Hard Rock Hotel plans ‘final toast’ to Center Bar

Axl Rose drank there.

Vince Neil, members of Kiss and even actors David Schwimmer and Ben Affleck would hang out there, too.

For the past 20 years, Center Bar at the Hard Rock Hotel served as a place to spot celebrities.

“There were many nights you could walk a few feet and see someone else,” says Andy Soulia, who has been bartending at Center Bar since it opened. “I actually have too many stories to tell.”

Those stories are about to run their course as the hotel plans to close the bar on Sunday. But there is still time to party.

Until it closes, patrons can enjoy the “Last Call” promotion, which features some of Center Bar’s most popular drinks during the past two decades.

And the “Final Toast” party, scheduled from 7 to 10 p.m. Sunday, will feature hit music from 1995, the year the bar opened.

Guests also will be allowed to sign their names on the original Center Bar.

Gary Scott, the assistant general manager of the hotel, says the spot went beyond the celebrity sightings.

“I think it became iconic because it challenged the concept of night life,” he says. “It was a pioneer in many ways.”

“It’s bittersweet to see it go,” Soulia says. “Every square inch of the bar has a memory. … I’ve seen too many celebrities and have too many stories to count.”

Whether it was Drew Carey throwing back a few beers or Jamie Foxx ordering bottle after bottle on New Year’s Eve 1999, Soulia had many celebrity interactions.

And Center Bar has had an impact on many of the celebrities who visited.

“Drew Carey had an autobiography a few years back that mentions the bar,” Soulia says.

Soulia also remembers when Kiss decided to make a comeback and played on top of the bar.

Beyond the actors and rock legends, Soulia says without Center Bar he would have never met his wife, who worked on the hotel floor.

“This place literally changed my life,” he adds.

And it wasn’t just a celebrity bar. “Your everyday, average Joe went there, too,” Soulia says.

What made the bar different from others at the time was its panoramic view of the casino, Scott says. Resting in the heart of the casino, it was ideal for people-watching, whether they were playing at the surrounding card tables and slot machines or just walking through.

“You could frequently hear people’s conversation from there,” he adds. “People would call it the ‘whisperdome’ because you could eavesdrop on people’s conversations. Even if you were there alone, you could amuse yourself.”

That is, if you could find a seat.

Scott says because of its popularity, people would have to do several laps before finding a place to sit.

But now the casino is redesigning the concept.

“It’s time to refresh,” Scott says.

The new bar, still in the center of the casino, will have a different look and feel with the hopes of creating more memories, he notes.

Soulia will be there the final night serving up drinks one last time before the bar is shut down and transformed.

“It’s gonna be a new place,” he says. “We will see what happens there.”

Contact reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5201. Follow @mjlyle on Twitter.