John Katsilometes
John Katsilometes treats music as the spine of a larger Las Vegas entertainment ecosystem, writing a daily column that follows how live shows, residencies and personalities shape the city’s stages. He is a columnist at the Las Vegas Review-Journal, where his Kats! franchise runs in the A section and across the Neon entertainment vertical. His coverage concentrates on live music on the Strip, in theaters, and at major venues, blending booking news, residency updates, show reviews and scene reporting rather than traditional album criticism. He also writes fan-facing pieces around residency experiences, such as guidance on what not to wear to Barry Manilow’s show, which underlines his focus on how audiences actually encounter the music.
Scene & heard in Vegas
The Kats Entertainment portal describes his work as “Scene & Heard in Vegas,” with his column covering entertainment from the Strip and beyond and running daily in the A section. Across recent columns he moves quickly between music acts, variety productions and television-linked personalities, treating them as parts of one continuous nightlife circuit.
He has written about long-running interactive shows such as the Old West farce on the Strip marking its fifth anniversary, highlighting how a production adapts and endures in a competitive environment. In another vein he notes the return of TV personalities Rick Harrison and Austin “Chumlee” Russell with a new season of “Pawn Stars,” folding their on-screen fame into his broader picture of Vegas entertainment.
This scene-oriented approach distinguishes his music coverage: artists are framed not only by their sound, but by where they fit in the city’s roster of attractions, residencies and media properties.
Strip residencies and headliners
Katsilometes devotes substantial attention to Strip residencies and headline shows, treating them as a primary unit of his music beat. A recent column on Carlos Santana details how the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer extends his long-running House of Blues residency, listing new blocks of dates and placing them in the context of more than 300 performances at the venue.
He notes touring and recording activity around that residency, such as Santana’s new album and drummer Cindy Blackman Santana’s projects, tying set lists and stage chemistry to the artists’ broader work. Earlier pieces on the retro-rock outfit Reckless in Vegas chart the band’s multi-month engagement at the Sahara Theater, including its old-Vegas sound, schedule and the theater’s planned renovation, again pairing musical style with venue strategy.
His Neon archive shows repeated coverage of major headliners and producers announcing or expanding Strip runs, from classic rock productions and Pink Floyd-branded shows to K-pop superstars and star DJs taking over dayclubs. Even when he writes a column about audience etiquette at a Barry Manilow residency, the focus stays on the dynamics of a long-term headliner relationship with a specific room and its crowd.
His distinguishing trait on this beat is how every artist story is anchored to a room, a run of dates and the business of keeping a residency compelling.
Music at stadiums and arenas
Beyond traditional theaters, Katsilometes tracks how music operates inside major sports venues and arenas.
A feature on David Perrico and the Raiders House Band explores their role as the live soundtrack of game day at Allegiant Stadium, describing the reimagined covers performed, the size of the ensemble and its status as the team owner’s handpicked house band. His “Neon Knights” piece on the hockey production at T-Mobile Arena breaks down the pyrotechnic intros, sound design and narrative framing that surround the team before the puck drops, treating the entire pregame show as a distinct performance. More recently, he has reported on Oasis booking massive shows at Allegiant Stadium as part of a wider tour, using column space and on-air segments to explain how the band teased Las Vegas dates with social media clues before the formal announcement.
Across these stories he treats stadium and arena presentations as music events in their own right, connecting set lists, house bands and production decisions to how fans experience sports and concerts in the same space.
Columns, podcast and on-air work
Katsilometes’ column is part of a larger media presence that reinforces his role as a central interpreter of the city’s music and entertainment scene. The Review-Journal and Neon pages note that his column runs daily in the A section, and that he hosts the PodKats! podcast, extending his conversations with performers and producers beyond print.
He has hosted a radio show under the Kats banner and appears regularly on television, including a weekly segment on KTNV’s “Midday” program. Local broadcast outlets feature him as “Johnny Kats” discussing current entertainment headlines, from Flavor Flav’s push for another SHE Weekend to the movement of classic rock productions between Strip venues and the return of long-running interactive shows such as Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding. His X profile describes him as a daily columnist at the Review-Journal and promotes his entertainment coverage and podcast work, signalling that he uses social platforms to amplify scoops and updates on residencies, arena shows and other music-led stories.
This multi-platform footprint means his reporting often combines the immediacy of broadcast hits with the detail of written columns, especially on breaking news around major tours, residency extensions and venue changes.
4 more music journalists.
Andrea Dresdale
Andrea Dresdale manages entertainment content at ABC Audio and covers music-driven pop culture for news and audio platforms. Her beat centers on chart-friendly pop, new releases, mainstream artists, awards, residencies and industry milestones. She also reports on legacy acts, anniversaries, nostalgia, remixes, live performances and music’s links to film, television, streaming and social media. Her notable coverage includes Taylor Swift, BTS, The Weeknd, Madonna, The Beach Boys, Bruce Springsteen, Patty Smyth and Miley Cyrus. Her work has appeared through syndicated ABC Audio coverage on outlets such as WRMF, KS95 and Hot 96.7. Dresdale writes concise, timely pieces for radio audiences. She frames songs, tours, specials and career moments through cultural impact, fan appeal, commercial momentum and lasting relevance. Her stories connect current hits with music history and show how artists maintain attention through new releases, collaborations and reinterpretations.
Andrew Weber
Andrew Weber uses accountability reporting to examine who benefits from decisions shaping Austin’s music ecosystem. He reports for KUT as a government accountability reporter and works as a freelance reporter and associate editor for KUT News across the public radio network. His music coverage focuses on musicians’ pay at festivals, health care, mental health services, venue relief and working conditions. He treats SXSW as a workplace and economic system, reporting on low fees, sponsorships, boycotts and the political choices behind the festival. He also covers government and institutional issues, including KUT’s relationship with the University of Texas and the firing of general manager Debbie Hiott. His reporting ranges from nonprofit support systems to experimental sound art. He plays music on the side and brings digital storytelling experience, including an Edward R. Murrow award for social media work.
Andy Greene
Andy Greene is a senior writer at Rolling Stone who stands out for long-form interviews and narrative features that follow artists across entire careers. He focuses on music, especially classic rock performers, live shows, tours, and band dynamics. He runs the interview series Unknown Legends and King For a Day, which center on veteran musicians, sidemen, collaborators, and singers who replace legendary frontmen. He also writes cover stories and major features on high-profile figures, including Radiohead, Howard Stern, Bill Withers, Nathan Fielder, Steve Perry, Pete Townshend, and Stephen King. His reporting relies on access, detailed questioning, and a deep command of rock history. He also writes about film and television when they connect to music and culture.
Anna Grace Lee
Anna Grace Lee is a Vogue reporter who covers pop musicians and celebrities through fashion, weddings, and lifestyle culture, focusing on dresses, events, pets, and subcultures rather than industry news. She writes scene-driven features that place entertainers in vivid settings, from villas to underground food markets, and treats music-adjacent stories as fashion and craftsmanship narratives. Her Dua Lipa Sicily wedding coverage shows how she frames a wedding dress as a haute couture moment and a pop-cultural milestone, emphasizing design, making, and handwork. Her Millie Bobby Brown miniature poodle piece reflects a consistent interest in celebrity pets, fandom, and off-stage persona. She also reports lifestyle features like Brooklyn’s buzziest underground cheese sale, embedding in niche food scenes. At Vogue she contributes to weddings, celebrity, living, and Met Gala coverage, and maintains a portfolio of culture and lifestyle work built around entertainment-adjacent storytelling.