Danny de los Reyes’ music and image will soon fill Sphere. But the percussionist’s musical heritage dates to his days at Knudson Middle School, Valley High School and — for a hot minute — UNLV.
“I joined all the different bands, the pop band, the jazz band,” de los Reyes says. “From there, I went a little bit to UNLV, but I didn’t graduate because I started to make money.”
The greener pastures eventually led de los Reyes to the Zac Brown Band, which will open its “Love & Fear” residency at Sphere on Dec. 5-6. The band returns Dec. 12-23, as well as Jan. 9-10 and 16-17.
“Love & Fear,” the album, will be released on the show’s opening date.
Vegas music royalty
De los Reyes plays percussion in Brown’s eight-member band. He is also a member of Las Vegas music royalty, son of Walfredo Reyes Sr. and younger brother of Walfredo Reyes Jr., all excellent drummers and percussionists.
You’ll notice a difference in how the guys’ surnames are treated. As de los Reyes says, “It’s to avoid confusion with the checks.”
Reyes the elder, who died in August at age 92, arrived from Cuba in 1970. He blew through Las Vegas lounges and clubs with the band Latin Breeze, and backed Wayne Newton for nearly two decades at the Desert Inn, the Sands and the Frontier. Reyes Sr. also performed with Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dionne Warwick, among other superstars.
Reyes Jr. landed a job in the Vegas production “Casino de Paris” at the Dunes at age 16. He then joined Debbie Reynolds’ stage show, while also attending the UNLV School of Music, building a career in clubs on and off the Strip. He also didn’t graduate because — in a very Vegas turn of events — he was on tour with Lola Falana.
Reyes Jr. was snapped up by Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Chicago in 2012, and that band routinely sells out at the Venetian Theatre.
His younger brother has absorbed the family’s passion for performance.
“When you’re in high school, and your brother’s always working the Strip, you’re like, ‘Wow! I want to be like my brother!’” the 63-year-old de los Reyes says. “Of course, my dad would take both of us to every show that he was doing, and we grew up in the backstages of all these showrooms. That’s how we grew up, on the Las Vegas music scene.”
De los Reyes has recorded and performed with music legends, including Earth, Wind & Fire, Don Henley, Yanni, Sting, Sheryl Crow, Peter Frampton, Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull, Stevie Nicks and — alongside his brother — Chicago.
‘This is surreal’
In this career arc, de los Reyes unexpectedly found a kindred spirit in Brown. The founder of his eponymous band is known to have an innate feel for his music and the musicians around him. He met de los Reyes 17 years ago at a private campsite in Northern California. The atmosphere is such that what you’ve accomplished matters less than what fills your soul.
Brown and de los Reyes hit it off, musically and personally.
“He was playing acoustic guitar, and he and he saw me — I had a drum strapped to my back — and he said, ‘Why don’t you come and join me?’ ” De los Reyes recalls. “So I did, and we ended up talking till, like, 4 or 5 in the morning. Ever since, he took me on and made me a band member.”
De los Reyes has toured the world with Brown, including a March 2017 tour stop at T-Mobile Arena.
“We’ve been growing and growing, and so has the city,” de los Reyes says. “We were playing T-Mobile, and there was this huge marquee with us on it. I’m like, ‘Wow, man. This is surreal.’ ”
Brown was at the lead of the announcement of the Sphere residency. Sometimes, too far in the lead. The frontman spilled to Theo Von in May 2024 that the band was planning to play the Bulbous Wonder. Then he offhandedly told YouTube star Kai Cenat at the American Music Awards in July at BleauLive Theater that the band was coming to Sphere.
It seems Brown fell prey to giddiness.
“It’s kind of hard when you’re creating something so incredible, whether it’s in your brain or you’re starting to build it, not to talk about it,” de los Reyes says. “Especially for him. He’s like, so excited, I’m excited for him, for all of us. For me, this is the biggest thing that I have ever done in my life.”
De los Reyes returns to his UNLV roots at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 1 with Latin Jazz Ensemble. The cost is $14.95 (go to UNLV.edu for intel). It’s a far leap from Sphere, where Brown promises to deliver a show we’ve never seen, with tickets starting at $363 for standing general admission.
But among college ensembles, there is no better band. Recalling his brief college career, de los Reyes says, “I should have graduated, and if I had to do it again, I would have endured a couple of years of working late, always being tired … I should have just gone to bed, and then finished up at UNLV.”
The percussionist laughs and says, “But I will be there, playing again. This is part of my homecoming.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.