Remember When: Laser Light Shows Made Planetariums Rock in the 1970s

The visual aspect of concerts has come a long way over the last half century. However, when rock bands like Blue Öyster Cult and Electric Light Orchestra started to use lasers in their shows in the mid-1970s, it put those acts on the cutting edge of live performances. The concept of setting music to a laser light display was so novel that hordes of music fans went to planetariums around the world to watch light shows set to recorded music.

Laser lights soon became a clichéd part of the rock aesthetic, but they originated in the not-very-rock-and-roll setting of a premier center for scientific research. During the ‘70s, the displays quickly transformed from an academic experiment to a major source of entertainment, particularly in cities around the U.S. For some fans, the shows were a gateway to exploring psychedelic and progressive rock.

The Academic Roots of Laser Light Shows

The mainstream use of lasers for artistic purposes didn’t originate in Hollywood, but rather 18 miles to the east at a lab at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California. Elsa Garmire, a Caltech research fellow, had done her doctoral research on the effect of laser beams on atomic matter, but early in her career, she shifted her focus to the artistic applications of lasers. A filmmaker named Ivan Dryer witnessed some of Garmire’s laser displays at her lab, and what ensued became a key part of rock history.

In a 2002 interview with Fortune, Dryer explained how Garmire’s crisp, dynamic light shows gave him an idea for an alternative to “the blobby light shows they had in the ‘60s.” In 1970, Dryer and another filmmaker named Dale Pelton created a film of Garmire’s light displays with musical accompaniment. The displays didn’t translate well onto film, so Dryer decided to try blending laser lights with music in a live setting.

Lasers Didn’t Rock at First

Dryer, Garmire and Pelton would found Laser Images, Inc.—the company that would eventually develop the famous Laserium series of laser light shows—in 1973. After a few one-off live events, Dryer reached an agreement with the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles to host a series of four shows, beginning in November 1973. By the end of the month-long run, demand for tickets was far exceeding the planetarium’s 600-seat capacity.

These initial shows featured laser light displays set to the Johann Strauss waltz “The Blue Danube.” The first extended series of shows, called Laserium I, integrated classical music with rock numbers by Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Pink Floyd, Wendy Carlos’ pioneering synth piece “Timesteps,” and a jazz version of The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” by vibraphonist Cal Tjader. An even more eclectic blend of music was used for the 1976 Laserium II show that followed.

These were merely the predecessors to the Laserium shows that attracted rock fans by the millions. Laserock was the first Laserium program to have an all-rock playlist. The show paired laser light displays with familiar radio hits like Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon,” The Doobie Brothers’ “Listen to the Music,” and Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Shining Star,” as well as proggy numbers like Yes’ “Roundabout,” Utopia’s “Communion with the Sun,” and Genesis’ “Dance on a Volcano.”

Rocking Through the Decades

According to Dryer, the Laserium shows hit their peak in 1978, just one year after Laserock opened. Laserium continued to update their setlists, incorporating new wave, jangle pop, grunge, metal, industrial, and shoegaze into the shows. There were also several shows dedicated to the work of specific artists, like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Rush, The Cure, Metallica, and Nine Inch Nails.

Despite attempts to remain relevant, demand for Laserium shows steadily decreased during the ‘80s and beyond. The once-popular Hayden Planetarium shows in New York ended in 1982, and more venues ceased to host Laserium in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Even the show’s original host, the Griffith Observatory, ended Laserium’s run in 2002. The final ongoing Laserium show, Aurora Dreams, ran in 2016, one year before Dryer’s death. By the conclusion of these performances, Laserium shows had been held in 46 cities and attended by more than 20 million people.

Though Laserium had come close to running its course by the 2000s, it had already made its mark on the culture. The shows were even referenced in the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ song “Storm in a Teacup” from their 2006 album Stadium Arcadium. Laserium certainly had an effect on the way concerts looked during the heyday of arena rock. And at least for a generation of rock fans, planetariums rivaled arenas as a legitimate place to rock out.

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Photo via laserium.com