Not quite two months after Roger Waters brought “The Wall” tour to town, Pink Floyd fans get another treat as the Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular returns to Atlanta. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the show moves from its normal location of the Fox Theatre for two shows at the more intimate Center Stage. Each show will feature lasers and lighting choreographed to “The Dark Side of the Moon,” as well as a second act of other Floyd hits. Show creator/producer Steve Monsitere discusses the show’s evolution and why Atlanta is the first city on the 25th anniversary tour.
Q: The Atlanta shows will be the kickoff of your 25th anniversary. Why do you tend to start your tours in Atlanta, especially for your anniversary?
A: We've always done very well in Atlanta. It's one of the top five markets we do and for a long time it was probably the top market. We were succeeding in certain markets at certain times of the year, so, as they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Atlanta's always been really good for us in January. It's a big city that offers a lot of entertainment options and in January, a lot of big shows don't tour. So we don't have a lot of competition and there's a lot of promotional activity. Frankly, I think that after the Christmas holidays, people are anxious to get away from their families and get out.
Q: How has the show evolved over the past 25 years?
A: In the beginning, it was very crude, what you could do with lasers. It really stayed stagnant like that until the late '90s, when software just really started to speed up. In the past [few] years, solid-state lasers have become cheap enough to use on tours. The difference with the lasers is that in the old days, you had to carry transformers and pieces of equipment that were thousands of pounds and the size of a work desk. It took water to cool the lasers, high-powered electricity to power them and it took up half the truck just for a few lasers. Now we get better, brighter lasers out of something the size of a suitcase. Computer technology has really driven everything smaller and everything is sharper and crisper. About six or seven years ago we started using a German-based video editing software system that allows us to do high definition on three giant screens. Generally speaking, the same sort of advances that consumers experience in their everyday lives, we're experiencing the same sort of advances with production equipment.
Q: How would you say seeing this show compares to actually seeing Pink Floyd?
A: What we do with the music is completely different from what Roger Waters, Pink Floyd or any band that's covering Pink Floyd would do. We interpret the songs, sometimes literally, the way the band meant them to be interpreted. But some of the stuff from "The Dark Side of the Moon" lends itself to lots of different visual interpretations, so we get to be creative visually.
Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular
8 p.m. and midnight. Jan. 8. $35.
Center Stage
1374 West Peachtree St.
Atlanta, Ga. 30309
404-885-1365
www.centerstage-atlanta.com
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