Continuing our tale of the Las Vegas trip.......
The Beatles Cirque du Soleil was a refreshing trip into fantasyland. Loved the "new" music and loved the dance/acrobatic numbers. It is a GREAT show in Las Vegas and yes, it is a GREAT show!! Here’s some excerpts from various reviews of the show, which can explain the wonder of it all and why we enjoyed it so much:
“We know the tendencies the Cirque has to present magnificent shows, but with the Beatles music as engine, it becomes totally magical.
What is special about the music of the Beatles in the Cirque du Soleil? It was totally rebuilt by Sir George Martin (the 5th Beatle) and his son Giles with different recordings. Each song has been reinvented with the addition of many elements from other tracks. For example, "Get Back" which is really starting the album, begins with one of the rare drum solos by Ringo Starr recorded for "The End". "Within You Without You" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" were combined on Ringo’s drum beat, and "Sun King" became "Gnik Nus" turning it backwards, exactly the sort of thing that John Lennon would have gone for. Among the strongest moments of the music is "I Want To Hold Your Hand", "Yesterday", "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Lady Madonna", "Come Together", "Revolution" and "Hey Jude". "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" becomes stronger with the addition of new string arrangements to a demo version. A favorite is still the song by Ringo "Octopus’s Garden. The album ends up with "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" and "All You Need is Love" to conclude greatly this audacious project, that can be unpleasant for some, but is so well done. Even if we know each and every song and even if they are not so different from the original versions and can be easily recognized, we can say this is the first new Beatles album since their split-up. Paul McCartney and Ringo, as well as Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison left in fact their conflicts apart to endorse completely the project, a project that started a few years ago with the idea by George Harrison with his friend Guy Laliberté, the founder of Cirque du Soleil. Critics don’t agree about the new music/album because some of them think they didn’t go far enough in the rebuilding of the songs when others think it’s not a good idea to rebuild songs by the greatest band of all time. In my opinion, I think they were able to make the perfect balance between the two extremes making an interesting album for the first fans as well as for new fans.”
http://www.musicomania.ca/en/music_reviews.htm#Beatles
“The Mirage Theater has been transformed into an in-the-round venue, where a cast of 60 dancers, acrobats and specialty performers salute not just the Fab Four but the 'All You Need Is Love' mantra of the 1960s. As with all Cirque shows, the staging incorporates state-of-the-art visual effects and technical wizardry, but 'Love' is a bit more grounded in approach, though that description doesn't apply to the performers; since there's no backstage area, all entrances and exits are made from above and below the stage, which is roughly the size of a tennis court.“
“The result of Martin's modern remake of Beatles recordings is a panorama of sound, mash-ups and alternate vocal takes. There are 25 full songs in Love, with more than 100 other fragments, during the performance in a specially built theater at the Mirage hotel. Since Martin's ears aren't what they used to be, he's entrusted his son Giles to help bring the Beatles into a new era. Giles and his father had free reign to use everything and anything ever committed to tape.
That freedom came from the fact that the show grew out of George Harrison's friendship with the founder of Cirque du Soleil, Guy Laliberte. The always protective, and sometimes litigious, Beatles' company Apple Corp. was fully behind the project.”
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2006/04/the_beatles_hit.html
THE BEATLES HIT THE BIGTOP: Cirque shows some "Love" (Karen D'Souza).
All you need is “LOVE.” Oh yeah, and access to the Beatles’ greatest hits. On the heels of the Boomer nostalgia fest cum Broadway musical that was “Lennon,’’ comes “Love,’’ a tribute to the Fab Four by none other than Cirque du Soleil. This high-flying lads from Liverpool love-in, (at the Mirage in Las Vegas), stems from a friendship between Cirque impresario Guy Laliberté and the late George Harrison. Beatles producer Sir George Martin and son Giles used the famed Abbey Road Studios master tapes to create a sound-design for the ‘60-ish spectacular. Imagine a combination of acrobatics, extreme sports and “Penny Lane.’’ Talk about getting in your ears and in your EYES. The show is billed as capturing “the essence of love that John, Paul, George and Ringo inspired during their astonishing adventure together.” Yeah, yeah, yeah. Tickets run $69-$150. I guess FREE LOVE is sooo over.
http://search.cityguide.aol.com/lasvegas/entertainment/love-by-cirque-du-soleil/e-3015314
Original Beatles songs are heard in both montage and in their entirety, and along with the classics, the show will unveil actual "new" Beatles music. Don't worry about sitting close enough to hear the score, as the tunes will pour out of 6,500 speakers, including three in each individual seat. -- David Hofstede
“We know the tendencies the Cirque has to present magnificent shows, but with the Beatles music as engine, it becomes totally magical.
What is special about the music of the Beatles in the Cirque du Soleil? It was totally rebuilt by Sir George Martin (the 5th Beatle) and his son Giles with different recordings. Each song has been reinvented with the addition of many elements from other tracks. For example, "Get Back" which is really starting the album, begins with one of the rare drum solos by Ringo Starr recorded for "The End". "Within You Without You" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" were combined on Ringo’s drum beat, and "Sun King" became "Gnik Nus" turning it backwards, exactly the sort of thing that John Lennon would have gone for. Among the strongest moments of the music is "I Want To Hold Your Hand", "Yesterday", "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Lady Madonna", "Come Together", "Revolution" and "Hey Jude". "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" becomes stronger with the addition of new string arrangements to a demo version. A favorite is still the song by Ringo "Octopus’s Garden. The album ends up with "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" and "All You Need is Love" to conclude greatly this audacious project, that can be unpleasant for some, but is so well done. Even if we know each and every song and even if they are not so different from the original versions and can be easily recognized, we can say this is the first new Beatles album since their split-up. Paul McCartney and Ringo, as well as Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison left in fact their conflicts apart to endorse completely the project, a project that started a few years ago with the idea by George Harrison with his friend Guy Laliberté, the founder of Cirque du Soleil. Critics don’t agree about the new music/album because some of them think they didn’t go far enough in the rebuilding of the songs when others think it’s not a good idea to rebuild songs by the greatest band of all time. In my opinion, I think they were able to make the perfect balance between the two extremes making an interesting album for the first fans as well as for new fans.”
http://www.musicomania.ca/en/music_reviews.htm#Beatles
“The Mirage Theater has been transformed into an in-the-round venue, where a cast of 60 dancers, acrobats and specialty performers salute not just the Fab Four but the 'All You Need Is Love' mantra of the 1960s. As with all Cirque shows, the staging incorporates state-of-the-art visual effects and technical wizardry, but 'Love' is a bit more grounded in approach, though that description doesn't apply to the performers; since there's no backstage area, all entrances and exits are made from above and below the stage, which is roughly the size of a tennis court.“
“The result of Martin's modern remake of Beatles recordings is a panorama of sound, mash-ups and alternate vocal takes. There are 25 full songs in Love, with more than 100 other fragments, during the performance in a specially built theater at the Mirage hotel. Since Martin's ears aren't what they used to be, he's entrusted his son Giles to help bring the Beatles into a new era. Giles and his father had free reign to use everything and anything ever committed to tape.
That freedom came from the fact that the show grew out of George Harrison's friendship with the founder of Cirque du Soleil, Guy Laliberte. The always protective, and sometimes litigious, Beatles' company Apple Corp. was fully behind the project.”
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2006/04/the_beatles_hit.html
THE BEATLES HIT THE BIGTOP: Cirque shows some "Love" (Karen D'Souza).
All you need is “LOVE.” Oh yeah, and access to the Beatles’ greatest hits. On the heels of the Boomer nostalgia fest cum Broadway musical that was “Lennon,’’ comes “Love,’’ a tribute to the Fab Four by none other than Cirque du Soleil. This high-flying lads from Liverpool love-in, (at the Mirage in Las Vegas), stems from a friendship between Cirque impresario Guy Laliberté and the late George Harrison. Beatles producer Sir George Martin and son Giles used the famed Abbey Road Studios master tapes to create a sound-design for the ‘60-ish spectacular. Imagine a combination of acrobatics, extreme sports and “Penny Lane.’’ Talk about getting in your ears and in your EYES. The show is billed as capturing “the essence of love that John, Paul, George and Ringo inspired during their astonishing adventure together.” Yeah, yeah, yeah. Tickets run $69-$150. I guess FREE LOVE is sooo over.
http://search.cityguide.aol.com/lasvegas/entertainment/love-by-cirque-du-soleil/e-3015314
Original Beatles songs are heard in both montage and in their entirety, and along with the classics, the show will unveil actual "new" Beatles music. Don't worry about sitting close enough to hear the score, as the tunes will pour out of 6,500 speakers, including three in each individual seat. -- David Hofstede
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2 comments:
Carl is going to be so jealous when he sees this. Even more so than me- if that is possible.
Sounds wonderful.
Marsha
I LOVE the Beatles - I would love to see this show!
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