New Hard Rock Cafe adds to live music scene

Hard Rock Live is on the third floor of the new eatery next to the Showcase mall. It’s a 21,000-square-foot room with a capacity of about 600 seated, or 1,200 for shows without tables and chairs.

The venue will host two or three ticketed events per month, starting Sunday with Dark Star Orchestra, a Grateful Dead tribute. A grand opening event with Chris Cornell officially christens the room Oct. 15.

The rest of the time, the room will feature house bands booked by events manager Andrew Courtney. Bookings won’t be farmed out to an independent operator the way The Joint is run by AEG Live. (Beyond that, the hotel on Paradise Road and the two restaurants are owned by different entities. The new Strip cafe is financed by Hard Rock International and the Seminole tribe of Florida.)

The restaurant is “our core business and the live music is a byproduct of that,” general manager Greg Thomas explains. “We have a captive audience already in-house. It’s basically getting them to go upstairs and have a good time enjoying some great music.”

I wonder how long this column will be online or on doorsteps before Courtney starts to get calls from dirty hypnotists and afternoon magicians looking to sublease. …

The Las Vegas Hilton has confirmed Barry Manilow will wrap his five-year residency on Dec. 30. That fulfills half of a rumored jump to Paris Las Vegas, but no one is confirming a deal there. Nor is it a forgone conclusion that Cheap Trick’s “Sgt. Pepper” tribute is a lock to take over Manilow’s dates at the Hilton.

The Hilton is the tourist zone’s only venue of 1,600-seat size — bigger than the MGM Grand’s Hollywood Theater, smaller than the Hard Rock or Colosseum at Caesars Palace — that hosts fully produced concert headliners, not just “front of curtain” comedians.

Manilow’s residency was a Catch 22 in terms of billboards and ads. It was cheaper in the long run to brand him with the Hilton. But as he cut back on his dates, it was harder to communicate that the theater schedule was really more diverse. …

Andrew “Dice” Clay must have been happy with his last run at the Riviera, because he signed up for more. The Dice Man will be back in the room long occupied by “La Cage” starting Monday and running through Oct. 25. Then he returns Nov. 4-5, 7-9 and 11-15.

Clay’s shows are at 10:30 p.m., which is in keeping with his graphic comedy and leaves the early time slot open. Charo, who occupied the early show spot, is on the mend from ankle and knee injuries and won’t return this year. It was fun having her back for a while. …

The power of basic cable: Chelsea Handler nearly doubles her seating capacity in a year, going from the Palms to the 4,200-seat Colosseum at Caesars Palace for stand-up on Nov. 14. But tickets top out at $100, the starting price for many a show there. …

There will be a longer gap between Antonios than anticipated. Last week’s closing of Antonio Restivo’s “Ignite” at the Greek Isles did not immediately give way to his planned replacement, Italian magician Antonio Casanova.

A snarky column item — suggesting the magician opened without bothering to tell anyone — brought forth an explanation from Cheryl Terhune Honore. She’s working as a consultant with the small casino’s receivership operator, NHH (National Hospitality Holdings) Hotels & Resorts.

Casanova put on a few shows that were more “technical dress rehearsals. … A test in the Las Vegas market to see what we had,” Honore says.

The show is now being modified to tweak both content and stage design, because the production no longer has to share the stage with “Ignite.” The singing, piano-playing magician could re-emerge in the next few weeks. …

Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte has literally raised his profile this week, going from a low-key dude most people walked right past in the lobby of his shows to Canada’s first space tourist.

Laliberte paid a reported $35 million for a 12-day trip to the International Space Station. He’s using his lofty status to promote his One Drop Foundation, which advocates smarter use of the world’s water resources.

On Friday, Australian photographer Peter Lik, now based in Las Vegas, joins U2, Peter Gabriel, Al Gore, George Clooney, Salma Hayak and others in a satellite broadcast to raise awareness. Several public spaces have agreed to run it. The Springs Preserve and the College of Southern Nevada Planetarium will carry it live (indoors) at 5 p.m.

After it gets dark, you can watch outdoor replays at Fashion Show mall at 7 p.m. and Town Square at 7:30 p.m. (after a live pre-show from Cirque performers). The Fremont Street Experience catches up Sunday evening at 7:10 p.m. You also can find it on Direct TV or www.onedrop.org. …

The Lettermen may be Las Vegas’ most overlooked headliners, at least if you think of people with ties back to 1950s Las Vegas. Sunday’s column brings a more detailed look at Tony Butala’s odd debut at the Desert Inn and his museum for the vocal groups. But since the group actually opens at South Point on Friday, I figured I’d give you this early heads up as well.

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.