When a Las Vegas Strip resort casino changes ownership — something that happens only rarely — changes are inevitable.
When Bally's Corp. purchased Tropicana's operating rights from Gaming & Leisure Properties (GLPI) and Penn Entertainment, the new owner was coy about its plans. The new owner kept the Tropicana name and hinted at plans to build a western flagship resort casino on the site under the Bally's name.
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Caesar's Entertainment (CZR) even rebranded its Bally's property as the Horseshoe, which theoretically gave Bally's back its name for an eventual new resort casino. That may eventually happen, but for now the Tropicana has been closed to make way for a new stadium for Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics.
Bally's (BALY) still has vague plans to develop a resort casino on the property, but that seems unlikely to begin before the stadium opens in 2028. The closure of Tropicana meant the demise of a handful of classic restaurants and the end of the comedian and impressionist Rich Little's residency at the property.
Tropicana, which closed on April 2, at least got a proper goodbye. Another recently purchased Las Vegas Strip resort casino, the Mirage, has been closing in bits and pieces. That's because Hard Rock International, which bought the property from MGM Resorts International (MGM) , has been remodeling the property without closing it down.
Image source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Plans for the Mirage have been unclear
When Hard Rock took over the property, it began to slowly transform the Mirage. The company outlined plans for a massive remodel and the construction of its signature guitar-shaped hotel where the Mirage Volcano currently sits.
Aside from quickly closing Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat — partly because dolphins kept dying there — the new owner has been very quiet about exact construction schedules.
That's at least partly because Hard Rock wants people to continue to book stays at the Mirage. That was very important during Las Vegas's recent run of massive events. In relatively rapid succession, the city hosted a Formula 1 race, the Consumer Electronics Show, the Super Bowl, and huge crowds for March Madness (although Las Vegas did not host any games).
Those events drove up hotel prices and made people more willing to overlook any construction taking place at Mirage. Now, with those events in the past, one of Hard Rock's partners has shared the fate of one of the resort's signature shows
Popular Las Vegas Strip show closing
Hard Rock has said that the iconic Mirage Volcano will close to make way for the Guitar Hotel, but it has not specified when that will take place. The company had also been vague about the future of its headline show, "The Beatles: Love," saying only that it would be open into this year.
Now, Hard Rock's partners, which produce the long-running production, have specified when its final performance will take place.
"Cirque du Soleil and Apple Corps Ltd. announce today that 'The Beatles: Love.' the groundbreaking production celebrating the music and legacy of The Beatles through the artistry of Cirque du Soleil, will conclude its historic Las Vegas run at The Mirage on July 7, 2024, as the resort begins its transformation into the Hard Rock Las Vegas," according to a news release.
The show has been running for 18 years and has been seen by more than 11.5 million people.
"Created as the result of a friendship between Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté and George Harrison, 'The Beatles: Love' is a cultural icon on the Las Vegas Strip, having entertained Beatles fans across multiple generations and more than 500 musicians and celebrities," Cirque du Soleil wrote.
The collaboration combining the legendary music of The Beatles and the artistry of Cirque du Soleil, a first for both creative entities, has brought together Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison several times to celebrate the show’s gala premiere and milestone anniversaries."
Tickets for the final performances have not yet gone on sale and no date for that has been set.
