Weather once again became a dominant factor as a passing cold front set off a defined severe thunderstorm that influenced much of the island of Montreal during the early evening hours (along with strong storms during the afternoon) running principally from 7:00-8:30 p.m. on Saturday. Accompanying the severe thunderstorm was a deluge of lashing rainfall, relatively frequent intense lightning (many of which were CGs - cloud to ground discharges), gusty downdrafts and locally marble-sized hail. The cumulonimbus was also thick enough that the place suddenly felt like night when it was overhead, especially when we had departed from the West Island (I'll share some photos and video in the weather thread in a bit). Then, when the storm(s) had moved off around 9:00 p.m., a large congestus cloud approached the area, bringing a heavy four and a half-minute shower (as Fred pointed out) just around mid-way into the display. Though the conditions followed closely to what had been predicted, notice that the overall wind flow was distorted in both direction and speed during the evening hours, where light (11 km/h) Southerlies to South-Southeasterlies were dominant as opposed to the West-Southwesterlies, which is fortunate as smoke, in this case, had blown primarily to the right of the audience instead of towards them - we, ironically, owe that to the previous thunderstorms, as they commonly disrupt the main wind flow patterns at a local scale. Thunderstorms similarly caused the ambient temperatures to be a little cooler - 22 C as opposed to 24-25 C. Gusts, however, were on target in the afternoon and peaked at 58 km/h around 5:30-6:00 p.m and were from the SW, as expected. I am very sorry to hear the news (as Enkil posted) regarding that couple that had been struck by lightning while awaiting the fireworks under a tree - I can only pray for their safety and that they will have a quick recovery.
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The American debutant company had an intriguing display. There was a fair spectrum of special effects that frequently dazzled the audience with the mid-upper level shells, while synchronization at times was particularly enjoyable, notably towards low level. Those segments that possessed a good sense of balance between low and high portions of sky were often those that were thoroughly enjoyed as the fireworks commonly defined the subtle changes in the soundtrack during those particular points. As such, I was most appreciative of the way a number of sequences had been concocted - one memorable instance being where those "gliding fish" (or "horizontal comets", as Fred describes them) were typically present. Despite most of the display having a central focus towards higher levels, I found the pyrotechnics predominantly distinctive and recognizable at lower level simply because of how the comets, mines and gerbs, for example, were tightly synchronized with the tracks in which they were incorporated, and the manner by which they occasionally gave way for the rapid transitioning towards higher level was particularly stunning.
The display itself had some nice effects, as mentioned previously, including those tail ring-like shells near the beginning of the performance, the brilliant red and green double-ring shells, the rapid go-getters, the elegant farfalles, and the mult-transitioned colored stars from some of those shells (my personal favorite effect). The colors generally were bright (the greens and reds, in particular) and in a reasonable diversity. Overall, good product quality present.
As I had stated in my (fast) preliminary comments, this was an enjoyable display in its entirety, particularly when put in the context of power (which the US is famed for) and at times in the choreography component. There were, however, some identifiable challenges faced. The thematic premise and its relevance to the display was understood for the most part and brought with it some appropriate color mixes and effects (such as the heart shells, kamuros or farfalles) to reinforce some of its critical attributes. That being said, I was not feeling the emotions that were attempting to be emphasized through the fireworks themsleves and, as such, not always latching onto that important tight thematic connection - this is mainly because I sometimes got the impression that not enough activity was being expelled to enforce some of the soundtrack used throughout the display, and therefore that parts of the display were missing the complexity aspect. Color richness and diversity were good, but I noticed some colors tended to fade or drown away rather quickly (namely the blue stars/scintillating stars emanating from the shells towards the start). Transitions between segments were also nice, but some pieces were perhaps maintaining the same pace a little too long in duration for my tastes - for instance, the serene parts. Music choices were similarly good and in an appropriate arrangement, but some, as Enkil stated, were not as captivating (even though they were relevant) to the overall feel of the display (namely that track heard roughly just before mid-way). The finale wasn't bad, but just needed more buildup and color to go along with the massive amount of salutes being fired.
I personally believe the principal weakness in the display was the lack of balance (which relates to the general design) seen at numerous points between high and low level as there tended to me more attention aimed at high altitudes. Narration lasted much too long following the countdown and, as always, invites the feeling of an anti-climax.
All in all, despite the negative attributes presented above, this was not by any means a bad debut display by Western Enterprises in the Montreal fireworks competition as there were, most assuredly, great and enticing sequences, spectacular effects and colors along with good attempts at choreography to correspond with the developed theme. I sincerely hope to see this team's participation in future editions of the Montreal fireworks competition in representing the USA.
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Hi Fred,
For sure, the sky becoming clearer before 10pm, I didn't expect the intense but short shower
Skies can often be deceiving, especially in an unstable atmosphere! That was one of the many lingering isolated heavy showers that had developed behind the cold front. As the front was exhibiting signs of slowing down, this is why I had called for the continued chance for lingering showers earlier in the day to persist for the evening's duration, and therefore advising to keep an umbrella handy.
Luckily, these showers are commonly brief!
Trav.
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