An hour long laser light show set to clasic rock music for $4.00? At Retzer Nature Center? In the Planetarium? I couldn't believe it either. I heard about it after I picked up the
Horwitz Planetarium event schedule while at Apple Harvest Fest. They made it sound good. "The Legends of Rock and Roll" Special Event. "Join us for a sound and laser light show experience featuring Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, Van Halen, ZZ Top, Pink Floyd & more."
I didn't know what to expect because it was so unlike a planetarium. I've never known the facility to be used for anything other than stargazing. My feeling was they were going to sneak some stars in there somewhere and there probably wasn't a real laser. Wrong! This was the most exciting laser light show since Blue Oyster Cult. Only there wasn't one laser - there were two.
We must have listened to and watched 20 songs, almost every one by a different band. The digital sound was great and the colors and choreography wonderful. The comfortable chairs relaxing.
The planetarium doesn't own the laser, it was renting it for shows during Apple Fest this last weekend. The laser rock show tonight was the last time it will be used before going back, but may be rented in the future.
The next real planetarium show is Thurs. Oct. 4th at 7:00 p.m. The program marks the 50th anniversary of Sputnik and, like the excellent movie I saw Sunday "In the Shadow of the Moon," reviews the history of the space program and the space race with the Russians to the moon. The program will be followed by an outdoor public skywatch. There's about 11 different programs and 6 public skywatches listed in the latest planetarium brochure, all of them interesting, but none as unique as tonight's laser show.
