I visit Las Vegas about every other year, and I place my first bet on the fantastic entertainment this city has to offer for visitors, even for those in town just for a few days (three days is my usual length of stay). 

I’m a really pathetic gambler, so I’ll knock a few bucks in some slot machines while in town, but the sure thing for me in Sin City is the access to world-class entertainment. I know I will leave far richer for the experience of  seeing fantastic live performances — especially the unique entertainment of Cirque du Soleil. 

If you are planning a holiday trip to Las Vegas, the slower tourism period is an ideal time to score great hotel deals and a trifecta of Cirque shows that pay tribute to the pop music icons of  the 1950s to 80s.

Cirque du Soleil, the world-famous acrobat/dance/performance art group founded nearly 30 years ago in Quebec, has made Las Vegas its U.S. base with no less than seven regular shows at venues within the major MGM Resorts along the 4.2-mile Las Vegas strip.

The first Cirque show in Vegas, Mystere, premiered in 1993, and each show added since continues to rank among the most in-demand live performance in a city known for incredible entertainment.

Since 2006, Cirque has found great success and appealed to an even wider audience by paying tribute to the greatest icons of rock and popular music. Audiences just can’t get enough of Cirque’s clever blend of thrilling acrobatics and artistic dance interpretations performed to the most beloved pop and rock music of the 20th Century. 

Beatles Love

And for a few weeks in December, Cirque adds yet another spectacular show that continues the celebration of beloved music—Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour. This show is running at the Mandalay Bay Events Center through Dec.  27, joining the two other resident Cirque shows that pay tribute to music greats- The Beatles LOVE at the Mirage and Viva ELVIS at Aria in City Center. 

It’s quite difficult to describe this show in one-dimensional words because it draws on such an eclectic mix of theater, circus stunts, mime, music and so much more.

And there are always unexpected treats in the performers’ feats- the “I-can’t-believe- they-did-that” surprise in the fantasy-like story following four young men from Liverpool to London and the world through each uniquely performed song.

One of my favorite sequences is set to the racing rock of “Help!,” as four extreme sports athletes in fur-covered rollerblades skate at lightening-speed around the stage and take synchronized leaps off 11-foot ramps. Then the show transitions to “Blackbird,” a soft lullaby of a song that features four acrobats costumed as silly-looking black birds performing a whimsical yet thrilling act suspended from the rafters.

The theater is round and elevated above the stage so there’s simply no way to have a bad seat— especially when each patron gets an earful of that timeless music with new remixes of beloved Beatle tunes through the Dolby stereo speakers in each high-back seat. 

The show is in its fifth season and still going strong with the full support of Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as the families of John Lennon and George Harrison. There are nine performances each week at the LOVE Theater at The Mirage Resort with ticket prices starting at $79.

Viva Elvis

Most recently I saw Viva ELVIS, which premiered in early 2010 in a custom theater built just for this show in the sparkling new Aria Resort at City Center.  The theater’s seats are the most comfortable and roomy I have ever sat in at a show, designed to look like the big curvy banquettes at clubs in Vegas during Elvis’ heyday in town.

Less dream-like than LOVE with more of a biography storyline, the show uses action-packed song, dance and acrobatics to trace Elvis’ career from his rural Mississippi and Memphis gospel roots on to his rise to stardom, stint in the U.S. Army, movie career, marriage to Priscilla and ultimate smash return to live performance in Las Vegas.

Each song along the musical calendar of the King of Rock n’ Roll’s career comes to life not only through a state-of-the-art sound system but with a jammin’ seven-piece live band. More than 80 dancers, singers and performers move effortlessly between different songs to create the right mood to frame each one.

One great sequence starts with military-clad dancers marching to the precision beat of “Return to Sender,” flanked by flyers on the high bars and a rope ladder. Then just as the notes of that song fade away, two lovely lithe acrobats perform a ballet-type routine on trapeze swings to the strains of the ballad “Are You Lonesome Tonight.” 

But I was most amazed by the tribute to Elvis’ country western influence in the performance of “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” featuring two lasso experts who dance and spin while whirling their lassos of all sizes and shapes—even one that was on fire!

Viva ELVIS is performed nine times each week at the Elvis Theater in the Aria Resort; tickets start at $65 during the winter season.

The Immortal World Tour 

The IMMORTAL World Tour promises to be “a riveting fusion of visuals, dance, music and fantasy that will immerse audiences in the King of Pop,” according to Molly Ancel, publicist for Cirque du Soleil’s resident shows in Las Vegas. The show captures the essence, soul and inspiration of this entertainment icon, celebrating a legacy that continues to transcend generations.

Fans have the chance to experience the legacy of Michael Jackson in a whole new way during the first-ever, estate-authorized Michael Jackson Fan Fest taking place for a limited time at Mandalay Bay.

Fans can peek inside the interior of the 1999 Rolls-Royce Seraph limousine with 24-karat gold embellishments designed by Michael Jackson himself, check out the 10-foot-tall statue created for the HIStory tour, get the feel of Michael’s music videos by wandering through the spaceship set used in “Scream” and sit in the actual throne from the Egyptian-themed set of “Remember the Time.” 

Michael Jackson The IMMORTAL World Tour has scheduled performances at Mandalay Bay Resort through Dec. 27; tickets start at $72.