STAR-STUDDED $10-MILLION GALA OPENING OF THE PALAZZO
It was probably the Strip’s most glittering celebrity party ever, and with estimates of $10 million plus—also the most expensive. Diana Ross, Seal, Jay Leno led an all-star salute for the three-day gala celebration for the official opening of the incredible $1.9 billion The Palazzo resort-hotel-casino.
The A-list stars rocked on around the clock non-stop for 72 hours in a spree of dining, dancing, drinking, gaming, shopping, and spa visits all crowned with a mega-top talent final two hour concert for 5,000 VIP guests! “It was the most stars ever gathered under one roof for a three day Vegas party. Add in all the flights, the rooms, the meals, the pay for cast and crews and everybody else involved and it was easy to hit the $10 million plus weekend.” I was told.
It all began with the fireworks display on Day 1 after parent company, Las Vegas Sands corporate executives Sheldon Adelson, Bill Weidner, Brad Stone and Rob Goldstein pulled the switch that set off a giant fireworks and lighting show above the brand new Italian-styled property.
It is linked on three levels to the adjoining The Venetian resort and with its convention center facilities is now the world’s biggest indoor structure at 19 million square feet. (Both hotels are run separately with back-of-the-housing savings from shared services).
Then followed a red-carpet party for the opening of the new three story Barneys New York superstore with an extraordinary lineup of Hollywood superstars.
Both Rebecca Romijn and Angie Harmon told me they’d joined with Claire Danes, Hilary Swank and Nicolette Sheridan for a private shopping spree just before that opening. “There’s never been a store like this ever before anywhere in the world—and trust me for somebody who loves shopping I’d know,” laughed Angie with husband, Jason Sehorn, former NFL great. “It is unbelievable and now makes Vegas the world’s best upscale shopping destination.” Even though not in town, rapper mogul Jay-Z and his fiancée Beyoncé had invited all the stars to party in their new 40/40 sports ultra-lounge club at The Palazzo—and singer Mandy Moore, actress Christina Ricci, actors James Denton and Jesse Metcalfe led all their Hollywood pals there for another private reception.
For the stars, investors, stockholders and bankers Day 2 was devoted to exploring the amenities and attractions of the new hotel—the first built on the Strip since rival mogul Steve Wynn opened his Wynn Las Vegas property opposite in April 2005. The new 50- story Palazzo has 3,068 suites as the tallest hotel in town with its 105,000 square feet casino and 450,000 square feet of Shoppes at Palazzo. The Barneys store occupies 90,000 square feet of that figure. Sixty other stores and restaurants there include several appearing for the first time ever in Vegas—Christian Louboutin, Diane von Furstenberg, Van Cleef & Arpels, Links of London, Billionaire Couture, and the Sushi Samba Japanese Brazilian restaurant, Dos Caminos, a Mexican restaurant and ultra lounge, Mainland for French Vietnamese, Mario Batali’s Carnevino, Wolfgang Puck’s CUT, Emeril Lagasse’s Table 10, Charlie Trotter’s restaurant Charlie; Jade, Morels and Woo. Linked with The Venetian the combined properties host more than 30 celebrity chef restaurants and over 12,000 parking spaces. It is now also regarded as the world’s largest resort.
That evening the investors and Wall Street bankers met for an exclusive private Goldman Sachs dinner where I introduced The The Tonight Show host Jay Leno.
He wowed them with a nonstop barrage of topical humor taken from the day’s headlines. Backstage Jay told me that he’s always made it a rule in his 15 years of playing Vegas to always fly home to his Los Angeles estate. Jay, who has 26-engagements here at The Mirage this year added: “There’s something about sleeping in my own bed so I just commute back and forth in the plane every other weekend! I don’t drink. I don’t gamble and I don’t run around so I happily go home.” Jay celebrates his milestone 16th year anniversary as The Tonight Show host in May. Billionaire board chairman, Sheldon Adelson had the bankers laughing when he told them his first ever bank borrowing was for $200 as a teenager to buy a newspaper stand on a Boston street corner where he grew up. “I’ve paid back every loan I borrowed from the banks—even those that have now grown into the billions,” he said to great applause. “You think we’re busy with casinos here, in Macau, in Singapore, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania let me just say: You’ve seen nothing yet. We have some incredible plans for the future and we aren’t resting ever.”
The other VIPs who flew in from all over the world enjoyed a culinary tasting dine around with all the new powerhouse restaurant chefs of The Palazzo—and Wolfgang Puck, Charlie Trotter, Emeril LaGasse and Mario Batali were on hand for interviews, photographs and explanations of their new cuisines to food-critics.
The weekend closed with the star-studded Legends and Luminaries concert sponsored in partnership with Russia’s No. 1 luxury vodka, Imperia.
It all began with Venetian headliner Wayne Brady, his band and dancers kicking off the high energy night before he ran off to do his own regular show.
The giant Sands convention center had been turned into a giant theater packed to a 5,000 strong sell-out crowd—the largest hotel showbiz production ever staged there and with complimentary champagnes and vodkas for the VIPs. Fans in the back bleachers watched the onstage performances almost 300-yards away on giant super-screens. One of the night’s surprises was when Soprano’s actress Jamie Lynn Siegler introduced a 10-minute sneak-preview of the Jersey Boys Broadway musical that will open at The Palazzo in a new theater on April 4.
It won four Tony Awards including Best Musical and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album and tells the story of how Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons became one of the worlds biggest pop music sensations selling 175 million records before they celebrated their 30th birthdays!
San Francisco actor Rick Faugno plays Frankie and judging from the wild thunderous audience applause this show is already earmarked as the big hit of the year! When a horn-section of musicians marched on stage single-file it literally “brought the house down.”
Current Miss America, Lauren Nelson, then welcomed servicemen from the Nellis Air Force base who had been invited by the hotel as its special guests. She introduced actor Andy Garcia who played bongo drums with his Cineson All Stars, a big sound Cuban rhythms band that he formed for his newest film Lost City. Then it was time for three-time Grammy award winner Seal and he had the enthusiastic audience dancing in their seats and the aisles. He won a standing ovation after he closed his 25-minute set with two of his giant hits.
Finally to close the magical night: the “Queen of Motown,” Diana Ross herself. Protective of her image she insisted no video-cameras record the show including the house camera transmitting onto the giant screens and out to the Strip billboards. She even had her own five sound engineers, directed by her own producer, working on $3 million-dollar audio-boards so the music tracks were perfect for the cavernous huge convention halls. Nobody was supposed to have cameras for flash souvenirs during her show and before security stopped her fans, one friend of mine clicked off a few and kindly emailed them to me here.
Her voice was magnificently strong and she radiated from the stage wearing a sparkling silver-sequined gown wrapped in black fur and feathers. My gossip-guru friend Norm Clark pointed out to me that her performance was almost 38 years to the date of The Supremes—with now Vegas resident Mary Wilson—final engagement together at The Frontier hotel back in Jan. 1970! Diana’s super-Vegas fan is La Cage aux Folles star Frank Moreno who even took the night off from his show to watch her performance. “Diana Ross is simply the greatest performer—I love and adore her,” he told me. The hall erupted with applause for the soul superstar and hundreds simply left their seats to stand shoulder-to-shoulder jammed in tight in the aisles at the front of the stage. Her “Aint No Mountain High Enough” was the thrilling finale. Diva Diana who was believed to have been paid $1 million for her 30-minute concert, also wouldn’t permit any backstage photography with her or even meet with the VVIPs!
After the concert an energized Seal took off to host an after-party at 11:30 p.m. in the Tao nightclub in the adjoining The Venetian resort-casino. He arrived in his now trademark all white suit—and gave yet another performance as a surprise.
He performed the new hit “Loaded” from his album System and danced along the club’s famous catwalk as fans clapped along to the beat and fired off a frenzy of flash bulbs. Another music superstar John Mayer, with two male friends, watched from his regular VIP table in the water-moat section—and after Seal’s impromptu show he danced on his banquette to Kanye West’s hit song “Stronger.” That 70s Show star Wilmer Valderrama dined in the Tao Asian bistro with 10 friends and then literally ran upstairs—with his signature Patron bottle in hand—to the club when he learned of Seal’s impromptu concert!
One executive summed up: “It truly was an amazing opening. Think of all the stars and all the logistics of everybody and we’re happy to say everything went smoothly. No hiccups and nothing went wrong. That’s truly a coup!”