Cold lasers + Coldplay + cool dome theatre = hot date? Yes, which is surprising given that the novelty of laser shows has waned since the trend crested in the 1980s.
Vancouver's Roundhouse Productions continues to rock the H. R. MacMillan Space Centre at Vanier Park, recently adding Laser Coldplay to a repertoire anchored by long-running faves Pink Floyd: The Wall and Laser Zeppelin.
Although these AV "concerts" skirt cheesiness at every flipped switch, they still pack enough punch to move the jaded Xbox generation.
It helps that Roundhouse and the Space Centre have beefed up the hardware since the planetarium first went stadium pop in 1978. In the early days, only two lasers scribbled simple, three-colour, Spirograph-like patterns on the ceiling.
Today, the auditorium boasts seven lasers with an unlimited palette. Laser effects range from the classic slice-of-smoke trick (green beams shone through a puff of chemical fog) to newer, more intricate configurations, including a 3-D cloud of laser pinpricks that resembles the Horsehead Nebula.
Roundhouse packs its shows with astronomical references, giving the creators the chance to constantly involve Harold -- the planetarium's circa-1968 Zeiss star projector (ironically, a non-laser device).
Rising out of its pit, the giant, lens-studded, dumbbell-shaped contraption blankets the concave screen with the galaxies that lovers don't get to see in a light-polluted city. It has a guaranteed snuggle-inducing effect.
As for the music, the track list draws heavily from Coldplay's recent X&Y album, with the show-stopping numbers Yellow and Clocks added as nods to the British band's previous two releases.
Vocalist Chris Martin's line "Look at the stars; look how they shine for you" has a nice ring to it under this celestial big-top.
Laser Coldplay runs Thursday to Saturday at 9:30 p.m. in the Planetarium Star Theatre at the H. R. MacMillan Space Centre, 1100 Chestnut St., 604-738-7827.
Source: theglobeandmail.com
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