Ginny from the Blog

The only laser show I’ve ever seen is the one that lights up my living room floor when I break out the laser pointer to amuse my cats. So I had no expectations last night going into Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” laser show at Morehead Planetarium. That’s probably a good thing, because if I had expected anything more than I saw, I would’ve been disappointed.

You can catch Pink Floyd, U2, Led Zeppelin and classic rock laser shows at the planetarium every weekend through Nov. 22.

It’s not that it wasn’t neat to see swirling tunnels of light projected in the domed theater. That part was very cool. It was the one time in life where I enjoyed being nearsighted. I took off my glasses and let the lasers blend together to create a trippy effect. If the entire show would’ve consisted of various swirls, zig zags and other special effects, that would’ve been stellar.

Instead, I watched the most literal interpretation of “Dark Side of the Moon” played out before my eyes. After a while I couldn’t help but snicker. Every time you hear a saxophone, a cheesy clip art-looking laser image of a sax popped up on the screen. During the song “Breathe,” when David Gilmour sings “home, home again” a laser image of a  house pops up … “It’s good to warm my bones beside the fire” features a laser image of flames … and “the tolling of the iron bell” features — you guessed it — a laser bell. (Flickr photo by ericskiff is from a Phil Collins laser show, but you get the idea).

Even though Pink Floyd intended “Dark Side of the Moon” to be more direct and specific, I can’t help but think Roger Waters would have a good chuckle over the laser interpretation of the album … particularly the moon-headed man in “Brain Damage” who portrays the lunatic. But who knows, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe Pink Floyd commissioned the laser show I saw last night. A Google search produced no details on the origin of the show.

That said, the laser show was absolutely worth the $9.50 admission, if you are a huge fan of “Dark Side of the Moon.” I haven’t listened to the album in years, but there was a time when it dominated my CD Player in college.  I need to break it out the CD and upload it to my computer.

But if you’re in the mood for some real “Dark Side of the Moon” nostalgia, I recommend listening to it while watching “The Wizard of Oz.” The band can deny a connection all it wants, but it’s definitely a better soundtrack than the munchkins singing. Best of all, you don’t even have to own a copy of the 1939 film because the Pink Floyd version has been uploaded to YouTube. I just watched the scene where the house is lifted into Oz, and it’s pretty amazing (see above).

If you saw the show, let me know what you thought. Different strokes for different folks.