Hi everyone,

If you would like to share your thoughts/comments/reviews concerning this (second) opening display, please feel free to do so here!

Trav.

This tribute to Prince was a very good show entirely designed by the local company GFA Pyros. From a ride in the Grande Roue early in the evening, I found the firing ramps slightly more loaded than last week, but only by a small margin. Nevertheless, the quality of the display was much better : there was no synchronization problem, I perceived very few repetitions, and the pyromusical design was more elaborated.

The soundtrack included 14 segments from Prince’s songs. The transitions were well done, so the outcome sounded as a continuous 30-minute performance, or so. The audience obviously appreciated this choice of musics. It was vocal and showed enthusiasm several times. Of course, people expected a lot of purple products since this colour is a signature of Prince’s visual productions. The anticipated Purple Rain segment appeared close to the midpoint of the show and featured, among other things, great kamuros filling the sky with their glowing trails and ending with a purple finish. Generally speaking, I would say that selection of colours was a key component of the pyromusical design during this display. For instance, red products were prominent during I Wanna Be Your Lover, I Would Die 4 U, and Little Red Corvette. The Diamonds and Pearls part was dominated by white and other pale twinkling stars. White products were favoured during Cream.

Readers of Paul Marriott’s and Mylène Salvas’s interviews with designer Éric Cardinal already knew that some forms of character-shaped mines were going to appear at the start of Raspberry Beret. Six racks along the third ramp could be seen before the dusk. They came into life producing a sequence of “1 2 ... 1 2 3 4”. That was a very fast sequence and I am afraid that many viewers missed it. It could have been very effective to also use the same type of devices for “Diamonds” as that word is spelled during the corresponding song.

If that show would have been in competition, I believe that jury members should have taken into consideration two minor weaknesses. Beyond some shaped patterns and the ghost shells on I Would Die 4 U, the material didn’t feature very complex effects. Furthermore, no nautical product was displayed tonight, something which surprised me. That being said, the fifth ramp was very effective to display massive proximity effects, which elicited reactions from the audience. But some nautical products also contribute to bring the show closer to the audience and to make the most of the site.

The finale on Let’s Go Crazy was interesting. Following a climactic barrage of noisy products, I came close to feel disappointed how the musics and the pyrotechnics gradually phased out. Fortunately, that first part of the song was similar to a faux finale and the show gained in intensity again, leading to an actual – and effective – finale!

Official Opening

Before the show, at 9:20pm, Michel Lacroix hosted an official opening ceremony where Sophie Émond, promoted president of La Ronde during the pandemic hiatus, did her first IFLQ speech in that capacity, followed by the competition director Martyne Gagnon. For the record, I would like to highlight three interesting elements of Ms. Gagnon’s speech.

First, she introduced this opening display as the 314th show since the beginning of the event in 1985, a count which does not include last week pre-opening display. Thus, La Ronde clearly considers the pre-opening, pandemic-related show, as a special one, “hors series.”

Second, she announced that a 30th country is going to be represented this year. This is accurate as far as Hong Kong is considered as a country, a choice made as soon as 2003 when a first company from the island competed in Montreal.

Third, there was no mention that one of this year recruits would be the 100th company to participate in the Montreal International Fireworks Competition, according to my record. Because some companies have merged, have changed their name, or have similar names than competitors, it is complicated to hold an accurate count (more to come!).

She ended her speech with her signature “Longue vie aux feux!” Then, the GFA Pyros team was introduced to the audience. Michel Lacroix performed a countdown perfectly synchronized with the start of the show and the lighting of the Grande Roue and the Jacques-Cartier bridge. Also, Michel Lacroix did the traditional call “Que tombe la nuit! Que la fête commence!” rather than “recommence,” which is emphasized by the slogan of the competition this year. Last week, he clearly stressed the prefix.

The attendance was better than last week, but the crowd still appeared to be relatively modest. A lot of car spaces where available in the back side parking lot and I didn’t feel the amusement park to be crowded. Perfect summer night weather, neither too cold nor too hot and humid, with windy conditions to avoid smoke accumulation and a crescent moon in the backdrop combined with the fireworks for a very enjoyable evening.

Fred

My report of the opening shows is here: http://montreal-fireworks.com/ReportBlog/?p=1657

Paul.