Blue Öyster Cult Tour Breaks New Ground in Technological Sophistication

With the help of one of the country's most advanced optical physics laboratories, the Blue Öyster Cult have developed the most sophisticated laser light show ever created for their new national concert tour. Costing well over $100,000, the laser system is capable of producing effects far more dramatic than any ever incorporated into a rock 'n' roll show. 

Among the devices that the Cult will integrate into their show are: lead singer Eric Bloom's bracelet, which is actually a small prism assembly capable of projecting a swirling cone of laser light wherever he points his hand; drummer Albert Bouchard's laser rifle, with which he explodes containers of mylar-reflective flakes that fall in a shower on the audience; and Albert's clear plexiglass drum riser, which contains additional laser and multi-optical devices for bathing the stage in a wide variety of effects. 

Although the show was primarily designed for use in enclosed halls, the outdoor concerts Blue Öyster Cult are slated for will demonstrate the flexibility of the entire system 

The laser's 21 watt capacity (roughly 20 times more powerful than most commercially available lasers) is enough to write on clouds in broad 

The laser system will be augmented by a myriad of theatrical effects designed by a Broadway effects house. Conventional lighting will come from a 120-instrument, double truss theatrical lighting system (gargantuan by rock standards) which powers among other things, ten of the most powerful laboratory strobe lights ever manufactured. Custom-designed, ultra-powerful flashpots, which Pearlman describes as "semi-nuclear" punctuate the guitar-wrenching climax. 

A full complement of technicians travel with the vast array of sound, light and theatrical equipment. The laser system (which in itself carries a $10,000 insurance premium) is specifically attended to by an optical physicist retained by the Cult for the duration of the tour. A specially designed digital computer system is used to handle the pre-programming of many laser effects.