Horseshoe Casino eyes showbiz jackpot with new Venue
A sound investment at a casino? That appears to be the case with the new $70 million concert theater that opens tonight at Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Ind., offering Chicago area concertgoers a chance to see big-name acts.
Bette Midler's sold-out show tonight is the official debut offering at the 2,500-seat facility, called The Venue. (Asian music stars Andy Hui and William So opened the theater with a midnight show.)
Gone, too, are all tickets for the Smashing Pumpkins' Saturday show, the group's first in the Chicago area in eight years.
"We wanted to bring that big entertainment to the Chicago area," said Kevin Kline, vice president at Horseshoe parent Harrah's Entertainment and assistant general manager at the casino. "We can accommodate headliners with fairly simple setups to those with more full-blown theatrics."
The Venue (www.thevenue-chicago.com) is part of a $500 million expansion of the casino 20 miles from downtown Chicago. The Horseshoe, now touting large crystal chandeliers, wine bars, and gold and silver-leaf adornments in high-limit areas, celebrates its grand opening today after being reopened since Tuesday.
Harrah's has partnered with promoter AEG Live to lure acts to The Venue. The result is a diversity of genres represented in offerings from Stone Temple Pilots to Lynyrd Skynyrd to Liza Minnelli.
Comedian Mo'Nique closes the inaugural weekend with her Sunday performance, and Jay Leno and Sarah Silverman will make their way to the stage later this month. Recently booked fall shows include Alicia Keys and Huey Lewis and the News.
Montreal-based Sceno Plus, responsible for theaters at the Bellagio and Treasure Island in Las Vegas and at Walt Disney World for Cirque du Soleil, designed The Venue, incorporating elements of The Colosseum at Caesars Palace it prepared for Celine Dion's Las Vegas show.
The retractable seating facilitates the theater's transformation from an intimate concert venue to that of House of Blues-style concerts with standing room for 3,300 fans. The Divine Miss M's show tonight will utilize all 2,500 seats, the furthest from the stage being 124 feet away. The Venue also will host sporting events, like an upcoming mixed martial arts card.
The facility hopes to attract corporate and banquet business, as well, being able to seat 1,500 at up to 150 tables on the floor, and will rent out the six suites.
Some shows, such as an Aug. 23 Paul Anka performance, will be used primarily as comps to reward regular gaming players at the casino.
