Days of the Dead Comes to Las Vegas

Days of the Dead horror convention is coming to Las Vegas and so am I! The cool horror, wrestling, music and pop culture convention will make its Vegas debut June 7-9.

DotD started in July of 2011 in Indianapolis, IN. My friend Cuzz and I had been to several such conventions and we were excited about attending a new one, only an easy 3 hour drive from Chicago.

The first DotD featured several horror-related celebrities, a few newer, young stars in the field and many writers, illustrators and creators. It was a great time, especially for a convention debut. DotD next came to Chicago in late 2011. Of course, we attended that show and it was just as much fun. Days also expanded to Atlanta and Los Angeles and eventually Louisville.

The folks running Days of the Dead treated everyone like great friends. We started looking at the conventions as big reunions, that just happened to have a lot of cool celebrities and horror folks in attendance. Honestly, sometimes, it seemed like the celebrities took a back seat to just hanging out with my newfound friends there.

Over the years, I have met a lot of great celebrities at DotD. That list includes Ace Frehley, Linda Blair, Alice Cooper, PJ Soles, Dee Snider, Lita Ford and so many more. In putting thi story together, I started to realize just how many great stars I have met.

Over the years, they also had a strong wrestling presence. I have met some of the all time greats, like Rowdy Roddy Piper, Bret Hart, Ric Flair, Sting, Shawn Michaels, Mick Foley, Trish Stratus, Mean Gene Okerlund and many more. DotD also attracted many wrestlers as fans. Over the years, I have seen Madman Pondo, Mike Bucci, Hardcore Heather Owens, Ed Gonzales, Crazy Mary Dobson (aka Sarah Logan), Jayson Maples (or Heroes and Legends Wrestling) and others.

I have names a lot of celebrities and I could name many more. Having attended 17 DotD conventions, I have met literally hundreds of celebrities and interesting creators. Most cons bring in a good celebrity lineup though. The actual celebrity list isn't what has always separated DotD from the rest of the pack.

I have already mentioned the friendships made and fostered at DotD, but I want to stress how big of a role that plays at DotD. There are so many folks there who became friends in and out of conventions. We have gone to other events together or just hung out. I consider many folks as friends and several as very good friends. I have found that nowhere else.

I have also mentioned the wrestlers. I don't know how they do it, but DotD brings in big names and the prices are lower than other places. The lines for wrestlers are always long, but a lot shorter than you would find at wrestling shows.

It's funny, because diehard horror fans sometimes question the connection between wrestler sand horror. The DotD folks just shrug and point at the lines and they are right. Wrestlers do not take away anything from the horror feel. If anything, they add to the overall buzz during the events.

There are a lot of great vendors and creators, too. Many of them are regulars and I generally stop and check out all of their booths. I have bought far more than I ever planned on buying, but I love it all.

Late last year, it was announced that there was an amicable change in management at DotD. While I was sad to see some friends depart, I was happy to see many have stayed. Undoubtedly new faces will also be brought in. It's a bit of a new era and that always is a bit unsettling, but reports were good from the recent Atlanta show.

They have also announced a few new cities. In the upcoming months, DotD will have shows in Las Vegas (June 7-9), Indianapolis (July 5-7), Louisville (August 30-September 1), Charlotte (September 27-29), Dallas (October 11-13) and Chicago (TBA). That seems very ambitious, but exciting. I have to make some additional travel plans, because I'd love to attend at least one of the new cities.

Having DotD in Vegas is going to really kick it up a notch. How much fun can one person take. This is going to be insanely good.

I need to make it clear I do not work for Days of the Dead, nor do I get paid by Days of the Dead. I am a fan of such events and I have been attending and covering such events for many years. My goal is always to share my experiences and hopefully draw some new folks into the fun.

I will be reporting back here as the year progresses and DotD events take place. I have enjoyed 8 years at DotD and I expect to continue enjoying myself. I will, however, give an honest opinion as always.