Vegas Seven is back on its weekly schedule after its end-of-year double issue, which means that today you have a brand new Green Felt Journal to read. It’s about how smaller casinos competing with the New Year’s parties on the Strip:
The lion’s share of that haul goes to the big Strip resorts, which host most of the events that make the news. But what about casinos outside the tourist corridor? How do they compete with champagne toasts with the stars and fireworks by Grucci?
The Fremont Street Experience’s TributePalooza is one way to go: If you can’t get marquee names for your party, get sound-alikes. So instead of offering a shindig hosted by Nelly or Rihanna, the Experience rolled out sets by bands such as Fan Halen, the Red Not Chili Peppers and Led Zepagain, as well as less-obvious tributaries, such as Bonfire (AC/DC) and Rocking the Paradise (Styx).
Some might question the wisdom of offering visitors ersatz “Mr. Roboto” when there are so many real celebrities popping corks just miles away, but TributePalooza’s in its third year and shows no signs of slowing down, which proves you don’t need to pay headliner prices to put on a party that people will flock to.
Am I the only one who loves those tribute band names? One of my hobbies is thinking of good names for bands, and these are some good ones.
As to the story, I found it interesting that the folks on the Strip were mostly interested in putting on a huge party (which is good), while those off-Strip were more focused on rewarding their existing customers and advertising themselves to potential new ones.