This weekend was a celebration of American icons for Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City as it held a grand opening ceremony and guitar smash for its $6.2 million expansion and welcomed Willie Nelson, along with thousands of fans, as the opening act for the 2017 Battery Park Concert Series.On June 9, in lieu of a traditional ribbon cutting ceremony, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City hosted a grand opening guitar smash for its $6.2 million, nearly 8,000 square feet expansion. The expansion includes 60 new slot machines, two blackjack tables, a private lounge and a feature bar called the Wine Bar, offering 125 different labels and 20 wines by the glass.
“Every time I walk into this new space I’m amazed by how beautiful it is,” said Todd Moyer, general manager of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City. “I am proud that we were able to use local contractors and craftsman to build such a great space. The feedback from our guests has been extraordinary.”
Lining the walls of the newest addition are icons of American music. The entrance to the new space is highlighted by full ensembles from Tom Petty and Jon Bon Jovi. Memorabilia from other American legends, including Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, SLASH and Willie Nelson, are prominently displayed on the walls of the newest gaming space.
Unique to the property’s memorabilia collection is custom artwork from artists Jay Bonadio and Adam Orr. Jay Bonadio is an Orlando-based artist who specializes in “Neo-Mosaic pop art” or what some may simple describe as shattered glass art. His most recent work, a portrayal of Bruce Springsteen, is now housed at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City. San Diego artist Adam Orr’s work displays deep saturated colors with a very glossy, highly textured surface. Three of Adam’s original art pieces now reside at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City, including a portrait of Willie Nelson.
“When looking for the quintessential artist to perform at our grand opening, Willie Nelson immediately came to mind. His performance this weekend to celebrate this new space and to kick off the 2017 Battery Park Concert Series is truly a dream realized,” said Moyer. “We are all very excited to have Willie and other American musical icons identify this new space. Their music so often focused on the celebration of American pride and continues to inspire generations. They uniquely give the room its special vibe.”
Just over 4,000 fans are expected to attend the June 10 Willie Nelson & Family concert, the official kickoff to the 2017 Battery Park Concert Series. Additional shows for the outdoor summer concert series include Journey with Asia (June 30), Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City’s Country Music Festival with Billy Currington, Chase Rice, Whiskey Myers, Michael Tyler & Filmore (July 22), Bret Michaels with Great White & Slaughter (July 28), Alanis Morissette (August 26) and Five Finger Death Punch (September 1).
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City is an award-winning gaming destination offering more than 883 slot machines and 28 table games. The property’s Hard Rock Hotel is a AAA Four Diamond rated hotel, a distinction which only five percent of the more than 28,000 properties reviewed by AAA achieve. Complementing the Hotel and Casino are seven restaurants and bars including the Wine Bar, World Tour Buffet, Fuel American Grill, and Main + Abbey, the property’s AAA Three Diamond rated restaurant. Throughout the property, guests can experience the legends by viewing the vast Hard Rock memorabilia collection, with iconic pieces from SLASH to Johnny Cash, and Springsteen to Bon Jovi.
The indoor live-entertainment venue, Anthem, hosts an impressive weekly lineup of concerts and performances from rock, pop, and country to comedy and blues. This unique venue leaves attendees with a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience from artists like SLASH, Clint Black, Rick Springfield and George Thorogood. Battery Park, the outdoor entertainment venue with a festival-type atmosphere, hosts nationally touring performers along the likes of Journey, 3 Doors Down, Cheap Trick, Boston, Elvis Costello and Chris Stapleton, during the summer months. For more information visit www.hardrockcasinosiouxcity.com.
Hard Rock International
With venues in 75 countries, including 175 cafes, 24 hotels and 11 casinos, Hard Rock International (HRI) is one of the most globally recognized companies. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world’s greatest collection of music memorabilia, which is displayed at its locations around the globe. Hard Rock is also known for its collectible fashion and music-related merchandise, Hard Rock Live performance venues and an award-winning website. HRI owns the global trademark for all Hard Rock brands. The company owns, operates and franchises Cafes in iconic cities including London, New York, San Francisco, Sydney and Dubai. HRI also owns, licenses and/or manages hotel/casino properties worldwide. Destinations include the company’s two most successful Hotel and Casino properties in Tampa and Hollywood, Fl., both owned and operated by HRI parent company The Seminole Tribe of Florida, as well as other exciting locations including Bali, Chicago, Cancun, Ibiza, Las Vegas, Macau and San Diego. Upcoming new Hard Rock Cafe locations include Cairo, Innsbruck, Andorra la Vella and Chengdu. New Hard Rock hotel, casino or hotel-casino projects include Abu Dhabi, Atlanta, Atlantic City, Berlin, Dubai, London, Los Cabos, New York City, Ottawa, and Shenzhen, Dalian and Haikou in China. For more information on Hard Rock International, visit www.hardrock.com