Viva Las Vegas/shifters Car Show ~ Rest In Peace

Hey fellow Hambers and past VLV attendee's.

I wanted you all to know that there will no longer be a Shifters sponsored car show at the Gold Coast during Viva Las Vegas.

In my opinion, at one time, this was THE most hard core car show in the United States! people drove Hot Rod's,Customs,and Classics from all over Canada and the U.S. One year a guy shipped a 57 Olds all the way from Hawaii. Another year a guy shipped his Roadster from Europe. What started out as a show with 75 cars,a handful of vendors, and 1,000 people attending, grew to 1,000 cars,a dozen special guests,40 vendors, and 10,000 people ! Most can look back and remember seeing Ed "BIG DADDY" Roth,Gene Winfield,George Barris,Paul Lemat,Candy Clark,Bo Hopkins,Rick Figari & his A/G Milner Coupe,The Bean Bandits,The Anderson Bros. ,Big John Mazmanian's Willys,Immortals race team,Nacho and his boys with the Giant Tiki, Weesner,Von Franco,just to name a few. Small or large,every publication in the world has done articles on the car show.

After 10 long years of working our butt's off to make the show unique and bring the numbers where it has been in the recent past we can no longer move forward and still hold our heads up high.
Cooperation from The main promoter of the show,as well as the Gold Coast hotel/casino has been extremely limted, and both could not come to an agreement on my plans to make the Shifters car show a better quality event for everyone.

As a whole the Shifters were never properly compensated other than a hand shake and a couple of rooms. Due to the fact that i have always done 60% of the work i was paid a small amount but NOTHING what one would think ....especially when you stop and think that there are 7,500 paid customers. The promoter has used our name to his benefit over the years ,has had us bring celebrities in the show,all of my vendors,has had us pass the word and promote the event to Hot Rodders,Custom car guys,and car clubs all over the states & Canada, and in the end has given us Peanuts.

This event in it's entirety has become a HUGE success! Great! Fantastic! Wonderful! But, If i may toot our horns and pat ourselves on the back for a moment, I feel we are 60% responsible for that success! I know for a fact that so many of you are not in to the vintage music like i am,but you've went ahead and purchased the wristbands for the weekender,in order to put your cars in the Shifters/VLV car show. The promoter needs to face the fact that the custom car culture scene is a very big part of the Rockabilly scene, especially on the West Coast.

One doesn't go to Knotts Berry Farm just go on one ride.
In my opinion our car show was a HUGE part of Viva Las Vegas....many have even told us that it was the main reason for even attending, and only stopped to see a few bands the entire weekend.
The promoter feel's strongly that this isn't the case.



I have organized car shows for 20 years and have NEVER seen a show start at 8:00 in the morning and go on all day and throughout the wee hours of the night. And they wonder why there's fights at 3:00 a.m. ! Geez, i wonder why !?!?! (Machoism,testosterone,and alcohol don't mix).

When i expressed my concerns about the quality of the cars attending the event ,and the direction it was going, i was talking to deaf ears.
When i let them know that we wanted car show attendee's to submit photo's for approval it was refused. This would of brought the show back to where it needed to be, and prevent people from registering 1960 or 1961 made cars then showing up in 1966 cars. It would of also eliminated "OSR" type crap from attending as well.

Last but not least i just want to say that there is an old saying . "Take care of the ones who are taking care of you". Folks, this aint some money hungry thing.
We are not a greedy group of individuals . We don't ask for much,just want to be taken care of and feel appreciated. Is that so much to ask?


* I want ALL to know that i have been approached by two major corporations in and around Las Vegas, to move the car show to their locations. They welcome us with open arms and have said "Let us know how we can help you" "Whatever you need....just ask". So guys, where ever we decide we'll let you know asap. *


For those who have made plans for next year and reserved rooms at the Gold Coast it is up to you whether or not you want to keep them. Where we will move the show will have plenty of rooms available.

In closing we want to thank each and every one of you that supported us and the VLV car show in the past. It doesn't go unoticed. Guys like the Road Rockets,Royal Jokers,Immortals,Swanx,Road Zombies,King of Knights,Dead Sleds,Autoholics,Rattlers,Deacons,Invaders,Pedestrian Killers,Them,Choppers,Cheqs,Mooneyes,Nash & Burn out magazine,Bert Grimm,John & Jenny Parker,and many,many,many more. If i left out any it's not intentional. I can't think of everyone at the moment.
Again, thanks to all who have attended our car shows at VLV. We hope you understand our position and will support us where ever we go.

Thanks very much! Shifters So. Cal.

 

First Paso now Viva. I can see both going thru growing pains but ending up better off in the end. I really did like all the other elements of VLV, it really made it more than a car show. Good for you Axle

Brick

 

didn't go last year because i decided to get married that weekend figures! then i passed on paso this last year too because of not havin a ride to sport up to the show damn!! keep us posted

 

never been to one, but i can tell you guys did a hell of a job with the show from just what i've read,,i remember reading about the first one,,and have enjoyed watching it grow.....i'm glad the show won't be ending, but just moving to a different venue..i hope to make it one of these years.....best of luck to you..,,sounds like you've made a good decision to me,,,sounds like you gave it your best shot with the casino...oh well,,their loss

 

Thanks for the hard work over the years Axle, I guess it was just a matter of time....

I'll still go to Viva as its all about the social aspect for me, lots of friends from the UK come over for it.

Onward & upward eh?

 

I've wanted to go for a few years,but it seemed like every year it got worse. I would only want to go for the car show,not the music. Primer Nats sounded like a much better show,and for only $25. If the show gets to move to a better place,and gets more control over what gets let in,than i'm in. Not drivin all the way to Vegas for a "rusty rat fest". You do a hell of a job Axle. Make it the way YOU want it...

 

amen for telling it like it is brother axle! viva has become known more as
a huge car show event than the actual event it self. i'm a big music fan
myself, but if you guys were to pull out , damn! it'd be a sad little show.
anyhow, where do i make reservations for the anti-viva it'll be huge.

best of luck skrap metal..........

 

Alex,
Sorry to hear that. But you know what? Its gonna be soooo much better having it in a different location. Some of the VLV crowd were a hard bunch to be around. And you also got the GNRS too. sweet.
Good luck with everything, and Them! is always there to support you.

 

Thanks for all the fun times......it wont be forgotten!

Tex

Autoholics California

 

Thanks Axle, keep us inform, as we will go to the car show and support the acts at VLV, but if they get better than the past years.....

 

Right on. Maybe it will be worth attending again. The last couple of years were rough. Glad to see you guys are making worthwhile changes and getting the show back to where you want it to be.

 

DISSAPOINTED, SORRY, AND AGREE WITH YOU 100%!!!! This WAS the year we were going,Have tried 6 years in a row, and have either not gotten hotel, days off, or had the birth of our youngest, or our grandkid...WOW thats a lot of crap happening now that I see it in print!! .... but NOT anymore!!! I look foreward now to going to where you will "hopefully" have the show at??? Ken

 

I didn't read the whole thing but I'm highly considering not flying to Vegas because of this, and one of my good friends plays there this year.

ok-finished reading and hopefully it'll land somewhere cool and we can still check it out.

 

Alex, I am very sorry to hear that. We would drive 25 hours from Canada to participate in your show, and had great times. Thanks to all the Shifters and yourself for allot of hard work over the past 10 years.

 

Sorry to hear, I've gone to the first 5 or 6 VLV's. I guess it's time to re-invent, the "new" car shows.

 

Always had a blast. Thanks. Never look back, only forward. -stick

 

Axle
I totally feel you pain. as a promoter myself and not as large of a scale as you, I went to the first three viva's and did not return until number 8 when all hell broke lose and have not been back since. I came for the first 3 for the music and cars in the begining and got burned out on the music side and came for 8 for the cars only. If you guys end up putting a car show only on in vegas count me in to be there and help anyway I can. Tom Imgram can do his fashion show by himself.

 

Be nice to have a new spot! Thanks for the past!

 

Well Axle, Sue and I both regret hearing about this, it just seems like its getting harder and harder to please some folks, makes us wonder what this is all about, and where we are headed. I have been going to, participating in car shows since the mid 50s and really enjoyed almost all of them.
Since Sue and I became acquainted with you and yours, we determined one thing, you are a fighter and will prevail!!
We really enjoyed the 2 we attended and felt privledged that you asked us to display our "50s" 40. We were scheduled to go this year but a grave family illness forced us to change our plans, our friend Terry from WA was lucky enough to attend tho and we have our plans in place for the next one. We will go wherever it goes. Hope to bring the Deuce to the next one
Anyway, keep up the good work, we are all behind you!! All the best, Dave and Sue Will see you then!!

 

this really sucks, all you can do is look back and say those were some good times

 

I can't fuckin believe this shit my car is almost done and two of the best shows are gone that sucks!Last year was my first VLV and I thought it was a great show I was looking forward to going in my 54 Belair in 2008 but i guess not.

 

Well Axle, Sue and I both regret hearing about this, it just seems like its getting harder and harder to please some folks, makes us wonder what this is all about, and where we are headed. I have been going to, participating in car shows since the mid 50s and really enjoyed almost all of them.
Since Sue and I became acquainted with you and yours, we determined one thing, you are a fighter and will prevail!!
We really enjoyed the 2 we attended and felt privledged that you asked us to display our "50s" 40. We were scheduled to go this year but a grave family illness forced us to change our plans, our friend Terry from WA was lucky enough to attend tho and we have our plans in place for the next one. We will go wherever it goes. Hope to bring the Deuce to the next one
Anyway, keep up the good work, we are all behind you!! All the best, Dave and Sue Will see you then!!

 

Axle - sorry to hear the news, its their loss & I'm sure you'll step it up to even a better level . Thanks for the great past events - keep us posted. Laurie

 

Man,that blows...

 

great job and i hope to attend another great show wherever it is, i went to the 4-8 (skipping a few years in between).

 

I was just telling my wife a while back that I did not think the car show would be at the gold coast again. I thought it would be cancelled which would mean we would not be going to VLV again.

I like the music but for me the reason to go is the car show.

I HOPE you end up having the car show the same weekends as VLV. you would get a lot of people that would come for the car show.

Hell this year I told my wife also that if next year they do not require wristbands for the car show we are just going to go for the car show and watch the bands in the lower lounge area where it is free.

I have not put on any car shows but I have put on live music events...here is something to consider.

Put the car show on the same weekend at a place near the goldcoast. The palms would be the ideal place being right across the street. Get enough bands to fill out one stage. Bands like Three Bad Jacks, Blazing Haley, and such would be perfect. You would not be ripping off the 50s dowop rockabilly that VLV has and would offer up live music and a car show.

There would be a lot of people going back and forth between the events and or venues. It could be huge.

whatever you do goodluck and let us know ASAP on when it will be and where so we can plan vacation days.

 

man that really sucks i enjoy going out there. relaxing hanging with a bunch of car people talking about whats gonna get cut up next on there "rusty rat fest" as Bad Bob likes to call them. they are diamonds in the rough to me but people are entitled to their own opinion. to me it was fun to go out and see rough cars what fun is it to see a row of cars that are all "done" so to speak. well keep me posted where its moving to

 

I think that this is great news! I went to 8 and 9, both for the car show. I can't take the bubble gum music long, so I haven't been back. Keep us up to date for the new location, I'd love to go back for your show!

 

SUCKS! Oh well. New location still in Vegas though? Shouldn't be too bad.

 

It was all about the cars for me. The bands were a bonus.