And I was one of the lucky ones to see this divine show! Bette truly
rocked the world of everyone sitting in the her very enthusiastic
audience. She was DIVINE!!! I loved seeing Bette's spectacular Vegas
show, too, but it was so good to see her in a smaller venue, as it
always has been!

~ ~ ~ Seafree... Surfin' the Web Without a WaVe! ~ ~ ~

PS: Here's a blurb from http://www.nwi.com/ ...

Midler, famous faces welcome arrival of new Horseshoe Casino property

BY PHILIP POTEMPA
ppotempa@...
219.852.4327 | Saturday, August 09, 2008 |

HAMMOND | Las Vegas legend Bette Midler's first words on stage Friday
night at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond: "It's great to be in da region."

Emerging on stage 30 minutes fashionably late, Midler greeted
audiences with her trademark ear to ear smile and "Hammond, you look
divine."

Midler's performance officially opened The Venue, the new theater
space at Horseshoe and the shining jewel of the $500 million new
vessel and gaming entertainment space, which was showcased during an
elaborate gala opening to kick off the weekend.

"It's great to be at the Horseshoe, Hammond's premier floatation
device," Midler said, following her opening number, "Kiss My Brass."

In addition to the fans lucky enough to secure one of the 2,000
available seats, Midler's show also was watched by an array of famous
faces, including "American Pie" actress Tara Reid, who sipped on a
Diet Coke and vodka during the concert, and actor Matthew Modine, who
was eager to see "the space that Jack Binion built."

Modine just completed a new film "Sex & Sin City" to air next month on
cable's Lifetime Movie Network, which features him portraying Jack's
brother Ted Binion.

"The Binion family really is everything that represents gambling and
Las Vegas, and look around you, this place proves it," Modine said.
"Marcia Gay Harden plays the Binion brothers' sister and it's a great
story of what can happen to a family with too much money."

Horseshoe Vice President Rick Mazer, who oversaw the entire
renovation, including the design, said money and opulence served as
the primary theme for the new space.

"After helping select every piece of molding and everything from
fabric and carpet swatches, it's great to walk through a dream space
that compares to nothing else anywhere in the Midwest."

Someone still getting used to the all the marble steps and plush
carpet in the new space was Rachel Northway, a model from Chicago who
spent Friday evening walking in the shoes of a Las Vegas showgirl,
including a towering feather headdress.

"It's all about balance and lots of bead all in the right places," she
said.

"I have to be careful. This Hammond turned into Las Vegas, anything
can happen."