Adam-Jackson

I’ve been to Las Vegas way too many times in the past 12 months. I think this is my 4th visit to Vegas and I’ll be going again in January for CES 2010. I love The Vegas but not for the reasons that most people do. I’m not a gambler, despite the fact I do really well at the slots and I’m not a big drinker even though I do drink when out with friends and I’m not a big fan of the flashing lights although they make for some great photos! Actually, it’s mostly just because of conferences that I go to Las Vegas and each time it’s been a promise to myself to see a Cirque Du Soleil show. Finally, with the help of a friend, I went to a show and now I’m an addict!

It was a Tuesday in Austin, Texas and I ate ate a great Spanish restaurant for lunch with Jessica Berlin (AKA @JessBerlin on Twitter). We had lunch and I was so intrigued by her job and how she manages do accomplish so much each day. Jess is a resident of Las Vegas and she’s the community manager for Cirque Du Soleil. I still don’t know how much she does or how she keeps up with such a huge responsibility. All of the Cirque shows have their own identity on the web and there are dozens of shows. Enough about Jess though, cause the show is what I’m supposed to be reviewing.

I’ve always had dreams of attending a performance but at the cost of $150 a person and up, it was always something that was out of my budget and I didn’t make the time for it. Cirque was doing a special for bloggers where we’d attend a show and write about it and in return we’d get a press badge. I’m not required to blog about it (just an FYI to the FTC) but after seeing this show, I’m completely compelled to share the story.

I’d have some pretty epic photos of the performance but there’s no photography allowed inside. Good, because it kept me focused on the fast-paced and constantly changing choreography and music. It’s safe to say that I’m a total Cirque fanboy now. I’ve bought CD soundtracks and even a t-shirt from the show that I’ll proudly wear because the experience was inspiring.

Yeah, I cried during The Beatles LOVE show but I laughed just as much. These were the songs I knew and loved and the storyline made those songs so much more real. The acrobatics actually weren’t as breathtaking as I expected but other shows are known for flashier moves. This was a show that gave tribute to The Beatles by bringing their songs to life and expressing “LOVE” in so many ways. It’s safe to say this was more of a play than a typical Cirque show and there were even speaking dialogues even though those were clearly pre-recorded.

The track list of the soundtrack specifically engineered for the show gives you an idea of how things moved along as they started with a big opening, moved into songs about the war followed by those TigerBeat years where The Beatles were heartthrobs and finally taking a more philosophical approach to life, love, loss and hope for a better tomorrow.

The show closed with the song, “All You Need Is Love” as the cast members all came on stage throwing peace signs in the air and expressing their love for the audience. I was taken back to 1960, 1965 and 1970 as costume, stage design and song made me look inward for perspective and the audience became one as we joined in song to sing along with our favorite tracks. Cirque Du Soleil captured my childhood wonder with LOVE and now I have made a promise to myself that I’ll see every other show on the strip because sometimes we need a good solid cry even if those tears are inspired by joy and love of all things.

I may even see this show again once I’ve seen all of the others. That’s how amazing it was. I also recommend seeing the Cirque documentary, “All Together Now” which has the wonderful 6 year story of how this performance came together from concept to opening night.

At the end of the documentary, Paul McCartney says, “The Beatles are the greatest act that has ever lived. I wouldn’t have said that 20 years ago but now when I look back at the music we made, I can safely say that we are the best there ever was.” I agree.