Pussycat Dolls' Nicole Scherzinger onstage Las Vegas 10/2/09

Those who might question the musical chops of Pussycat Dolls’ lead singer Nicole Scherzinger would be silenced if they saw her performance last night (Oct 2) during a Mirage resort anniversary party hosted by guitarist Slash. Perhaps the most unexpected guest of the rock-legend heavy roster, Scherzinger joined Slash and friends onstage first for a metal version of PCD’s “When I Grow Up,” and then recalled both Heart’s Nancy Wilson and Tina Turner in an undeniably ripping version of “Whole Lotta Love.” Did she kill it? More like she tore it into shreds and hurled it from a freeway overpass.

The next guest, Courtney Love (making a rare stage appearance in recent times) promptly got on the mic and said “I just got my ass handed to me–I can’t follow that!”

Pussycat Dolls' Nicole Scherzinger and Courtney Love embrace backstage, Las Vegas 10/2/09

Afterward, Nicole was overheard backstage saying “I just learned that Led Zeppelin song yesterday.” Other performers on the show–filmed for the US A&E channel–included Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, Guns’N'Roses alums Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan [thx MA], Chris Daughtry, Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen and Cypress Hill rapper Sen-Dog. Nicole and Courtney returned to the stage together along with all performers for an encore of G’n'R’s “Paradise City.”

Elsewhere in town that night, Paris Hilton and her thinspo friends held an invite-only bikini evening fashion show at the Hard Rock Hotel pool to introduce Hilton’s sunglasses line– Apparently declaring it hip again to wear ‘sunglasses at night.’