Las Vegas City Life

SAT AUG 21

After watching Jack Black teach his prep-school charges to work it like a miniature Ronnie James Dio in School of Rock, it's hard not to wish that, instead of track or debate, you could have gone out for guitar god in high school. Certainly would have made getting a date easier -- even if you were a royal nerd with boils the size of Mt. Everest.

Of course, if you grew up in Philly, that wouldn't have been a problem. Paul Green, the inspiration for Black's manic professor of shred, has been running the original School of Rock since 1998, turning out a slew of kids worthy of a devil-horn salute. His teenage headbangers know their Sabbath from their Southern-fried rock, and have played shows from L.A. to Germany. This summer's final consists of cramming 17 shows into a 16-day tour up and down the West Coast, with Green showing 24 of his most demigod-like 12 to 17 year olds from his three greater Philadelphia schools what it takes to put on a killer concert after sucking exhaust fumes for eight hours in a stinky van. (Rock is so glamorous!) Capping the whole thing off is a two-night stint at the Wild Wild West Casino, the youngsters presenting not only their dissertation on classic rock, but also their detailed understanding of its symphonic maestro, Frank Zappa, that so beats trigonometry. For those about to rock, we salute you.

J.I.

School of Rock

Wild Wild West Casino Pool

702-392-8382

Aug, 20-21, 7 p.m.

$11