Hi guys,
Heavy thunderstorms and rains were a threat to the Australian team tonight, but at least we were spared from the calamity and onslaught that could have been possible. Temperatures stayed near the 25-26 Celsius mark while the air itself was stagnant. Thankfully enough, we additionally had enough wind velocity to clear the smoke. Well, despite the impressive thunder and lightning in the distance at around 8:20-9:20 and the earlier sporadic rains during the course of the day, we were treated to a highly anticipated display from Foti along with a splendid diversity of effects and colors that surely promised to capture the souls of the attendants this evening.
This was the most fabulous show I've seen this season with plenty of action from beginning to end with non-stop variations of quick paces from every direction. The colors used were equally as rich as that of France while much advantage was taken with the lower effects. The display started off with the notion of a serious faux finale with plenty of noise and a furious exploitation of shells of intense blue rings and red stars accompanied by elongated white roman candles.
I personally found that a lot of the special effects made an impeccable appearance, especially those literal star shaped purple shells at mid level and those double and single ringed shells. There were many deep blue single ringed shells that would explode into power packed salutes that made plenty of noise at the beginning. Not too long after, there were these rapid bright orange photoflashes that made splendid noises as they descended towards the river. The shells of swirls were also incredible while some of them would burst into loud cracklers. The white and glittering kamuros were also considerable, especially the way they burst into white stars at the edges. Similarly, there were many shells of pink, red and green (or in combination) that burst into subsequent stars, which gave a dramatic impression as they increased in pace. I also loved the pink glitters that lit up the sky at mid to extremely high levels! The colorful pistils and brocades were also multi-dimensional in nature giving off a positive lasting impression, especially those that lasted longer. Finally the Saturn shells and the red rings that have two white-like fans on each side are always a favorite to Montrealers! The scatter shots were also nicely used with the associated blue and white colors. And, of course, the screaming serpents were also distinctive when making their missile/UFO noise.
The colors were fundamentally rich, which is analogous to the French team’s performance, but, of course, used in a different way. I personally loved the mixtures of the mild yellows and whites and well as the delicate kamuros of white. The transitions were also most apparent while a lot of the color mixtures really backed it up. There were many patriotic colors, especially when constrained within some of the massive shells of blue and red mixtures. I also personally loved the deep blues and purples used at times. There was also, once again, the appearance of the shells of intense orange stars while lower mines and fans of varying color helped to blend in.
Sequencing was superb, especially in the bottom effects with the roman candles and the rapid paced shots during the second ABBA song. I loved the intrinsic colorful candles that sometimes danced in a fan-like fashion from left to right and the tightly note-synchronized shots, which were most subtle in nature. The sequencing of mines were also quite unique and well executed, particularly with the reds and greens. As a result, synchronization was excellent and I couldn't have enjoyed it more. I loved the incredible rhythmic flow as well since it brought things into equilibrium while considering the theme, which was very traditional.
The construction of the display was fantastic and was practically perfect. I loved the intensity of the display all the way through along with an impressive start to a glamorous and scary finish. In fact, this display consisted of mainly a series of faux finales, which was valued deeply by the crowd. The balance between the bottom and top levels of the display was totally perfect while both areas tended to always connect very nicely! I was enamored by a lot of the variety of the effects used, especially when we consider the thematic attempt. I particularly liked the firing scheme in one segment where there were numerous firings of massive shells at the mid levels and then increased in height leading to one massive (and 3 more later on) shell(s) on red stars encompassed by a white ring. I also loved the firing rates during the show, especially with the music. The crescendo was impeccable while a lot of the firing paces caught you off guard for much of the display. The speeds during the display were well respected and certainly paid their tribute considering that most of the show was packed with action. Some of the shells at the top were so loud that that they just made my ears ring while blowing my chest away, which was much of the scenario like the American and French displays. At times, there were unexpected loud salute-like booms that set off in between while the shells were equally exploding. Finally, the theme chosen was appropriate and was frequently supported by either the choice of music or the effects used.
The choice of music was totally enjoyable and with a neat preference and variety that's sure to bring on delight to the audience. I personally loved the "Grease Lightning" segment since it fitted in to some irony; weather wise today. The segment itself was very intense and showed much promise, especially with those gold glitters and that typical heavy rain sound. It was then followed by a lot of shells of colored stars that drooped downwards and later exploded. The other soundtrack "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" was also a classic example of pace variation with the delicate start of those shells of red and green fans and brocades that exploded at the top. As the music continued to towards its climax, the fireworks rapidly once again deployed to incredible heights, making it seem like another faux finale. Furthermore, pretty much every color that makes up the color spectrum of a rainbow was used in there, which was rather admirable and quite glamorous. I loved the serenity of some of the colors, especially in response to more tranquil areas of the display. I’m also sure that you enjoyed those 2 ABBA songs as much as I did, Pierre!
I noticed the rainbow effect earlier in the middle, which certainly had a positive impression, especially when accompanied by the flashing red/white flares side by side. The silver fountains and fountains of sparkles were also quite delicate and astonishing while many of the nautical flashes were quite illuminating. The ground effects were something to talk about, especially those red flashing flares and the flashing oranges at the bottom. There was also a piece just above the bottom at low altitude where loud cracklers burst with extravagance and gave the appearance of a lightning simulation. The mauve stars that sprouted just over the bottom mixing in with the swirls during the second ABBA soundtrack were adorable, especially the way it was delivered with the fast paced candles. The latter comets were quite ubiquitous and really captivated the audience when accompanied by those massive shells at the top.
The finale was out of this world, especially since we perceived that it couldn’t be any bigger than some of the regular segments in the display. Of course, this ended up being the king of it all with plenty of colors and beautiful crescendo. The high leveled shells exploded in utter vehemence while accompanied with lower leveled comets, shells and crackling mines via lower levels. There were plenty of colors and a lasting impression that cannot be deviated from such a debut. The action increased to levels beyond belief to a degree never thought possible. There were so many shells exploding everywhere that when you think it would end, it just simply didn’t. By the time that was finished, another intense piece, which went excellent with the music, started to launch with impressive sequencing force later followed by a barrage of trailing colors leading to deafening salutes and a thunderous climactic close leading to a strong roar of approval from the audience. Despite the ending, much of the display was chest thumping and bridge vibrating. In fact, there was a time when I thought the penultimate area was the real thing by comparison to the more cordial parts. There was also the impression of a weeping willow finale at around 10:20! There was so much action in this display that you’d think the ending wouldn’t be anything out of what was already seen. To be honest, I was cheering and jumping like crazy for more to keep going; and so it did.
This was certainly analogous to a thunderstorm out of control!
The only minor criticisms I can think of are perhaps the slightly late start during the "Grease Lightning" segment as well as one weeping willow of white stars that lasted a little too long after the "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" soundtrack. In addition, perhaps there was a tad of repetition in firing scheme, particularly in the segment I described earlier, though I still very much enjoyed it predominantly because it was so rapidly fired despite the same execution fashion. The small bit of narration wasn't much of a problem, though, during the Phantom of the Opera piece and worked perfectly to introduce the latter parts. Finally, on a personal scale, this display would have also suited for some girandolas as well as some shell of shells, considering that this was the most active and loudest display this year, in my humble opinion.
Travis' personal rankings and display criteria rankings:
-Synchronization: 9.2/10-The best synchronization I’ve seen this year, in my opinion, especially when dedicated to the lower level pieces that consisted of candles and mines!
-Color: 9.5/10-Like France, this display had a wide array of intense and flamboyant colors that could seriously leave you breathless. I loved the “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” segment and the way the colors were used in a subtle respect to represent the actual spectrum. The Grease Lightning segment was also in admiration when reflected on the intensity! “Like Grease Lightning!”
-Creativity/Originality/Concept: 9/10-A very serious attempt at creativity here, especially with the huge amount of colors used within this display. I loved the effects as well considering that they were frequently integrated to the theme and thus being very creative, particularly those purple star shaped shells that made a brief appearance at mid to high levels. The show was more and less original, especially with firing rates, but very traditional and quite conceptual, though not as what was seen by France or Canada, for example, but still very conceptual in their own perspective.
-Choice of music: 9.7/10-The best choice of music while simultaneously working well with the theme. The music was the most enjoyable to me and certainly worked well in helping with rhythmic flow in which the fireworks felt like they were dancing.
-Finale/Overall Appreciation: 9.3/10-The best finale this year with a thunderous climax and the full package prior to that. It certainly felt intense considering that a lot of the finales we’ve seen in the past 2 years weren’t all of it. The display had excellent lasting appeal and was greatly appreciated. The faces of the audience, much like my own, were as bright as the sunshine.
I’m also hoping that you got the finale recorded, Pierre! I’m also sure that you were as excited as I was!
-Overall: 9.3/10
My personal top 3 displays:
1st-Australia
2nd-France
3rd-USA
^^^
It’s quite the possibility that Canada, Italy, Argentina, South Africa and Portugal could also fit in there, assuming if personal opinion comes down to the final decision. Out of this, I suspect that either South Africa or Canada could appear in 2nd or 3rd place respectively given artistry and creativity.
My jury predictions thus far:
1st-Australia
2nd-USA
3rd-France (perhaps Canada or South Africa for either 2nd or 3rd)
My favorite endings:
1st-Australia
2nd-South Africa
3rd-USA
4th-Italy
5th-France
In all, I feel that Australia deserves 1st place, or at least in serious contention for a prize, mainly because everything was practically flawless, especially the effective correlation of the thematic approach while the display itself felt somewhat nebular. I personally loved the attempts at choreography as well as the way the entire display was simply concocted. Finally, you honestly can't go wrong with a display of this caliber, especially in terms of excitement. What was demonstrated tonight was a well propelled display, particularly when it came to the integration, like France, of colors. The effects were also quite unique, though at times, a touch repetitive. I loved the powerful shells that exploded overhead while a lot of those screaming serpents could be typically admired. The opening acted as a beautiful catalyst that really caught most off guard and had the best opening this season. The quality of materials used was totally valued and were ultimately noticeable in every respect; most apparent with the mixtures of materials in between segments. Symmetry was rarely ever lost within the display, especially in between the main ramp areas along the middle and the shells that contain more than one color, safe for one of the gold glittering kamuros obscured somewhat by smoke. In my humble opinion, this was a fabulous way to end the competition, guys.
It's simultaneously true that this display really excited the audience in ways I haven’t seen in a long time, not to mention the way they tended not to give us a break, which reminded me of the Australian display in 2000. They really did a fascinating job and have really been obviously creative. The colors were also an important part of this display since they did it justice in defining many areas of the show in relation to the music. The music itself was highly in acquiescence with what they were trying to collaborate. I personally loved the transitions between certain soundtracks as well. Despite the effects, they did take a lot of advantage in deterring away from redundancy, especially in the colors used. The music, too, was very enjoyable and well respected to both the actual theme and for the enjoyment of the fireworks to the audience. The team received a well-deserved standing ovation for their efforts while I also sympathetically feel good that such a display was not ruined by storms.
Now, off to formulating my individual comments on each show and then to come up with a concise decision! It’s certainly going to be hard for the judges this year and, like every other year, there’s bound to be disappointment since at least 5-6 displays really deserve a prize, but sadly, only 3 can get make it on the podium.
And guys, I'm sorry I was not as in depth as I could have been with the other past 3 displays since I was rather busy for the second half of the competition. But I will be sure to give my respective standard rankings for them; you can be sure.
Cheers,
Trav.
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