In 1993, no less than Frank Sinatra christened the new Fox Theater at the Foxwoods Resort Casino with a concert. A year later, tenor Luciano Pavarotti performed at the facility. If Sinatra represented the highest level of traditional, Vegas-style casino entertainment, and Pavarotti was a gesture of class and elegance, Foxwoods nonetheless was about to change the way the gaming industry approached headline entertainment.

Through the visionary efforts of Tom Cantone, then executive vice president of marketing and entertainment, the casino broke the chains of stereotype and brought in acts and styles of music theretofore unheard of in Las Vegas or Atlantic City.

While it's now accepted in virtually any American casino that you can see entertainment ranging from Jay-Z and Kanye West or Tool to Morrissey and the touring cast of "American Idol," such a strategy was almost heresy when Cantone started bringing act to Foxwoods.

Foxwoods turned 20 this month, and a list of many of the diverse artists - including 115 Grammy winners - who've played in the array of venues in Foxwoods or the adjunct MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods over the last two decades includes: Ashanti, Jethro Tull, Jerry Seinfeld, LL Cool J, Bob Weir, Ludacris, Cedric the Entertainer, the Dixie Chicks, Rihanna, Mystikal, Jeff Beck, Pink, Morrissey, India.Arie, Charlie Sheen, Nas, Crowded House, Norah Jones, Bob Dylan, Alicia Keys, and a first-ever total-cast appearance by "The Sopranos."

Also: Mariah Carey, Carrie Underwood, Ambrosia, Chris Rock, Jon Stewart (who drove to the casino in his own car), the Smithereens, Macy Gray, Duran Duran, The Mavericks, Lynyrd Skynyrd, George Jones, Train, David Byrne, Al Green, the Steve Miller Band - and even Bruce Springsteen and Clarence Clemons when they showed up to help B.B. King open a now-defunct nightclub in the casino.

In a 2003 interview with The Day, Cantone, now vice president of sports and entertainment at Mohegan Sun, commented on his wider scope of booking policy: "To ignore the market is just not smart. We've sent a message that we're open for business with contemporary stars."

Below, Day arts writers Kristina Dorsey and Rick Koster recall favorite and/or notorious shows at Foxwoods.

• The Dixie Chicks (1999, Fox Theater) and Alicia Keys (2001, Fox Theater) - Two different shows, a few years apart, but what I remember was how spot-on Cantone's timing was in each case. He anticipated that both these acts were going to explode and become huge - and he grabbed them and booked them before anyone else knew what was happening. By the time they respectively hit the relatively intimate Fox Theater, the rest of their tour venues were sold-out arenas. (Koster)

• Crowded House (2007, Fox Theater) - Most folks know I consider CH one of the best three bands in history not named the Beatles. This was the first performance of their "Time On Earth" reunion tour and album - after the suicide of iconic drummer Paul Hester. In that sense, there was a remarkable balance of exuberance at being back as well as a tender poignancy over Hester's passing. They opened with the almost-never-played "Recurring Dream" and, with typical Crowdie humor, spontaneously ordered fish 'n' chips from a casino restaurant so they could "try a New England staple." The dish was delivered onstage in mid-set, sampled with approval by the band, and then shared with fans. (Koster)

• John Tesh (1998, Fox Theater) - Such an odd event. I hate to quote myself, but in this case, from my review: "John Tesh and his Traveling Ham Circus blew into the Fox Theatre and the performance was a spidery ambrosia fusing elements of a new age pep rally, a lunatic asylum talent show, and amateur hour at a small-town comedy club." (Koster)

• Charlie Sheen (2011, MGM Grand Theater) - OK, I don't hate to quote myself: "We've all heard about the caged chimp who throws his own, ah, waste at zoo visitors. Two things about that: the chimp doesn't continue to throw, ah, waste for 60 minutes and, also, zoo visitors presumably didn't pay $85-$150 for the privilege of dodging it." (Koster)

• Jeff Beck (2009, MGM Grand Theater) - Certainly the most distinct of the Great British Guitar Heroes, Beck's first show at the MGM Grand Theater was an all-time triumph. Great band, great set list - including Billy Cobham and Tommy Bolin's "Stratus" - and proof that Beck was the only 64-year-old man in the galaxy who could wear white jeans tucked into white fur boots and make every one in the room envious. (Koster)

• Ambrosia (1999, Cinedrome Nightclub) - I'm almost certain this was the last tour with all four original members of this feloniously overlooked prog-pop group. Yes, they did the feathery hits like "You're the Only Woman" and "How Much I Feel," but also the deep, stunning material such as "Nice, Nice, Very Nice" and "Time Waits For No One." Ambrosia! In a casino disco! Unreal. (Koster)

• Pink (2002, Fox Theater) - The 1,400-seat Fox Theatre was one of the best places to see young stars on the rise. Pink performed there in after her "Missundaztood" release and was astounding. Her smoky voice, her effortless showmanship - it was all there, in a show that was simply Pink and her five-person band. The Janis Joplin medley she did was one of the few times I've thought, yes, someone managed to do a Joplin song as well as Joplin did. I saw Pink again years later, opening Justin Timberlake's tour with a dance-and-aerialist-heavy show. But nothing beat the stripped-down concert she gave at Foxwoods. (Dorsey)

• Mary J. Blige (2004, Fox Theater) - Come on, it was Mary J.! What more do you need to know? (Dorsey)

• Robin Williams (2002, Fox Theater) - Foxwoods has hosted shows by an insane array of world-class comics, from Seinfeld to Leno, but Williams gave one of the most memorable performances there. His legendary brain-never-stops intensity was in full, impressive effect. He worked up a sweat - literally; he had a table onstage covered with bottles of water for him to re-hydrate. (Dorsey)

• John Fogerty (2010, MGM Grand Theater) - He can still yowl like a young turk. This greatest-hits gig was, yes, great. (Dorsey)

• Liza Minnelli (1998, Fox Theater) - Oh, poor Liza! She just oozed neediness. As one concertgoer said after the show, "She was struggling, but she's a trooper." You could feel the audience trying to will her to control her breath better and to sustain notes more strongly. After a particularly demanding song, Minnelli grabbed the side of the piano and cracked, "I'm an almost 52-year-old woman trying to pretend this isn't hard." (Dorsey)

• Big & Rich (2005, Fox Theater) - Foxwoods has been a bastion of country coolness, but this gig was the most kooky fun. My ears were ringing for days. (Dorsey)

• Kelly Clarkson (2012, MGM Grand Theater) - She opened her current tour here, and she was on top of her game - likeable as always, and with voice as supernaturally powerful as always. (Dorsey)

• Cyndi Lauper, Pat Benatar, Tom Jones (Varying; Fox Theater and MGM Grand Theater) - Oldies? Please. These guys gave killer separate concerts at Foxwoods over the years. They blew the cobwebs off the stereotype of past-their-radio-hits-glory singers merely going through the paces at casino gigs. Maybe part of the reason they're so good is because, when they started out, singers had to be able to, you know, sing live. Whatever the case, their voices were strong and their stage presence was undiminished by age. (Dorsey)