Las Vegas Weekly

December 31, 2009 · 4:35 PM

Royal Robin Rundown: Four New Year’s nights of revelry in Las Vegas

By Robin Leach

The Black Eyed Peas at Mandalay Bay Events Center on Dec. 29, 2009. Pitbull opened for BEP.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

First of all, sincere Happy New Year’s Eve greetings to all of our Vegas DeLuxe readers! May 2010 be a bigger and brighter year filled with health, happiness and prosperity.

We’ve got a team of contributing photographers stationed up and down the Strip tonight to capture all the action at the largest number of parties and shows that Las Vegas has ever experienced. Our plan is to post as many photo galleries and reports as possible tomorrow and Saturday, so keep checking here at Vegas DeLuxe as we work through the year’s largest editing challenge.

It’s a mind-numbing list of superstar attractions all capped off with an appropriate $500,000, 7-minute-and-11-second America’s Party: A Las Vegas Celebration fireworks show at midnight. It’s taken 65 pyrotechnic engineers the last four days to set up all the safety measures and synchronized firing structures atop seven hotels.

The display will be ignited from the rooftops -- north to south -- of Stratosphere, The Venetian, Treasure Island, Caesars Palace, Aria at CityCenter, Planet Hollywood and MGM Grand. Additionally, the fireworks over Fremont Street Experience by Grucci will match the virtual fireworks on the giant Viva Vision screens.

Our uniformed police heroes will turn out more than 3,000 officers to handle increased crowds already estimated at over 320,000. The crush and rush to get into Las Vegas has resulted in sold-out airline seating, hotel rooms and nightclub VIP tables. I’m reliably told that not one limo from the thousands in our fleets is available after 2 p.m. today! Remember, our world-famous Strip will be closed to vehicles and only available to pedestrians from approximately 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. Aluminum cans and glass bottles are banned.

Downtown will feature our Merry Mayor of Mirth Oscar Goodman handling the midnight countdown duties at Fremont Street Experience as we enter the new decade. Check with AAA Nevada or our Las Vegas Police Department for off-ramp closures on I-15, some starting as early as 5 p.m.

For $2,000, you can purchase a “Smug Mutha” ticket to personally party with Bette Midler at Caesars Palace’s The Colosseum. If you want to get in the thick of it with the crowds, Robin Thicke handles the midnight countdown at the Bank in the Bellagio, Eva Longoria Parker counts down 10 to 1 at her new club Eve in Crystals at CityCenter, Christina Aguilera does the honors at Tao in The Venetian, while Maroon 5 at the Palms and the John Mayer Trio at the Hard Rock Hotel plan to sing in the countdown to a new decade.

Network TV coverage of New Year’s Eve celebrations in Las Vegas is the most extensive ever beaming the action back to Times Square. Carmen Electra hosts Fox’s Billboard New Year’s Eve Live from Mandalay Bay Beach with Eva and Kim Kardashian at Beso and Eve, while Fergie and The Black Eyed Peas join other stars from Aria’s Haze at CityCenter for Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest’s ABC telecast, and somehow Sean Kingston appears in both shows! All of our local TV affiliates will be broadcasting live from the Strip.

The best New Year’s Eve beach party has to be when Carmen turns up the heat poolside and cranks up the water temperature to 90 degrees at Mandalay Bay. Kris Allen, Allison Iraheta and Sean Kingston will perform to ring in 2010.

Miss America 2009 Katie Stam, who won her crown and title last January, will be back here at the end of January for the 2010 pageant. Meantime, she rings in the New Year from Times Square on Fox News Channel with Megyn Kelly and Bill Hemmer. It will highlight Katie’s work with the military over the past year.

Now here’s our four-day superstar ROYAL ROBIN RUNDOWN highlights for New Year’s weekend:

THURSDAY, DEC. 31

Concerts/events

*John Mayer Trio at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel.

*Maroon 5 at The Pearl in the Palms.

*Bette Midler at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace.

*Merle Haggard at Star of the Desert Arena in Primm.

*Andrew Dice Clay at the Riviera.

*Blood, Sweat and Tears at The Cannery.

*Frankie Avalon at The Eastside Cannery.

*The Dan Band at Dick’s Last Resort in the Excalibur.

*Next Movement at the Plaza.

*Zowie Bowie at The Pub in the Monte Carlo.

Parties

*Christina Aguilera at Tao in The Venetian with husband Jordan Bratman and jeweler Stephen Webster, who designed her wedding ring.

*DJ Tiesto at Haze’s opening in Aria at CityCenter.

*Fergie and The Black Eyes Peas host and perform at LAX in the Luxor.

*Eva Longoria Parker at Eve and Beso in Crystals at CityCenter.

*Maroon 5 play first and then party at The Playboy Club in the Palms.

*Robin Thicke at the Bank in the Bellagio.

*50 Cent at Pure in Caesars Palace with Lil Kim.

*Holly Madison at Prive in Planet Hollywood with Jermaine Dupri as DJ. One can only guess if her new rumored beau Benji Madden will show for a midnight kiss as she’s asked on Twitter!

*Nicole Richie and Joel Madden host at Lavo in the Palazzo.

*Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz hosts and spins at Jet in The Mirage, but nobody knows yet if wife Ashlee Simpson Wentz will be there, too.

*DJ Paul Oakenfold will spin at Rain in the Palms, while upstairs at Moon, DJ Z-Trip turns those tables.

*Shwayze performs and hosts at Christian Audigier in Treasure Island.

*DJ Eric Cubeechee closes out the final night of Body English in the Hard Rock Hotel, and DJ Vice will leave him long enough to kick off the first night of the Hard Rock’s Vanity nightclub, with an appearance by John Mayer.

*Slaughter at Vince Neil’s off-Strip Dr. Feelgood’s Rock Bar & Grill.

*Scott Ian of Anthrax deejays to celebrate his birthday at Dead Man’s Hand with a performance by Slipknot.

*Mayor Oscar counts down at New Year’s Eve at Fremont Street Experience, with fireworks and eight top tribute bands who will perform all weekend long.

*Celebrate the grand opening of the rock ’n’ roll bar Smokin’ Hot Aces in The Venetian.

*The gorgeous Fantasy Girls host at Tacos & Tequila in the Luxor.

FRIDAY, JAN. 11

Concerts/events

*Garth Brooks starts his second wave of weekend shows over three nights at Steve Wynn’s Encore Theater in the Wynn.

*Ne-Yo performs at The Pearl in the Palms.

*Aaron Lewis of Stain’d performs at Aliante Station.

*Will.I.Am. of The Black Eyed Peas spins and sings at Pure.

*Jay Leno performs at The Mirage, David Spade at The Venetian, Carlos Mencia at T.I. and Joe Rogan at the House of Blues in Mandalay Bay.

*The Fercos Brothers continue their Untamed Illusions at Planet Hollywood.

*Family Stone minus Sly performs for two nights at The Orleans.

*The tribute bands continue a Rock N Recovery downtown at Fremont Street

Parties

*DJ Jazzy Jeff will be at Rain, while Tiesto’s discovery Noel Sanger will launch Prive’s 3 a.m. after-hours club at Planet Hollywood.

SATURDAY, JAN. 2

Concerts/events

*It’s UFC 108 with former champion Rashad Evans fighting knockout artist Thiago Silva in a light heavyweight bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

*The Doobie Brothers are at Texas Station.

*Flogging Molly is at the House of Blues, followed by Steel Panther’s late show.

*Aaron Lewis jumps over to Green Valley Ranch.

*The Sexy 3 girls who make up Darling Stilettos and drummer Matt Sorum play the Las Vegas Hilton.

*Herman’s Hermits with Peter Noone play Silverton Casino Lodge.

Parties

*Music mogul and fashion king P. Diddy officially opens Vanity.

*DJ David Guetta entertains at Haze.

*Karina Smirnoff hosts at Pure.

*Leighton Meester is at Tao in The Venetian.

SUNDAY, JAN. 3

Concerts/events

*Bob Sinclair is the second-night guest at Vanity.

*The five blocks of Fremont Street Experience, home to 10 legendary casinos, continues with the eight tribute bands playing the big private outdoor party, with more than 30,000 revelers celebrating right through to the end of the 2nd Annual TributePalooza weekend.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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