Headliner Showrooms

Vegas entertainment made its name with its showrooms, though its glory days are somewhat behind it, gone with the Rat Pack themselves. For a long time, Vegas headliners were something of a joke; only those on the downhill side of fame were thought to play here. But with all the new performance spaces -- and high fees -- offered by the new hotels, Vegas suddenly has respect again, especially, on (of all things) the rock scene. Both the Hard Rock Hotel's The Joint (currently undergoing a massive reconstruction) and the House of Blues attract very current and very popular acts who find it hip, rather than humiliating, to play Sin City. However, the classic Vegas showroom itself does seem headed the way of the dinosaurs; many of the hotels have shuttered theirs. As for the remainder, one is pretty much like the other, with the exception of the Hard Rock and House of Blues (hence their detailed descriptions), and in any case, audiences go based on the performer rather than the space. Check with your hotel, or those free magazines in your room, to see who is in town when you are.

Major headliner showrooms in Vegas include the following:

• Center for the Performing Arts -- In the Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino, 3667 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (tel. 877/333-9474 or 702/785-5555)
• Las Vegas Hilton Showroom -- In the Las Vegas Hilton, 3000 Paradise Rd. (tel. 800/222-5361 or 702/732-5755)
• Mandalay Bay Events Center -- In Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (tel. 877/632-7400 or 702/632-7580)
• MGM Grand Garden Events Arena -- In the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (tel. 800/929-1111 or 702/891-7777)
• MGM Grand Hollywood Theatre -- In the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (tel. 800/929-1111 or 702/891-7777)
• The Orleans Showroom -- In The Orleans, 4500 W. Tropicana Ave. (tel. 800/675-3267)

Headliner Stadiums

Sam Boyd Stadium, the outdoor stadium at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), has been host to such major acts as Paul McCartney, Eagles, and Metallica. Still, both it and the Thomas & Mack Center, the university's indoor arena, have been losing headliners to the MGM Grand Garden and the Mandalay Bay Center. (These two, for example, recently saw acts such as the Police reunion, Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, U2, and Justin Timberlake.) Both are more likely to have sporting events these days. Located on the UNLV campus at Boulder Highway and Russell Road (tel. 702/895-2787). Ticketmaster (tel. 702/474-4000; www.ticketmaster.com) handles ticketing for both arenas.