San Jose Tenant Leaves...Say Goodbye to Cirque du Soleil
Posted by Jessie Woodyard on Thu, Mar 25, 2010 @ 01:26 PM
If you're driving along Hwy 87 by Taylor Street Exit, you'll no longer see the brilliant yellow and blue tent that marked Cirque de Soleil's 6 week San Jose stint. 
For anyone who saw the show, it was no doubt a spectacle of human capabilities. But it was also a grander spectacle for San Jose having generated millions of dollars for the local city and by adding another night-time amenity. For a vacant 4.85 lot that normally is parking for the Police Department, San Jose got a pretty good "bang for its buck". 
It was quite the scene watching the tent come down. I didnt' get an accurate count, but it looked like a team of about 50 construction workers on site de-constructing the massive tent. It was as though they were Ovo's cast, transformed out of their glittering wings, antennas, and slick bodies and into neon orange vests and clunky boots. Similiar to the show, they looked like bugs scurrying slightly chaotically yet organized in their own way working towards a goal.
In a matter of 3 days, the site has gone from full-blown circus back to vacant parking lot. Cirque is unveiling 2011's new, traveling show in about 2 weeks but based on the pattern of years past, the Bay Area will be skipped in 2011 but might be graced with a performance in 2012.