So … Best New Major Concert Venue-y.

Pollstar Magazine, a music industry trade publication, named The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel its Best New Major Concert Venue at the Pollstar Awards last night in Los Angeles. If they had a hard time coming up with Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin to co-host the Oscars, how far down the line did they have to go to get someone for the Pollstar Awards? Without looking it up, we’re going to say it was … oh … Deelishis from Flavor of Love. Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone

This is just like that one movie about drum lines … RoboCop. (Photos by Erik Kabik | Retna)

Carlos Santana cemented his newfound coziness with Andre Agassi and Steffi Graff Saturday when he had the Agassi Prep Academy’s drum line on stage with him during Supernatural Santana at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel.

Just to balance things out, he should have gone to play “Soul Sacrifice” at a high school football game.

Agassi and Graff were in the audience at the show, and Santana shouted them out during his set. A set that included a cover of Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love.” Actually, a whole show of ’60s psychedelia/dinosaur rock guitar god covers would be kind of awesome, but would probably come down to “Sunshine of Your Love,” “Crosstown Traffic” and That One Iron Butterfly Song.

By Jason Scavone

Man, it’s like they picked out ‘Indie Kid’ costumes at the Halloween store.

Critical and indie darlings Phoenix are at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel tonight with Sea Wolf. Everyone had their record, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix on their 2009 best-of lists. Amadeus, Amadeus. Amadeus. Amadeus, Amadeus, oh oh oh Amadeus. … Sorry. Slipped into like a Falco-induced fugue state their for a second. That kind of happens a couple of times a year ever since the ’80s. Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone

Treach croons and goes shirtless. For the lay-days. (Photo by Erik Kabik)

Last time we checked in with Naughty by Nature, they were busy blowing it up at Wet Republic. Tonight, they stop in at Jet inside The Mirage to give you your ’90s fix. In stark contrast to your ‘10 fix of Jersey Shore. It’s decade whiplash. Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone

If he had an app, would it be the iRoc? (Photos by Erik Kabik | Retna)

If there are two things that are traditionally missing from CES, it’s self-aggrandizement over being from Detroit and Lynyrd Skynyrd samples. And seeing as how it as easier than flying in both Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Insane Clown Posse, SWAGG hosted a Kid Rock concert at The Joint last night for a VIP crowd that included Khloe Kardashian, Kara DioGuardi, Mario Lopez, David Spade, Kevin Farley, brother of the late Chris, Carmen Electra and Jessica Tonder. There was an afterparty at the Paradise Penthouse. If they had gone with ICP, the afterparty would have been at a Denny’s just off the 93 in North Las Vegas.

By Jason Scavone

John Mayer will see you tonight on a downtown train. (Photos by Cody Boor)

John Mayer came in early for his New Year’s Eve concert, hanging out on the casino floor before doing dinner at Nobu ahead of his show that night at The Joint with his blues band, the John Mayer Trio. Which explains, kind of, why he did the show dressed like Tom Waits.

Mayer brought up comics Bob Saget, James Smith and Jeff Ross on stage before leading the countdown before hitting Vanity after the show. Also at Vanity were Nicky Hilton with DJ Vice and Jon Alagem. There was no comedy to be had at Vanity. Although Jeff Ross should work with Hilton on getting a five-minute set together. She has a front-row ticket to Paris’ life. That’s got to be better material to mine than than, say, dead terrorist puppet catch phrases, at least.

Over at N9NE Steakhouse, Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria had dinner with a group of 18, while Ultimate Fighter winner Diego Sanchez countered with a group of 10. Both groups wen upstairs to Moon to listen to Z-Trip spin his New Year’s set. Ghostbar, though, went retro, where Cypress Hill were hanging out. That’s the perfect choice, as whether it was New Year’s 1989 or New Year’s 2009, they were still thinking about weed.

Ryan Gosling spent his New Year’s Eve checking out Love at The Mirage, while future stealer of Nicky Hilton’s stand-up material Carlos Mencia was at Bellagio’s O. Cypres’ DJ Muggs followed up his night at Ghostbar with a trip to O along with Mix Master Mike. Lou Ferrigno and Leona Lewis were also in the audience, but only one of whom you wouldn’t like when they’re angry.

By Jason Scavone

She gets our vote. For everything. Up to and including President of the World. (Photos by Scott Harrison | Retna)

Last night’s World MMA Awards forced a bunch of guys who never wear shirts to put on tuxes for the ceremony at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel to witness a triumph of determination, will, fortitude, training and strength. We’re talking about Arianny Celeste repeating as Ring Girl of the Year. It’s a crowning moment in MMA. It’s one more reason boxing is withering: Not enough attention to ring girls. (And the whole part where the fights everyone wants to see can’t get scheduled because there isn’t a sanctioning body strong enough to lay down rules. But mostly, the ring girls.)

Dana White repeated as Leading Man, Brock Lesnar was Breakthrough Fighter of the Year, the Diego Sanchez/Clay Guida match was Fight of the Year and Georges St. Pierre took Fighter of the Year.

By Jason Scavone

Remember when swing music got huge in the late-90’s? Let’s just say the Fiasco Cave houses its fair share of zoot related items.

Get your pomade out and run to the mirror cause that pompadour isn’t going to form itself. Famed swing and rockabilly icon Brian Setzer is bringing his 18-piece big band to The Joint at the Hard Rock for the 7th Annual Brian Setzer Orchestra Christmas Rocks! Exstravaganza.

The show begins tomorrow night at 8 p.m. and will feature the three-time Grammy Award winner blasting through Christmas classics while likely ordering people to “jump,” “jive,” “boogie” and other things you probably shouldn’t be doing with so much booze in your system.

By Jared Harmon

Great. Now we’re just going to have Blondie songs stuck in our head all day. (Photos by Erik Kabik | Retna)

Night two of Holiday Havoc concluded with everyone’s new favorite band, Muse laid out their Blondie’s-”Call Me”-homage-ing best Saturday night at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel.

After the show the band was partying at Wasted Space until 3 a.m., where Lisa Marie Presley was hanging out at a separate table. Great. Given Lisa Marie’s track record, now we can pretty much guarantee that at least one of the dudes from Muse is going to die from an overdose of some drug you didn’t even know existed before.

Also at the Hard Rock, 8 Mile’s Mekhi Phifer and CSI: Miami’s Omar Miller were shooting dice with a group of Marines, while Heroes actress Dawn Olivieri is staying somewhere on property.

By Jason Scavone

More like “Knights of ZELdonia,” right? RIGHT?

Muse leads the charge for the second night of Holiday Havoc at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel, joined by Cage the Elephant, Paper Tongues and local boys the Afghan Raiders. The official afterparty is at Wasted Space. Muse broke through with “Knights of Cydonia” and of course you’ve heard it. But have you heard it arranged as an 8-bit composition for the Nintendo? Other than in your best Metroid fever dream, we mean. Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone