Has anybody here seen LOVE? | Page 3 | Fab Forum | The Beatles Bible

Yeah, the “east” comment threw me off a little.  That looks like some nice merchandise.  I’m not sure it’s tacky enough for @AppleScruffJunior.  You know I’m all about buying Beatles stuff.  I had actually been daydreaming about all that merchandise and what it might look like.  Too bad all of you can’t come with us on our trip.  That would be really fun! 

Apple Scruff Jr. said to see the back stage tour of LOVE, but I don’t see any way to do it without buying the VIP package that includes a ticket, and we already have our tickets. Is there any way to do this without buying the VIP package?

So, here is a synopsis of my trip to see LOVE.

We got to Vegas and the first thing we did was check out the gift shop. It was underwhelming and overpriced. I ended up getting a round tray with the cover photo of With The Beatles on it. The most interesting thing about the shop is this Hofner bass autographed by all four Beatles–John in 1974, Paul in 2002, George in 1991, and Ringo undated. The guitar belonged to a guy named Dave.

Then we went to Planet Hollywood, which was formerly called The Aladdin, which was the place where Elvis was married–just to say I’d been there.

The Hard Rock Hotel had some interesting things, such as a guitar and outfit belonging to Johnny Cash, Kurt Cobain’s lab coat, a guitar echo machine used by Syd Barrett, and a keyboard used by Pink Floyd. Here is a picture of one of the posters drawn for the Montreal Bed-In for Peace.

We ate at Hard Rock Cafe, where I saw some more interesting things, such as a shirt worn by Elvis in Paradise Hawaiian Style, Roy Orbison’s guitar, and a hooded robe worn by Jimi Hendrix. Here is a photo of a guitar that Elvis smashed because it wouldn’t stay in tune. One of the strings is broken.

They also had a postcard sent by Dezo Hoffman that was signed by all the Beatles.

We went back into the Hard Rock Hotel looking for Elvis’s jumpsuit, which they weren’t displaying this month. But we saw this cool display of vintage Beatles toys:

We also went to the Westgate Las Vegas Hotel, where Elvis performed a string of shows in 1970, and saw a statue of Elvis dedicated by his father and the colonel, many of his personal effects, part of his wardrobe, and the last car he ever bought.

Here is Elvis’s gold-plated handgun:

And one of the shirts we saw:

And his Lincoln Continental. I touched the back right fender, even though the sign said not to touch the exhibit (Elvis told me to).

This is the Beatles lounge at The Mirage. We didn’t have a drink, because I don’t drink anymore. There are chairs in the shape of big letters that spell “R E V O L U T I O N.”

And photography is not allowed at the LOVE show, but I took this photo of the way it looks before the show begins. It starts out looking very blue, with a blue sky and floating clouds, while instrumental Beatles songs play.

I’ll try to give my impression of the show without giving too much away. There are many colorful characters, some of whom I recognized from Beatles songs. The show visually depicts the impact The Beatles made on post-war England, and is a musical metaphor for the struggle between the forces of love and the forces of oppression in the world. The show is very surreal and psychedelic, and maintains a strong emotional appeal throughout. The sound system is very good, and there are recordings of humorous conversations between The Beatles that I had never heard before between the songs. There are various screens, some of which fall from the ceiling, on which various moving images of The Beatles are shown, mostly in silhouette. It somehow felt very personal, as if I was with The Beatles themselves.

Listening to the soundtrack doesn’t do it justice. I would say this is an experience that you should have if you are able. The soundtrack makes much more sense when you hear it in conjunction with the show, and the songs really take on new meaning–I noticed things about the lyrics that I hadn’t heard before. Also, if you are going, make sure to sit up high. There are parts of the show that those who are sitting closer to the action down below can’t see. In one part, we could see what was happening, but we were in one of only two rows in our section that could see (we were in the top row–row “S”– of section 209). We got discounted seats from The Mirage website. The seats down below, closer to the stage, are more expensive.

Yes, I’ve always been a rebel. That’s probably why John is my favorite.

And let me tell you, touching Elvis’s Lincoln was a great experience. I felt like I was on a pilgrimage, touching a saint’s relic.