George Lyons opens The Lion’s Den on KUNV 91.5 with a salute to the late, great George Carlin—dropping classic bits (“Wonderful Wino,” “Indian Sergeant,” selections from FM & AM and Occupation: Foole) between deep-cut sequences of reggae, acid-jazz, downtempo, and alt favorites. Early sets flow from the Ethiopians’ vintage skank into Grace Jones’s “I’ve Seen That Face Before (Libertango),” Seal’s “Still Love Remains,” and left-field gems by Night Trains, Sofa Surfers, and more—each segue stitched with Lyons’ trademark “turn it up” energy and station IDs.
Hour three pivots to an archival burner: Bob Weir & RatDog, recorded live at PNC Bank Arts Center (Holmdel, NJ — Aug. 22, 2007). The band tears through a jam into “Shakedown Street,” “New Minglewood Blues,” “Señor,” “Cassidy,” “Bird Song,” “Big Railroad Blues,” acoustic takes on “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” and “Looks Like Rain,” and a fiery “Scarlet Begonias.” Special guests Derek Trucks and Oteil Burbridge jump in, with Warren Haynes joining for “Come Together” and “Not Fade Away”; the encore glows with “Ripple.” Lyons closes with his Sunday-night benediction—good music for the mind, body, and soul—reminding Vegas to look out for one another (and to keep the volume up).