Vegas Part II - In Which I Gush

So, back to the LOVE show...

I don't know if I can adequately describe what the show meant to me, but I am going to try. In my house and family, John, Paul, George and Ringo are not people who happened to be in a band. The music that The Beatles brought into the world is a treasure that changed everything permanently. The planet is a better place for them being in it. They are the sum of everything we believe in and a way of life. I'm very serious here. Matt and I are essentially flower children. We try to be the peace keepers, neutral ground in things. We try to keep good karma and do right by the universe. We aren't religious but we believe in the collective spirit of the world and loving your neighbor. We love our friends and family dearly and we don't take them for granted. We enjoy art and creation and seeing the beauty in things. It's not easy to hold true to your ideals on a daily basis but we really try. You can almost smell the patchouli, can't you? I'm just trying to fill you in on us so you can appreciate why we loved this show so much.

LOVE is the closest that anyone will ever come to seeing the Beatles live again and let me tell you... It's damn close. It's more than a concert or a Cirque du Soleil show, it is the music of the Beatles come to life. It moves and breathes. It felt like they were in the room with us, telling us the story of their lives and music. It was so overwhelming, both sensory and emotionally that I cried for nearly half of the show. I was simply stunned. My jaw was on the floor and I had tears in my eyes. The imagery and costumes are so well thought out, nothing is arbitrary. Everything serves a definite purpose and is beautiful beyond belief. There are times when the performers are gone and the only thing on stage are silhouettes of The Beatles, and those moments are haunting. It ceases to be a show and it feels real.

We ended up extending our trip and seeing the show twice. We couldn't not see it again. That extra day cost us a lot of money but we would have regretted not doing it. I've always felt that life experiences are priceless and I'll pay any amount of money for an important one. We could have come home and spent $300 on a new TV rather than LOVE tickets, but what do you think I'm going to remember more when I'm sixty, that TV or that show? You think I'm going to sit around at Christmas and tell my grandkids about the day that I went to NFM and bought a 19 inch flat screen for the kitchen? Possessions won't get you far in life. You have to value your experiences and the moments that shape you because that's what life really is and that is what is worth every penny to your name. It's not the house you live in, the car you drive, the clothes you wear. Life is how you live and what you experience. Life is what the music of The Beatles is about.

The first time we saw LOVE, we were at about the top of the second tier of seats. The second time we saw it, we were nearly eye-level with the stage in the fifth row. Sitting back farther gives a better overall view of the show. You can take everything in as a whole. But sitting up close allows you to see the real acting and the story. Those performers do an amazing job. The theater is set up so the show essentially surrounds you. You can see and hear and feel it from every side of you.

Whether you're up close or farther back, the message remains the same. Love. Love will change the world. And you know what? I believe it. Why do you think the message that they shared with the world has stayed at the forefront of Western culture for over forty years? Because we want to believe in it, want our neighbors to believe in it. Peace, love and happiness. Why wouldn't you want to believe in that? I think it's a message we could all benefit from.