Paiute Plaza Readies For Moapa Madness Celebration

By VERNON ROBISON

Moapa Valley Progress

The Moapa Paiute Travel Plaza is preparing for another huge weekend to remember at the Moapa Madness 2016 event. This year’s two-night event is promising to host another record-breaking crowd for the July 4th weekend.

Travel Plaza manager Mike Qualheim said that the preparations have been extensive. Last year’s event brought nearly 70,000 people to the Plaza over the two day celebration.
“This year we offer even more than last year,” Qualheim said. “We have three bands each night performing in concert and they are even bigger names than last year. So we are expecting the attendance to increase.”

The Plaza is hosting some top tier entertainers and musicians in free concerts both evenings. Admission is free but parking will be $20 per vehicle per day upon entry. The concerts start at 7 pm on both nights.
The first night, Sunday July 3, is being billed as Country Night.

The concert kicks off with Canadian music duo, High Valley. The band won five GMA Canada Covenant Awards in 2011 including Artist of the Year and Group of the Year.

Next on Sunday will be singer/songwriter RaeLynn who originally rose to fame in the 2012 season of “The Voice”. She has since released hit singles God Made Girls and For A Boy.

The final band performing on Sunday night will be Big & Rich. This pair of gonzo showmen took the country music scene by storm in the early 2000s. The group has released five studio albums with the latest one being Gravity which thas allied up three hit singles including Lookin At You, Run Away with You, and Lovin’ Lately.

The concert for July 4 is being called “Rock and Roll Night.”
The concert starts with an appearance by the funk band, War. This Long Beach, California group is known for the hit songs Spill the Wine, Why Can’t We Be Friends?, Low Rider and Summer.

Next on for the night of July 4 will be 80’s rock star Vince Neil. Neil is best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Motley Crue. The band’s huge hit album Shout at the Devil established it as one of the biggest hard rock/metal bands of the 1980s.

The final act of the July 4th concert will be a return of Bret Michaels, who performed at the concert last year. Michaels first gained fame in the 1980s as the lead vocalist of the glam metal band Poison.

Of course, both evenings will feature a professional fireworks show like few others. This year’s show will feature huge pyrotechnics employing shells as large as 16 inches.
“Most fireworks shows; like the one that takes place on the Las Vegas Strip; their largest fireworks are 6” shells,” Qualheim said. “Our 16” shells go higher, spread out wider and are significantly louder. It should be a great show.”

In addition to the music, attendees can enjoy unique food offerings from more than 15 different food trucks and vendors. And beer will be available on tap from Budweiser, Miller and Coors.
And, of course, the region’s largest fireworks sale will be going on from now to throughout the event. With a 10,000 square foot firework tent, Independence Day thrill seekers can find fireworks of all kinds for their own brand of celebration. The Plaza provides on-site concrete launch pads for visitors to safely and legally launch their fireworks.

For more information about this year’s event go to www.moapaconcerts.com.