BEATLES LOVE LAS VEGAS
BEATLES LOVE LAS VEGAS
George Harrison struck up a friendship with Guy Laliberte, the founder of Cirque De Soleil. George loved the idea of a circus without animals and discussed the possibility of a Beatles tie in. After George died, negotiations continued with Apple, but there was a reluctance to do something for the sake of it, there had to be something unique and special about the project. Requests just to use Beatle music, or God forbid… a band to front the show were rejected out of hand. A willingness by Apple to do something was tempered by an opportunity to do something special! When George Martin was asked for an input, the impasse was eventually broken. George was given unlimited access again to the total recorded output of The Beatles. The masters not only included the original songs but demo’s, outtakes, different versions, snippets and unreleased segments. Because his hearing had deteriorated given his age, he enlisted the help of his son Giles, who like his father was a record producer. George who had the knowledge, worked alongside his son who offered a fresh approach. Eventually they presented Apple with a short segment. By using different takes, integrating songs and sounds, backward loops and many other tricks in the studios, what Apple heard was the familiar Beatles but enveloped in a new, fresh vibrant, stunning production. That was the breakthrough. Now there was a reason to do it. Rehearsals for the show began and a new $100 million theatre was built at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, which was to host the show. Giles and his father worked tirelessly and produced what has been called a new Beatles album. Calling it a mash up, is maybe a correct description but it hardly does it justice. The music sounds like it was recorded yesterday, not forty odd years ago. The album to accompany the show was eventually released in November 2006 and it sampled 130 Beatles songs to create 27 new musical pieces. It immediately went top 5 in the USA and the UK over the Christmas period. The show is set to be the biggest in the rich history of Cirque De Soleil. The initial investment to stage the show necessitates a ten-year run to realise a profit!! The gala opening of the show was on June 30th 2006 and in attendance were Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, Cynthia Lennon, Julian Lennon, and Olivia and Dhani Harrison… making it the biggest reunion of the Inner Sanctum since the bands demise. When the Anthology was aired in 1995 the remaining Beatles remarked that they were proud when they looked back that the recurring theme in their work was “Love and Peace”, positive messages that are as important and maybe even more important in today’s modern world. How fitting that the first ever show to officially feature the Beatles music should be called ‘Love’. An appropriate legacy that will continue for ever more.
Artwork painted and owned by ©SHANNON
BEATLES LOVE LAS VEGAS
George Harrison struck up a friendship with Guy Laliberte, the founder of Cirque De Soleil. George loved the idea of a circus without animals and discussed the possibility of a Beatles tie in. After George died, negotiations continued with Apple, but there was a reluctance to do something for the sake of it, there had to be something unique and special about the project. Requests just to use Beatle music, or God forbid… a band to front the show were rejected out of hand. A willingness by Apple to do something was tempered by an opportunity to do something special! When George Martin was asked for an input, the impasse was eventually broken. George was given unlimited access again to the total recorded output of The Beatles. The masters not only included the original songs but demo’s, outtakes, different versions, snippets and unreleased segments. Because his hearing had deteriorated given his age, he enlisted the help of his son Giles, who like his father was a record producer. George who had the knowledge, worked alongside his son who offered a fresh approach. Eventually they presented Apple with a short segment. By using different takes, integrating songs and sounds, backward loops and many other tricks in the studios, what Apple heard was the familiar Beatles but enveloped in a new, fresh vibrant, stunning production. That was the breakthrough. Now there was a reason to do it. Rehearsals for the show began and a new $100 million theatre was built at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, which was to host the show. Giles and his father worked tirelessly and produced what has been called a new Beatles album. Calling it a mash up, is maybe a correct description but it hardly does it justice. The music sounds like it was recorded yesterday, not forty odd years ago. The album to accompany the show was eventually released in November 2006 and it sampled 130 Beatles songs to create 27 new musical pieces. It immediately went top 5 in the USA and the UK over the Christmas period. The show is set to be the biggest in the rich history of Cirque De Soleil. The initial investment to stage the show necessitates a ten-year run to realise a profit!! The gala opening of the show was on June 30th 2006 and in attendance were Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, Cynthia Lennon, Julian Lennon, and Olivia and Dhani Harrison… making it the biggest reunion of the Inner Sanctum since the bands demise. When the Anthology was aired in 1995 the remaining Beatles remarked that they were proud when they looked back that the recurring theme in their work was “Love and Peace”, positive messages that are as important and maybe even more important in today’s modern world. How fitting that the first ever show to officially feature the Beatles music should be called ‘Love’. An appropriate legacy that will continue for ever more.
Artwork painted and owned by ©SHANNON
BEATLES LOVE LAS VEGAS
George Harrison struck up a friendship with Guy Laliberte, the founder of Cirque De Soleil. George loved the idea of a circus without animals and discussed the possibility of a Beatles tie in. After George died, negotiations continued with Apple, but there was a reluctance to do something for the sake of it, there had to be something unique and special about the project. Requests just to use Beatle music, or God forbid… a band to front the show were rejected out of hand. A willingness by Apple to do something was tempered by an opportunity to do something special! When George Martin was asked for an input, the impasse was eventually broken. George was given unlimited access again to the total recorded output of The Beatles. The masters not only included the original songs but demo’s, outtakes, different versions, snippets and unreleased segments. Because his hearing had deteriorated given his age, he enlisted the help of his son Giles, who like his father was a record producer. George who had the knowledge, worked alongside his son who offered a fresh approach. Eventually they presented Apple with a short segment. By using different takes, integrating songs and sounds, backward loops and many other tricks in the studios, what Apple heard was the familiar Beatles but enveloped in a new, fresh vibrant, stunning production. That was the breakthrough. Now there was a reason to do it. Rehearsals for the show began and a new $100 million theatre was built at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, which was to host the show. Giles and his father worked tirelessly and produced what has been called a new Beatles album. Calling it a mash up, is maybe a correct description but it hardly does it justice. The music sounds like it was recorded yesterday, not forty odd years ago. The album to accompany the show was eventually released in November 2006 and it sampled 130 Beatles songs to create 27 new musical pieces. It immediately went top 5 in the USA and the UK over the Christmas period. The show is set to be the biggest in the rich history of Cirque De Soleil. The initial investment to stage the show necessitates a ten-year run to realise a profit!! The gala opening of the show was on June 30th 2006 and in attendance were Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, Cynthia Lennon, Julian Lennon, and Olivia and Dhani Harrison… making it the biggest reunion of the Inner Sanctum since the bands demise. When the Anthology was aired in 1995 the remaining Beatles remarked that they were proud when they looked back that the recurring theme in their work was “Love and Peace”, positive messages that are as important and maybe even more important in today’s modern world. How fitting that the first ever show to officially feature the Beatles music should be called ‘Love’. An appropriate legacy that will continue for ever more.
Artwork painted and owned by ©SHANNON