Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender is about to kick off at the Orleans Casino/Resort in fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada. Rockabilly is the name of the game at this event. From the cars to the fashion to the music, it’s all rockabilly, all the time. This oddly specific event features a car show for strictly pre-1963 vehicles which must be done in the style of the era – no billet wheels or pro-touring cars allowed.
It would be a misnomer to call Viva a car show. The car show is great, with several hundred examples of vintage American Iron, dressed up in the style of the ’50s and ’60s, but the event is much more. With over 75 live bands scheduled, it’s at least as much a music festival as it is a car show. In addition, there are burlesque shows, pin-up contests, and even a ’50s pool party.
But Hooniverse is about the cars, right? We will be in attendance this weekend and we’ll be bringing you some highlights from this niche market show. Watch for posts late next week – after the hangover has worn off.
[Note: Images are screen grabs from the VLV website.]
Event Preview: Viva Las Vegas 2015
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What happened in 1963 to bring about the demise of the Rockabilly Epoch?
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My hunch is the Beatles. I’ve been to rockabilly events and they tend to disallow cars past the British Invasion. Some allow ’64 cars still for example. You’ll see a lot of people still live a rockabilly lifestyle if you go to a show like this. I also think they are so particular (like the no billet) because they are afraid of new people diluting what they like when they get together for these things.
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Seems like significant enough of a cultural marker. The recognition of the date when their enthusiasm officially fell out of popular favor strikes me as odd for some reason. I think its cool that they keep old iron up and running, and plenty of folks from golfers to comic book fans like getting dressed up to show their enthusiasm; I have no problem with that either.
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I just want to clarify that I have no problem with anything either, I was just fleshing-out my thoughts a bit cause if I simply wrote “British Invasion” it would less insightful, instead I applaud their choices and can appreciate why they have the rules that they do.
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