Monday, Jan. 21, 2008 | 2:25 p.m.
The room looked and felt cold and uninviting with 5,800 celebrants in a half-finished ballroom almost as cold as the winter air outside.
Not much was spent in the way of decorations for Saturday’s concert for the grand opening of the $2 billion Palazzo.
Even the staging was minimal. The evening’s star, Diana Ross, sang to recorded tracks instead of an orchestra.
But folks didn’t seem to mind.
They came to hear Ross belt out the songs that brought her to national prominence as lead singer of The Supremes in the 1960s including “Stop! In the Name of Love” and “Baby Doll.” She didn’t disappoint many people, who were generating their own heat by dancing to the disco beat.
Ross capped the three-day celebration for the opening of the new casino at Las Vegas Boulevard and Sands Avenue. On either side of the stage were two large screens that showed fans close-ups of performers throughout evening, at least until Ross took the stage. Then the screens showed a still photo of her in her prime.
If Ross’ performance came off as perfunctory, Seal turned up the heat in the cavernous auditorium. The British soul singer sang such numbers as “Killer,” the 1990 song that show him to stardom, and “Bring it On.”
Actor Andy Garcia and his Cineson All-Stars performed several Latin numbers that delighted the audience. The only disappointment was that Cachao did not perform. The 89-year-old Cuban bassist, who is credited with inventing the mambo, sometimes performs with Garcia, a pianist and percussionist. In 1993
Garcia produced the documentary “Cachao ... Como Su Ritmo No Hay Dos (‘With A Rhythm Like No Other’).”
The evening started with some plugs for entertainment at the Palazzo and its sister property, the Venetian.
Impressionist Wayne Brady, who has his own show at the Venetian, was billed as the host of the concert. After doing a couple of songs in the style of Sammy Davis Jr. and James Brown, Brady beat a hasty retreat next door to perform in his own room — but not before he introduced a promotional package hyping the upcoming “Jersey Boys,” which debuts at the Palazzo in April.
The Broadway musical probably doesn’t need a lot of hyping. It should be a natural fit for Las Vegas — a feel-good story with uplifting music. It even includes some mob connections.
Fans saw some footage shot of the show in New York and then a live performance by the Jersey Boys (singers portraying Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons) doing some of the group’s greatest hits, including “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Walk Like a Man.”
Some of the hottest music of the night was sprinkled throughout the evening — world-class jazz by the events backup band. These musicians are taking a brief sabbatical from their main gig — backing saxophonist David Sanborn. Rickey Peterson on keyboards, Nicky Moroch on guitar and Richard Patterson on bass are regular members of Sanborn’s group, and drummer Joey Finger performs with him on occasion.
The Sanborn sidemen, billed as the Side Guys, played in the Salute Lounge next to the Jersey Boys Theatre for several days last week leading up to grand-opening concert.
If musicians of this caliber are going to be common at the Salute, it should be the place to hang for anyone who enjoys live music.
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