Monday, September 22, 1997 Lasers light up nights at Griffith
Observatory MUSIC: Mix of visual and audio effects makes for
incredible performance
By Mike Prevatt
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Is it too crowded at Universal Citywalk and Third Street
Promenade? Too sweaty for you at the Palace? Tired of dodging
construction barriers in Westwood? How about a little trip to the
Griffith Park Observatory?
It sounds more like a field trip, right? Well, not really. By
night Griffith Park plugs in the P.A. system, revs up a laser
projector and cranks it all up for what’s known as Laserium, the
ultimate trip through sight and sound. Laserium, billed as
"Southern California’s longest continuously running theatrical
attraction," combines laser animation and effects with popular
music in a performance that’s totally live.
A "laserist" performs each show, much like a musician performs
during a concert, using $250,000-$300,000 worth of equipment.
Images are projected onto the domed screen and "developed," using
other effects, choreographed with the music pumping out of the
stereo system.
"It’s kind of like an old-fashioned analog synthesizer, only it
does it with light," says laserist Tim Barrett, who both conducts
the shows and helps design the equipment. "We’ve got banks,
oscillators and all kinds of gizmos we can manipulate to run this
projector. And we play the living shit out of it!"
"It’s so much fun, I can’t begin to tell you," Barrett
continues. "I play instruments, French horns, trumpets … and this
is all that and more. It’s terrific."
Laserium runs many different shows during their weekly schedule.
Two debuted this summer: Groove 103.1 Laser Visions and Star 98.7
FM Totally ’80s 3-D laser show.
Groove Laser Visions centers around ambient, trance and
electronic dance music with laser images generally following an
outer space motif. While artists like Enya, Enigma and the Orb play
on the stereo, images of planets, spacemen and star clouds bounce
all around the screen.
"The visuals were just incredible and really well done to the
music," says 28-year-old Westwood resident Tony Donaldson. "It
flowed really well, and the fact that the visuals were set up live
was amazing."
His girlfriend, Jen Weber, 21, "liked the fast parts. I wished
there had been more techno because I really liked when the lights
came out at you during the faster songs."
One audience member after the performance exclaimed, "That show
would have been incredible on acid!"
Star 98.7 Totally ’80s show is different than Groove Laser
Visions in that the audience dons 3-D glasses for an even more
intense experience. Perky and upbeat ditties like New Order’s "Blue
Monday," U2’s "I Will Follow" and the B-52’s "Private Idaho"
compliments bombarding laser designs and configurations almost
close enough to touch.
Totally ’80s is already a bona fide hit. "The response for the
’80s show is fairly larger than any of the other shows, probably
because of the big ’80s hype," says Natalie Tarpinian, a
spokesperson for Laserium and Laser Images, Inc.
"This Totally ’80s thing just goes crazy!" Barrett says.
"There’s hollering and stamping in the aisles. (It’s more)
slam-bang roller coaster-like … those shows are very fun to do
because the crowd excitement is amazing."
For the Halloween season, Laserium will debut Fright Lights on
Oct. 1. Playing off the horror themes, Laserium promises a more
thrilling visual performance, highlighted by music from Metallica,
Oingo Boingo and Squirrel Nut Zippers, as well as a mixture of
creepy oldies.
"We’re working on the show right now," Tarpinian says. "It’s
really cool. We’re looking into older Metallica and maybe some
Danny Elfman tunes."
Surely, students will flock to the Laserium for these shows,
just as they always have. In a survey conducted last spring, almost
60 percent of the audience is under the age of 24. But that doesn’t
mean that the older demographic shies away from the shows. "Our age
group varies," Tarpinian says. "It’s very odd. It ranges from 18 to
65. It’s huge."
Laserium’s popularity leads to sellouts during the weekends,
especially with the Totally ’80s show and an alternative rock show
called "Lollapalaser." But don’t wait for laser shows to become
shopping mall staples anytime soon.
"I think it’s more of a niche thing, like jazz," says Barrett.
"The popularity is kind of hanging there, and I don’t know if it’s
going to go sweeping the country. It’s tough to learn, and there
are so few outlets for it. It’s tough to reproduce something like
this."
Laserium still plays Pink Floyd’s "Dark Side of the Moon" and a
shortened performance of "The Wall," despite trying to remove them
from the schedule. "We just can’t take them out of the list,"
Barrett says. "People keep calling, saying, ‘Put it back! I can’t
see my Pink Floyd! I have to see it!’"
How much longer Pink Floyd remains a Laserium staple remains to
be seen. But the future of Griffith Park’s biggest nighttime
attraction contains all sorts of different shows. Laser Holiday 3-D
looks to bring eclectic holiday music in a fun presentation, and
coming soon is Groovin’ ’60s 3-D, with music from the Rolling
Stones, Jimi Hendrix and the Supremes. And the technical aspect of
Laserium is ready for a change, too.
"We’ve got a new console we are trying to develop, a new
performance instrument," Barrett says. "It should allow us to do
less menial housekeeping to get the show going and allow more
performances of the show." Barrett also would like to take Laserium
out to a bigger audience, like an outdoor rave.
Until Laserium goes electronica, it will stay nestled in the
hills of Griffith Park, just up the street from the Greek Theater.
Make sure to get there early, for crowds and parking are both
unpredictable. But nothing is as unpredictable as the performance.
Check out the trippiest place in town.
LASERIUM: The Laserium is at the Griffith Park Observatory, off
Los Feliz Boulevard. Tickets are $7-$8 dollars for students. For
information, call (213) 664-1191 or (818) 901-9405.
Griffith Park Observatory
As Southern California’s longest running theatrical attraction,
the Laserium gives live laser performances with feature shows like
Totally ’80s and Pink Floyd’s "Dark Side of the Moon."