SUNRISE
At 6:45, the rising sun cast her tangerine glaze upon the ancient mountains and canyons of the West. The man-made modern world, with all its aspirations and fragilities, seemed to be asleep. Gazing at this vision from atop of the Las Vegas Hooters parking garage, I caught the full moon hanging around to check out this spectacle before he disappeared behind the imposter Manhattan skyline across the street. The decadent hotels that repelled the intrusive flickering neon lights all evening, basked in the returning glow of the fiery sun. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but who can tell what is real and what is not?
LOVE
I was skeptical about the new Beatles remix Love. I wanted to hate it, how dare somebody else take the music of Gods, tamper with it and have the nerve to release it. By the time I made it halfway threw my initial listen, I realized George Martin and company had done the impossible – they created a distinctive masterpiece simply by piecing together bits and pieces of existing Beatles material. The second half of this CD flows like the second side of Abbey Road with the psychedelic intensity of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. Just my luck, in a couple of weeks I was headed to Las Vegas, so I reserved a seat for a performance of Love by the Cirque Du Soleil at the Mirage Hotel on the first Friday night of 2007.
The performance of Love more than satisfied my great expectations. Those high-flying acrobatic hipsters that comprise Circus Du Soleil were whacky and brilliant. The stage is set in post WWII England prior to The Beatles bursting upon the scene. After the historic I Want to Hold Your Hand moment, everything explodes into surrealistic imagery and song. The amazing performers seemingly transported you into the minds of the Fab Four. It was an incredibly tasteful display. As I was bewildered by everything taking place on stage, I never lost focus on the music of The Beatles. Every costume, prop and character matched the rapidly changing musical landscape. I was so moved that I forked over $125 immediately after the show to see it again the following night. If you’re a Beatles fan, a trip to Sin City to see Love is a mandatory pilgrimage. Somewhere, John and George are smiling.
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