Las Vegas Weekly

August 23, 2010 · 9:13 AM

Photos: A rockin’ weekend with Billy Idol, ZZ Top, Meat Loaf, Chris Isaak

By Don Chareunsy

Billy Idol at The Pearl in the Palms on Aug. 21, 2010.

Photo: Denise Truscello/WireImage

By Don Chareunsy, Vegas DeLuxe editor

The 83 contestants in the 2010 Miss Universe Pageant, including Miss USA Rima Fakih, are center stage tonight at Mandalay Bay Events Center, but over the weekend, the pageant queens, who have been in Las Vegas for nearly three weeks, shared the spotlight with myriad entertainers, many of whom were popular in the 1980s.

Meat Loaf brought his Hang Cool Tour to The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel on Friday night and shared the stage with daughter Pearl Aday, whose significant other is Scott Ian of Anthrax -- hubby was in town to support his musician wife. Bearded Texas trio ZZ Top performed back-to-back shows at the Las Vegas Hilton on Friday and Saturday, and Weird “Al” Yankovic was onstage at Henderson Pavilion.

Up the way from Meat Loaf, Grammy-winning Australian rockers Wolfmother (“Woman”) were poolside at Hard Rock Hotel Beach Club with J. Roddy Walston and The Business. (Brief stories and photo galleries of Meat Loaf, Wolfmother and ZZ Top were posted yesterday.)

Steve Ward of VH1’s Tough Love hosted Match Make Marry at Tao Beach. The relationship guru and reality TV star mingled and posed for photographs with fans who stopped by the grand cabana seeking advice. Ward ended the night at Tao celebrating a friend’s bachelor party. At Lavo in the Palazzo, Grandmaster Flash partied with his girlfriend and enjoyed Bombay Sapphire and pineapple cocktails while dancing to the sounds of guest DJ Cobra.

Peepshow and Holly’s World blonde bombshell Holly Madison, her Peepshow pals Cheaza and Josh Strickland and her E! Entertainment reality TV series BFF Laura Croft and assistant Angel Porrino judged the weekly bikini contest at Planet Hollywood’s Pleasure Pool on Saturday, crowning Stormi from Tennessee as the Week 12 winner.

San Francisco singer Chris Isaak -- he of sad love songs, falsetto voice and flamboyant rockabilly suits -- made a hot and humid Saturday night even hotter at The M Resort pool with a nearly 2-hour show that included an appearance of his silver suit of mirrors for the final numbers (check back to Vegas DeLuxe later today or tomorrow for a review and photo gallery of the fantastic concert).

British rocker Billy Idol’s snarl, leather and spiky blond hair were on full display at The Pearl in the Palms (a photo gallery and report were posted yesterday), while last night, Norah Jones and Corrine Bailey Ray slowed it down at George Maloof’s Palms venue.

San Francisco’s Michael Franti and Spearhead, who opened for John Mayer at Mandalay Bay Events Center on March 28, headlined their own concert at Mandalay Bay Beach and hosted the Miss Universe Pageant contestants. Thanks to videographer Richard Corey for posting his video on YouTube.

While rappers Chingy and Mims had double duty at Venus Pool Club during the day at Caesars Palace and at Pure up the way at night and Lloyd made beds rock at Haze in MGM CityCenter’s Aria, Aid for AIDS of Nevada’s 24th annual fundraiser Black and White Party, with The Rio headliners and longtime supporters Penn & Teller and host KLAS anchor/reporter Chris Saldana, was at The Joint for the second consecutive year (check back later today for a report and a photo gallery from the benefit party).

The first Vegas Rocks! Magazine Awards overseen by founder, Publisher and Editor Sally Steele ended the weekend at the Hilton by featuring and honoring Lita Ford, Dee Snider, Flavor Flav and more (check back later today for a report and a photo gallery from the awards).

This week

The 2010 Miss Universe Pageant tonight at Mandalay Bay Events Center is hosted by Poison singer Bret Michaels and Today’s Natalie Morales, with performances by John Legend and The Roots and the cast of Cirque du Soleil’s Viva Elvis at Aria. We’ll be on the red carpet and at the pageant and the after-party at LAX in the Luxor, so check back tonight and the next few days for full story, photo and video coverage.

Vanilla Ice is at Pure tomorrow; Carlos Santana, Clive Davis, Chris Daughtry, Gavin Rossdale and Indie.Arie preview the guitar legend’s new album at Vanity in the Hard Rock Hotel and at The Joint on Wednesday; reality TV hunk Brody Jenner celebrates his birthday at Lavo on Friday and Tao on Saturday (will rumored girlfriend Avril Lavigne accompany the Bromance star?); reality TV and Playboy blonde bombshell Bridget Marquardt is at Azure Pool in the Palazzo on Saturday (will former The Girls Next Door BFF Holly Madison stop by?); and Michael Buble arrives “Home” to MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday.

A big thank you to contributing photographers Erik Kabik, Tom Donoghue, Scott Harrison and Dave Proctor and videographers Richard Corey and Christopher Rauschnot @24kMedia on Twitter for their work.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

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