Back again for it’s third year, SEMA Fest had taken over the Las Vegas Convention Center, converting the outside parking lots into a showroom for all things high performing cars, motocross, and full fledged music festival.
Fans of all things car culture were able to experience a variety of custom car displays, live automotive demonstrations including high speed drifting, and a motocross circus event. Providing the entertainment for the evening were Neon Trees, The Black Crowes, and Queens of the Stone Age as the headliners.
Neon Trees kicked off the festivities and their high energy pop rock music quickly got the crowd off their feet. Playing hits such as “Lessons In Love,” and “Everybody Talks.”
Afterwards, The Black Crowes took to the stage. Their southern blues style groove and classic rock ‘n roll attitude onstage captivated the crowd. Frontman Chris Robinson gave a powerful performance, his voice full of raw and soulful passion. Having recently released their newest album in over 15 years, Happiness Bastards, The Black Crowes played two new songs “Rats and Clowns,” and “Wanting and Waiting,” as well as a variety of their old hits including “Twice as Hard,” and “Remedy.”
In between each of the band’s sets, the crowd’s attention shifted over to the automotive performances. A high crane lit up a section of the parking lot that was being used as a drifting track. There were a variety of vehicles from muscle cars to sport UTVs, which took turns around the track. Drivers performed for the crowd by drifting their vehicles around the track as fast as they could, getting near to the barriers as the audience cheered them on. Smoke and the smell of burning rubber filled the night air.
Afterwards it was the Daredevils in the Urias Family turn to wow the crowd with their Globe of Death motocross performance. Traveling the world with their steel globe cage, 16 feet in diameter, members of the troupe would race their motorcycles inside the globe, spinning faster and faster, even upside down. This performance was a long family legacy, with the original Globe of Death origins dating back to 1912, created by the great grandfather of the Urias brothers. Truly a spectacle to behold, these Daredevils lived up to their name, filling the inside of the cage with 3 motorcycles racing around in circles at speeds up to 45 miles per hour, all while a stage performer would stand directly in the bottom center of the globe.
And lastly, it was time for the headliners Queens of the Stone Age to take the stage. First III No Flash was not granted media access to photograph their set, but I was still able to watch their performance from the crowd. Since all of the automotive events had concluded for the night, the crowd seemed to double in size. Beginning their set with the explosive “You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar, but I Feel Like a Millionaire,” the guitar riffs of QOTSA never let go of the crowd’s attention. Frontman Josh Homme had a lot of fun banter in between songs with the crowd, including the sign language interpreter which gave Josh a real delight when he was told what the hand sign for “asshole” was and then proceed to practice with the audience. Queens of the Stone Age ended their set with the fan favorite song, “A Song for the Dead.” A high energy finale to an evening filled with nonstop high octane thrills. SEMA Fest was the conclusion to a four day convention, and as the showrooms emptied out, fans were able to experience the very best the high performance car and motocross field had to offer.
GALLERY: SEMA Fest in Las Vegas, Nevada (November 7, 2025)
