Mirage volcano to erupt in December after facelift

By Amanda Finnegan

Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008 | 5:55 p.m.

Twenty years after its opening, The Mirage has decided to give its iconic volcano a $25 million facelift. The Strip resort announced details Wednesday of a redesign that will be unveiled to the public in December.

The Mirage summoned the forces of design firm WET, which designed the original Mirage volcano -- as well as the Bellagio fountains -- and Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart and Indian tabla artist Zakir Hussein, who composed the soundtrack to the volcano show.

Sound for the show will be done by Meyer Sound, which is responsible for the sound in The Mirage’s LOVE Theater. Construction is being done by Thor Construction.

“The new volcano will be the crowning jewel of The Mirage,” Mirage president Scott Sibella said.

The faux rock structure opened in 1989 and has been a tourist stop on the Strip since the beginning.

The new volcano will shoot water 120 feet into the air while flames and fireballs are choreographed during the show. For safety reasons, WET designer Jim Doyle said an "intrusion system" is in place that will shut off the fire show if someone steps on to the grass or lagoon area near the volcano.

The show will run for four minutes and 30 seconds, but the frequency of the show hasn't been determined.

WET recruited Hart to create an interpretive track for the volcano experience.

“To put percussive sound to the image of fire and have it dance around a lagoon is something I’ve never done; I’ve never birthed a volcano,” Hart said. “Zakir and I immersed ourselves in the legends and myths and studied what really makes a volcano work. The result, a true union of the senses, will rattle your bones, just like a real volcano.”

Plans and preparations for the improved volcano have been in the works since late 2004. The volcano was closed for construction beginning in February, leaving Strip-goers curious about when the icon would return.

On the business side, Sibella said he expects the volcano will give The Mirage a boost in revenue.

“I think it’s going to bring traffic flow back into the property. It creates a lot of demand to stay here to see the volcano,” he said. “It tells a story that if a casino is spending $25 million on this volcano, what have they done inside? We are doing this so we can stay competitive with all these new properties on the Strip.”