About Me
The Long Haul
A select few have been a part of `Mystere' since its debut
Some dream of running away to join the circus. And some do. But few stay.
The guitarist
Rickerd shrugs off the fact he's never missed a show in twelve years and counting of "Mystere.""I never felt sick enough to miss a day's work," he says.Besides, as a bandleader in Canada, "if I missed a day's work, it meant the whole band was off."And it's not like he's in the risky business of vaulting from other people's shoulders, or flinging himself from a teeter board, like those who rehearse nearby on this particular afternoon.Still, the 10-piece band is crucially involved in "Mystere," and often cited as a key to its success. The show opened at a time when next door at The Mirage, "Siegfried & Roy" seemed to signal a shift to putting big shows' scores on tape.Instead, "Mystere" musicians are displayed on both sides of the stage, lending a vitality to the dreamy acrobatics."The music is interactive with the action. We had a terrible accident once. Somebody shattered his leg," Rickerd recalls.The band covered."Rule No. 1 for a show like this is, `You've got to keep the music playing.' You can't stop. There can't be any dead air."When Rickerd was leading cover bands in Canada, he encouraged keyboardist Benoit Jutras to accept a job offer from Cirque. A year and a half later, Jutras called back as "Mystere's" musical director with a question, "What if I offered you the No. 1 guitar gig in Vegas?"
Treasure Island's custom theater "wasn't even finished yet," Rickerd recalls. "We had to wear hard hats onstage."Since then, the music has evolved and Rickerd's guitar solos have grown with his tenure. But when two shows are done each night, "I go out and play some more. ... When I leave here I'm just warmed up."
You can find him inside the smoky Sand Dollar Blues Lounge or the Kitchen Cafe, where "I fool them into thinking I'm a jazz player." Weekend nights are at Spanky's Pub, sitting in with "whoever's there."Rickerd feels like a local, but was reminded he's still here on a visa when he investigated college tuition costs for his 20-year-old son.
Some performers earn residency with the government by proving they have irreplaceable skills."I guess I'm not unique enough," he muses.
Bruce Rickerd is the first and original Cirque guitar player, no musician with Cirque Du Soleil has every played more conitnuous shows than him or more shows in general. Bruce can still be heard playing five nights a week at the Treasure Island casino with Cirque Du Soleil's longest running show "Mystere". Playing the guitar parts that he himself wrote or co wrote so many years ago. :0)
By MIKE WEATHERFORD
REVIEW-JOURNAL
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