Las Vegas Weekly

August 25, 2010 · 12:14 PM

Carlos Santana, Chris Daughtry, Gavin Rossdale, India.Arie at HRH today

By Robin Leach

Carlos Santana performs in The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel on Feb. 6, 2010.

Photo: Denise Truscello/WireImage

Today’s entertainment summit of music moguls and electrifying artists at the Hard Rock Hotel will be one for the history books. As if a launch listening party for Carlos Santana’s new guitar classics album with record royal Clive Davis wasn’t enough, Carlos has lined up a list of stars from the new CD, due Sept. 21, to perform onstage in The Joint with him tonight: India.Arie, Chris Daughtry and Gavin Rossdale.

The celebration at the Hard Rock kicks off with Arista Records chief and American Idol hero Clive Davis joining Carlos for the first listening debut of Guitar Heaven: the Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time at Vanity. Both men have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and they’ll play tracks from the CD and talk about what led to each selection and recording session.

Clive has been a friend of mine from his days as president of Columbia Records in the late 1960s and was my first advertiser when I launched GO Magazine, a weekly pop-record newspaper distributed by radio stations across the country born before Rolling Stone. Hard to believe that all the way back then, he also discovered Barry Manilow and helped start that amazing career. I hope Clive is in town long enough to see Barry’s super show at the Paris.

Photo: Pure Management Group

Gavin Rossdale performs at LAX.

After Clive and Carlos’ listening party at Vanity, the legendary Grammy-winning musician hits the stage at The Joint tonight. For one night only, it’s three amazing duets: India.Arie joins Carlos for “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” Chris performs “Photograph” with Carlos, and Gavin delivers “Bang a Gong” with him.

Don’t be shocked if there are some last-minute surprises because the new album is a veritable who’s who of performers, including Chris Cornell on Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” Pat Monahan on Van Halen’s “Dance the Night Away,” Chester Bennington and Ray Manzarek on The Doors’ “Riders on the Storm” and Joe Cocker on Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing.” Yo-Yo Ma also plays on that Beatles classic “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”

Carlos starts a new run at the Hard Rock Hotel tonight through Labor Day weekend, and we also should learn tonight Santana’s new dates there for his 2011 schedule of Supernatural Santana: A Trip Through the Hits.

Check back tomorrow right here at Vegas DeLuxe: our Editor Don Chareunsy will be on duty with Clive and Carlos this afternoon and at tonight’s concert, plus our contributing photographer Erik Kabik will have his amazing gallery of photos from start to finish.

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.

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

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

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

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