Las Vegas Centennial: Music celebration canvasses all genres

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, May 12, 2005 | 9 a.m.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers' giant free concert is still seven weeks away, but Las Vegas begins celebrating its Centennial with live music throughout this weekend.

The city marks its 100th birthday at the Fremont Street Experience with performances by Paul Revere & The Raiders and Asleep at the Wheel on Friday night and Chubby Checker and Pam Tillis on Saturday night, in conjunction with the "Tribute to Helldorado."

The party then moves to Cashman Field, where Kool and the Gang will cap Las Vegas' "Big 100th Birthday" bash with a live set.

"Las Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world, and we're combining entertainment with the Centennial celebration," said Rossi Ralenkotter, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority president and member of the Centennial Executive Committee. "This demonstrates the variety of entertainment that Las Vegas has to offer every single day."

Crowds of about 30,000 are expected for this weekend's Fremont Street activities, which include music on twin stages, beginning at 9 p.m. both nights.

Admission is free to all Fremont Street Experience Centennial shows.

Veteran oldies rock band Paul Revere & The Raiders is best known for such 1960s hits as "Steppin' Out" and "Just Like Me," and for the madcap antics featured in its long-running live show.

Old-time Western swing throwbacks Asleep at the Wheel have amassed a loyal following since the early 1970s while picking up seven Grammy Awards in the process.

Checker, born Ernest Evans, is most famous for his good-time cover of rock 'n' roll dance hit "The Twist," which reached No. 1 in 1960, and again almost a full year later in 1961.

Tillis, daughter of country legend Mel Tillis, has been a mainstay on the country scene since the 1980s, hitting it big with a string of top 10 singles during the early and mid-1990s.

On Sunday, Kool and the Gang will perform at Cashman after the unveiling of what is being billed as the world's largest birthday cake. The disco survivors' hit "Celebration" has become a party standard since its release in 1979.

Admission is free, although attendees are required to have tickets, which are available at Las Vegas City Hall and at four WestStar Credit Union locations. Festivities are from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

By far, the most anticipated musical event on the Centennial calendar is the July 2 outdoor concert that features the Red Hot Chili Peppers and opening band Weezer.

The show, which will take place in the gold parking lot adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center, is expected to draw approximately 50,000 fans.

Around 35,000 free tickets to the show were gobbled up online in under 15 minutes last month, and tickets have been selling on eBay for anywhere from $25 to $75 apiece since.

A final batch of around 5,000 tickets will be made available on Sunday at Southern Nevada Ticketmaster outlets.

Stacy Allsbrook, executive director of the Centennial Committee, said promoter Clear Channel Entertainment was commissioned to find an act "of national consequence" for the concert," and "overdelivered."

"They looked for the great American band, an iconic band that represents an edge, but is attractive to all demographics," Allsbrook said. "Getting the Chili Peppers is really amazing."

Ralenkotter said the Centennial Committee reviewed footage of the Red Hot Chili Peppers in action, and was pleased.

"We looked at some video of their concert performances," he said. "They're a very exciting group."

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have been alternative rock favorites for more than two decades, playing a funky, sometimes heavy, variety of rock.

The band's current lineup -- vocalist Anthony Keidis, guitarist John Frusciante, bassist Michael "Flea" Balzary and drummer Chad Smith -- has been together since 1998, when Frusciante rejoined after a six-year absence.

The Chili Peppers' last two albums, 2002's "By the Way" and 1999's "Californication," reached No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, on the Billboard 200 album chart.

The quartet's long list of modern rock hits includes "Give It Away," "Under the Bridge," "Scar Tissue," "Otherwise" and "By the Way."

Weezer, which appeared on the cover of the May 5 issue of Rolling Stone magazine, released its first album in three years, "Make Believe," on Tuesday.

The pop-rock band gained instant fame in 1994 with its self-titled debut album, which included high-charting singles "Buddy Holly," "Undone -- The Sweater Song" and "Say It Ain't So."

Gates to the July 2 concert are scheduled to open at 5 p.m., which music slated to begin at 7:30.

The show is an all-ages event, but attendees under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Food and drinks from outside the venue will not be allowed in, but factory-sealed bottled water will be permitted, according to organizers. Bottled water will also be sold inside, and free water is expected to be made available.

Because there will be no designated parking near the event site, concertgoers are encouraged to use the Monorail, taxis or buses.