All Toby All the Time?

Harrah’s apparently thinks it’s a good idea:

Harrah’s Las Vegas Casino & Hotel announced today that it will build a themed bar, restaurant and entertainment venue with award-winning country music star, Toby Keith.

The center strip resort will build a Toby Keith themed venue, slated for a summer, 2005, opening, featuring a bar/lounge, restaurant and retail store. The restaurant will offer American casual food, and the bar/lounge will feature Keith music and videos, a special recording studio, private dining area, stage and dance floor for live country acts, and surprise personal appearances by Keith himself.

The structure, a total build out of more than 17,000 square feet, will be located at the interior promenade situated directly adjacent to the resort’s monorail concourse. A site integration plan is currently under development, and the project plans to break ground during the fourth quarter, 2004.

“We were looking for an entertainer with universal appeal,” said Marilyn Winn, senior vice president and general manager of Harrah¹s Las Vegas. “Toby Keith is that entertainer – we are confident in the popularity of Toby Keith and his music, and feel that there is a distinct parallel among Toby Keith’s and Harrah’s branding – I see this as a truly well-matched relationship.”

Keith, the reigning Academy of Country Music (ACM) Entertainer of the Year, expressed similar enthusiasm for the future business relationship. “Las Vegas is one of my favorite cities to tour and Harrah¹s is the best casino company in the world. I’m excited that we will be able to make this happen,” Keith said.

AP has more:

The VIP booths will look like Ford pickups and an American flag will circle the ceiling at I Love This Bar & Grill!, a $9 million project by country superstar Toby Keith and Harrah’s Entertainment Inc.

“The whole concept will be … all Toby all the time,” the singer said Friday at a news conference at Harrah’s hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

….”It’s gonna reek with attitude and personality,” Keith said.

The restaurant will also include a replica of Keith’s tour bus. Although the singer said fans shouldn’t expect to see him on the club’s stage, Keith said he will be stopping by when he’s in town.

“If I’m gonna have a cold one, I’m gonna go to my bar,” he said.

I can certainly see the appeal of the concept from HIS point of view, but it seems a bit narrow from everyone else’s perspective. Has Keith really achieved the kind of status where the masses will flock to “all Toby, all the time”?

I think Keith is one of the more entertaining country stars around today, but “all ANYONE, all the time” sounds about as appealing as a visit to the urologist.