Gwen Stefani Tickets for her April 21 show at The Pearl go on sale Feb. 10

George Maloof says it wasn't a case of the brooding Goth girl versus the sunny California midriff.

But as it works out, The Pearl, the new concert venue at the Palms, will have two openings. Evanescence is the first announced act to play the new concert house on March 17.

But Gwen Stefani's tour-launching date on April 21 will be considered the grand opening, the night the red carpet rolls out for celebrities and attendant hoopla.

Evanescence tickets go on sale Saturday, all priced at $49.50. Stefani tickets go on sale Feb. 10, with most tickets priced at $100, $150 and $250.

Evanescence, fronted by Amy Lee, may turn out to be lighter on celebrity-gossip appeal than glitzy pop diva Stefani. But the group is big enough to continue a tactic California concert promoter Andrew Hewitt used at the Hard Rock Hotel before defecting to the Palms: Pulling shows from an arena tour for a single night in a smaller venue.

Stefani originally was booked for the MGM Grand Hotel, but Palms operator Maloof confirmed he was able to lure the show away. "Gwen was my pick six months ago. She was my pick to open," he said.

But he sees no downside to double divas. "I'm probably (Lee's) biggest fan. Just the opportunity to have them play is great. But we needed time to plan a grand opening," and the routing of the Evanescence tour presented a narrow window for booking the band.

The 2,500-capacity venue promises new twists for music fans, such as VIP boxes. "I've been to a thousand shows in this town and seen some great acts and just thought it was time to create something really spectacular that has not been created," Maloof said. "And specifically for live music. Not something that would be used for Broadway shows or (production) shows. Just pure live music."