Fireworks
The weather was really painful today in Montréal. Humidity was over 85% and temperature climbed at 32 Celsius degrees. Needless to say that there was a visible smog. I was hiding from the weather in the comfort of UQAM's AC when I saw the t-15 fireball announcing the imminent start of the fireworks. It was a big green ball over the bridge, the air was so heavy that there was a big halo all around it. The sky had faded back to black before the bang could reach my observatory. I was disappointed that I forgot about the show but a quick look at my watch confirmed that still could make it so I dared to sprint on my bike across the Saturday night traffic in the damp weather.
The weather was painful but it was perfect for such a show. I arrived just on time, dripping sweat like a marathon runner. Tonight's fireworks were particularly great. The high humidity could carry all the sounds with a strong echo and the smog was inflamed in an eerie aura with every flash. Tonight's contestant was France. They did In the Hall of the Mountain King. You could feel the climax coming with great low altitude ground work. There was spiraling strait traveling rockets, alternating colors and each time climbing higher and higher. Then then the fireballs, many simultaneous big and bright fireball with the loud echo of the bangs. Some people even started to leave thinking such a climax could only be the final.
Fortunately it was not. It soon came to Temple of Love, the (1992 ?) version with the female signer. There was solitary small really bright flashes. Alone that part could have been boring but it followed the music nicely until the lyrics came to "fire from the fireworks up above me" and the sky was filled with heart shaped fireballs for a few minutes. The show went on with mini climaxes and we would not see a particular kind of rocket being over used. Every song hand a dominant type of fireball and groundwork. The final was jaw dropping. The width of the St-Laurent was covered with simultaneous explosions. You always see a few really large ones for the final but this time it was more than that, it was like a non-stop bang with multiple smaller fireballs while the bigger ones were expanding. I'm happy to have dared the weather, it was well worth it.