What would be good for Pink Floyd may not be good for the Strip. Cirque du Soleil's "Delirium" may have settled once and for all the question of how many Cirques are too many in Las Vegas.

The company had high hopes for last weekend's touring arena show at the MGM Grand Garden to perhaps drop by again to cover for some of the resident shows during their vacations. But the audience for the first of two performances last weekend -- a bad one after Labor Day, to be sure -- left plenty of empty rows in the higher sections and did not seem fully engaged. Many filed out during the "Allegra" encore number.

It's important to remember that in some markets, "Delirium" is the first time the circus has come to town. Most people hold a special place for their first encounter with Cirque, perhaps explaining why the oldest running Las Vegas show, "Mystere," remains the stated favorite of many locals.

"Delirium" no doubt works better as an introduction to Cirque's distinctive music, costuming and quirky humor. But with five shows already on the Strip, the only innovation to a repeat customer was the staging.

If Pink Floyd were ever to tour again, it should think about stealing the stage design or even hiring co-directors Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon, who usually work outside Cirque to stage multimedia productions.

It was a cool idea to split the arena in half with a long narrow stage. Video projection quality has reached the ability to fill gigantic spaces, and the show created some cool three-dimensional effects by trapping the performers between two transluscent movie screens.

But the human cast often seemed as though it was marking time, waiting for Peter Gabriel or some equally charismatic star to come down on a balloon or pop out of a trap door in the stage.

The most disturbing disconnect may be the difference between what was promised and what was delivered.

If I read the press materials correctly, this was supposed to be Cirque's play for the techno-electronica crowd, a much younger show than the cinematic, new-agey fare we have grown used to. But except for English lyrics, the music was largely more of the same, and the atmosphere the same poignantly dreamy tone.

The Las Vegas shows "Zumanity," "Ka" and "Love" reflect the company's push to diversify titles while preserving the trust in the brand it has cultivated. "Delirium" could be written off as a show that was never really meant to play the Strip, and it's doing mixed business on the road. Before the MGM stop, the show grossed $1.3 million with three shows in Milwaukee, then ran closer to capacity in Winnipeg, Manitoba, grossing $2.4 million with four shows (both according to Billboard figures).

But if this is what they call different, it could also be seen as a sign of trouble within the empire. Before Cirque returns to Las Vegas -- either in collaboration with magician Criss Angel or with its Elvis show at Project CityCenter -- it might be time for a major creative shakeup. ...

When "Hairspray" closed in June, Luxor scrambled to book a solid roster of concert acts for weekend stints, ranging from Pat Benatar this weekend to Liza Minnelli (if she shows up) Oct. 12-14. But hotel President Felix Rappaport didn't want empty real estate on the weeknights either.

Enter "Burn the Floor," the Latin and ballroom dance revue that pulls in today for a limited run through Oct. 26. It runs Sundays through Thursdays and offers a 4 p.m. matinee on Sundays. ...

The Stardust has confirmed that Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme will bring down the curtain on its historic showroom on Oct. 28. The duo had the same dubious honor of closing down the Circus Maximus showroom at Caesars Palace in September 2000.

Many tickets already have been sold to the public, but many more will now be pulled for invited guests and Boyd Gaming officials. Once Nov. 1 was confirmed as the closing date, hotel executives decided it would be anticlimactic to have magician Rick Thomas or Gerry McCambridge, "The Mentalist," to follow them. Both acts now wrap up on Oct. 25. Two hypnotism shows working the smaller Hypnotic Lounge both close Oct. 21. ...

It looks as though Steve Connolly's Elvis Presley tribute will remain downtown at Fitzgeralds, but move from 7 to 10:30 p.m. starting Sept. 28 to make room for "Bottom's Up," the burlesque revue that was originally going to replace it. Connolly's last 7 p.m. performance is Sept. 25.

Downtown may also see the reawakening of the moribund showroom at The Plaza next month. At least two producers have been negotiating for a "four-wall" deal to use the room without the casino's financial backing. ...

You always think of daytime TV when you think of "The Price Is Right," but now you can make the guessing game part of a night on the town. Starting Friday, Bally's live version of the game show adds a second Friday night show at 10:30 p.m.

"Price" is an afternoon show most days, but moves into the evenings on Fridays when "Jubilee!" has the day off. The first evening show will scoot back to 7:30 p.m. instead of 8 p.m.

It's interesting that while "Phantom -- the Las Vegas Spectacular" is trying to cut back on late-evening shows because people are too sleepy for heavy melodrama, nothing gets the adrenaline pumping like the chance to win a refrigerator.

Mike Weatherford's entertainment column appears Thursdays and Sundays. Contact him at 383-0288 or e-mail him at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com.