A Renovated Viper Room Has Ace in Hole for the Reopening

For those who worship at the altar of rock ‘n’ roll, Saturday night’s performance by Courtney Love was a religious experience. Love christened the newly refurbished Viper Room with an acoustic set, joined by Hole bandmates Eric Erlandson, Melissa Auf Der Mauer and new drummer Patty Schemel. Devotees included Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson, Drew Barrymore and stylist Jillian Fink, Scott Weiland, Jennifer Aniston, Counting Crows front man Adam Duritz, and restaurateur and music industry player Jon Sidel with wife Rosanna Arquette. And who knows who else was looking on from behind the one-way glass of the VIP lounge.

No one seemed to blink at the $200 most were required to pay; the event benefited a spiritual yoga and detox facility, Center for Living. There were few comps in the crowd, save perhaps some turban-wrapped and robe-clad representatives from the center.

Always perfectly ironic, Love chain-smoked her way through nearly two hours of music, starting with a hot version of Guns N’ Roses’ “Paradise City,” in which Love happily wore Axl’s pants for a minute. Actually, she was dressed in a dynamite black dress with a diamond-shaped opening. With lyrics from “Live Through This” and “Celebrity Skin” Love offered up a mirror to this soul survivor.