'Hug Me, Brotha!' Drake Bell Brings Night Of Nostalgia To Easy’s At ARIA In Las Vegas

Drake Bell brought a wave of nostalgia to Las Vegas with an intimate performance at Easy’s Cocktail Lounge inside ARIA Resort & Casino on Thursday night.

Fans of the early 2000s Nickelodeon hit "Drake & Josh" were treated to a night of throwback hits and new tunes.  From “Hug Me, Brotha!” moments to fan-favorite songs like the show's theme song, "I Found a Way," Bell delivered a show packed with memories and feel-good nostalgia. And boy did he pack the house!

Let's set the scene - a hidden speakeasy inside Proper Eats Food Hall at ARIA Resort & Casino, a guitar, and an iconic singer and actor named Drake Bell. Add some delicious, cleverly named cocktails, an unforgettable atmosphere, and toe tapping music and you have a nostalgic and fun throwback Thursday night in Sin City.

Bell sat down with The Blast ahead of his one-night-only show to talk about everything from his hit series, "Drake & Josh," to how he felt after the documentary came out and everything in between.

As far as performing at Easy's, Bell said it's got that "very classic, retro vibe that I love."

"Just being able to perform in Vegas is so awesome. The history here is incredible," he told The Blast exclusively. "Easy's is such an awesome venue. I'm nostalgic. I love anything that has that classic, classy, Rat Pack, that bygone era of Vegas and Easy's has that vibe. I feel like that's where you would've gone to see that 3 a.m. show of Dean Martin."

When asked what his setlist looks like for the evening, Bell explained that he plans to do a little of everything.

“We got a lot of the old ones people love, new ones from the new record. It’s a trip. It’s strange, especially recently, I don’t know if people are going back in my old catalogues or what’s happening, but fans are calling out like interesting songs. Play this song, play that song, I’m like, I haven’t played that song live in years, so it’s a good mix," he said. "The fans dig it.”

To help get fans in a nostalgic mood, Easy's offered some cleverly named specialty cocktails, including "Hug Me, Brotha!" featuring Roku Gin, champagne, lemon juice, and simple syrup; "Megan," featuring Basil Hayden Bourbon, Demerara sugar, Angostura bitters, and an orange twist; 'I Ain't Calling You a Truther,' with Maker's Mark Bourbon, lemon juice, and mint; and 'Where's the Door, Drake?" with Roku Gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup.

When Bell found out about the "Drake & Josh" named drinks, he was psyched.

"I didn't even know they did that [renamed the drinks for his appearance] and I picked up the menu and was like, 'I Ain't Calling You a Truther,' 'Hug Me Brotha!'" he said. "Oh, these are awesome."

Easy's is known for its theatrical "show stopper" cocktails such as Heart or The Ocean, with Codigo Blanco Tequila, orgeat, lime, blueberry, black sea salt foam, served in a sea shell on white sand, with seashells and micro flowers sitting on a dock. They are also known for their intimate setting and speakeasy vibes.

Bell explained a little about how his music has evolved over the years.

"It's interesting, when I write music or I get in the studio, I kind of tend to want to make the music that I'm interested in at that time. So I feel like my records are constantly evolving and they're all so different, like 1950s, 60s, rockabilly, oldies, 'It's Only Time' is very Beatles, Beach Boys," he shared.

"The new album takes that to a completely other level and is like Queen or Jellyfish. Eclectic is really it, I wouldn't have a specific thing to be like, oh, it's evolved this way. It's just constantly evolving and trying to do new stuff and stuff that's interesting to me."

When asked if there's something he hasn't accomplished musically yet, Bell said he would "love to do a big band record, like standards, big band, Robbie Williams."

Bell mentioned that he would love to have a Vegas residency in the future and based on how he filled Easy's with diehard fans, it appears he would have a successful run in Sin City. His dream venue - "The Sands, circa 1963 or 1964."

When asked if the Sphere is on his list of possible future venues, he said, "Oh yeah, that's a given," enthusiastically.

"My new record would totally fit the Sphere. It's a total concept album. It takes you on a musical journey through the skies. It sounds like you're on an airplane. It has all the flight attendants and captains coming on and talking to you and taking you through this whole musical experience while having the feeling of being on a non-stop flight," he told The Blast.

"So, we would totally have the sky, like you're flying through the air and all the airplane stuff and clouds."

While on the subject of Vegas, Bell shared that he's done a little gambling while here. Has he won big? His answer was, "you win, you lose." (He's one of us, guys!)

When asked what Bell wants his fans to know about his life that maybe they don't already, he explained that everything anyone would want to know can be found in the lyrics of his music.

"It’s interesting, when I write songs, it’s really like I don’t write in a journal or a diary, I write songs and so I’ll tell a lot of people, if you really want to know what’s going on in my life and in my world and what is happening in my relationships and my family, you can figure it all out if you listen to the records," he shared. 

"But if you just read articles about me or read the press or the news or have some preconceived notion of me because of the character I played on the show, it’s gonna be a completely different narrative than the realty."

He said that after the documentary, "Quiet on Set" came out, people started to fully understand that he included his life in his music all along.

"You can go back to my first album, and fans, since the documentary came out last year, and all this new information about my past come out, they’ve gone back to my old albums and were like, ' Woah, now we get what he’s saying here and wow, he’s been talking about this from the beginning. Oh, we thought this was about this," he continued. "So now I always tell people if you really want to know, it’s all there, just go to some of the records.”

Bell said he was happy with how the documentary was received and said there "was a great really of support around me."