Show review - The Beatles' 'Love' @ The Mirage, Las Vegas NV

[Belmit]

Before heading to Vegas I'd planned on seeing at least one show, although my friends were reluctant at first to see the Beatles one because they are nowhere near as big a fan as I am. As it turned out, there were only the most expensive seats left if we all wanted to sit together, or individual cheaper seats. As such we went elsewhere and saw the Mystere show at Treasure Island on the Sunday night. There are five Cirque du Soleil shows showing at the various hotel/casinos and Mystere, based loosely on surrealism and the work of artists like Dali, sounded like one of the best.

It was absolutely amazing. The feats of strength and agility can't be summed up justifiably in words - these people are just superhuman. It was also as funny as it was mind-boggling, with the main 'jester' of the piece really adding to the performance by involving the audience. We later found out that the guy was in his seventies! He has to be the most spritely septegenerian I've ever seen.

Afterwards, although it was an utterly amazing performance, I felt somehow that I was missing out by not seeing the Beatles show. No doubt it would combine the skills I had just witnessed with my most favourite music, and that had to be something pretty special.

So it was that on the Wednesday afternoon I announced that I would be leaving everyone the following night to go to the Mirage and see the Beatles show. They understood.


I managed to get a 'restricted view' seat for just $102 (compared to the $169 I would ordinarily have had to pay... and would have), but as far as I could tell there was nothing in the way at all. I was in the front row on the balcony - an awesome seat.

The walk into the theatre was far more themed than for the Mystere show. Everything was bright and psychadelic, the ushers and usherettes were dressed in pseudo-British police uniforms, and generally they'd really pushed the boat out to make it feel like a great experience. I purposefully avoided anything that would tell me what to expect within the show, so I was already in awe of the whole thing. I didn't expect so grand an entrance before I'd even seen anything of the performance.

Before I go on, just a quick sum-up of how the show came to be:

George Harrison and Guy Laliberté (founder of Cirque) happened to meet through a love of motor racing. Between them they came up with the concept of the show and approached George Martin to work on the music. The brief was to create a soundscape of around one-and-a-half hours length using any sound he needed form the original Beatles multi-track recordings. With the help of his son Giles they bounced ideas back and forth between them and the creative heads at Cirque, each side providing the other with ideas for the music and the perfomances, and between them came up with the 'Love' album (which I had ordered before I left for Vegas but had not previously listened to). Essentially, I was going into the performance with neither knowledge of the makeup of the music nor what the performance would entail.

The stage is roughly circular, with the audience sitting on all sides, separated by a few gangways leading to the backstage areas. There is just the one balcony area which mirrors the lower area. Four translucent curtains form a cross, starting at the balcony and extending almost to the centre of the stage from four sides. There is nothing else in view.

After a brief introduction by someone who could be called the Ringmaster, a vocal version of 'Because' (from Abbey Road) starts up. It is quite eery and other-worldly in the large, dark, theatre. The silences between lyrics are deafening. Strange figures begin crawling around the stage.

Two minutes later I'm beginning to wonder what to make of it as nothing really seems to have happened yet. I'm filled with excitement but apprehension. For the first time I'm wondering if the show will live up to my expectations, or complete lack of them depending on how you view it.

Suddenly, the music starts to build a little, like the wind picking up before a storm. The air is punctuated by a single guitar chord and instantly I recognise it as the opening chord from 'A Hard Day's Night'. 'Brilliant!' I think, but suddenly I'm confused. This isn't 'A Hard Day's Night', it's the drum solo from 'The End' (also from Abbey Road). What's going on?! The drums continue but it's very obvious that now the guitar part from 'Get Back' is playing in the background...

As the two descending chords hit at the beginning of 'Get Back' and the lyrics start, the curtains drop, the lights come up and all of a sudden there's people everywhere on the stage. At this point I realise this will be the most amazing show I'll ever see.

If you want to hear what I heard at the start of the show, queue up the following three tracks and listen to them in order. Don't listen to them one at a time because they transition into each other:

http://www.belmit.co.uk/boatdrinks/m...%20Because.mp3
http://www.belmit.co.uk/boatdrinks/m...Get%20Back.mp3
http://www.belmit.co.uk/boatdrinks/m...ss%20Onion.mp3

Highlights of the show:

- Confetti and ribbons projected from nowhere into the audience.
- Chimney pots and a giant cast-iron clock face raising out of the stage at the start, only to be destroyed during 'Eleanor Rigby'.
- The 'Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite' circus section.
- Four guys in black and white striped outfits wearing furry boots and roller-blades, skating half-pipes to 'Help!'.
- Someone dressed as a Blackbird flying around the stage to 'Blackbird', whilst a tricycle with a child's Wellington boots stuck to the pedals cycles 'round of its own accord.
- The 'Stomp' style introduction to 'Lady Madonna', again with yellow wellies.
- The snake lights that move around the floor before the 'Here Comes The Sun' section.
- The psychadelic opening to 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'.
- The VW Beetles everywhere, including one that bursts apart to reveal it's actually a bunch of performers holding panels on sticks!
- The mini-story performance of 'A Day In The Life'.
- The touching ending during 'Hey Jude' where everyone gives a little kid a small bunch of flowers.

And probably the most amazing thing I'll ever see, ever:

- A bunch of kids on an old bed are wheeled into the centre of the stage, where the performers perform around them. As it transitions to the next song, they all run to the bed and reach under it. They pull out a large white sheet in all directions, going all the way back to the edges of the theatre, completely covering the lower audience. The sheet is bathed in blue and pink light as the bed bobs up and down on what now appears to be the sea. Eventually the bed rises into the ceiling, pulling the 'sea' after it.

God only knows what the people under the sheet saw, but I found my mouth gaping open like an idiot all the way through.

If you only see one show in your lifetime, make it this one. Even if you don't like The Beatles (i.e. you're slightly crazy), you won't be able to help but love the show and the supreme effort involved on all parts. If you can watch the show and still tell me you don't like The Beatles, well maybe you're just a little dead inside.

One thing's for certain, until you actually see it for yourself, you won't get that same rush I get every time I hear those descending chords and opening lyrics from 'Get Back'.

10/10

Thankyou and goodnight!

[Feek]

Sounds excellent, I'll listen to those audio grabs tonight.

When was it you saw this?

[Belmit]

Five days ago. Still reeling from it!

[Feek]

Originally Posted by Belmit

Suddenly, the music starts to build a little, like the wind picking up before a storm. The air is punctuated by a single guitar chord and instantly I recognise it as the opening chord from 'A Hard Day's Night'. 'Brilliant!' I think, but suddenly I'm confused. This isn't 'A Hard Day's Night', it's the drum solo from 'The End' (also from Abbey Road). What's going on?! The drums continue but it's very obvious that now the guitar part from 'Get Back' is playing in the background...

As the two descending chords hit at the beginning of 'Get Back' and the lyrics start, the curtains drop, the lights come up and all of a sudden there's people everywhere on the stage. At this point I realise this will be the most amazing show I'll ever see.

Yes, I can hear exactly what you mean, that chord is straight from the beginning of A Hard Day's Night but it works really well. As it was building up, I could feel a tingle going all up my spine and down my arms.

Are those three tracks all from the Love Album?

[Belmit]

Those are the first three tracks. I may be able to provide you with more!

[MarcLister]

The Love album is very good. Have just been listening to it.

[Feek]

That would rock.

[MarcLister]

http://www.thebeatles.com/hub/love/site/

Listen to the whole thing there it looks like.

Edit - perhaps just a preview

[Grandad]

I really enjoyed the show when I saw it last year, probably the best Cirque show for me, though my missus preferred both Ka and Mystere

[William]

Originally Posted by MarcLister

The Love album is very good. Have just been listening to it.

It's tasty.