Smooth Like Santana

It may be one heckuva a recession, but the Hard Rock Hotel has pulled out all the stops on its new version of The Joint, spending $60 million on the posh new concert venue and signing modern Las Vegas’ first resident rock ‘n roll act in Carlos Santana. The 61-year-old guitar legend granted Steve one of only a few interviews in advance of his first set of shows, which begin Wednesday night. Santana talks to Steve about playing the old Joint on the millennial New Year’s Eve, about his views about Vegas and about which athlete he thinks is more impressive than Tiger Woods. That’s coming up. Also, more on Steve’s explosive chat last week with Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson in which explains his company’s freefall and bats back against Steve Wynn’s criticism of their strategy in Macau. In Banter: More on Bethlehem and Adelson, Danny Gans memorial and curse, Wolfgang Puck, Obama: The Las Vegas Spectacular, Adam Lambert, Jeff Beacher and more. Thanks to guest-host Murphy for filling in for an ailing Miles. Blog: VegasHappensHere.Com E-mail: [email protected] Web: TheStripPodcast.Com Phone: 206-424-4737