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Fireworks 2021

Was there last night and whilst it wasn’t *the* best, it was pretty incredible!! The only slight disappointment was the lack of a proper story - I was expecting a more narrated history of Alton Towers with more classical music than EDM. The pop mash up in the middle was a bit weird as well. However saying that, the 80s and 90s segments were absolutely epic, especially the Oblivion/Sandstorm mix!
 
s_g_k said:
However saying that, the 80s and 90s segments were absolutely epic, especially the Oblivion/Sandstorm mix!
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Agree with this, it was the best bit. Closely followed by the emotional section being interupted by the Smiler’s laugh and then the large display that followed. Loved that.
 
DistortAMG said:
Could possibly be linked to where you stood, I have not heard this years so cannot comment to much. But what I do know is sound (especially outdoors) can vary massively depending on where you are stood. It is almost impossible to get perfectly balanced sound across the whole area, especially with the large line array / floor standing bass cab setup they are using. This is also usually very noticeable at festivals. They do usually give a good level of balance and pressure to most of the crowd though from what I know.

Bass is always notoriously bad at throwing out to the back of large crowds too, a large part being that the crowd physically absorb the soundwaves, so one method to counteract this, is using more powerful bass cabs, this does lead to the bass appearing to overpower the rest of the audio near the front though, plus, being so far forward you are not usually in the direct path of where the majority of the audio is getting sent out from hanging line array speakers which carry the mid and treble parts of the audio, making the issue worse to your ears. It is not always possible though, to be stood in some of the better positions to get the most out of the audio setup. In the general area of the control booth is usually a good shout though, especially if that is where the audio is being mixed from. As that means that whole area 'should' be flooded in pretty decent sound.
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Really appreciate your knowledge here; taken into account and had a much much better experience from a different spot last night so thank you! :D
 
James564 said:
Really appreciate your knowledge here; taken into account and had a much much better experience from a different spot last night so thank you! :D
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We were stood towards the back of the lawns just to the right of the rear left speaker stack and whilst the DJ was playing music through both the lawn stacks and the stage stacks, it sounded pretty awful and out of sync and I was starting to get a bit worried. Then at 1845 the stage stacks were switched off, the lawn stacks were raised into position and the volume was cranked right up and I thought the sound quality was flipping insane. Deep bass that went through you but a decent “wall of sound” as well that was as loud as most people could take it but not distorted in any way.
 
s_g_k said:
We were stood towards the back of the lawns just to the right of the rear left speaker stack and whilst the DJ was playing music through both the lawn stacks and the stage stacks, it sounded pretty awful and out of sync and I was starting to get a bit worried. Then at 1845 the stage stacks were switched off, the lawn stacks were raised into position and the volume was cranked right up and I thought the sound quality was flipping insane. Deep bass that went through you but a decent “wall of sound” as well that was as loud as most people could take it but not distorted in any way.
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Yeah so much bass that I was wondering if they'd bedded the new stained glass window with extra putty!!
 
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Here's my video of the show from Saturday. It was absolutely spectacular. I somehow managed to get my phone recording with its wide angle lens but I think that gives the video a much more immersive and realistic view of the show.

No video does the sound justice (mine is muffled at times because of the wind). Loved the remixes of Nemesis, The Smiler and Hall of the Mountain King by Imascore, really hope they release them on Youtube like they did with the firework finale from the other year. Anyway, if you watch it, enjoy!

 
Just got back home from Sunday’s fireworks - WOOOW. What a show.

I still think 2015 is probably my favourite, but 2021 has got to be the most ‘epic’ show they’ve done. So much going on!

The rest of the park was a total shit show, but the fireworks saved the day.
 
Fantastic show this year. The story vanished two thirds of the way through and we just got random music but other than that I cannot really fault it. Brilliant music, especially using the old Towers Street soundtrack. The lasers during the Thirteen segment were rather epic, and even the CO2 blasters added to the show.
 
My impression was that, whilst it was not the best pure fireworks show, as a whole package it probably was the most impressive and effective set up. The lasers, screens, CO2 and fire effects and sheer quantity of lighting was very impressive. I was also amazed to see a pipe feeding in haze to almost the entire perimeter of the lawn area - this added to the effect from the lights and lasers.

The story was also a lot less contrived than usual and therefore easy to follow. And finally the covering of the lawns was a master stroke. It allowed people to appreciate the stage area without slipping everywhere.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable show.
 
This is the first year I haven’t made it to the fireworks at AT for eight years I think and I’m feeling like we missed out

It really is a testament to both Alton Towers and Jubilee fireworks. I think Jubilee are probably the best or one of the best companies for pyromusical displays in the UK.
 
MattyH said:
Using the lights to highlight the Towers at various points throughout the show really added another level to remind you of the spectacular surroundings
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Mmm I can still never get my head around the fact you see the beautiful historic towers in the middle... and to the right is a roller coaster that goes upside down 14 times. Makes no sense but the contrast is amazing
 
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The lawns behind the lake are used as the firing area for the smaller fireworks and I’m sure that her ladyships gardens are used for the big stuff, but I was wondering whether other areas of the park are used for the really big fireworks, such as fountain square or on the towers roof perhaps?
 
s_g_k said:
The lawns behind the lake are used as the firing area for the smaller fireworks and I’m sure that her ladyships gardens are used for the big stuff, but I was wondering whether other areas of the park are used for the really big fireworks, such as fountain square or on the towers roof perhaps?
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They also fire fireworks from near Dark Forest (near where darkest depths entrance is), in front of the towers (where sub species containers were) and I also believe inside her ladyships gardens. Not sure if they fire from anywhere else though.
 
I didn’t go this year and it could of been the wind direction but I could hear the fireworks louder in my garden than normal.
 
When I went on the Saturday, there was a fairly brisk breeze from the West, and I remember our friends saying earlier in the day that they hope they still go ahead!

At about 6:45 they set off a single shell, which I don’t think they’ve ever done before? I wasn’t sure whether it was a) a mistake b) to test how far the wind would carry the fireworks, or c) as a “get the heck onto the lawns” final warning
 
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s_g_k said:
When I went on the Saturday, there was a fairly brisk breeze from the West, and I remember our friends saying earlier in the day that they hope they still go ahead!

At about 6:45 they set off a single shell, which I don’t think they’ve ever done before? I wasn’t sure whether it was a) a mistake b) to test how far the wind would carry the fireworks, or c) as a “get the heck onto the lawns” final warning
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I saw that lone firework too, I think it was a test for the wind speed/direction
 
I think we’ve only had one or two “iffy” days in all the years I’ve gone to fireworks where there was a little bit of uncertainty about them going ahead, but that Saturday night was a whole other level. The test firework going up clearly showed things were really on the edge of being acceptable to fire. I dare say if the wind was at the level is was in the back half of the show when winds picked up a little again, they would’ve pulled it, so we were very very lucky!
 
Craig said:
I think we’ve only had one or two “iffy” days in all the years I’ve gone to fireworks where there was a little bit of uncertainty about them going ahead, but that Saturday night was a whole other level. The test firework going up clearly showed things were really on the edge of being acceptable to fire. I dare say if the wind was at the level is was in the back half of the show when winds picked up a little again, they would’ve pulled it, so we were very very lucky!
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And I suspect if the wind was in the other direction ie blowing over crowd rather than the gardens then they would've pulled it too!
 
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