The coolest evening temperatures, thus far, made an appearance for the Canadian performance, causing light sweaters, long-sleeves and hoodies to become a common sight. Late-evening temperatures were about 20 C in the metropolitan area, under mostly clear skies (a few isolated low- to high-level cloud clusters) and mostly low humidity, but the continued WSW breezy winds provided that additional chill to the air. The WSW tendencies, though, meant that smoke from the fireworks was quickly blowing towards those spectators at La Ronde directly, with a concentration towards central and right-hand sections of the grandstands. That being said, it would appear that the “unfavorable” wind direction turned out to bring a good experience for those spectators at La Ronde (given the positive feedback), adding a new dimension to the display – it is always interesting in how things can work out, although it is fortunate that the humidity remained generally low, and that there had been fast enough wind speeds!

Even after more than 24 hours following the display, I am still struggling to accurately describe the splendors it offered. Like Spain (Vicente Caballer), I have anxiously been awaiting the Canadian performance, especially since it was first disclosed that it would be both Royal Pyrotechnie and Fireworks Spectaculars Canada working collaboratively on it. As mentioned in my above posting, upon the show coming to a dramatic end, I felt a strong surge of satisfaction erupt within me, and as the show progressed, I quickly realized that my expectations were largely becoming fulfilled. Truly, this display delivered so many exciting moments that the somewhat smaller audience (perhaps it being the first Wednesday display) was so engaging, captivated and cheerful. The display featured such a large diversity of (high-quality) products, spectacular richness of colors (most notable during many of the low-level sequences), and a theme that was very integrative and compelling. The firing angles, in particular, often left me in astonishment as they built excellent symmetry from left to right and right to left in great harmony, along with moments of blinding color (a little of an oxymoron) - this was particularly evident as the comets and candles intricately converged towards the center of the firing site by using subtle and mirrored firing tilts - some of the patterns achieved were very intriguing. Ramp 5 also exhibited exemplary sequences when used. At the same time, the vertical depth of the show was often very effectively built, especially towards the finale, when massive nautical shells of red stars emerged to accompany the large shells directly above. Thus, the overall structure of the show meant that all levels of sky were frequently filled sufficiently. The audience also greatly appreciated the sequences of large and deafening shells, many shells of which portrayed some interesting shapes. The salutes, single-ascension girandolas, kamuros, crackling pistils, farfalles, go-getters and screaming serpents were also very inviting, as always, and the colorful (jumping) comets racing across the water near the end were stunning (a little reminiscent of the Pink Panther segment in Canada 2010). Clearly the most awe-struck sections of the display were the laser comets, as well as when the phoenix structure quickly lit up in a rich, delicate gold (which was later supported by many falling-leaf effects). There was little to no repetition of effects, presumably because of the large product diversity involved.

We also enjoyed splendid choreography, not solely with respect to the coordination relative to the soundtrack used, but also in the manner that it had been creatively implemented to emphasize many of the soundtracks’ vital components – I found this to successfully evoke and enhance the emotional feel that engendered most of the soundtracks selected while bringing out the vibrancy of the music. The musical choices, themselves, were appropriate, well edited, and enjoyable, and musical representation through the choice of effects was fantastic, augmenting the already great pyromusical design. In my humble opinion, I thought that the thematic premise was also very tenacious, well structured and explained through the brief periods of narration, and the music and passion of the fireworks truly made it feel like the "Legends of Fire". The narratives, unlike the previous displays this year, did not detract from the performance and kept the audience entertained by cleverly keeping the fireworks mostly active when they had been present. Also, for the first time this year, a display began dramatically after Michel Lacroix’s countdown - this was a most welcomed change! In terms of the finale, it was simply incredible, along with the generally convincing series of faux finales that preceded it (I believe it is making my list of most memorable finales). I also very much agree with Enkil in that parts of this display, especially the finale, had a 90s feel to them!

In general, much like the posters above, my criticisms are minor. First, while I did find that there was a reasonable amount of more tranquil moments in this display, they seemed to have been more focused towards the beginning of the final third of the show. This gave the impression that the “slower” pace of the display was more skewed rather than being more mixed (these were similar feelings that I had during Sweden’s display in 2010). At the same time, however, one might argue that this was due to the structural design of the theme. As mentioned, the colors were vivid, rich and in a good diversity, but there were some points where it felt a little more conserved (relying more on silver, gold and beige). Synchronization was absolutely fabulous, but as stated previously above, it was not quite to the same distinct degree of precision witnessed during Portugal 2008, Sweden 2010 and, most recently, Italy 2013. Although a technically sound and novel theme, I, too, felt somehow more emotionally drawn to Canada 2009’s and Canada 2010’s displays, even though those displays did not have particularly strong thematic connections. This may be that the soundtrack utilized during those displays had been generally more commanding with emotion while still retaining effective pyrotechnic representation. Finally, on a more personal note, I would have preferred to see more use made of the arch structures, as I thought they would have been fitting if seen in multiple other sections of the display.

Overall, certainly one of the most “diversified” displays that I have seen in recent years and is one that satisfied the tastes held by all kinds of people. The Canadian display was virtually all that I expected it to be, and it is surely a significant contender for a Jupiter award this year. Of course, as Paul mentioned, there remains three competitors to present!

Whatever the outcome, my congratulations to Yanick Roy and Brad Dezotell for their exquisite work, as the resultant display was, without a doubt, a true masterpiece and shall be referred to for many years to come.

Trav.

My report: http://montreal-fireworks.com/ReportBlog/?p=920

Paul.

As the final barrage finished and the audience was enveloped in smoke, suddenly it started to rain. Whether this was wrought from the air by the explosions and the smoke or water lifted out of the lake, it was a unique experience for me and added to the drama of the finale!

Although not fully related to this situation, I have actually heard in the past of reports of rain/showers falling following fireworks displays, but these rain events supposedly occurred a day or two after the displays. Whether these were attributed to the fireworks events at those particular times, it is not entirely clear, but some believe that fireworks, in general, supply fine particulates to the atmosphere, much like during cloud seeding operations, that can encourage precipitation development over time (assuming enough moisture). Again, though, it may be just pure coincidence that rain happened to fall over the affected area(s) not too long after those fireworks events. Fireworks also occur on too small a scale to produce a local rain event directly, though it is possible that they contribute slightly.

In another instance, enormous and enduring forest fires (or volcanic activity) can lead to large convective clouds (pyrocumulus) that may yield significant precipitation (sometimes accompanied by lightning), but these clouds, themselves, usually occur over larger scales, and the heating from the fires is often intense and concentrated. This can, ultimately, lead to an increased likelihood for sufficient local atmospheric destabilization that promotes (deep) convective systems, given enough time.

Anyway, just something that I wanted to throw in.

Trav.

Trav, your explanations are much more sophisticated than what I could imagine! In opposition to Paul and Mylène, I haven't felt any rain Wednesday night and my seat is only a couple of rows behind. I assumed the water was splashed owing to powerful nautical products.

We should maybe ask Environment Canada for an investigation on this phenomenon? ;-)

Fred

I also wondered if the smoke particles nucleated raindrops out of the air - but it wasn't particularly humid on Wednesday so I discounted that idea when I realized the water must have been thrown up out of the lake by the nautical shells. It was still a first me for, though!

Paul.

Although it is very well possible for it to rain when the near-surface humidity is low (such as when thunderstorms occurred on the evening of April 13th, as well as the precipitation, in general, that takes place during the cool seasons), lower moisture content, by itself, does not normally support ubiquitous or isolated precipitation without some kind of lifting mechanism. In some instances, however, provided enough lift and moisture, precipitation can develop in much lower relative humidities above the surface when the air contains many suspended hygroscopic condensation nuclei (such as salt) per unit volume - this is particularly common in tropical regions.

The air was largely stable on Wednesday night, and the humidity was predominantly low, so the air had not been significantly rising to the much higher altitudes above the surface where saturation was occurring at the time. Fireworks, themselves, also cannot really destabilize the air sufficiently for significant local convection to unfold. As such, the particles from the smoke were likely not rising to a high enough to have any real effect. Even if they could, though, I do not believe that they would rapidly result in precipitation development, but they might be able to slightly enhance precipitation intensity in the immediate vicinity if it is already occurring, or perhaps other precipitation events that might take place in ensuing days.

Given these factors, I would also conclude that it was the force from the large and powerful nautical shells that lifted some of the water from the lake before launching it towards some adjacent sections of the La Ronde audience. The spraying distance was likely further aided by the wind direction and speed. Indeed, I am certain that this added another dimension to the already powerful Canadian finale!

Trav.

J'avais de très grandes attentes envers ce spectacle (étant donné la formidable performance de Fireworks Spectacular le 24 juillet 2010) et je m'attendais à une finale époustouflante.....et j'ai le grand plaisir d'affirmer que je n'ai pas été déçu!

Le feu a été très varié, coloré, intense du début à la fin. Plusieurs segments avaient les allures d'une finale par leur intensité et leur rythme. J'en ai eu plein la vue, plein les oreilles et les émotions étaient palpables à plusieurs moments. QUEL SPECTACLE FORMIDABLE! À ceci s'est ajouté une longue finale intense et explosive, exactement comme je les aime!

Bravo, Bravo et encore Bravo à Fireworks Spectacular et à Royal Pyrotechnie pour cette demi-heure époustouflante. Je serais très étonné qu'un futur compétiteur réussisse à surpasser la performance du Canada.....la barre est très haute!

Merci au Canada de m'avoir ravi.

Pierre