Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015 | 2:31 p.m.
Be it a stadium, arena, open-air festival, showroom, theater or theater retrofitted to feel like a nightclub … Lionel Richie can play anywhere.
And he’s playing Axis at Planet Hollywood in 2016, as our URL — Ubiquitous Robin Leach — first reported in April.
The upcoming mini-residency is set to be announced next week, just after Britney Spears followed through with speculation that she would sign for an additional two years in the theater beginning in January and running through December 2017.
Jennifer Lopez, too, is booked next year to play the former Aladdin’s Theater for the Performing Arts, which has taken on a nightclub vibe for Spears’ residency “Britney: Piece of Me.”
Richie’s run will not be so extensive, as mini-residencies typically run from about nine to 12 shows. But his appeal is inarguable, proven during his more recent appearances in Las Vegas.
He is the rare artist to play a refined theater — the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, most recently in the summer of 2010 — and a downtown music festival.
Richie partied deep into the night at the 2014 Life Is Beautiful festival, fulfilling organizers’ expectations that he was still a viable live act who could draw tens of thousands of fans to a single performance.
Few artists have approached Richie’s commercial success, first as a member of The Commodores (“Brick House” being one song that had the LIB crowd jumping), and later with solo hits such as “Hello,” “Truly,” “All Night Long” and “Dancing on the Ceiling.”
Especially, Richie was one of the predominant recording and touring stars in the 1980s and one of the more popular video artists in the early days of MTV. His first three solo albums all went multiplatinum, and his most recent release, “Tuskegee,” sold more than 1 million copies.
Catering to the young and modern crowd, Planet Hollywood is a one-stop shop for entertainment with its massive shopping mall, slew of restaurants, spacious casino and clubs.
The ambiance of the casino is retro-chic meets high-tech with black granite floors throughout and colorful LED lights throughout the space. The theme carries into the 100,000 square-foot casino with 250 flat screens topping off slot machines. The casino is also home to 87 tables, a sports book and a poker room.
There's also the Miracle Mile Shops, one Vegas' largest malls, with 140 stores including BCBG Max Azaria, bebe, Urban Outfitters and The Discovery Channel Store.
Following an afternoon of shopping, guests can satisfy their appetites at one of the gourmet restaurants in Planet Hollywood, like the non-traditional approach to steakhouses at Strip House or check out the exotic Far East motif at KOI restaurant and lounge. And if guests are still looking for more, they can spend the after hours at Privé, Triq or Krave nightclubs.
Perhaps one of the resorts biggest attractions came in March with the addition of "Peepshow." The naughty twist on the story of Little Bo Peep is modern-day spin on the run-of-the-mill Vegas topless review. The "Peepshow" stage has seen visiting celebs like Scary Spice Mel B, "Dancing with the Stars" Kelly Monaco and Playboy's Holly Madison.
Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.
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