Vol. 5, No. 5, May 2008
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30 Years of Stars
Since 1978, the world’s greatest performers—from Sinatra to Bruce Springsteen to Britney Spears—have taken the stages of Atlantic City. Here are 10 of the most memorable events of the past three decades.
Atlantic City has always been an entertainment destination. Whether it was Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis at the 500 Club or the Beatles at Atlantic City Convention Hall, the city has had its share of great headliners. It got even better in 1978 when Resorts International opened its doors and eventually solidified itself—and Atlantic City—as an entertainment mecca that continues to grow today.
Here are 10 of the most important acts to come to Atlantic City in the last 30 years.
Frank Sinatra (April 12, 1979)
Before the million-dollar contracts that seem so prevalent today, Frank Sinatra was the highest paid entertainer in Atlantic City with his first Resorts show landing him the then-eye-popping salary of $50,000 per show.
Vincent Falcone, who conducted Sinatra’s orchestra for a 1978 benefit appearance for the Atlantic City Medical Center at Convention Hall, returned for Sinatra’s Resorts debut, the first concert in a three-year, multimillion-dollar deal the Chairman of the Board signed with the first casino in town.
Sinatra did more than bring in high rollers for Resorts. He solidified the casino’s—and Atlantic City’s—reputation as a top-notch entertainment resort to rival Las Vegas, where he was a regular. Once Sinatra’s peers saw that he was coming home to New Jersey to perform, it opened the floodgates for other top names, beginning the entertainment renaissance for Atlantic City that’s growing by the year.
Sinatra appeared in commercials for Resorts, attended player events and often brought celebrity friends with him, including Faye Dunaway and Sophia Loren.
His first appearance, like most that followed, was sold out. And he still holds the record for the largest single mail order of James’ saltwater taffy, sending more than 500 boxes to friends and relatives the morning after his first performance.
The Beach Boys (July 4, 1983)
In 1983, President Ronald Reagan’s interior secretary James Watt banished one of the most popular American bands in history from performing in Washington, D.C., because he felt their concerts attracted an undesirable audience.
That band: the Beach Boys.
Management at Caesars Atlantic City pounced on the opportunity to bring the Beach Boys to town. They shelled out $100,000 for a Fourth of July beach concert that not only generated a bundle of national publicity for the casino and the city but attracted 300,000 people who jammed into a narrow stretch of beach between Arkansas and Tennessee avenues facing the Ocean One Mall (now the Pier Shops at Caesars).
The event, which Chevrolet sponsored and kicked in another $100,000 for, didn’t do a lot for slots and tables the day of the event, but it put Caesars and Atlantic City in the spotlight. Even the Beach Boys, who graciously agreed to meet and greets with high rollers, couldn’t believe the size of the crowd.
Meanwhile, Reagan and Washington, D.C., spent the Fourth with Wayne Newton. Atlantic City definitely got the better end of the deal.
Luciano Pavarotti (October 29, 1983)
The late, great tenor loved performing here. In fact, Pavarotti said the three U.S. cities he performed in most were Miami, New York and Atlantic City. That love affair began in 1983 in a heated five-story tent constructed next to Resorts Atlantic City, the current location of Trump Taj Mahal’s Etess Arena.
Then 48 years old, Pavarotti performed a concert of arias in a show produced by Ventnor promoter Frank Gelb. Accompanied by the 87-piece New Jersey Symphony, he sang flawless renditions of “O Paradiso” and “Pourquoi Me Reveiller,” but the production had a slew of technical issues. Originally intended for 4,500 people, the tent was expanded to 8,000 seats, which was probably the first mistake. Noisy gas heaters and a brisk wind that caused the top of the tent to whistle certainly didn’t help. But the crowd didn’t seem to mind.
For more than two hours after the show, Pavarotti showed his graciousness by signing thousands of commemorative posters.
The Rolling Stones (December 17, 19 and 20, 1989)
It was a Christmas present Atlantic City audiences never thought they would get. Twenty-three years after playing a 1966 show at the Steel Pier, the Rolling Stones brought their Steel Wheels tour to town for three shows at Boardwalk Hall in 1989.
The second of three shows was broadcast live on pay-per-view, and the Trump casinos, the organizers of the event, pulled out all of stops with special guests Eric Clapton, John Lee Hooker, Guns ’N Roses singer Axl Rose and guitarist Izzy Stradlin.
It was the Stones’ first tour in seven years, and all eyes were on Atlantic City that weekend as they earned what is still a record $4 million for the concerts. It was a far cry from the $10,000 paid them in 1966, when patrons paid $2 to see them (along with the diving horse).
The Fox TV network later broadcast the shows free; they are still three of the most widely traded bootlegged performances. The Stones belted out classics like ‘Start Me Up,” “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Gimme Shelter” and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” The Guns members joined them on “Salt of the Earth,” and Clapton played a spectacular solo on “Little Red Rooster.”
Van Halen (August 22, 1998)
In the 1990s, Atlantic City entertainment seemed at a relative standstill. While big acts certainly made their way to town occasionally, hard rock acts and current top headiners rarely were booked at the casinos.
Trump Marina changed all of that when it booked Van Halen to play outdoors for 4,000 fans in a sold-out concert series dubbed “Rock the Dock.”
Van Halen with then-new lead singer Gary Cherone was performing to 20,000-plus-seat arenas. While the band put on a great show, it was the aftershock that really mattered. A month later, Prince played in the Marina’s 1,500-seat ballroom after selling out Madison Square Garden the day before. Two months after that, Sting played the same room. Eventually, other top rockers like the Stone Temple Pilots would also play there.
Guitarist Eddie Van Halen was on fire, ripping into extended, lightning-speed solos, and the band played a mix of hits like “Unchained,” “Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love” and “Jamie’s Cryin’.” With the Atlantic City skyline and bay serving as the backdrop, the “Rock the Dock” concerts, including Hootie and the Blowfish and Bad Company, remain some of the most memorable in Atlantic City history.
Britney Spears (December 1, 2001)
Before Boardwalk Hall received a $90 million facelift, acts like Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney and Elton John never considered coming here.
That changed in December 2001, when the renovated Boardwalk Hall opened with headliner Britney Spears. Before her well-documented emotional breakdown, Spears was the hottest celebrity on the planet, and she celebrated the night before her 20th birthday by breaking in the new state-of-the-art facility. More than 13,000 people packed the Hall, whose huge production package included video screens, a fashion show-like runway, a circle that spun the pop princess around, hydraulic platforms, smoke and wind machines, pyrotechnics and a stellar light and laser show. Water even fell from the ceiling.
The concert went off without a hitch, and Boardwalk Hall is now the most successful mid-size arena in the country.
Paul McCartney (September 28, 2002 )
It took 38 years for Paul McCartney to return to Atlantic City, but it was worth the wait.
Sir Paul hadn’t played in Atlantic City since the Beatles created havoc here in 1964. And while the scene at Boardwalk Hall was a lot less frantic—there were no fainting girls this time round and not nearly as much security—it was just as entertaining.
The former Beatle cranked out the hits for 14,000 fans who paid up to $250 per ticket (as much as $500 to scalpers). The 36-song set included more than 20 Beatles songs, six Wings tunes and the rest solo material, including songs from his album Driving Rain, which he was touring to support.
At 60 years old, McCartney still sounded tremendous in a concert that was high in production values, including large video screens, an acting troupe, fireworks and shooting flames. Standout tunes that night included “Jet,” “Blackbird,” “We Can Work It Out,” “Back in the U.S.S.R” and “Let It Be.”
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (March 7, 2003)
Over the years, casinos have made more offers to Bruce Springsteen than perhaps any other entertainer in history. The prospect of landing New Jersey’s most popular and respected musician is obviously attractive to casinos looking to bolster their bottom lines, but for years Springsteen wouldn’t come, saying he didn’t want to be tied to a casino.
It took a renovated Boardwalk Hall, Live Nation and promises of no casino involvement to finally convince Springsteen and his E Street Band to come to the town. Springsteen’s first headlining gig in Atlantic City drew a sold-out crowd of 14,000, and fans were treated to a performance unlike any other on The Rising tour. Springsteen opened with “Atlantic City” instead of the tour’s title song, then thrilled the crowd with “Prove It All Night,” “Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?” “It’s Hard to be a Saint in the City” and a solo piano version of “Jersey Girl.”
Performing for nearly three hours, Springsteen also played a Beatles cover, “Tell Me Why,” along with fan favorites “Glory Days” and “Born to Run.” He closed with a rarity, “Roll of the Dice,” obviously appropriate for Atlantic City.
He reminisced about seeing his first rock show in Atlantic City (Chubby Checker at the Steel Pier) and had as much fun as the audience. And two years later, he was back for a solo concert.
Barbra Streisand (November 4, 2006)
Barbra Streisand wasn’t a complete stranger to Atlantic City when she made her post-casino debut. The music and film legend came to town as actor Don Johnson’s companion at the Mike Tyson-Larry Holmes fight in 1988, and also showed up for political rallies in 1964, when the Democratic National Convention was here and Streisand was doing Funny Girl on Broadway.
Even though casinos courted her before (including a bid from Trump Taj Mahal for a pay-per-view special to open the Mark G. Etess Arena), Streisand did not make her debut as a headliner until the age of 64, in a concert presented by Caesars Atlantic City. She didn’t disappoint.
The only entertainer to ever win Oscar, Emmy, Tony, Golden Globe, Grammy, Peabody and Cable Ace awards as well as the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award, Streisand commanded what was then the highest ticket price ever for an Atlantic City concert: $850.
Onstage, the chatty diva talked about walking the Boardwalk, dining at Caesars and even shopping in a dollar store. The vocal liberal even brought out a bumbling George W. Bush impersonator, which got a few laughs but also incited some heckling.
The most successful female recording artist of all time opened the show with “Starting Here, Starting Now” and continued with other big hits from her 40-year career, including “The Way We Were,” “People” and “Evergreen (Love Theme From A Star is Born) accompanied by a 58-piece orchestra.
Billy Joel at Borgata (July 21, 2007)
He vowed that he would never—ever—play in an Atlantic City casino. But Borgata somehow (probably with lots of money) convinced Billy Joel to finally take the stage in July 2007. To mark the casino’s fourth anniversary, Joel played a closed show for invited guests only. Although the terms of the deal were never divulged, it’s rumored he was paid around $1 million.
The 2,200 VIPs who packed the Event Center were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Joel in an intimate venue. He performed nearly 20 of his biggest hits, including “Allentown,” “Movin’ Out,” “Only the Good Die Young” and his signature song, “Piano Man.” The crowd danced for almost the whole evening.
Chatting with fans including Sopranos stars, New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin and other celebrities, Joel told stories and funny anecdotes and seemed to have a great time. So did the audience.
