Beatles 'Love' show celebrates five years of George Harrison's vision

But the man who inspired the "Love" show after seeing a Cirque show in Vegas and getting the other Beatles interested won't be there. That was the late George Harrison, who originally thought the idea of a Cirque show built around Beatles music would be something worth pursuing. He persuaded Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr to see a Cirque show for themselves. A Vegas paper found out and revealed the scoop and it had Beatle fans wondering what was going on. 

 

The answer came in October, 2004, when the Beatles and Cirque du Soleil announced plans for "Love" in a new theater to be built at the Mirage Hotel. While other Beatle tribute shows had (and still do) feature a lookalike band portraying the Beatles, "Love" was an original interpretation of the Beatles' original songs through dance and acrobatics.

 

Even more spectacular is the fact that the Beatles allowed their master recordings to be used and reworked for the show, which opened in June of 2006, and the "Love" audio CD and DVD, which was released that November. 

 

The resulting show was, to put it in a well-used phrase, a magical mystery tour. Given a free reign with the Beatles' music, musical directors Sir George Martin and son Giles created some incredibly compelling moments. The pairing of "Within You Without You" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" (see video at left) took what was already in the songs and blended them almost seamlessly in a combination that was close to brilliant.

 

Who would have expected this from George Harrison? If anything, an idea like this might have been conceived through the artistic vision of Yoko Ono, who, not surprisingly, told us, "I love it," when we asked her thoughts on the show in an interview we did with her last year. 

 

There are moments in the Vegas show that are absolutely stunning. The finale, using the gorgeous acoustic version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" with strings added stirs emotions recalling Harrison's instrumental idea in getting the show off the ground as well as the power of the song in its unplugged form.

 

And people who have seen the show several times report it doesn't stay the same.  (In addition to the show, the Mirage also has an amazing Beatles souvenir store with a wide range of items that's a great way to lighten your wallet.) 

 

Who knew when the Beatles played the city in 1964 that they'd be an integral part of the Las Vegas scene in the 2000s? Magic shows, celebrity concerts and the Beatles. "Love" was part of a plan to expand the Beatles' boundaries and appeal to the masses. Five years later, George Harrison's vision has succeeded maybe even better than he might have imagined.  

 

• The Beatles need 'love' in their songs and other things too, book shows
• Breaking down the Beatles' new iTunes 'Love' tracks (spoilers)
• You’ll ’Love’ the Beatles on your iPhone, iPad with brand new app (pictures)
• An evening with Yoko Ono
• INTERVIEW!: Yoko Ono discusses her music, the internet, her concerts and working towards peace
• When Sahara Hotel in Vegas hosted the Beatles: a look back (pics, video)

 

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