Cirque du Soleil LOVE History

The spirit of the Beatles is rejuvenated in Cirque du Soleil LOVE, Las Vegas’ new addition to the Cirque du Soleil canon.

Cirque du Soleil LOVE - Beatles Revived

What do you get when you mix wacky bohemian acrobatics with one of the most important musical groups of the last 100 years? Cirque du Soleil LOVE. About eight years ago, the late George Harrison collaborated with Guy Laliberte, co-founder of Cirque du Soleil, on a Beatles show of big-top proportions. After three years of negotiation, the surviving members of the Beatles, including spouses, finally reached an agreement for Cirque du Soleil LOVE. It wouldn’t be until November 2006 that Cirque du Soleil LOVE would premier at The Mirage in Las Vegas. The review of LOVE by Cirque du Soleil proved to be worth the entire $75 million budget. Long-time Beatles’ producer Sir George Martin and his son Giles Martin skillfully re-mastered, re-imagined, and remixed countless adaptations specifically for Cirque du Soleil LOVE. George and Giles Martin were apprehensive about changing what they considered the pantheon of untouchable musical gems. George Martin said, “There are an awful lot of very, very fervent Beatle fans who will say that this is wonderful music that should never be touched”. In spite of that, what they accomplished was to “make the music sound as though it's live and the Beatles are really here.”

Cirque du Soleil LOVE - The Story

The story of Cirque du Soleil LOVE incorporates characters from various Beatles’ songs such as “Lady Madonna” and “Eleanor Rigby”. Sgt. Pepper is a central character in the show, who encounters many of these characters including four mop-topped figures in dark suits. The international cast for Cirque du Soleil LOVE totals 65 performers.

Cirque du Soleil LOVE - The Music

LOVE Cirque du Soleil promises an intimate reconnection with timeless pieces of music, while each song or medley in LOVE represents one scene. After getting permission from Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, and Olivia Harrison (the late George Harrison’s wife), Sir George Martin and record-producer son Giles set to work on reimagining the Beatles for Cirque du Soleil LOVE. The result was a blended Beatles sound no one had ever heard before. The track list for the album is not comprehensive because most tracks have other songs incorporated into them. For example, in “Octopus’ Garden”, this track contains the string arrangement from “Good Night,” sound effects used in “Yellow Submarine,” and elements from “Lovely Rita” and “Helter Skelter.”

The music from the Cirque du Soleil LOVE show did very well commercially, reaching #3 on the UK charts and debuting at #1 on the United World Chart selling over 700,000 copies. During the 50th annual Grammy Awards in 2008, the album took home two awards – the first for “Best Compilation Soundtrack Album” and “Best Surround Sound Album.” The soundtrack for LOVE by Cirque du Soleil can be purchased anywhere online or in any record store.

Cirque du Soleil LOVE - Set List

1. Because
2. Get Back
3. Glass Onion
4. Eleanor Rigby
5. Julia (Transition)
6. I Am the Walrus
7. I Want To Hold Your Hand
8. Drive My Car/The Word/What You're Doing
9. Gnik Nus
10. Something
11. Blue Jay Way (Transition)
12. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!/I Want You (She's So Heavy)/Helter Skelter
13. Help!
14. Blackbird/Yesterday
15. Strawberry Fields Forever
16. Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows
17. Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
18. Octopus's Garden
19. Lady Madonna
20. Here Comes the Sun
21. The Inner Light (Transition)
22. Come Together/Dear Prudence
23. Cry Baby Cry (Transition)
24. Revolution
25. Back in the U.S.S.R.
26. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
27. A Day in the Life
28. Hey Jude
29. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
30. All You Need Is Love

Cirque du Soleil LOVE - Las Vegas Show

After purchasing your tickets to LOVE Cirque de Soleil, you should expect more than just a psychedelic Beatles show. Las Vegas’ Mirage has assembled a groovy black-lit Cirque du Soleil LOVE lounge called the REVOLUTION Lounge. To get to the newly renovated REVOLUTION lounge you have to go through the Abbey Road Bar. Las Vegas has definitely made way for LOVE, Cirque de Soleil’s Beatles revolution. LOVE by Cirque du Soleil replaced the old Siegfried and Roy theatre to house over 2,000 seats in the new Love Theatre located at The Mirage. When looking at the Cirque de Soleil LOVE theatre seating chart, the stage is surrounded on all sides by rows of seats. Each seat is equipped with three speakers respectively (including two in the headrest) making the sounds of Cirque du Soleil LOVE truly three-dimensional. Love Theatre was created by French designer Jean Rabasse and is said to have cost over $100 million.