The excitement is fever pitch when we step of off the plane at Las Vegas airport. From there it only escalates at first sight of the Palms limo awaiting us. It’s almost all too perfect that on the ride over the radio station is blasting 'Hell Yeah' and plugging our cd release party at the Palms hotel. Staring out of the windows in awe we see the Palms hotel and casino looming in the distance. A domino effect of smiles runs around the limousine as each of us spots the grand marquee reading 'Congratulations Rev Theory "Light It Up" in stores now' in gigantic bold print. Above on the enormous video screen is our video playing, spliced as a promo for the release party. It appears that the Maloofs have pulled out all the stops for this one. As we step into the casino I take in a deep breath of the oxygen saturated air…this is where the fun begins!

The first thing on our agenda is a trip to the Hardwood Suite where a handful of Miss Tempe Twelve hopefuls run around in the skimpiest of attire. You have to be nothing short of royalty to grace the sheets of this suite at a mere $50,000 a pop. The duel level flat comes complete with basketball court, pool table, a hot tub to fit ten, an array of huge flat screens and various other accoutrements to fit your fancy. The walls of the basketball court are covered with the signatures of pop's elite and a mural of a Nike basketball ad signed by the NBA's finest. In the midst of all this are the gorgeous Tempe Twelve contestants posing blissfully atop beds pulled down from the walls of the court, dangling from the basketball rim, and sprawled out along the extravagant hot tub that divides the lounge from the master bedroom. Now it is our turn to pose with the beautiful ladies for a quick photo shoot. Sitting on a circular, rotating lounge seat, each of us poses with two or three of the girls draped all over our bodies. It’s a tough life, I know.

After a quick dinner and a couple of margaritas, its time for a night on the town. We're met by a stretch Hummer limo out front of the Palms and are slamming Jack Daniels and Jagermeister as we roll up to LAX at the Luxor hotel. Our entourage stumbles out of the Hummer and even Brian Howes and JVP have flown down from Vancouver to join the party. By the looks of the line to enter, this club is pretty popular but we are rushed in and sat at a private table where we immediately begin drinking. Everyone is having a blast getting mangled and we even run into our good friend LJ from Sevendust. But maybe it’s a little too much fun because this is where things start to get blurry.

Cut to my alarm sounding at 7:30 am. Maybe it’s not the best idea to get mangled the night before you are to appear on live television at 9am. Dragging myself down to the lobby of the Palms, I find the rest of the guys in rare form: Lixx with a Miller Lite in his hand, Julien telling us of their delirious run in with Dean Deleo of STP, and we can only laugh at our complete ridiculousness. The cab ride over to Fox 5 news is hilarious given the fact that we are all practically drunk from the remnants of our night on the town. We have no right to be out in public at this hour, let alone making television appearances, but we forge onward. The highlight of the interview comes when Lixx is quoting Ricky Bobby and speaking complete jibberish when asked to read off of a sheet of paper. Needless to say, the TV personalities got a kick out of it and Rich was clear headed enough to hold it together for the rest of us.

Mission accomplished! The ride to our next objective is almost unbearable as fatigue begins to take its grip. Thank God for monster energy drinks and espresso. Luckily we've done enough hungover acoustic performances that this one in front of a live audience goes off without a hitch. The radio station and fans were extremely gracious to have us there and it was a great experience. Insert a much needed nap here and I am ready for the night’s festivities.

We start the night off with a delectable dinner at 9 Steakhouse with our good friends from Interscope Records and EMI publishing. The food and atmosphere are amazing and the menu is even personalized with Rev Theory 'Light It Up' at the top. From here the party begins.

Walking over to Rain night club for the release party, we pass by the extensive line of cheers from eager fans. At the entrance we are met by some of our close friends including Clint of Sevendust and Shawn of Neverset. Everyone is beaming and excited to get the party started.

Next, we stroll down the red carpet and can barely contain ourselves while the flash bulbs are blazing. It’s almost surreal as we walk through the tunnel leading into the club, Rev Theory 'Light It Up'

emblazoned all around us. We stroll through the club and are anything but unnoticed. The vibe backstage is intense as we go through our pre-show ritual and it’s only fitting that we slam a few Jager shots before we light up the stage. It’s a particularly emotional moment when all are in attendance with their hands in the huddle, including the Maloof brothers and the Steve’s of Idol Roc. Rich says a few choice words and u can feel the pulse of the group is ripe with anticipation for the things to come. The huddle breaks with a cry of “Light It Up!” and we take the stage.

The crowd of over 1,200 is at their feet in awe with fists pumping in the air as we tear through an all-killer-no-thriller set. Equipped with lights to compete with the best and an array of blazing pyrotechnics, it feels like the start of something exceptional. Nothing goes better with a song like “Light It Up” than a little bit of pyro. I can't explain to you what it feels like to play in front of a huge crowd of your biggest supporters and closest friends, but it had me on cloud 9 as I walked off of the stage.

It only took a few steps from behind the backstage curtain before I was bombarded by people. Everyone was there waiting to congratulate us onthe new record and an awesome performance. But these friends and fans not only came bearing hugs and handshakes, but with a plethora of shots and drinks as well. After a while we had worn out our welcome at Rain and moved the party up to the penthouse Ghost Bar. Walking through the club, everyone was all smiles and spirits were high. I'm sure that it had nothing to do with the massive quantities of alcohol being consumed. As we walked out onto the back patio of the bar, we were met with one of the most stunning views of Las Vegas that I have ever witnessed. It’s quite breathtaking, and for those who are daring there is even a clear glass panel you can stand on that is the only thing separating you from plummeting to the bottom of the Palms hotel. It’s pretty wicked! But here, atop the Maloof’s hotel, the drinks are flowing endlessly and everywhere I look there is a familiar, smiling face.

I'm still on a high from our performance when the party begins to dwindle down. We all take to the floor of the casino…some go to gamble while others have a surprising run in with Rainn Wilson of The Office; almost the perfect ending to a perfect night. I can tell you that this wasn’t the first and is most certainly not the last time that we light it up, but it sure as hell was a good time.

- Matty