The planetarium’s second attraction inspired by rock-n-roll’s legendary Pink Floyd premiered Saturday, Sept. 22 and featured a disclaimer: “You may feel the bass crawl up your spine.” Despite the warning, seats were filled with fans absorbed in the full-dome video experience and the massive sounds of Pink Floyd.
“The Wall” recreates the band’s 1979 concept album of the same title with full-color animation, surround sound digital audio, lasers, special effects, and, of course, songs from the album including “Another Brick in the Wall,” “Comfortably Numb,” “Goodbye Blue Sky,” “In the Flesh,” and “Young Lust.”
Some visuals emulate those from the film, “The Wall,” such as the brick wall, marching hammers, and sexy dancing silhouettes. The rest of the images include real-time pictures, animation, and psychedelic, vivid colors that spiral, shoot, and splash across the screen.
Gerardo Perez, director of the planetarium, explained how the popularity of the band initiated a second production.
“I have always liked Pink Floyd, and originally I wanted to bring only ‘Dark Side of the Moon’; however, once we started showing it to the public, we got a lot of requests for ‘The Wall,’ so we decided to work on that project,” he said.
Preparing to debut a show like “The Wall” requires extensive planning, Perez said.
“[It] can take anywhere from six months to a year, so when we plan a show we really have to think long term,” he said. “We consider[ed] several things, including what people wanted to see, the music’s staying power, [and] what audiences we wanted to target. We really wanted to create something that would appeal to a wide variety of audiences, and as you probably saw during Saturday’s presentation, we accomplished just that.”
Being immersed in digital images and sound for almost an hour may cause some audience members to experience dizziness or nausea.
For those worried about these side effects, Perez said, “We always advise visitors that if they get dizzy, closing their eyes for a few seconds should help. If for any reason that does not help, they are free to exit the planetarium; however, this rarely happens.”
Not one of Saturday’s 70 attendees left during the presentation.
Perez was pleased with the large turnout for the premiere despite a misprinted advertisement in the newspaper announcing an incorrect show and show times.
“I believe that music shows are very popular with students because it is a unique experience,” he said. “The same images and music can have different meanings to different people. We are always open to suggestions; however, since it takes so long to produce one of these shows, we have to consider many things before we actually run with the idea.”
The planetarium has more music shows in store for students.
Perez said, “Currently we are working on a show called ‘Entranced Remix’ [which will feature techno music and laser effects]. Hopefully we get a good response from students, and that way we can produce more shows like it. We have also just started planning a Rock greatest hits show; however, that is still some time away.”
Additionally, the planetarium recently purchased a new educational program called “Extreme Planets,” which narrates the search for extra solar planets and life beyond earth.
“We are truly fortunate to have [such] a facility,” said Perez. “We are one of the first planetariums worldwide to have a digital system, so people in Laredo are actually watching the same things in our planetarium as people that go visit New York, London, or Paris.”
Perez wished to invite all readers to visit the planetarium and enjoy the exclusive events.
“We are truly a lot more than just a planetarium: in reality, we are an immersion theater with the flexibility to offer the public a wide variety of programming. There is truly something for everyone at the planetarium,” said Perez.