Weather had some influence on this display due to the calm to very light nature of the winds. An area of moderate high pressure had a foothold on much of Eastern Canada for several days in the region, leading to pleasant days with calm conditions and cool overnight lows. Consequently, though conditions were in fact suitable, the weak winds present sometimes allowed the display to be obscured by building smoke at low to mid level. Smoke was often heading "very" slowly to the right of the audience at La Ronde, though displayed more variability towards the final seven minutes of the performance, where it appeared to create a large veil over nearly every vantage point except Southward towards the bridge as the cloud was not moving too much by this point. All that said, temperatures maintained 22 C during the late evening hours (18-19 C in the suburbs) along with low humidity and mostly clear skies. I noted the cloud of billowing smoke at the end of the display following the vehemence exploited during the final minutes – the final product resulting in a cloud taking on the appearance of the anvil of a thunderstorm from a distance.
Yet another exemplary performance of top quality and living proof that much can be accomplished even when faced with a tighter budget - in fact, both the quality and design of Göteborgs' display this year, as Fred noted, were more pronounced from what was remembered in their introductory display of 2005. The display this year, titled "Memories of a DJ", captivated the very large Montreal audience present and took them through a very interesting, exciting and interacting (literally) set of appropriate soundtrack. With all honesty, I have scarcely seen so many individuals dance along (including occasionally yours truly as I cherish 80's and 90's music with a passion beyond belief) so extensively with a selected track listing involved in a given display for many years. This enforces a point that I have brought up for countless years now, in which 80's and 90's disco work very well in delivering a memorable pyromusical, principally because the essence of these tracks has some binding and irresistible spell that simply makes you want to do nothing but dance or move your body to some extent (unlike most music that we are exposed to nowadays), and this was partly, I’m sure, the intention of the Swedish team. Furthermore, because each and every soundtrack was so well represented through the fireworks (they, too, were dancing in a surreal fashion), the feeling became increasingly, to my delight, moving and equally enthralling.
As was specified in Paul's interview, this Swedish team has never before concocted a specific segment within their previous pyromusicals that had been centered on "Dancing Queen". I'm positive that Göteborgs had a wonderful time designing this piece after they took the initiative to use the soundtrack. Most assuredly, the opening segment was a true exemplification of their fabulous work, for this piece made for a wonderful beginning with its obvious genuine choreography. This beautifully crafted opening also undoubtedly threw some hints and indications as to what the rest of the performance would very likely offer, perhaps not knowing how intricate, creative and enticing the display would become in the following segments. Contrary to their debut in 2005, narration was not used to convey this year's less complicated theme - a simplistic theme is often advantageous because it is easier to justify and diverts more focus on the technical aspects of the show in representing it while not worrying so much about a multi-dimensional approach (doing so tends to run the risk of leading to simplicity and avoiding the loss context/relevance) - both Sweden and Canada undertook this strategy of possessing a relatively simple theme but with a complex and enjoyable display to enforce it, and it surely has led them to the utmost success.
We were treated with a notably wide diversity of effects, including many gerbs, nautical strobes (in various colors), fountains, comets and rich mines, all of which were signature components of this display's choreography and intricacy. At the mid to upper levels, spectators indulged in various forms of shells, including some multi-color star shells, Saturn shells, occasional 12" shells, triple ring shells (one might say bracelet shells), a couple of smiley face shells, red photo-flash salutes, some multi-breaks, double-ascension girandolas, go-getters, plenty of fans of comets, horsetails brilliant cakes and Z-cakes. There were also a couple of moments for nautical shells, one set of which near the beginning exhibited a go-getter-like pattern. All effects were used carefully to justify key components of each soundtrack used – horsetails, girandolas and fireflies, for instance, being used in the tranquil segments.
For the technical details, the design of the display was clearly ingenious and magnificently organized from beginning to end. Music selections were well edited and modified to appropriately suit the display and, like Canada, were seamless in flowing from one segment to the next. Soundtrack were also arranged such that transitions in pace would be apparent, which were reflected in the changing slower pieces of "True Colors" and "I'll Find My Way Home" from the encompassing active segments. All soundtrack were appropriate in corresponding to the employed theme and were not completely deviant at all for the first time this year. The theme itself was cleverly chosen and, once again, well reinforced and projected before the audience. Balance/symmetry from low to high level was almost always well maintained, and much like the Canadian display, we often witnessed a wide display from the left to right. Low level effects also supported upper level activity nicely, filling the sky at any given point during the more active pieces. Each segment was extremely coordinated and choreographed - synchronization was, as Fred stated several times previously, more than flawlessly delivered.
It would be difficult for me to choose a personal favorite segment as I had so many to choose from (being a 80’s and 90’s music fanatic). Numerous segments were elegantly introduced with often flamboyant colors at all levels of sky, but I did particularly like "Sandstorm" (currently listening to that as I write this) when all the nautical strobe lights illuminated in rapid sequences along low level posthaste to lead into the song - the feeling enhanced with the cloud of smoke being lit up overhead. Other segments that stood out in a similar fashion were the Michael Jackson pieces as well as the aforementioned Dancing Queen, Rhythm is a Dancer (love that song), Suerte and Conga, all of these being portrayed in the most breathtaking ways. YMCA was also worthy of noting in the way it was brought forward with its accompanied intensity and surreal atmosphere. I couldn't appreciate the lettering until I viewed Bob's video as well as STL’s excellent capture of this special effect - I was happy to see that the Swedish team explored and experimented with the idea for this particular track, and it seemed that everything was well executed.
My criticisms are minor and likely fall into agreement with what most of you have, or will soon write. Firstly, as many pointed out already, I, too, felt that there was a little redundancy in terms of the low level effects used for many of the soundtrack, namely the single-shot comets (fans of comets as well), fountains and gerbs. However, as also mentioned by Fred, I do not see this as too much of a problem as these effects are best employed in representing distinct notes that define a given soundtrack, especially in the sort of selection used. I was, as always, very much enamored with the interesting nautical shells, but I would have preferred to see at least a couple more sets in between the display. The music selection was undoubtedly well selected, but I discovered the display would have benefited from perhaps one more (brief) piece that exposed some form of tranquility somewhere in between. Finally, I would have personally liked it if Sandstorm was used for the actual finale as opposed to before during the penultimate part of the display - perhaps an extended version of "Sandstorm" would have been favorable for a more inviting finale, although that is certainly not to state that the finale in itself was lousy. Not a criticism as it had to do with the winds, but it would have obviously been easier to appreciate this display in all its glory had it not been for smoke buildup sometimes interfering, particularly towards the final seven minutes.
All that being said, I would more than love to see Sweden secure a spot on the podium this year for their memory-implanting display, especially after being denied a position in 2005 after their outstanding performance at the time. The choreography in this display was simply fascinating and dually awe-inspiring. The colors were rich and frequently mesmerizing when in exquisite mixes while the product quality was fabulous. The music was a particularly striking component to the display and I feel it will give the team a good advantage in the ending result. Fluidity was always maintained and therefore the display never possessed a feeling of tardiness. For these reasons and others specified above, Sweden is certainly in gold Jupiter standings (as is team Canada in my mind), and it would be an injustice if they were not to be awarded with a Jupiter altogether in the 2010 edition, especially taking into account the level of the competition this year - the same holding true for team Canada.
In any case, pleasant weather to along with a fantastic fireworks display!
August was off to a nice start weather-wise with a return of the high 20s C (possibly low 30s in some cases) and higher humidity levels. Thunderstorms (some isolated severe), of course, are also possible throughout most of the week due to the instability and buoyancy returning, as was the case yesterday (August 2nd) afternoon-evening.
The designer doesn't have any influence on the wind (or the lack thereof)
Wouldn't that be something if he somehow did!
Trav.
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