Symphony Under the Stars (part 1)

Here's pics from the past two days. Click on the picture for a larger version. The weather on Friday was overcast, but pleasant, until a nasty 20-minute storm blew threw and drenched everything and tossed chairs, stands and percussion equipment all over the place. But we were able to recover for an early evening rehearsal (under clear skies--go figure). Saturday's weather was gorgeous. We had a mid-morning rehearsal, and the breeze was refreshing, but bothersome--blowing the pages of the music. There was a bit of a breeze until about 15 minutes before the concert started, and it was absolutely ideal for the rest of the night. Not a cloud in the sky, temperature in the upper 70s, and very little wind. My estimate of the crowd would be over 6,000, though I could probably be convinced it was 7,000. We ended with the "1812 Overture", complete with fireworks which ended with the final cutoff of the orchestra. The roar that went up afterwards brought chills. Actually, I've got goosebumps just writing about it now! I stuck around for about 45 minutes to supervise some post-concert stage clearing, then left for some food and beer. Well, beer and then food. Finally got to sleep in for the first time in ages, but I'm still tired and unmotivated to do anything. But I'm feelin' really, really good!


The stage comes in looking like an ordinary semi truck. This particular one was in West Virginia last week for a Flaming Lips concert. The incoveniently placed light pole forces us into very few workable stage positions. It's not the best position, but it works quite well!
After the bed of the semi is jacked up and leveled, a self-contained hydraulic system raises the sides of the trailer--these become the roof of the stage.
The floor of the stage is pulled out, and then leveled in all areas (probably the most time consuming function).
Hydraulics extend the roof out from the trailer sides, and roof support towers are added to the corners. We didn't hang a sound system, but if we had, there would be some more support scaffolding along the towers and across the top of the roof.
The truck rolled in at 8:30 AM, and at 11:45, the stage company was essentially done. God bless technology and hydraulics!
See part 2 below!

Symphony Under the Stars (part 2)

These are from concert day. Click on the picture for a larger size.


Since the concert is free, you can come and go as you please. Seasoned concert goers will come to claim "their spot" as early as 6 AM. These are the tarps/blankets/etc. marking territories shortly after 9AM. What's remarkable is that no one will try to take over someone else's spot! It's good to live in Montana! The chairs in front are reserved seats for those who don't want to sit on the grass.
About 2 hours before the start of the concert. Far more territories claimed by now. In typical Helena tradition, the bulk of the audience won't show up until the last half hour before showtime.
Ummm....OK.....it was a nice sunny day.....good time to work on a tan......note the cooler.....lots of coolers at this thing.....and considerable amounts of beer and wine consumed, from the reports I've received!
About 90 minutes before the concert, and still not a great number of people. But lots of unattended tarps. This is from the trees at the top of the hill.
This is the "View From the Back Row" that my blog refers to. It's about 5 minutes before the start, so the stage lights haven't been turned on yet. This would be less than half the crowd. There's just about as many to the right of this picture, and maybe half again as many to the left. Next year I get some sort of panoramic lens for the full effect.

Unfortunately, once the concert started, I wasn't able to take any more pics. If I receive any from other people from the concert itself, I'll certainly post them!