Vol. 5, No. 10, October 2008
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Eruption coming on the Strip
As the first great “must-see” attraction on the Las Vegas Strip, the Mirage volcano launched the city into the modern casino era. Since then, however, there are plenty of other free shows that eclipse the volcano, so Mirage President Scott Sibella decided to upgrade it, even though it had been tweaked as recently as 1997.
Sibella put together a team consisting of the groundbreaking water-sculpting group, Wet Design—which originally designed and built the volcano—and two talented musicians, former Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart and his musical collaborator, Indian virtuoso Zakir Hussain. Wet Design has created new fire effects that will hurl ropes of flames into the air, with choreographed “FireShooters” spaced tightly in the lower lagoon. Lava-like effects will flow from the different levels of the volcano, creating a more natural environment than the previous volcano. Visitors standing close to the volcano show will be able to feel an increase in temperature of up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Wet Design’s Jim Doyle.
The new volcano show will open in early December, and work progresses with the installation of miles of pipes channeling the gas that will trigger the flames.
