Concert Pyro

[yeagerb]

Has anyone done any stage pyro for any concerts? I was recently a local licensed lead at touring circus event here in Illinois. Used La Maitre special effects in the show...great experience for me.

The rigging and the other special effects like the Co2 and confetti effects I found fasinating too! Use of propane or fire was absent from this show, but really not requried to achieve the effects desired.

P.S. The circus event was NOT the State Legislators being called back into session...that would be a comedy event!

[Firecracker-Jim]

I work at the treasure island here in las vegas and i help setup pyro for the production and all of it is close prox...its just a bunch of dancers dancing around on pirate ships and crap.

But i occasionally do concerts as well, i worked on the Rob zombie music video and it had all pyro...and we had propane flame projectors, air bursts, gerbs, and flash pots

I have a concert comming up on halloween night, and im doing pyro for my friends metal band and gonna be doing solid fuel flame projectors, gerbs, concussion pots and mines.

Then im filling the whole dance floor with fog from cryojets...Gonne be sweet!

Jim

[Rapier]

I've done a number of conventions and such, but most of my proximate stuff has been out door stunt show type events.

The closest I have come to large concert Pyro was a KISS Tour in the late 80s (the one with the big Sphinx on stage). I was a local stage hand and did some of the CO2 jets with them.

It was fun though (and my first show with CO2 that wasn't Dry Ice in a bucket of water).

[pyroscott]

I used to tour doing indoor Pyro. AC/DC, Ozzy, Kiss, Whitesnake, Rolling Stones, The Who, REO Speedwagon, Styx, etc, etc.

Of course that was a former life. I still do it sometimes. One of those Money/Time things

Scott

[webpyro]

Who burned Michael Jacksons hair?

[pyroscott]

Who burned Michael Jacksons hair?

SHHHH. Thats a secret, but it was not me. Although I did do pyro for The Jacksons too. Oddly enough, it was immediately after the hair incident.

Scott

[yeagerb]

Who burned Michael Jacksons hair?

Justin Timberlake.....

O, wait, that was a different Jackson....

[Dan]

I do quite a bit of indoor, from simple flash pots...to confetti canons, airbursts..gerbs..etc...you name it, I've shot it

Dan

[yeagerb]

Dan,

Did you set Michael Jackson's hair on fire???

Just teasing....I know you and Marty are two of the most experienced folks here at the U with regards to proximate audiance effects and I highly respect/regard your posts on proximate audiance effects. Have you done any indoor flame effects using coleman white fuel??

[Hfireworks]

Dan,

Did you set Michael Jackson's hair on fire???

Just teasing....I know you and Marty are two of the most experienced folks here at the U with regards to proximate audiance effects and I highly respect/regard your posts on proximate audiance effects. Have you done any indoor flame effects using coleman white fuel??

We did a PBR rodeo using cloeman white fuel. It works great for putting the PBR in the dirt. It will burn till it uses up the fuel and will last about 5 min. I hear fire rope from sticky match does a better job.

[pyroscott]

I also use white fuel to display logos in the dirt for the rodeos. For the longer rodeos (more than a week long) I prefer to use propane, but that requires a heck of a big accumulator tank to push the propane through the dirt. However you get a very reliable effect and cleanup is real quick (meaning you dont have to re-rake the dirt again, etc).

Scott

[Dan]

Boe

That cats outta the bag now...I was trying to keep the Michael thing a secret!! ha ha ha...no seriously..that was WAY before my time. I think I was in High School then.

I've never done liquid fuel effects indoors...we've done liquid fuel for simulated bomb drops at airshows...but we use mostly propane for indoor flames..just safer, and easier to control..(i.e. no spills to worry about)

Dan

[Pyroplegic]

Was it ringling? what tour red/blue/gold? I was the pyro tech on the 134th edition 04-05, we used only LeMatre product and equipment. we had large flame columns, not w/ propane but smokeless powder, single use and disposable. it was alot of prox, even compared to rock shows, imo, over 75 cues (a bunch of wireless) close to 400 pices of product of all types, gerbs, commits, mines, flash pots, air bursts, ect. were you the local license? you guys could be the biggest help or the biggest pita. alone it would take the almost the entire hour to reload the entire floor and props, then during the show, between cues, i'd have to prep the next show. with a good local guy we do it all in the hour between shows. and if the local was really good, at the end of the week, i'd give him all the leftover product, rather than the toilet.

[yeagerb]

It was the Ringling Red tour. Yes, I was the local lead and tried to be more of the paperwork guy/Fire Services interface and learn from the shooter who could literally reload the show in his sleep. Yes, all the shots were wireless and it was all LaMaitre product. I did get to unload empties and assisted in the reload to make it easier on the full time shooter. Heard several comments from other Teamsters that said, "this local shooter actually does some work..." - I took that as a compliment Effects included air bursts, comets, mines, flitter mines, 1x25 gerbs, cannon sims...lots of indoor pyro.

I have to say that for me, personally it was a fantastic opportunity to learn the close prox business and really enjoyed the 5-day 9 show (including the Fire Service walk through) work pace. The shooter was great to work with and I hope I was more of a help then a PITA.

I have to say though, my idea of, "The Greatest Show on Earth" would be 2 hours of indoor fireworks/special effects...think we can convinence Kenneth Feld to change it up during winter quarters?

[PyroDox]

done a few...hundred LOL!!!!!!

Also the *local Pyrotechnician* for touring shows in SC...(since SC no longer recognizes any other State) there are alot more of those now.

As Yeagerb, it sure makes the time go by better by helping as much as the tour pyro rep will allow. However some do have *the attitude* (I'm a TOUR guy....God if you will)....those I generally hang out and wait for the Fire Marshal to trip up. Then when asked.."are you sure, I'm just a local guy ya know".

Most are actually ok people...worked to death with a tour schedule, and once they figure out you do not want their job (at least not me...LOL BTDT), and they find out you can do it faster and the FM won't even follow to check it...things go very well.

True Story:

Was standing on a stage with a Copperfield Pyro guy....Fire Marshal asked for his ATF paperwork....he left the stage to go to the tour bus for it...the FM said....Now remmeber this...I've been looking for that guy for 2 hours prior...nowhere on site...so I'm just hanging out with the FM....

Did he just leave product un-attended in a briefcase in lieu of a day box....locked?

'tell you what...if you approve that, I'll have 15 by the end of the day for our crews".

Guy returns...and the FM asks...wheres your local Licensee?

"I dunno" Well you know you are not going to shoot this without him.

Hi there!...I'm Rick...been looking for you..

After being hammered for the briefcase and not knowing the local was watching it...he was advised nothing gets shot unless the local approves it first...then the FD will approve it.

It really a shock to some...Not sure why...Hell its *MY* license they operate under......correct?

Rick

[Ryan M. Glick]

Hey i do Audio for live events and my pyro guy asked me about using audio for concussions, he heard that Metallica was starting to do that. Does anyone know how they do it and what they would use to trigger it.

[pyroscott]

My gut feeling is that a speaker could not produce the correct frequencies fast enough to emulate a concussion mortar.

A speaker is actually very limited to what it can do because it has limited movement. The explosion from a concussion mortar is actually different because it does not have that back and forth vibrating movement of a speaker. Thus, aside from the initial explosion wher esome energy is transferred to ground, all energy is forced forward.

For example, take a 60,000 watt concert PA system and hang a piece of cloth in front of it 20' away from the speakers. While it will be loud, it will not rip the cloth. Take a single high quality concussion mortar and fill it with the correct compound, hang a cloth in front if it at 20' and it will blow holes in it.

Now that being said, I suppose it would be remotely possible to simulate something similiar (although it might be loud it could not possibly produce the same heart stopping thump as a concussion mortar), being as I have not actively toured for many years I am not up to date on all of the changes in sound systems. However I am not sure that the benefit would offset the cost. At best you would have to have a bigger PA system and have to pay all the expenses of a bigger PA system, More techs, higher fuel bills, more trucks, etc. vs. paying ~$30.00 for a concussion hit.

Also, the best concussion mortar system I have ever seen was produced by Pyrotech out of Canada. They do the Kiss shows. Their system has the concussion mortar banks sitting inside of a metal box that is a folded horn speaker design. This actually serves many purposes:

1. The firemarshals will allow the effect to be closer to the audience since it is fully enclosed in a sheet metal box and there is no possibility of mortar fragmentation getting into the audience (should a mortar blow apart).

2. The folded speaker design of the sheet metal box actually amplifies the effect, thus reducing the amount of compostion needed

3. These boxes are actually ducted and fans blow all of that nasty concussion powder residue out of the venue.

Scott

[cjurczak]

I have heard of devices that are used to reproduce concussion type devices repeatedly...I believe they were going to be used in a theme park type ride...they were powered by a heavily amplified frequency generator...but the device was specifically designed device, and more of a generic transducer and certainly NOT a run of the mill speaker...I honestly don't know much more about the item...but something I was being shown on a tour with an mechanical engineers at six flags...

[Rapier]

I have to a agree with Pyroscott that a sound generated effect just would not have the same effect as the real thing, especially in an arena. In a smaller space or if just looking for the noise, rather than the actual blast wave it might be able to do an decent job. The explosions in films look and sound pretty good and the audio and video are rarely from the same source, real explosions are actually often pretty disappointing based on what you see with fireworks or in movies.

[Strictly FX Reid]

I do over 200 touring shows a year to see pics or info of my work
www.strictlyfx.com

[infiniteloop]

I do over 200 touring shows a year to see pics or info of my work
www.strictlyfx.com

wow, your stuff looks amazing!

[Palafox 2-step]

So what is the going rate for a local pyro to assist with the traveling crew for concert shows, ie someone who knows all the AHJ's but no license is required?

[Associated Pyro]

So what is the going rate for a local pyro to assist with the traveling crew for concert shows, ie someone who knows all the AHJ's but no license is required?

If a license isnt required, why would a touring company hire a local pyro?