Las Vegas Weekly

December 2, 2008 · 12:45 PM

Mirage volcano erupts in 6 days, and Robbie Knievel’s NYE jump over it is a go!

By Robin Leach

A rendering of the Volcano at The Mirage, which will flame-on in early December.

Illustration: MGM Mirage

The countdown is on! Just six days to go now to the opening ceremony of the new $25 million, 900-degree fireballs of The Mirage volcano. Ironically, for an explosion of this magnitude, there can be no dress rehearsals, so for once the first night will really be the premiere to witness the sights and sounds of an amazing attraction.

Click HERE for our coverage of The Mirage volcano on Sept. 16.

However, I can tip you to the fact that if you camp out long enough at The Mirage around the clock starting today, you will see -- and hear -- the engineers testing the individual components at some odd hours. You will never see the entire 4-minute show, though, because that will be saved for next Monday afternoon.

“Nobody is nervous about it not all coming together. It will be seen by all of us for the first time then, and it will be an absolute incredible spectacle,” I was told.

New $100 million Mirage headliner Terry Fator and his ventriloquist puppets will emcee the show that begins at 4 p.m. next Monday. Mayor Oscar Goodman will be on hand for the unique ceremony with a presentation to Mirage head honcho Scott Sibella. After the premiere of the multiple movements (stirring, premonition, eruption, fire dance, silence and grand finale eruption), a 2-minute fireworks display will follow. Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart and international tabla virtuoso Zakire Hussain, who created the musical score for the volcano eruptions, also will attend.

All -- just like the anticipated crowds -- will be seeing it for the very first time. After next Monday’s debut blasts, ignitions, explosions and lava flows, the show will be performed hourly.

Scott Sibella told me: “The flames are 900 degrees, so you will really feel the heat blast. Visitors will be just 30 feet away right on the Strip for the action, but we have an intrusion system: If you try to cross it, the sensor will sound and shut the whole thing down once triggered. We’ve literally doubled the old running time of 2 1/2 minutes. It will be louder than the old show, because we’ve updated all the old equipment that was getting very tired.

“People will feel the earth move. They’ll experience it right in their chests, and it’ll move their pant legs. It will be a physical and emotional experience. It will rock you. You can almost feel the rocks falling on you -- you may even duck as the sound comes at you. It’ll feel as if ash is on you -- very subtle but you’ll be inside the three-dimensional feel of the danger -- although not scary, but real.”

I also was vindicated yesterday with official confirmation from both Fox TV and Mirage officials that my exclusive report from nearly three months ago was true: daredevil stunt motorcyclist Robbie Knievel will jump the new Mirage volcano on New Year’s Eve! Click HERE for that Sept. 19 story.

The Fox satellite broadcast will now go live from the Strip from 8 to 9 p.m. Pacific Time (for broadcast on the East Coast from 11 p.m. to midnight). Robbie will make the death-defying jump toward the end of the show with just 10 minutes remaining before Fox cuts away to lead into the midnight-countdown celebrations on the East Coast.

Turns out all the pedestrian traffic concerns, safety barricade questions and issues with the two take-off and landing ramps stretched across the driveways of The Mirage have all been addressed -- and the stunt is a full go!

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