A Spot That Just Might Fit the Strip

Billboard Live’s opening party Sunday night was a big, fun, splashy affair that just might indicate Strip-style extravagance has a shot at making a comeback. And, it’s not a moment too soon.

Club life on the Sunset Strip--once the epicenter of rock ‘n’ roll in Tinseltown--has barely been registering a blip on the nightspot monitor in recent years as the anti-star mentality of ‘90s grunge stripped away much of the energy and flamboyance.

But this new club at the old Gazzarri’s location certainly knows know to throw a party--at least an opening night party.

Only a fraction of the estimated 3,500 people actually got in to see performances by Tony Bennett and the Gin Blossoms, but there was arguably even more fun outside where the massive throng was treated to a lively street fair on Sunset Boulevard, which was closed from San Vicente Boulevard to Doheny Drive. The crowd even got to see and hear the performances via giant video screens, which will be a permanent part of Billboard Live’s exterior.

No one inside seemed to care that the various finishing touches at the three-level club are still weeks away from completion. Show stealer Bennett, who got things going with an hour set, added so much class to the affair it simply didn’t matter. On such standards as “Over the Rainbow” and “People,” Bennett’s voice and animated style set a festive, endearing mood.

Despite its unfinished status, the venue already has passed a few quality tests. The sound and sight lines are outstanding from all parts of the main showroom.

And, of course, this being a high-profile bash, there were plenty of celebs on hand. Along with the night’s hosts, Jenny McCarthy and Riki Rachtman, such music and film stars as Quincy Jones, Leonardo di Caprio, Morrissey and Mick Fleetwood were spotted milling through the crowd.

But the club itself was the night’s real hit. When the exterior curtain was removed to the strains of Van Halen’s fabulously decadent “Running With the Devil,” the club dazzled onlookers with glitzy, Vegas-style lighting that will be part of its permanent look.

The heart of a club, of course, lies with the talent that graces its stage, but Billboard Live--with its brash, “look at me” swagger--promises to present those acts with a spirit of extravagance and fun.