Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono, Olivia Harrison join in Las Vegas to mark fifth anniversary of Beatles-Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Love’ show

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The red carpet for Wednesday’s star-studded fifth anniversary performance of the Beatles-Cirque du Soleil show “Love” in Las Vegas ran from the sublime (classical violinist Joshua Bell) to the ridiculous (comedian Carrot Top) and peaked with a quick walk-through by no less than Paul McCartney and his fiancée Nancy Shevell along with Yoko Ono and son Sean Ono Lennon, Olivia Harrison and her son with George Harrison, Dhani, and the Beatles’ longtime record producer George Martin and his son and “Love” soundtrack collaborator Giles Martin.

In between, the stream included Gayle King, famous for being Oprah Winfrey’s best friend, Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum, actors Elijah Wood and Marcia Gay Harden, rock star illusionist Criss Angel, Patricia and Rosanna Arquette and Sugar Ray singer Mark McGrath. But the crowd of a couple hundred onlookers gathered outside the theater at the Mirage Hotel saved its most enthusiastic ovation for the one actual Beatle on hand.

Ringo Starr, on tour in Europe, sent a video greeting played at the beginning of the performance, which was attended by McCartney and other members of the Beatles’ immediate family.

“Let’s hear it for the Beatles,” McCartney said, sounding more fan than former member as he was joined on stage after the performance by Ono, the Harrisons and the Martins and other members of the Cirque family.

-- Randy Lewis