Six Flag Great Adventure Concerts and Events

I have been working at Six Flags Great Adventure for the past 5 seasons in their entertainment department as a show technician. This year in addition to that I will also be working their concerts and special events. I am excited for this new endeavor especially because I plan to start my own concert venue one day, and this will be an excellent learning experience for me.

            So far this season there has been one special event. It was the New York Boys Choir who performed for over three thousand people. For this event Great Adventure used an outside audio company to supple the equipment because the venue had no audio equipment in place. It was just an empty theater that has not been used for years.

I learned a lot from this event. For example, I learned how to take an empty space. and create an audio setup around it. I learned the methods of unloading and reloading the equipment trunk. Of laying cable efficiently, and hidden from audience view. Of setting up and positioning speakers for maximum audio quality. At the end of the event I learned how to properly pack up the equipment. That includes the proper way to roll up and tie a cable.

I am glad that I had this small event as my first event. In a way it was a practice for the future. The next event is a concert on April 29^th in the Northern Star Arena, which can hold ten thousand people. Gym Class Heros will be performing. I am looking forward to working on a larger project like this. I love knowing that what I do behind the scenes makes it easier for the artist to perform and entertain the audience. That is the whole reason I do what I do, to make sure that people have a good time at the concerts I help setup.

This summer should be filled with a lot of learning and fun. It is something I am looking forward to.

Cirque du Soleil

On April 11. 2012, I went to see my first Cirque du Soleil show. It was the Michael Jackson The Immortal Tour, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. They did not disappoint. The show was amazing. Cirque du Soleil did a great job blending together Michael Jackson songs with audio clips from his interviews. It had many styles of entertainment including: a mime, dancers, acrobatics, and gymnastics. It also had great visuals as well such as, videos, props, and costumes.

Cirque du Soleil is known for its’ over the top productions. They are the masters of transporting the audience into the world that they have created. Cirque prides itself on the eight key characteristics that define who they are. These eight characteristics are: acrobatics, acting, art forms from around the world, imaginary worlds, dance, daring, dexterity, and grace.

For the Immortal World Tour they defiantly showcased these talents. For example, there was a performer who portrayed a monkey so well that in the beginning of the show I thought he really was a monkey. The way he moved, and swung his arms was just like a monkey. There was also a performer with one leg. That was not a disadvantage for this performer. He was amazing. The way that he can breakdance, and use his crutches like hand stilts made him by far my favorite performer.

Cirque du Soleil first formed in the early 1980’s in Quebec, Canada. “In 1984, during Quebec’s 450th anniversary celebrations of Jacques Cartier’s discover of Canada, the province sought an event which would bring the festivities to all Quebecers.” That invent was the first Cirque du Soleil tour. Today Quebec is still the headquarters where performers go to rehearse for months to prepare for a show.

Cirque du Soleil has many shows to choose from. The Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour will be touring the US until August and then going over seas. I highly recommend everyone to go and see this great show.