Putting on a show – with Vegas verve
SINCE it came to life in all its neon-lit glory just over a century ago, Las Vegas has been a place of decadence, excess, and supercharged entertainment. But it’s not all about the dollar-draining casinos, unfathomable heat and oversized frozen cocktails – there’s an incredible array of performances, concerts and comedy shows to keep you entertained every single night of the week.
One show that’s going from strength to strength is The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil, which has just celebrated ten years at The Mirage Hotel & Casino, during which time it has been seen by eight million people. Even Sir Paul McCartney described it as ‘the greatest show in Vegas’ – go to cirquedusoleil.com/ beatles-love for tickets.
LOVE is just one of seven Cirque spectaculars taking place across the city. The flagship event – O, at the Bellagio – features high dives, walking on water and the most impressive synchronised swimming and diving outside the Olympics.
If watching big-name pop acts is more your scene, head to Caesar’s Palace. Sir Elton John, Rod Stewart, Celine Dion and Mariah Carey are just some of those sharing headline slots over the next six months – visit caesars.com for details.
The merchandise shop is worth popping into too, even if it’s just to marvel at the $11 biros bearing the faces of the performers.
Vegas has a long history of magic powers – and not just the ability to make huge sums of dollars disappear almost instantly. Siegfried and Roy wowed the crowds in Vegas from 1990 to 2003 before Roy was seriously injured on stage by a 380lb white tiger. Since then, the wand has been passed on to Penn and Teller – they have been performing at the Rio for more than a decade (pennandteller.com), while David Copperfield is enjoying a residency at the MGM Grand (mgmgrand.com).
Any Elvis fans planning on making a pilgrimage to his spiritual home in 2017 will be in for a treat. The King may be dead, but long live the King – he’s being reincarnated as a hologram to perform 15 shows at a venue yet to be announced.
The company behind the technology, Pulse Evolution, previously created a hologram of Michael Jackson for the 2014 Billboard Awards, which drew gasps of astonishment for its accuracy.
If you can’t hold on until 2017, Elvis – or at least an Elvis tribute act – is in the building at the Flamingo for the Legends In Concert, appearing alongside impersonators of Michael Jackson, Tina Turner and country star Garth Brooks.
Only in Vegas, right?