ATLANTIC CITY - Frank Corkery still felt the high from witnessing "one of the best concerts I have ever seen" after catching one of The Roots' live performances in The Music Box at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa.

Corkery, of Ridgewood, Bergen County, did not get enough of the hip-hop band, so he stood in line to enter The Roots concert after-party inside the Mixx nightclub.

"It was great. One of the most fun concerts I have ever been to in my life," said Corkery, 21, who added The Roots' lead rapper Black Thought shook his and his friend's hands. "Anytime I can hang out with the band I just saw, it sounds like great fun. I listen to The Roots all the time. I've been wanting to see The Roots for so long. They are one of my favorite bands of all time."

Borgata made it easier for the group's fans to see them by altering a concept that is a Las Vegas staple - the idea of a band in residency at a single casino.

Walking the strip in Las Vegas, a visitor can see names on the casino-hotel marquees: Celine Dion, Elton John, Bette Midler, Cher and Carlos Santana have all pulled off successful extended engagements. The big difference is in Las Vegas, these performers and others perform for weeks at a time over months and years.

Instead of touring, they live in Las Vegas. Their fans come to them.

Atlantic City also books big names - Stevie Wonder was just here this weekend - but a visitor can't drop by anytime they want and expect to see a superstar in a showroom.

The reason why a residency - even a mini one such as The Roots' at Borgata - is rare in Atlantic City, but popular in Las Vegas is due to some significant differences in the markets, according to Michael Pollock, managing director of Spectrum Gaming Group, a Linwood-based global gaming-research and analysis firm.

"It is clear that Atlantic City is a frequent visitor market, that people come, they overwhelmingly like what they see and come back," Pollock said.

In Las Vegas, people visit less often, but stay longer and spend more money per visit, Pollock said. The greater amount spent per visit allows for residencies and expensive, long-running production shows such as Cirque du Soleil, he said.

"In Atlantic City, you would have the same people over and and over and over coming to see the same show. It wouldn't work," Pollock said.

The Roots' residency at Borgata brings the band to the casino's 1,000-seat Music Box theater every couple of months.

Each performance features a special music al guest and an after party inside Mixx with music provided by The Roots' drummer Questlove, who turns DJ for the night. The first three scheduled dates of the residency have been July 24, Sept. 4 and Oct. 30.

The Roots have a great combination of characteristics that made them ideal for a residency, said Joe Lupo, Borgata's senior vice president.

An alternative hip-hop band out of Philadelphia, for the past 22 years The Roots have become known for its jazzy, eclectic approach to hip-hop. The members play instruments, not just turntables.

The Roots were diverse enough to perform on the side stage when Lollapalooza was still an alternative rock touring festival in 1995.

It's that versatility that's allowed the group to be hired as the house band for the "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" show. In concert, the group will solo on their instruments and collectively improvise, like a jam band, and will play anything from Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" to Kool & The Gang's "Jungle Boogie," which has earned them a multi-racial fanbase of both sexes stretching from teenagers to people in their 40s.

"They are dynamic and versatile, which enables them to attract different guests each show, making the shows a little different for the customer," said Lupo, who added the fact the band is based in Philadelphia was a factor as the casino considered whether to do the residency.

"However, it shows the respect The Roots have throughout the music community as they frequently play with other artists. Add the ability for one of their members to DJ in our nightclub following the show only provides the night to continue for their fan base and the band," Lupo said.

The Roots receive nationwide exposure on weeknights as the house band for Fallon's show, a factor which also figured in the casino's decision to try the residency.

Questlove and Fallon talked about the residency on the show. Fallon was scheduled to be the band's guest for the Saturday concert.

Other casinos here have thought about trying to a do a residency with a headliner in recent years, even though the cost of having a big-name act perform for weeks at a time would be cost prohibitive.

During the last five years, the idea has been discussed sporadically at the Trump casinos, according to Steve Gietka, vice president of entertainment for Trump Entertainment Resorts. It has been dismissed in favor of having an act contractually appear twice a year. Kenny Rogers and Smokey Robinson had contracts that brought them in for several dates to various Trump Properties over a number of years.

"Our regular casino customers visit too frequently to mirror the Vegas concept used for Elton and Celine. We do not have the influx of 'first-time visitors' or enough conventions to make financial sense of it at this point in time," said Gietka, who added The Roots are one of the few acts that could make a residency work in Atlantic City. "Presently, I don't think there is an artist that makes financial sense under a weekly or monthly scenario. Quarterly, an act like Billy Joel, Bon Jovi or Bruce (Springsteen) could work, but I'm not sure that should be categorized as a residency," Gietka said. "

A few years back, the idea had been discussed at the Atlantic City Hilton Casino Resort, according to Tina Belluscio, regional director of entertainment for the Hilton and Resorts Atlantic City.

"In this economy, the expense would likely outweigh the return," Belluscio said.

A residency could work at one of the Harrah's Entertainment casinos here - Bally's Atlantic City, Caesars Atlantic City, Harrah's Atlantic City and Showboat Casino-Hotel - according to D'Ann Glenn, who is responsible for their entertainment strategies.

Tony Bennett's tenure this year at the Harrah's Entertainment properties was like a modified residency, Glenn said.

Bennett sang on July 10 and 11 in the 1,200-seat Circus Maximus Theater at Caesars and will perform Friday and Saturday in the 1,560-seat Concert Venue at Harrah's. The 5,520 people he will entertain during these shows almost equals the 6,000 fans The Roots would play for during six shows in The Music Box.

While the idea of residency hasn't been common here, exclusive performing contracts used to be more prevalent.

Casino mogul Steve Wynn brought Frank Sinatra in 1982 to the former Golden Nugget casino hotel, where Sinatra performed mostly for the casino's invited guests and filmed TV commercials for the property. The now-defunct Sands Casino Hotel also signed Sinatra to an exclusive multi-year contract in 1991 to perform at the casino and film a series of TV commercials in the casino.

Other entertainers, for instance, Dionne Warwick, used to perform quarterly during the 1980s at the Tropicana Casino and Resort, according to Glenn Lillie, a former vice president of the marketing and communications at the now-defunct Claridge.

Cher signed a two-year, 20-show exclusive performing contract with the Sands, also during the 1980s, Lillie said.

The Roots are nowhere near as famous as Cher, Warwick or the late Sinatra, but they are a group that has won a Grammy Award, earned two gold albums and have the reputation as a great live act. They also are still musically relevant with a national recording contract and a new CD, "How I Got Over," will be released next year, unlike many of the performers who entertain here.

Borgata is very pleased with the response to the Roots' residency, and at this time, no end date has been discussed, Lupo said.

"With a high-profile gig as the house band on 'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,' along with the many other engagements that the Roots play, we are pleased with the schedule thus far and will continue to book performances, based on their availability and the Borgata's busy entertainment calendar," said Lupo, who added the casino hasn't thought yet about another residency after The Roots. "Although, our current knowledge and success would only lead us to consider more opportunities."

Contact Vincent Jackson:

609-272-7202

VJackson@pressofac.com