Recycled Percussion is the act, Tropicana Theater the name as showroom (loudly) enters new phase

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Tropicana headliners Matt Bowman, Todd Griffin, Ryan Vezina and Justin Spencer of Recycled Percussion.
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2/8/11: Recycled Percussion Red Carpet at Tropicana

Recycled Percussion at Hard Rock Cafe

The next phase of what was once Tiffany Theater is being ushered in by a quartet of drumstick-wielding madmen banging on hubcaps.

The plucky quartet known as Recycled Percussion has made its thunderous return to Tropicana showroom, a venue most recently named for its resident headliner Gladys Knight. The name Gladys Knight Theater became outdated last weekend, when Knight ended her run at the hotel. The new name of that theater will be, simply and aptly, Tropicana Theater.

The guys from Recycled Percussion moved in Tuesday night and represent, at the moment, the only standing production show at the hotel. Expect that to change sometime soon, as officials explore options to move into the classic venue made famous by "Folies Bergere."

The Recycled crew is performing at 7 p.m. daily (dark, and silent, Wednesdays). Tickets are $15 for kids ages 5-12, $40 for general admission and $55 for VIP assigned seating (for information, go to the Trop Web site).

In banding with Recycled Percussion, the Trop benefits from some name recognition (though the expiration date on this is about expired) in R.P.’s third-place finish on “America’s Got Talent” and also the members’ aggressive self-marketing prowess. Bandleader Justin Spencer is a guerrilla PR man at the core, and even Tuesday afternoon, as I was having lunch with a friend at Peppermill, the waitress offered a coupon for four free tickets to Tuesday night’s show. A stack of such coupons, and there are tens of thousands of them papering the city, was dropped off by Recycled Percussion band member Ryan Vezina.

R.P. also is embarking on a fanciful, and none-too-sane, charity event at Hard Rock Cafe on the Strip on Nov. 22-23. From 10 p.m. that Tuesday, through 10 p.m. the next night, the band plans to play continually. That’s a full 24-hour stretch of hammering away on sinks and plastic buckets and whatnot.

The band is attempting to lure Vegas newsmakers and entertainers (or, ideally, both) to join the fray. A $10 donation at the door or a new, unwrapped toy is the admission price for an event that should prove to be equal parts toy drive, drum-a-thon and carpal-tunnel syndrome.

It might well be some sort of U.S. or world record for longest continuous concert by a band. The Recycled Percussion team is looking into that now. But back at the Trop, officials will settle for a successful residency, one hour at a time.

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWithTheDish.

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