The Beatles 'Love' show by Cirque du Soleil at The Mirage in Las Vegas is a visually exhilarating experience combined with the greatest songs on Earth ...but that isn't necessarily a good thing for old Beatles fans.
With 'Love', Cirque du Soleil has created one of the best shows on earth for people who like the Beatles songs but aren't necessarily Beatles fans. For Beatles fans, the show may play with your original 'theater of the mind'.Politically, Cirque du Soleil and The Beatles is a brilliant match. The Beatles name will attract many people to a Cirque du Soleil show for the first time, and the Cirque du Soleil name will drive the 'fence-sitter' fan to a new interest in the Beatles. Cirque du Soleil also modernizers the music for a younger audience and that is a good thing too.
For Apple and for Cirque du Soleil, it is the perfect joint venture.
Likewise, the new 'Love' album is going to introduce a whole new audience to Beatles music and promote the Cirque du Soleil brand. With the Beatles, we are talking an iconic act who will be heard for centuries to come, and over the years, decades and centuries, the band and the music will be interpreted in many different ways.
Using The Beatles as a base for a show is nothing new. It dates back to the 70's with Robert Stigwood's 'Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band' movie and Lou Adler's 'All This And World War II'. 'Love' is yet another visual interpretation based on Beatles sounds. In years to come, we will look back on this as Cirque du Soleil's interpretation of the greatest moment in music history. However, in the case of Cirque du Soleil, this show is credible. It has been endorsed by The Beatles.
The origins of the show came from the friendship of Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Liliberte and his very good friend George Harrison. In 2000, it was Harrison who suggested the pooling of resources and thus the show was created. Sadly, George didn't live to see his idea realized on stage.
Beatles producer Sir George Martin was reactivated to put together the score. His instructions and limitations were to use any original Beatles sound with any Beatles song. He recruited his son Giles to help out and after two years, the result is the 'Love' album. The soundtrack stands on its own as a masterpiece and acts as the soundtrack to the Vegas show.
The visual and audio aspect of the 'Love' show is stunning. The specially constructed theater is in the same room of the old Siegfried and Roy show at the Mirage. The room has more than 6000 speakers. Each seat has two speakers in the headrest and one in front.
Beatles silhouettes bookend the show to create the perception of a presence but, obviously, this is a live show with pre-recorded music and a Cirque du Soleil show, not a Beatles show.
'Love' is exactly 90 minutes in duration. There are two shows nightly at 7.30pm and 10.30pm at The Mirage on the Vegas strip.
