(Courtesy Harvest/Capitol Records)
The energy was humming as people of all ages queued up in anticipation for Friday night�s Pink Floyd “Dark Side of the Moon” laser show in Fiske Planetarium.
Kelsey Arnold, a 19-year-old sophomore psychology major, stood with a group of other CU students and said she was looking forward to the night�s event.
�It�s my third or fourth time coming,��Arnold said.��It�s great. You get to listen to an entire album of Pink Floyd and just watch lasers and cool shapes [on the screen].�It�s also nice to see other artists too.�I�ve also been to a Sublime laser show and really liked it.�
Pink Floyd is only one of the many light shows exhibited at the planetarium.
Deno Stelter, a 24-year-old senior astrophysics major and one of the two �laserists� at the night�s spectacle, said Fiske Planetarium has a repertoire of about 12 regular shows but offers a lineup of around 70 laser shows throughout the semester.�Some of these shows include Radiohead, Michael Jackson, Muse, Outkast, Bob Marley and Depeche Mode.
The doors opened and people began filing into the auditorium.�A few daring spectators made themselves comfortable on a raised stage in front where they laid down to watch the show.
The event exuded a casual atmosphere as an enthusiastic �laserist� gave a comedic introduction and safety rundown. Apparently, the likelihood of vertigo and a queasy stomach from all the visual stimulation is very high.
At 10:45 p.m., the room went black, the show beginning with a rhythmic thud, beating in sync with a pulsing electrocardiogram projected on the screen with green laser. The steady beat was soon joined by a cacophony of other sounds: the clicking of gears, a whirr and ding of a vintage cash register, a sinister laugh and a shrill shriek.�It continued to grow in volume until finally the sharp noise rounded off and transitioned into a smooth, mellow guitar riff.
Laser display during the Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon laser light show at Fiske Planetarium Friday, Jan. 15, 2010. (CU Independent/Charlie Sievers)
The rest of the show continued in a similar pattern�hypnotizing, melodious music followed by a sudden jarring noise to bring one back to reality, all while �chromosomal-shaped� lasers oscillated on screen to a backdrop of rotating stars and spinning constellations.
The show ended to whistling and loud applause.
The other �laserist� of the night, Hilary Innes, a 20-year-old junior history and anthropology major, talked about the individuality of each show.
�The show is different each time,� Innes said.��It depends on who�s doing it and depends on the mood they�re in.�It�s one of those jobs you can just have fun with.�
Cameron Tuttle, a 24-year-old senior environmental engineering major and repeated laser show customer, expressed his excitement after the show.
�Hell yeah I enjoyed the show!� Tuttle said.��It�s a good thing to do your first semester as a student when you don�t really know anyone.�
Andrew March, a 22-year-old senior environmental engineering, said he was a newbie to Fiske Planetarium.
�This was my first time,� March said. �I�m graduating next semester and have never been to the planetarium yet or seen a show, so I thought I would come see it.�It�s just a nice thing to do on a tired Friday night after a long week of classes.�
Both Tuttle and March agreed that a laser show at Fiske Planetarium is an important thing for every CU student to experience at least once during their university career.
�Everyone�s got to go experience it,� Tuttle said.
Contact CU Independent staff writer Brooke Segerberg at Brooke.segerberg@colorado.edu.
