Punk Rock Legends Find a Home in Las Vegas

When British music legends the Sex Pistols launched into the fledgling punk rock world in 1975, their brand of entertainment was considered by many to be crude, disgusting, appalling -- all descriptions that punk rockers embraced.

The band was controversial and best known for releasing the punk rock anthem "God Save the Queen" in 1977 during Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee weekend. The song was banned from radio and television airplay in the U.K., but reached No. 2 on the BBC's singles chart behind Rod Stewart's No. 1 hit "I Don't Want to Talk About It."

The group only released one studio album, "Never Mind the Bullocks Here's the Sex Pistols," in 1977, and just as they were reaching the height of their popularity, the Sex Pistols disbanded after their final concert Jan. 14, 1978, at Winterland Arena in San Francisco. The original members of the band would reunite in 1996 for its Filthy Lucre Tour before disbanding again.

The Sex Pistols wasn't the only successful punk rock band to rise in the 1970's as the Ramones, The Clash and Buzzcocks also had great popularity. Another music genre that paralleled punk was New Wave that merged a variety of styles including punk, pop, funk, reggae, synth, and brought us Blondie, Devo, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Talking Heads and many other alternative bands in the 1970's.

Punk rock in the 1980s would bring out bands such as Black Flag, Bad Religion and Social Distortion, and in the 1990s, Green Day, Offspring and Rancid would lead the way.

Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Included

Several punk and New Wave bands have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, including the Sex Pistols, The Ramones, The Clash, Green Day, Blondie and Talking Heads. And now these bands and many more will likely be featured in a new attraction coming to Las Vegas -- The Punk Rock Museum.

The Punk Rock Museum is being developed at 1422 Western Ave. in Las Vegas, just south of Downtown and the Arts District and northwest of The Strip, with plans to open Jan. 13, 2023. The museum will house what it claims to be the world's most expensive, inclusive, and intimate display of artifacts, fliers, photos, clothing, instruments, handwritten lyrics, artwork and other items donated by people and bands that were involved in punk rock's beginnings.

The museum was the brainchild of NOFX leader Mike "Fat Mike" Burkett, who brought together skateboard legend Tony Hawk, Foo Fighters Pat Smear, Bad Religion's Brett Gurewitz and Vans Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman to help bankroll the venture. The facility is more than a museum, according to its website, as it includes a bar, tattoo parlor, wedding chapel, punk shop and more.

The project includes a 12,000 square-foot facility that features galleries that will display artifacts such as Devo's energy dome helmets, Blondie vocalist Debbie Harry's iconic Vultures t-shirt, an acoustic guitar on which Rise Against wrote some of their first songs and a bright green chainsaw Sum 41 used to begin their shows during the Does This Look Infected? tour.

Museum Presale Tickets Available

The Punk Rock Museum is getting ready for its opening as it has already put presale tickets on sale. The Crustie Package for $100 gets you two admission tickets, two commemorative VIP laminates, a Punk Museum t-shirt and two warm beers at the bar. The I Gotta Six Pack Package for $250 includes two one-year passes, two commemorative VIP laminates, two limited edition t-shirts, six coldish beers at the bar, and a photo of your punk band on the wall.

The Pay To Come Package for $500 gets you two one-year passes, two commemorative VIP laminates, four limited edition t-shirts, 24 very cold premium beers at the bar (six allowed per visit), a gift bag of souvenirs and your name or band's name permanently on the wall.