Vincent Verderame has one of the coolest—and most unique—drumming gigs in Las Vegas. You can find him and his bandmates onstage with three cobalt-colored men, all making visual and auditory delights in the show Blue Man Group at Luxor. The long-running production continues its reign as one of the most thought-provoking and purely entertaining shows in the city, and Verderame has been there since day one.

When did you start playing music?

My uncle gave me my first drum set when I was in fifth grade; I still have it. It’s a 1948 Leedy, a classic drum set. I got into classical percussion, played in the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and went to Penn State for a few years, but all along I was still playing drums. I started getting bored of classical music, as much as I loved it there was a level to it that—there’s a lot of counting bars and resting—and you have to love it and I didn’t like all of it. So I thought about it and wanted to play drum set instead, so I transferred to the University of Miami, finished my undergrad there and lived in Miami for 10 years. I played music for Latin and pop tours, toured with other musicians, played with the New World Symphony, played in blues bands, wedding bands.

So how did you eventually get the job with Blue Man Group?

When the Vegas (show) was opening I got a call from a friend who already played drums for Blue Man Group in Chicago and he told me to come there to check out the show and that they were auditioning for a new show in Vegas. So I flew to Chicago to check the show out. I had never seen it and thought, “Wow, I would kill to do this!” So I took an audition in Chicago in 1999 and got to the second round in New York. I still vividly remember that audition process, it was so, so awesome and so unique. I got the gig and moved out (to Vegas) February 2000; showed up on Super Bowl Sunday.

You’ve been with the show 24 years—that’s crazy!

I have! It’s crazy; it’s insane that I’m still doing this. It’s insane that I still enjoy it! This is such a unique thing to do as a drummer and musician. It is just so unique.

What makes it unique?

When Ian (Pai, one of the early musical collaborators of Blue Man Group) came up with some of the grooves, he wanted it to sound urban, organic, earthy, a sense of something else. So he added something to the drum kits that made it more unique. It’s just very different than any other gig. The interaction of how we play music and what the Blue Men do onstage is incredibly unique. That’s part of what makes the show different every night—it’s got shaded nuances.

How would you explain the show?

After 24 years that’s an impossible answer. I’ve been asked about this show for so many years. Now, that being said, the show has been, at its strongest, about connection and collaboration, fundamentally. You can just let the show wash over you with the beautiful colors, beautiful videos and spectacle of guys hitting PVC pipes and making music of it. You can just be there. But there is more to it and that’s why I think it’s lasted this long. It goes deeper than just entertainment. … In order for a show to run this long and retain its artistic quality and still make money—that’s heavy. It completes the objective of a good, quality show and something that has meaning and purpose.

Luxor. 702.262.4400. luxor.mgmresorts.com

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