As rose petals rained down and the applause grew to a deafening, almost unbelievable roar, The Beatles love concluded their historic 18-year career at the Mirage on July 7 and took their bow.
“Some people may find tonight a somewhat bittersweet moment,” Cirque du Soleil CEO Stéphane Lefebvre said on stage on Sunday. “But those who have worked on this masterpiece over time have done so by celebrating peace, joy, happiness and love. And tonight … we will do just that.”
One of Cirque Du Soleil’s most popular musical productions – and the only licensed Beatles production in the world –Love went down in a fireworks display of confetti and circus-like glory, leading a procession of joy that was seen by more than 11 million people during her lifetime. It’s crazy to think that Love is now older than the band itself.
There will never be another strip production like this one. From the bubble fever dream “Strawberry Fields Forever” to the water spectacle “Octopus’s Garden” Love went all out to honor the Fab Four and illustrate their evolution from Beatlemania boy band to peace activists and enlightened luminaries. We will miss watching this evolution, especially on Love specially built 360-degree stage where every viewing point felt like a completely different show.
As for re-releases of the Beatles’ best albums, Love The unique soundtrack, produced and mixed by Giles and George Martin (affectionately referred to as “the fifth Beatle”), remained one of the best ways to listen to the band. Sitting in that cinema and hearing George Harrison’s stripped-down demo vocals on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and the isolated, sparkling Lowrey organ on “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” gives you goosebumps.
There is something so evocative about these tunes, especially when backed by more than 6,000 speakers and in a room filled with thousands of people. We were all witnesses to a legacy left by Liverpool’s greatest legends. We were somehow in the room with them. So Love has invited you. And such love never really dies.
