Sunday, July 13, 2008

4th of July San Francisco 2008


On the Fourth of July, 2008 I was lucky enough to take part in the pyrotechnic display for the city of San Francisco. This was a two part display. There was a barge in the bay ,just off Fisherman's Wharf with about 3,000 shells and there was a setup on the municipal pier in Aquatic Park, with another 3,000 shells, fountains, mines, and candles. I worked on the Aquatic Park piece. Fog rolled in around 8:30 and reduced the ceiling, which pretty much obscured the barge , however since the pier was closer to shore the effects weren't as diminished. The above picture was taken 30 minutes after the show and as you can clearly see the fog has dissipated and the stars came out. Oh well.
It is a rarity for a show to come off "perfect", that is with 100% of the shells firing. This was such a show. The roar of the crowd after the finale is something electric and difficult to explain. I can say, though, that I can understand why rockstars crave the audience attention.I am a part of the "A" team and I am so proud. I LOVE PYRO.



The Site

The Golden Gate Bridge

A tall ship

The Coast Guard patrols Alcatraz and the Bay.

A beautiful day for sailing.

The Municipal Pier, Aquatic Park.


The sun sets, the seagulls fly, and the fog approaches.

"Cheese it ! The cops!"

Looks like a foggy night.



The Crew

CC and the Boss


CC and Lisa sporting pyro balloons


Pyro Trish and the "Shell of Shells", a 12" ball of fun.


Matt "Boom" with the SOS.


Ghirardelli sundaes for Mat and crew.




Pat with Roman Candles.



Waitin' for dark.


Mmm,err, yep. So fuckin' what?


The Bomb Squad

Sirius, the bomb dog, and his master.


"Oh my God!,This must be heaven." says Sirius.

Sirius finds a 10".


His signature.

They love pyro.



The Set Up


The Trans America Building

Alcatraz

A 10" awaits




Across the bay Sausalito erupts



The Show

Different Vantage Points

From the end of the pier




















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