Red Rock Amphitheatre luring top acts to resort

When you refer to this amphitheater , you had better use a capital A. After all, the facility seats up to 8,800 and sits on more than 2.6 acres.

Summerlin is now home to the Red Rock Amphitheatre at Red Rock Resort, 11011 W. Charleston Blvd.

The new outdoor entertainment venue lets Red Rock Resort accommodate more people than ever. There's another plus to having more seats.

"It allows us to bring in A-level acts," said Judy Alberti, vice president of entertainment for Station Casinos. "They want a legitimate venue."

She said that before this, she wouldn't even approach agents representing big stars, as the resort's pool concerts could "only accommodate 4,000 people."

The new venue's first show was June 18 with Motley Crue and Poison . It sold out.

Other artists scheduled to play there include Blink 182 with My Chemical Romance, country artist Toby Keith and Latin heart throb Enrique Iglesias.

"Las Vegas has always been known as an entertainment destination and continues to attract the biggest headliners from around the globe," said Alicia Malone, public relations manager for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. "Concerts on the Strip, downtown and at local casinos have become part of the Vegas experience and continue to give our visitors another great reason to visit."

The venue will be open seasonally from May to October. Every seat will be assigned, and there will be no standing room or general admission tickets.

The stage is 60 feet by 40 feet, includes stage right and left wings and is completely covered by a skinned roof. Behind the scenes are a four-bay loading dock, nine dressing rooms and parking space for tour bus es.

The Red Rock Amphitheatre may hold more than 8,000 people, but designers thought of the audience. The farthest seat is 200 feet from the stage, which is designed to allow direct sight lines from every seat, according to the resort's plans .

Las Vegas is a drinking town. The resort accommodates that need with more than 40 bars around the concert venue.

Michael Kessler and Melinda Jackson of The Lakes area said the Red Rock Amphitheatre offers another avenue for appreciating music.

"Different venues have different flavors, and to combine that with the natural beauty (of Red Rock) is a good thing," said Kessler.

The construction was on an aggressive schedule, having broken ground in mid-March, but it was finished June 4, on schedule. Alberti credits Scott Zucker of the design team and Kevin Scroggins and Stew Ashton of the production team with being on top of things.

"They just made it happen," she said.

The resorts' Revolution Party for the People series runs every Friday. Alberti said they are running to capacity. The final one is scheduled for Aug. 5. The following night, the Red Rock Amphitheatre is scheduled to host Keith, whose show is expected to sell out.

Keith played the resort in the summer of 2009 using a temporary amphitheater that accommodated 7,000.

"That's when we determined that area could be turned into a more permanent amphitheater and accommodate larger shows," Nelson said.

The Red Rock Amphitheatre is set to feature Toby Keith's Locked and Loaded Tour 2011 with special guest Eric Church at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 6.

Tickets are $43, $69, $89 and $125 (Gold Circle seats), plus additional service fees.

Blink 182 with special guest My Chemical Romance is scheduled for
7:30 p.m. Oct. 7.

Tickets are $20, $45, $65 and $75, plus any additional service fees.

Enrique Iglesias with special guest Pitbull is set for 7:30 p.m. Oct. 8.

Tickets are $49, $69, $89 and $125 (Gold Circle seats), plus additional service fees.

Tickets for all shows can be purchased at any Station Casinos Reward Center and t he Fiestas, or by calling 547-5300 or visiting stationcasinos.com or ticketmaster.com.

Contact Summerlin and Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.