Raising the Roof

Amidst the strobelike flash of dozens of chattering cameras, Carlos Santa wielded a pair of giant, 3-foot scissors and the floating-on-air Zen of a monk on Percoset.

"We came here for the first time with the Grateful Dead in '67, before Woodstock, and by the grace of God we're still here," he said, clad in a beige fedora, flanked by the mayor at the threshold of the new Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Soon, he'd be slicing into the purple ribbon flanked across the venue's entrance.

"In these times, where things are a little challenging with the flow of the economy, I clearly see that it's because of fear," he continued. "We bring an element that is different than fear, which is hope, trust and faith."

That, and some tasty guitar licks.

In a little more than a month, Santana will begin an extended residency at The Joint, which will be the only place west of the Mississippi where you can catch him onstage for the next two years.

And so on Tuesday afternoon, he was there to christen the new venue in front of an audience of journalists and framed Foghat, Whitesnake and Donny and Marie concert T-shirts that line the foyer to the concert hall.

He even hinted that he may be joined by some of his more celebrated musical friends from time to time.

"We extend an invitation, not only to the audience, but to other parties, like Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan or Prince, to come and join us, and also some African musicians and people from Hawaii, because when Santana shows up, we bring it all with us," he said. "We don't leave anybody out."

Inside, The Joint was ripe with that new car smell.

The new place looks a lot like the old one, with the same ornate golden railing lining the main floor and a similar layout.

The previous Joint at the Hard Rock was kind of like that drunken uncle who enlivens family gatherings with off-color punch lines: Sure, his faults are obvious, but you love him anyway and tend to have a good time in his presence.

The same could be said of what was once one of Las Vegas' most renowned concert halls.

No, the former Joint wasn't the best sounding room in the world -- or even in Vegas, for that matter -- and you could miss half a show trying to war your way to the restrooms and back.

But still, so many storied, arena-level acts played the cozy, 2,000-capacity room, resulting in one-of-a-kind concerts that made the venue home to some of the more memorable gigs in Vegas over the past decade or so.

And so when it came time to shutter The Joint in favor of something new, the goal was to keep the spirit of the venue alive in a fresh setting.

The first objective in the $60 million project was to create a bigger space.

"We needed to up the capacity, because we're in a bigger property, and the market has changed," said Paul Davis, vice president of entertainment at the Hard Rock, at a previous tour of the venue.

Hence, the new Joint, which opens tonight, holds up to 4,000 fans, with a large open floor and a balcony with 700 fixed seats.

Still, the room has the familiar, shoe-boxed shaped design as the old Joint and no seat is farther than 155 feet from the stage.

One of the most notable additions to the new venue is a series of seven VIP boxes that line the second of the venue's three tiers.

"We wanted to take care of the masses, but we also needed to have that VIP element," Davis said. "We really didn't have that at the old Joint."

What the new room does have is a mammoth, high-end sound system, a larger stage and a rigging capacity of 150,000 pounds to allow for big show productions.

Already, the venue has an impressive slate of concerts lined up, from Kenny Chesney to Bon Jovi.

And so even though The Joint has a new face, it's all in the hopes of building on old glories.

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.