“This show ROCKS!” - Howard Stern

“The Laser Spectacular captures the essence of Dark Side of the Moon” – Alan Parsons

“This is NOT your fathers laser show” – Daniel Joseph Monistere

Chris Tahit
Entertainment Director
Minnesota State Fair

Reviews / Articles:

So ya, thought ya might like ta, go to the show? Shine on!
J.C. Maçek III
The World's Greatest Critic!

The Great, Great Pink Floyd is a sure fire candidate for Second Best Band in history! From their brilliant lyrics, to their rocking psychedelic music, to their shocking and surreal films to their incredible stage show. And just as Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii gave us a "Concert Film" with no Audience, it's not too much of a stretch to imagine a Pink Floyd Tour with an audience... but without the band. Yep, Pink Floyd's stage show, so rife with Lasers, Lights and effects is actually touring without them (any incarnation of them). Well... sort of. Just as Pink Floyd have become Rock and Roll proof of evolution, whether as one band, as a Post-Waters line up, or just Roger Waters solo, the show known as "Paramount's Original Laser Spectacular Featuring the Music of Pink Floyd" has evolved on its own since its debut in 1986. Many of the multi-era images from the prolific career of the Floyd are here, but this is by far not just a stage set without the band. It's a visual and audio experience that can knock you off your feet. The show is overall excellent, if Floyd Devoid.

The show begins with the opening salvos of Dark Side of the Moon and the laser lights began to dance across the three oddly-shaped movie screens on the stage. It was then that we collectively discovered the value of the special glasses. At times, the show isn't much without the refractory lenses that beautifully quadruplicate the visual effects.
It wasn't long before the show's intro melted away and the cohesive genius of the whole began to take over. The unexpected use of Fritz Lang's Metropolis as a backdrop for "Us and Them" is inspired and goes at least as well with those lyrics. The soaring crescendoes of "The Great Gig in the Sky"'s nonverbal verbiage is well complimented by otherworldly animations, and beautiful colors. Where I was officially won over and convinced of the unique and refreshing nature of the Laser Spectacular was during the visual representation of "Brain Damage" and "Eclipse". The visual of "The Lunatic" on the Grass, and all his varying placements was pure brilliant brilliance, and not just a hollow cartoon. "Everything under the sun is in tune, but the sun is eclipsed by the moon."

After an intermission (to let the clearly invisible surrogate band rest for a while), the show kicked back in with "Welcome to the Machine", which began a more diverse half of the show, spread across several albums, and with more lasers than a Star Wars Film Fest. While I still believe that "In The Flesh!" should probably never be performed out of the context of The Wall, the animations and sound quality of that portion were fantastic. As were the other select cuts from The Wall, if only they had a movie to play those songs over... oh, wait! Yes, indeedy, tracks from The Wall were predominantly played over Alan Parker's Pink Floyd The Wall, which alternately succeeded and floundered depending on the choices. When it worked, it worked well, but also stood to highlight how great the Laser Spectacular is when relying on itself, and what makes it individually so great.

Many of the images and motifs from Gerald Scarfe's The Wall animated sequences are beautifully depicted here, completely independent of the Film clips. Not only are they recognizable immediately, but they do their own thing without simply reenacting the stage and movie shows from before. "Comfortably Numb" depicts an abstract David Gilmour atop the bricks during his very fine guitar solo, while "Young Lust" breaks from the film and alternates between sexy images of "Dirty Women" and the grim visage of the Praying Mantis-like wife of Pink. And while "Mother" tastefully blends film, Scarfe-imagery and originality, "The Happiest Days of our Lives" and "Another Brick in the Wall, part 2" miss many opportunities to shine, and rely heavily on the Parker film. Because the Film and Album versions of these songs differ slightly, the disconnect is notable.

Similarly, "Wish You Were Here" passes on the Syd Barrett theme in favor of a pair of cartoon lovers reaching for each other and kissing... repeatedly. Still, whether it's what the audience (or some critic) would have chosen or not, the animation and laser lights are incredible, and go beautifully with the terrific sound mix. Tracks like "Have a Cigar" and "Learning to Fly" add dimensions to already excellent works, and could scarcely sound better, or look better. In fact, more often than not, the show makes the best possible use of its musical muse and either enhances or simply accompanies the pieces. It simply must be drunk in and appreciated, from a relaxed and secure perch. Unfortunately, it was standing room only.

No one would suggest this is as good as or better than seeing the band itself live, and yes, the majority of what is seen, are simply the interpretations of the show's creators, and might not be yours. There are no flying pigs or halos of spotlights behind the nonexistent drumset. However, in saying that, one must tip the old pink fedora to the visions up there. Best of all, the music is never an afterthought, always the basis for the beauty. There may be songs excluded you'd like to see, or inclusions you'd as soon miss, but this is most definitely the show that any Pink Floyd fan must see. Just make sure you see it at the right venue. Balancing the great sound, five star music and the good, bad, and negligent (on the part of the HOB), "Paramount's Original Laser Spectacular Featuring the Music of Pink Floyd" gets a solid Four Stars out of Five. See the music, hear the show and appreciate the irony of a bandless concert. Which one's Pink? This time Pink really isn't well, he stayed back at the hotel. Pink Floyd has never sounded so great, and when the Laser Spectacular stands on its own, on its unique merits and interpretations, it's better than any Rock Video you can imagine, and definitely worth the money to experience.

LASER LIGHTS DANCE TO MUSIC OF FLOYD
by  Ernie Thomas
Midwest Beat
 
 
Ask anyone who has ever attended a concert by the band Pink Floyd and they will likely comment first on the mind-melting visuals employed by the band as accompaniment to their psychedelic/progressive music.
    
The amazing custom-designed lighting effects and the heavy use of lasers are what has always set apart a Pink Floyd show from every other touring band, great or small.  In terms of sights and sounds working in tandem, a live Pink Floyd concert experience is wholly unique and second to none. 
 
While the Brooklyn heavy metal band Blue Oyster Cult were the first to introduce the use of lasers into a rock concert setting during the late 1970s, it was Pink Floyd who evolved lasers from a nifty parlor trick to an art form unto itself.
 
Though the band members themselves will not be on stage performing this evening, the authentic recordings of Pink Floyd will be pumped throughout the confines of Merrillville’s Star Plaza Theatre in full stereo effect as the well-seasoned crew of Steve Monistere’s Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular present a breathtaking laser light show computer-choreographed to the familiar strains of the Pink Floyd songbook.
 
 “The first half of the show is the complete ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ album from start to finish,” explained Monistere of the show’s structure.  “The second half is what we call ‘The Best Of Pink Floyd’ show and it has a lot of the songs from ‘The Wall” in it, with some from “Wish You Were Here’ and others.”
 
Since Monistere first began producing his “Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular” in 1986, the demand and the audience has steadily grown larger, to the point where the show now performs outside of the U.S. and there is talk of creating a second production to enable the show to visit more cities each season. 
 
 “About ten years prior [to me doing this], a few planetariums around the country –– one in New York and the Griffin Observatory in Los Angeles among them –– had been experimenting with doing 15-20 minute laser shows using the music of Pink Floyd,” recalled Monistere.  “Those were good shows, even though they were small productions. People came out every weekend, so they were on to something.”
 
After checking out one of the planetarium shows, the veteran event producer’s brain went into overdrive as he rightly predicting that a generation weaned on “Star Trek” and “Star Wars” would likely flock to something that utilized laser technology on a much grander scale. 
 
 “I took the laid back [planetarium] concept and produced it up into a bigger theater-style rock show.  We gave it a shot in a few markets and it worked.  We’ve just kept rolling with it ever since, constantly evolving and updating the show,” he said.
         
 “Technology has improved tremendously over the last 20 years and we’ve updated and changed the show accordingly,” he continued.  “ The show changes a little bit each year to keep it fresh, but then about every three to four years, it goes through a total revamping. This year we are going through one of those revamps, which should be completed by fall.  So if you see the show now [at Star Plaza Theatre] and then come back and see it again around October or November, it will be completely different.”
 
The Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular utilizes the Roger Waters/David Gilmour-era of the band’s music and does not delve back to their early Syd Barrett years.  That decision is not based on the quality of the Barrett-era music, but rather the quality of the early recordings.  
 
 “When you are pumping music through a giant, state-of-the-art concert sound system, it becomes evident what sounds good and what doesn’t. Those early recordings just don’t have the kind of quality sound we need,” explained Monistere, whose show has the blessing and permission of the Pink Floyd organization and their London management.  
 
 “We have a special arrangement through their video department where we sell and promote a video titled, ‘The Making Of The Dark Side Of The Moon’, from which some short clips are used here and there during the show itself to some extent,” added Monistere.
 
The arrangement works well for the band, not only in regards to their video, but also their albums.  Soundscan sales tracking reports generally indicate noticeable sales spikes in Pink Floyd catalog product in cities recently visited by Monistere’s laser show.
 
 “When we go into a market, there’s usually a rise in CD sales after we leave,” said Monistere.  “What’s happening is that a LOT of young come see the show.  I’m not going to say they never heard of Pink Floyd, but after seeing the show they fall in love with the music and go out and buy it.”
 
Out of an audience of say 1,000 people, Monistere estimates half are older than age 24 with twenty percent of those older than 35.  The rest range between 15 and 24.
 
 “While we do generally get a young crowd, this is the kind of show where you see a 15-year-old sitting next to a 50-year-old and both of them are enjoying the experience they are sharing. This is one of the few shows that you will ever see that sort of thing happen,” he crowed proudly.
 
Proceeds from tonight’s Star Plaza performance of Pink FLoyd Laser Spectacular will benefit The Caring Place of Valparaiso. 
 

Chicago Tribune
By Chris Heim
Laser show has all the ingredients except the band.

Technology is usually talked about in terms of its impact on
medicine, transportation, work and the like. But new tools and processes have
altered entertainment as well.

Concert effects were once considered elaborate if they included
bubble machine or the trippy '60s displays created from colored oil globules
heated and lit by overhead projectors. Those are primitive compared with the
lighting, large video screens and pyrotechnics that are routinely used today.
In fact, concert technology has become so sophisticated that shows can now
dispense with performers altogether.

"Paramount's Laser Spectacular Featuring the Music of Pink Floyd" is
one such show. Produced by Texas-based Paramount Entertainment, a promotion,
specialty-show and concert-equipment leasing and operations company, the
Laser Spectacular features laser and special effects synchronized to music
from Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon," "The Wall" and "Momentary Lapse of
Reason" albums. The 90--minute show made its debut fifteen years ago and,
with continued modifications and additions, now tours some 75 cities each
year.

The Laser Spectacular says Steve Monistere, president of Paramount,
"has all the elements of a live concert without a band." It includes digital
sound pumped through a 10,000-watt concert-quality sound system, elaborate
lighting and props and-the star of the show-the brilliant colors, beams of
light, animated images (displayed on a 2,500-foot screen) and overhead
displays created by laser.

A laser (an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of
Radiation) produces a kind of chain reaction with light. The result is a
light beam so concentrated and powerful it can cut metal. First developed in
1960, the laser was initially used for industrial and technical applications
including digital recording, fiber optics, surveying and microsurgery. It
moved into the realm of entertainment says Monistere, in the early '70s in
Los Angeles. "They put a show into the planetarium there which is still
going," Monistere says. "It's been running now for 19 years. It was the
home base for one of the laser companies there, and they did these shows
every weekend. That got to be popular and they went out, I believe in the
late '70s and early '80s, touring around to other planetariums. Then
eventually they started doing permanent installations for other planetariums.
The planetarium is really where laser entertainment got its foothold."

An excerpt from one cities Concert Line section

We can take each of those drawings and digitize it with the computer,
which means the computer takes a picture of that image. Then we can take
each image and bum it onto a chip. Now that chip is inserted in the laser
computer. It tells the laser what to draw. If the image is, say, a girl
dancing, the little chip where all this information is contained is telling
the laser to trace it out."

The process is analogous to the one used in motion pictures, where
still images flash across the screen so quickly that they create the illusion
of movement.

"It's like taking a flashlight and tracing so quick that your eye
thinks it's seeing the image," says Monistere. "But it's just because the
beam of light is tracing that image so quickly that your eye is tricked into
thinking it's there. It's really one single dot that is tracing it out."

Paramount's show is run by four technicians who Monistere says are
affectionately known as the Laser Dogs. "There's a certain amount of
creativity that they have to draw on when they're doing the show because not
all of it is in the computer," he says. "I'd say maybe 40 percent is
computer-run, but the other 60 percent is them actually calling the shots
live, calling the light cues, calling the laser beam cues that happen out
over the top of the audience.

"There are four lasers that are used in the course of the show. The
number four is not a big number, but it's very deceiving. When a beam comes
out of a laser, it is projected onto a prism that splits it and then [onto]
mirrors that are bounced around. So we can create the look of 8 or 10 laser
beams with one beam. If you have four lasers out there and know what you're
doing, it starts to look like 40 and 50 and 60 beams of light bouncing around
over your head."

Paramount's Laser Spectacular may be, as Monistere claims, the most
sophisticated touring laser show around today. But it probably offers only
the faintest hint of how technology will transform entertainment in the
future.

"It's hard to say what you can expect, but I would say on a
year-to-year basis people who go to see live entertainment events will start
noticing the difference. It will continually change," says Monistere. One
possible change could come from developments in three-dimensional photography
or holography.

"Holograms," Monistere explains, "are produced by a photographing
process using lasers. To my knowledge, there are no true holograms. You
hear stories about where they can create a three-dimensional image of a
person who's not really there. You can walk around them (and see all sides).
I only see that in the movies. I've talked to technicians who claim to be
working toward that end, and every time I talk to one of these guys I tell
them, 'When you get there, let me know. I want it.' If there were true,
full-sized holographic effects that were created in midair, it would be a
revolutionary form of entertainment. We' be able to produce the play 'Cats'
on the stage-with no performers."


Huntsville Newspaper
By Karin Licht
Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular

"Huntsville! This is your -brain on lasers! Any questions?" To the
sounds of Pink Floyd's Darkside of the Moon, A Momentary Lapse of Reason, and
The Wall, Paramount Entertainment presented (to a sold out crowd at the Von
Braun Civic Center) one of the most spectacular events of the season.
"The Pink Floyd Laser Light Show" has been travelling from city to city in
the United States for fifteen years now. They are termed "The World's
Largest Touring Laser Show." The entire show consists of computer images
through laser beam to the very loud music of Pink Floyd. Each drawing done
by the lasers is created, on computer and then transformed to laser image, by
the five technicians who work on the crew. There is also a person who
travels along with the show and deals with publicity and bookings for the
different cities.

The two-hour show filled the audience with a sensation of being at a real
Pink Floyd concert. The music varied so it wasn't one whole album played
before another album and each laser corresponded with the words of the songs.
There were still pictures and movable pictures to the songs, and each one
stimulated the audience even more than the last. There was even quite a bit
of surprise in the lasers for the audiences enjoyment as one of the songs
ended and a laser image gun was slowly pointed at the audience and as the
song's last note and word was completed, the gun (which was a very loud
firecracker) was shot.

The laser presentation was shown on a large screen in the center of
the stage along with two large movie screens on either side showing different
movie clips. There also were laser beam images presented to face the
audience. In other words, the beams were coming toward the audience.
Examples of the images would be a running man for the song Run. Another
would be the building of a wall for Another Brick in the Wall The overall
effect of the evening was fantastic. The lasers were so ingenuitive that
praise is given for such a wonderful show.

FT. PIERCE TRIBUNE
By Deborah Pratt
Pink Floyd Illuminated

Dancing laser beams in vivid rainbow colors will party to Pink Floyd music
Wednesday at the St. Lucie County Civic Center.
The 90-minute touring laser show fires red, green, yellow and blue
laser images over the crowd, accompanied by computer-generated graphics and
animation linked to lyrics. A concert atmosphere develops because of taped
Pink Floyd rock music from the albums "Dark Side of the Moon," "The Wall,'
and "Momentary Lapse of Reason"
Like music television, the show confronts the senses with an array of visual
displays. It is a fabulous production, said Marc Solis, a promoter for the
Paramount Laser Spectacular, which, hails from San Antonio.

When you see things on MTV, you're seeing things on the cutting edge
of television," Solis said. "I think you'll see things on the cutting edge
of lasers."

Writers describing previous shows detailed lasers penning lyrics to
"Another Brick in the Wall." Other images mentioned were a cashbox with coins
during "Money," along with a dollar bearing the inscription "In Rog we
trust," a reference to former band lead Roger Waters. Some described a gun
appearing during "Goodbye Cruel World" and a dinosaur image during "You
Better Run."'

"We selected Pink Floyd because of the drama the music has," Solis
said.

Paramount of Texas, which produces the show, projects images onto a
40-foot screen. Solis said additional 15-foot video screens are set off to
the sides if the facilities are large enough, enabling projection of film
clips.

The touring show has been around since the mid-'80s and under-goes
graphic and animation changes from year to year. Besides the Pink Floyd
show, Paramount has just begun marketing a new laser show featuring classic
rock oldies.

"We're going back to some markets for the tenth year in a row," Solis
explained.

Tickets to Wednesday's Pink Floyd show are $12 in advance or $14 on
the day of the show. People also may buy special prism glasses for $2 at the
show to enhance the special effects. The glasses basically turn one image
into six images.