So much to "Love" about Paul!

 Last week, when Paul was in Las Vegas, he stopped by The Beatles "Love" show to apparently show off his flexibility.  

Love in Las Vegas

 

June 26, 2007

Love on Bank Street

 

Larry King and the Beatles

 

Larry King passed away over the weekend.  He was a well-respected man and his show on CNN was well-loved.   I personally did not care for his gruff way of talking to those he interviewed, but that didn't stop me from watching his show when he was talking to someone I was interested in. 

The decade of the 2000s was Larry King's time to shine when it came to the Beatles.   He interviewed Paul and his then-wife, Heather Mills several times in the early 2000s.     They spoke about landmines and seals.   

In 2007, Larry spoke with Paul, Ringo, Yoko, and Olivia about the one year anniversary of the Love show in Vegas and was there for the unveiling of the George and John portraits that are in the lobby. This is the famous interview when Larry called Ringo by the name of George.  

Then in 2008, Ringo gave Larry a hard time for mentioning how old he was (68) on his birthday during a segment about saying peace and love at noon. 

  

The Beatles Love by Cirque De Soleil: A Review

For the past 10 years or so, people have been telling me that I just had to go to Las Vegas, Nevada, and see the Cirque De Soleil production of "Love."  "The music is amazing!"  They would tell me.  "It is outstanding!"  They would say, "I can't believe you are such a big Beatles fan, and you have never seen Love!"  However, when I would ask these people what was so great about it or what it was all about, they would say,  "You just got to go and see it!"

 Truthfully, I might have gone to see the show if it was somewhere else. Vegas just doesn't have anything to offer me besides this show. I don't drink alcohol, I don't gamble, I hate being around drunks, and I dislike large crowds. However, my Dad's Barbershop singing group was having their competition in Las Vegas this year, and I had the opportunity to go.


Currently, the Mirage is decorated in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Sgt. Pepper.   As you walk into the casino, you hear songs from Sgt. Pepper, and there are Pepper decorations. There is even a large Sgt. Pepper display for you to get a photograph next to.  It is very welcoming and inviting.  

There is this nice walkway with jumping Beatles and the Union Jack overhead. The Beatles shop has tons of awesome Beatles things to purchase and enjoy. I began by enjoying the experience before I even got into the theater. To the left of the jumping Beatles is the area that looks familiar because it is where you have seen photographs of Ringo and Paul. It is there that you will see the artwork that honors John and George. These are MUCH, MUCH smaller than I thought they were.

Yours truly with the John artwork.   

There is also a concession stand that sells overpriced Beatles-themed drinks. The theater is in the round, and so there really isn't a bad place to sit.  I have heard people say that, and as someone who does theater, I know that we say that, but it isn't totally true.  However, for this show---there really isn't a bad seat.  Inside of the seats are speakers.  This is extremely awesome because there were times when I could just hear John's voice or Paul's bass right in my ear.  

Ignore my mom and me in this photo and just take notice of the speakers in the seats.

The show is extremely high-energy. There is a lot of acrobatics, which I expected, but there is also a lot of dancing. The story is loosely that of the Beatles. It starts with the bombing of World War II and goes into the 1950s rock' n roll, Beatlemania, and the later 60s psychedelic and protest periods. It ends with the breakup of the Beatles.      

The story is told through a variety of ways.  Extreme skating, ballet, gymnastics, acting, and acrobatics are all incorporated with amazing lights and video screens.  The music is 100%  Beatles.   Everything is Beatles music from the four guys themselves.  And what really amazed me was how good the music sounded. I think this is the best the Beatles have ever sounded. It was a very clear and fresh sound.    It is hard for me to grasp that this is music that is over 50 years old. The music is something to be proud of.  I was so happy to see many young children in the audience because the Love show is a great way to spread the love of the Beatles and their music to the next generations. They are going to remember the visual images along with the music for the rest of their lives.  

Ringo and Paul with the Love cast in 2016

What didn't I like?  I was trying to make sense of the characters and the stories they portrayed in the songs, and I failed miserably at it.  I still have no idea why a scared-looking guy was holding flowers throughout the whole show.  I am not sure if the Sgt. Pepper guy was a friend or an enemy.  Why was one guy trying to pour tea all the time? I am not an avant-garde person and I think I need things to be spelled out for me more. I bought the program for the show, and it helped me understand things a bit, but I still don't think I fully got the show.

Something else I didn't understand. There were video screens in the four "corners" (for lack of a better word) of the stage that appeared from time to time.  They showed the Beatles animated. For example, once you would see Paul, Ringo, and George in animated form, walking in Sgt. Pepper suits.  Where was John?  Every Time these screens came out, it showed Ringo, Paul and two George's. Was this a mistake?  Did Yoko refuse to give them the rights to John's image?  What is the deal with that?

This doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it. I loved the music and all the energy of the cast. The dancing and acrobatics were really great to watch. There was so much going on that I think you would need to see the show at least 10 times from different seats to get the full effect of everything.  The show is great for any one--fan or not. There were some Beatles references that only the die-hard Beatles fans are going to catch (a reference to Revolution #9 didn't slip by me!), but there is so much to see that even people who only know a few Beatles songs will enjoy it.

On Saturdays at 1:00pm at the Love Theater, you can see a free show called the "Magical Technical Tour." It is just a half-hour long. You sit in the theater, and they show you a few of the behind-the-scenes things that make "Love" happen. You don't get to see any of the performers, but you do get to hear the music, the lights, and the stage. It was really neat to see. They also show bits and pieces of the Love documentary on these huge screens, so that was cool as well. If you are in Las Vegas and are available on a Saturday, it is worth checking out.


If you can't make it to Las Vegas for the actual show, the CD and DVD documentary are always available, but it is worth your time and effort to see it at least once.


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the Larry King Love debacle of 2007

Remember this embarrassing interview from 2007?   Paul and Ringo were on the Larry King program (with Olivia and Yoko joining them later in the program).   They were celebrating the one year interview of the Love Show in Las Vegas and were unveiling photos of John and George to honor them.

It was sort of a big deal for fans at the time.      It isn't every day that the two living Beatles are interviewed together.   Even now it is a big deal.   It is exciting.    I was sitting at my back television, trying to record the show on my DVD recorder (a short-lived gadget).  

Larry King asks dumb questions.   He really does.   I never cared for him as an interviewer.    So he has Paul and Ringo in front of him and what does he ask?   "Where were you when you heard that John had died?"    First of all---fans already know where they were.   And second---isn't that an insensitive question to ask?   I would not bring up John's death---that is a touchy and sad subject, especially when they were there to celebrate the success of the Love show.    Talk about John?  Sure!  Focus on his death?  Why?    So Paul answers that he was at his home in Sussex and his manager at the time called.   Then Larry King goes, "and where were you, George?"     Excuse me??    He couldn't even get Ringo's name right on national television.    All respect any Beatle fan had for Larry King went out the window at that point.

But---it still was good to see the Beatle family together.

All you need is the Love show

I am going to see the Beatles' Love show in Las Vegas tonight (finally!)   I thought I would post a few photos from the premiere in 2006.      I have waited 11 years to see this show---longer than the Beatles were even together.   Whoo hoo!

10 years of Love

Wishing you all a happy Valentine's Day!

Spreading the message of peace and love to all viewers of Meet the Beatles..for Real!  

All Together now

So if you were that guy waaaay in the back of this photo, would you say that you got your photo taken with a Beatle?   I sure would!