Team Dominator member Tim Jameson attended the recent 2nd annual Pyrofest near Pittsburgh PA. Tim has a ton of experience when it comes to fireworks and particularly pyromusicals, so his expert views on the event are well respected. Tim resides in MD and had this report when interviewed on the event.
How many people would you estimate attended?
By the time the fireworks displays started, I would say there was in excess of 10,000 attendees. People started arriving at 3:00 when the gates opened and there was a fairly steady flow of folks arriving throughout the day right up until showtime.
What was the admission?
Admission was $22 for adults, $16 for students under 18, and children 8 & under were free of charge
What area did you watch from, and where would you recommend for the best viewing?
We arrived early and got a great spot about 30′ back from the control table, dead center of the display field. If you are going to watch the displays, this is the best spot and also provided a good viewing and listening spot for the live music which was playing throughout the afternoon/evening hours. The concert stage was set up to the side of the display area, facing perpendicular so our spot was great for both. The V.I.P section did not impress me much as it is located towards the back of the viewing area and sits a little down hill from the main display site. The main advantage I saw for the V.I.P. section was it had it’s own beer stand, aside from that, I would prefer to sit where we were.
How long did the 3 shows last combined from start to finish?
There were actually several pyrotechnic “events”. A short daytime display which was about 3 minutes in duration was fired around 7:00 pm. There was a tribute to the troops segment which consisted of a few devices which was fired around 8:00. Phantom Fireworks fired a product demo, traditional style display, at 8:45 with the main displays of the evening beginning at 9:00. The Fantasy in the Sky display was approximately 8 minutes in duration, followed by a 13 minute display fired by Ricardo Caballer Ricasa, and the night ended with a 22 minute display fired by Pyrotechnico.
How is the parking situation, any tips for future attendees?
If you arrived early, parking at the site was a breeze and a very short walk into the main venue. Arriving later meant parking towards the rear of the park and a fairly long walk into the venue. Those I talked to who parked off-site and were shuttled over were less than happy at the wait times to exit. Exiting for those who parked on-site was slow but well organized.
How would you rate the over all venue / shoot site for this event? Short description why?
The size of the venue was excellent, plenty of room for everyone to not feel cramped, but not the greatest venue for fireworks. The “frontage” part of the display area dropped off from left to right about 20′ over a 600′ stretch which wasn’t bad, but the shells and larger comets/mines had to be fired from behind a section of trees towards the rear of the display area which dropped off pretty good. This caused shells to appear to break lower in the sky, but did not hurt the overall performance of the displays. More limited what devices they could use in their displays than anything. Caballer was the only display which attempted to use large bore mines. Fortunately, the quality of their product is at such a level as to pull it off. Not sure typical Chinese product would have reached heights needed to be seen from above the tree line.
How far from the displays were you, and how was the sound system?
I would say we were approximately 200′ from the frontage. The sound system was outstanding. Pyrotecnico brought in a huge portable stage complete with concert level sound. Probably the best sound I’ve ever encountered at a fireworks display.
What show was your favorite of the night and what was the most memorable scene?
For me personally, Ricardo Caballer Ricasa’s display was easy the favorite of the night. The choreography was outstanding, product level was second to none, and the soundtrack was very powerful. Put that all together and you see why they are easily one of the top pyrotechnic companies in the world. It is too hard to pick out one scene from the display, it was just that good. The “Alice” segment of the show was very dramatic, one of the best combinations of music and fireworks I’ve ever witnessed. The crackle segment at the end of the 3rd song set was unbelievable and I cannot even begin to describe the feelings stirred within me during the finale. Like I said, there is a reason this company is one of the best in the world and they put it all on display that night.
Which show would you rate the best soundtrack of the night?
This is a very tough call. Caballer’s dramatic, powerful soundtrack was probably my favorite since that style is my preference for my own soundtracks, but all three soundtracks were solid. The Fantasy in the Sky display was a wonderful mix of Disney based theme music and was put together very well. Pyrotecnico’s Rock Loves II was a fun soundtrack which I could directly relate to as it was based around music of my “time” and they did a nice job of mixing in voice overlays from the artists between music tracks.
Will you attend next year?
To be honest, it would depend on what companies are on the ticket, but if the ticket has the same level of quality on it as this past Pyrofest, there is a good chance. If the question was “would you recommend this event to others?”, then yes, by all means. The price of admission was more than fair for the entertainment value. My fiance and one of my daughters made the trip with me and they had an absolutely wonderful experience.
Thanks Tim!
Here is a You Tube video by SummitBroadcastTV of the Ricasa display by Ricardo Caballer.