It’s happening at Atlantic City Hotels and Casinos

There are very few rock bands that have thrived through several decades. Often, a band may devise a certain musical sound but its appeal will be limited by the social and cultural aspects of the time period it emerged. Then, there are those excellent bands that can thrive and grow through each passing decade. This allows them to maintain their old fans while capturing new ones. Such is the case with the legendary band Loverboy. This band has entertained millions over the years and now they are bringing their special sound to Atlantic City, NJ as part of their new concert tour.

One reason for the tour is that it is intended to help promote the band’s new CD release which features re-mastered versions of the band’s classic songs. And, of course, the songs will be featured on the band’s concert performances. As such, anyone that loves the legendary songs this band has recorded can enjoy them through live and in person when they appear at the world famous Hilton Casino in Atlantic City.

The Hilton is one of the most popular casinos in Atlantic City and it has long since been a great venue for enjoying concerts of all sorts. A complete role call of the many famous bands that have appeared at The Hilton would be far too expansive to present in a short blog post. However, it would be no understatement to state that it has been home to some incredibly memorable concerts. Now, Loverboy will be arriving at the casino on July 18, 2009 to continue this tradition.

Loverboy first emerged on the music scene in Vancouver, Canada in 1980. The band quickly emerged as a popular local attraction and began touring Canada and the United States. Despite the fact that the band was clearly popular among its growing fan base, no American record label would sign Loverboy to a deal. It was the Canadian division of Columbia Records that eventually did sign them and it turned out to be a tremendous decision. Loverboy would go on to sell several millions of albums and became one of the hottest touring bands of the 1980’s.

As the years moved forward, Loverboy sought a lower profile during the 1990’s. This is not to say the band was not producing albums (CDs) or touring. Actually, Loverboy was quite active and this helped the band maintain its fan base even as musical tastes changed. Of course, the evolution of Loverboy’s style of music certainly played a role in the bands ability to remain a popular concert tour draw. Now, the band is entering into its third decade together and its new tour is drawing very well as sellouts are becoming commonplace.

Those in the New Jersey area should definitely purchase their tickets for this amazing concert event. This will be Loverboy’s only appearance in Atlantic City this year and it should no be missed. And it certainly should not be missed by longtime Loverboy fans. Really, this will be a special event.

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When the big Tropicana Casino and Resort was put on the selling block at the beginning of 2008, most people expected it to fetch a cool $1 billion. But with the faltering economy a group of investors that includes Carl Icahn made an offer to trade $200 million of debt they are previously purchased in a trade for the ownership of the casino giant. And it worked.

Jon Weinert, a Spectrum Gaming Group casino analyst said that this super low price for one of Atlantic City’s big hitters in the casino arena is a sure sign of very troubling times in the United States. He stated that the Tropicana is a very attractive asset and will be in good standing to continue to thrive when the nation’s economy makes a recovery.

The Icahn group was the single bidder for the Tropicana, which is one of the largest casinos in Atlantic City. The attorney overseeing the conservator who has been monitoring the process of the sale said that the group of investors could expect to be given the green light as the new owners very soon by a judge specializing in bankruptcy.

The group would next need to seek temporary approval from the casino regulators in New Jersey and apply for a license to run the casino resort. This process could take a full year to complete. The new owners of the Tropicana would apply for interim authorization, a process that lasts nine months. This process could be extended for three additional months beyond that, according to a spokesman for the New Jersey Casino Control Commission.

These investors, which include Icahn, have a mortgage of $1.4 on the casino resort, which helped them to make a bid that no one could match. The group has agreed to lay down a minimum offer in bankruptcy court and if no one goes over it they get the casino.

The group of investors entered an offer of two hundred million of debt that they owed for the Tropicana. This made it a requirement for other interested people to offer more than that amount in either cash or as securities. This was something that no one was interested in or willing to do. An attorney for the investors group did not want to make a comment regarding this.

The Tropicana lost their license to operate the casino in late 2007, making this sale an absolute necessity. A retired New Jersey state Supreme Court Justice by the name of Gary Stein was appointed to oversee the Tropicana until a suitable buyer was found.

Regulators around the country and various casino executives had initially expected the big casino resort to bring a price in $1 billion range. Some offers were close as one group of investors from New York offered $950 million and Colony Capital LLC who owns two Atlantic City casinos, offered $850 million.
Stein said no to both of those offers, stating that they were not high enough and he questioned the financing that backed up the offers, so the process started over. A few months later $700 million in notes and cash or a flat $575 million was offered by a Baltimore company. This offer was withdrawn due to the worsening economy. This is when the investor group with Icahn included, stepped in.

Image Courtesy : http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2009/06/icahn_group_buys_ac_tropicana.html

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Anyone with even a passing interest in the music of the 1970’s will surely know the name of the band The Doobie Brothers. Without a doubt, The Doobie Brothers were among the most influential bands of the entire Me Decade. Part of the reason for this was their unique sound that was far from derivative of the other bands of the era. It is this uniqueness of their sound that has allowed The Doobie Brothers to still draw an audience decades after their original formation. And, yes, they are still on the road touring and they will be soon arriving in Atlantic City to appear live, on stage at the world famous Tropicana Hotel and Casino.

To say The Doobie Brothers were a popular act in the 1970’s would be a dramatic understatement. The band has sold upwards of 22 millions albums making them one of the most successful acts in rock history. What is most interesting about the band is that its original sound was far removed from the type of music the band would later become known for. Initially, in the late 1960’s, the band was popular amidst the biker crowd and played a much harder version of rock. However, when the debut album of the band first appeared in the very early 1970’s, the sound was much lighter and even maintained a somewhat country sounding beat. However, this sound was not met with a rabid response among fans and The Doobie Brothers would modify their sound in subsequent album releases.

By 1973, the band released a number of huge hit singles and this would elevate The Doobie Brothers to superband status. They would maintain this status for the bulk of the 1970’s. Unfortunately, various line up changes led to the band’s dissolution in the early 1980’s. Thankfully, a number of original members have reformed the band and The Doobie Brothers have once again returned to touring. Those in the Atlantic City area will now have a chance to see the band in all their glory. And, yes, there is a lot of fun and amazement to be had watching a Doobie Brothers’ concert.

While the albums produced by The Doobie Brothers are certainly excellent, this band’s music can be much better appreciated in a live venue. This is true of many bands of the 1970’s since the concept of “live in the studio” was popularized during the era. This is why there is such an enormous difference between listening to The Doobie Brothers’ studio albums and their live albums. Really, there is no comparison between the two and anyone that has listened to the live sound will surely want to see the band in a live concert appearance. The Tropicana in Atlantic City, NJ is offering such an opportunity and it should definitely be taken advantage of. The Doobies will be performing their top hits and this event will be a great adventure for both those that have seen the band in the past and those fans that may be experiencing their sounds for the first time.

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Atlantic City residents and visitors are very happy to hear about AirTrans Airways plans to offer nonstop flights to  Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. To celebrate the inaugural flight, AirTran hosted a big event at the airport with entertainment provided by the legendary, six Grammy winning, Earth, Wind and Fire. Their hit “Let’s Groove” was received with great pleasure by the audience.

John Kirby, the senior director of strategic planning for the airliner said they the company was extremely pleased to add the world class destination of Atlanta to their network of routes. He stated that AirTran’s high quality and low priced service will increase tourism and bring folks to the sandy beaches of Atlantic City and to the casinos and resorts. Also he was pleased to be able to offer South Jersey residents entry into the expansive network of routes with flights to over 40 destinations through Atlanta, Georgia while they enjoyed Satellite radio and Gogo internet service on board the airliners.

Atlantic City International Airport’s executive director, Bart Mueller said that it is a great day for the residents of Atlantic City and its visitors to have AirTran Airways come to their airport with its outstanding service and great low fares.

AirTran offers four non-stop flights between Atlanta and Atlantic City daily. Flight 962 departs from Atlanta at 10:30 a.m. and arrives in Atlantic City at 12:18 p.m. The second offering from Atlanta is flight 964 that departs at 4:55 p.m. and arrives in Atlantic City at 6:43 p.m. Flight 963 leaves Atlantic City at 12:53 p.m. and arrives in Atlanta at 2:48 p.m. The last flight between the two cities is flight 965 that departs Atlantic City at 7:22 p.m. and lands in Atlanta at 9:15 p.m.

AirTran will have a special introductory fare of just $69. In order to receive this special offer, travelers must book by the last day of June for travel through July 31st. AirTran offers some of the lowest fares in the United States as is ranked at number one for being the lowest cost carrier in the Airline Quality Rating study for the past two years. AirTran’s low fares are greatly appreciated by today’s regular travelers who are trying to spend as little money as possible in these dire economic times.

The casino and resort owners in Atlantic City are very happy to hear of the new non-stop flights offered to and from Atlanta. The Governor of New Jersey, Jon Corzine said that this new service connects Atlantic City with fifty cities nationwide and he says he is quite confident that the city’s casinos and resorts will benefit. The crippling recession has taken a toll on these establishments as gamblers are much more reluctant to part with their money. There are eleven casinos in Atlantic City that are in bankruptcy.

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