Boomers Still Can’t Get Enough of the Beatles

Shows come and go all the time in Vegas. That’s the nature of the business. But one in particular has been running for 10 years — and it looks good to go for many more.

“The Beatles Love” — a Cirque du Soleil show that mixes the artistry of acrobatics with the nostalgia of beloved classic tunes — has been revamped, redesigned, and reinterpreted.

“The Beatles music is growing — which is really nice.” — Yoko Ono

Reviewers are raving, especially after last week’s 10th anniversary celebration of the show, a gathering that became a Beatles reunion of sorts as Paul McCartney, 74, (with wife Nancy Shevell), Ringo Starr,76, (with wife Barbara Bach), Yoko Ono, 83, (widow of John Lennon who came with son Sean Lennon), and Olivia Harrison (widow of George Harrison), 68, walked a red carpet, posing for pictures, before they took in the special performance.

Director Ron Howard was also in the crowd. His new documentary, “Eight Days a Week: The Touring Years,” about the first half of The Beatles’ career, is expected to be released in September.

“I can see this going on for another century or something,” Ono told Rolling Stone. “The Beatles’ music is growing, which is really nice.”

The updating for the 90-minute show — which has been seen by more than 8 million people — has been in the works for the last two years.

[lz_third_party includes=”https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Auser%3Apopzette%3Aplaylist%3A6zMzYVs2ctQ0KG0MCIpK4v” align=”right”]

It was then that Director Dominic Champagne and Musical Director Giles Martin, son of the late Beatles guru George Martin, agreed that their show had to be updated. As they told Las Vegas Sun columnist Robin Leach, it was a long journey of “adding more new ‘oomph’ to the existing ‘wow.'”

A new floor was installed at The Mirage venue. New scenery colors, new costumes, re-mixed music, and an augmented projection system are among the changes.

The creative team felt that “this show needed to be revamped,” Olivia Harrison told the Los Angeles Times backstage before the event started. “Ten years is a long time — especially today, when everything moves so fast.”

Related: What George Martin Gave The Beatles

Addressing the audience, McCartney had nothing but praise. “This fantastic show just gets better and better,” he said, according to Variety.

Starr deemed it “fabulous.”

And Martin said, “My dad passed away this year, and I miss him. John is not here, George is not here. But,” he said, addressing the cast, “the music lives on because of you guys.”

[lz_third_party includes=”https://twitter.com/PaulMcCartney/status/753840480928931841″ width=”630px”]

The Liberace Museum closed in 2010. “Viva Elvis,” the Cirque du Soleil show focusing on Elvis Presley songs, only ran from 2010 to 2012. But those were all yesterday. “Beatles Love” seems here to stay.