We just got back from our first trip to Vegas and were surprised how much we had enjoyed ourselves. I think I expected to be amazed but also vaguely disgusted by all the glitz, and the truth is that we had a wonderful time. We stayed about a mile from the Strip at the Fairfield Grand Desert, which was a welcome respite from the noise and smoke of the big casinos. The Fairfield is basically a timeshare development that rents out unused weeks. We had a deluxe one bedroom with full kitchen and bath and an additional jacuzzi off the bedroom. The resort has no gambling, so it's quiet, and we loved the two huge pools set in the courtyard garden. Other highlights were the Eric Clapton concert on Saturday night and Cirque de Soleil shows. Eric is over 60 now, and so was much of the audience. It wasn't unusual to see hippies in jeans and long hair who, when they turned around, proved to be wrinkled folks in their late '60s or older. One of the touching things about the concert was that he appears to be using this tour to help bring along two proteges, Doyle Bramhall and Derek Trucks. The latter, who started playing professionally at 13, is really a marvel. The way he and Clapton played off each other was more like jazz than rock and roll. Eric was very generous about showcasing each member of the 9-person band, which included two keyboardists, two backup singers and a drummer and bassist, in addition to the three guitarists. I guess when you're over 60, there's something to be said for not having to play every minute yourself either! Read a touching biographical piece about him where he talks about his recovery from drugs and alcohol and learning how to be in relationship with other people. I'll post the URL when I find it.
Highly recommend Cirque de Soleil's Mystere. I had always balked at what seemed the high ticket prices, but after paying the same $ to see a 1-inch Clapton perform in the MGM Arena which seats 24,000, Cirque seems like an incredible bargain. The theatre is small, probably 1000-2000, and every seat is right in the action. Also in addition to the entire troup of acrobats and clowns, all the music is live, not recorded. Mystere has beautiful music that sounded vaguely Carmina Burana-ish to me, Latin sounding words and medieval/Renaissance inflected music. The costumes and make-up are stunning as are the acrobatics. I particularly loved the Hand-to-Hand act done by two brothers from Portugal. It's hard to imagine that human beings can be that strong, flexible, controlled, and graceful. Makes me want to hit the Pilates machines again and work on those abs!
