RiverBender Blog: I Went to a Pink Floyd Laser Show

I recently went back in time with a Pink Floyd laser show.

Now, you might be thinking: “They still have those?” And the answer is, apparently, yes. I was just as shocked as you, dear reader, as I sat in my seat at the St. Louis Planetarium and tipped my head back to enjoy an hour of lasers and rock 'n' roll.

I had no idea what to expect. I like Pink Floyd, but I don’t know their entire discography, and I had never been to a laser light show before. Like a lot of what I do, I was along for the ride, down for whatever happened, and just happy to be there.

This go-with-the-flow mindset tends to work out for the best. I end up at a lot of weird events and doing a lot of weird activities — cow-babysitting, anyone? Ordained minister, who? — but I also have a lot of fun. This was no exception.

The show was incredible. Sitting there while “Great Gig in the Sky” pumped through the speakers and dozens of lasers spun around on the ceiling, I think I had an out-of-body experience. There were zero thoughts in my head, just lights. I was blown away.

If you’ve never been to a laser light show before, let me paint the scene. The planetarium is pitch black with stars projected on the ceiling, so it literally feels like you are sitting under the night sky. You’re probably thinking, “Okay, maybe it looked like the night sky, but there’s no way you actually felt like you were outside.” And you would be wrong. Believe me or don’t, but it felt like we were sitting in a field under the stars. Constellations twinkled in the distance. It was bizarre and fascinating.

The stars fade away, so the room is entirely dark. And then all of a sudden, you hear the first beats of a heart. This is how “Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd begins. And with each heartbeat, a laser joins the ceiling until there is a beating red heart in lights above your head.

Does this sound trippy? I’m trying to put into words how trippy it actually was. The entire show was me thinking to myself, “This is trippy,” and then something even more wild would happen. The kaleidoscope of lights overhead blinked and retracted and pulsed and then fell down around us so it felt for a moment like we were enveloped by them. It was WEIRD and AWESOME.

By the time the lasers faded and I emerged, squinting, from the darkness, I was fully ready to change my entire life. Pink Floyd tends to have that effect on people. I stumbled out of the planetarium and swore to be more dedicated to the Earth and the people around me. I was all-in.

Great art has the power to do that to you. Not only were the lasers a work of art in their own right (and a very cool one at that), but the album reminded me of the power of truly incredible writing and music. As you go through your everyday life, it’s easy to forget how beautiful it can be.

Even the media we consume can become nothing more than routine. How many times have I popped in earbuds for background music or turned on the TV, not to be moved by a story, but to distract myself from regular life? Oftentimes, the movies, music, television and books we engage with just become noise because we don’t take the time to truly appreciate them for what they are.

Sitting in the dark, surrounded by one of the greatest rock albums out there, there's not much more to do besides appreciate it. I truly listened to the album, just listened, for maybe the first time ever, and it was so moving.

That’s my challenge to you. Maybe laser light shows aren’t your thing, but I bet you have some music you really love. Take some time this week to fully listen to it, to actually experience it. Engage with it and enjoy it. And maybe, like me, you’ll emerge a little changed, too.

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