CINCINNATI — First the Horseshoe, then Jack Casino, now Hard Rock: The new Hard Rock Casino officially opened Thursday, marking the third time a casino company has tried to hit the jackpot in Cincinnati.
President of Hard Rock Cincinnati, George Goldhoff said the international success of Hard Rock will translate locally.
"What's really different about it is, 50 years ago this year, our two founders, Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton, opened the first Hard Rock Cafe," Goldhoff said. "We're a globally recognized brand, and we're in 68 different countries, and we have 239 other locations, so that's just one difference."
The other difference is the memorabilia guests can see while walking around the casino, including costumes worn by Lady Gaga, Tina Turner, Madonna and Steven Tyler.
"I call that the switch that turns on our brand," Goldhoff said.
There's also a Porsche 933 that was driven by Eddie Van Halen and a Harley Davidson that belonged to Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe.
An emphasis on music separates Hard Rock Cincinnati from brands of the past. Goldhoff said the casino's new music venue will have live performances three days a week.
Cincinnati-area dance band Soul Pocket kicked off the reopening with a live performance at 10:30 a.m. Blessid Union of Souls was scheduled to perform Thursday night as a part of the casino's grand opening celebration.
