Pyrotechnics has become a huge part of large-scale arena and festival events across the globe. Used creatively, it can add a huge sense of impact, particularly to the pop and rock genres where lighting and sound are just not enough to fulfil the excitement quotas audiences now demand.

However, here in South Africa, “pyro’ – as it is abbreviately termed – seems to have been limited to high profile sporting events or for international artists who bring their wild, top dollar spectacles to our shores.

But all that seems to be changing. Pyrotechnics is becoming increasingly common in our local events and, as it turns out, we have a handful of companies which specialise in this sort of craft. Artists and promoters are also starting to demand these extravaganzas of orchestrated fire in an attempt, I assume, to propel their events from good to out of this world. This is a good thing.

The first time I personally was exposed to pyrotechnics was back in 2002 during the Pop Disaster tour stop in Virginia Beach, USA with punk rockers Green Day and Blink 182. It is well known that Green Day has an affinity for pyrotechnics and I, a small town boy thrust into the US rock touring scene, was green behind the ears never having been close to or witnessed the technique personally. Needless to say, standing side stage with Dee Snider from Twisted Sister and various other rock stars who were watching the show, I had no idea what was coming. The safety personnel were all a flurry, curiously counting down and I stood there like a fool wondering why everyone was putting in earplugs or sticking their fingers in their ears.

It caught me off-guard. The explosion was enormous and I could feel the impact of the pressure wave on my face. I’m sure the 40 000-strong crowd could too; at least the first few rows. My ears were shocked into a ring and I felt disorientated momentarily. But what a rush!

This got me thinking. Pyrotechnics is serious business. Anyone caught in the blast of one of these charges is surely going to be in serious trouble and, indeed, there have been many pyrotechnics disasters in entertainment history with the consequences ranging from minor injuries to death en masse. After all, who could forget The Station nightclub fire of 2003 in Rhode Island, USA where 100 people were killed as a result of a pyro display during a Great White gig? This illustrates just how much of a concern safety is when using pyrotechnics.

Recently I caught up with award winning pyrotechnics experts Fireworks for Africa (FFA) to find out more about this unique brand of event wizardry. If you’ve been to an event in South Africa that involves pyrotechnics, chances are it was their doing so, for the purpose of this article, they were the logical point of contact to learn more about the art and science.

But first, a little history.

Way back when

Stage pyrotechnics – or, “proximate pyrotechnics’; meaning the pyrotechnic devices are in close proximity to an audience – obviously has its roots in traditional fireworks which span over 1 000 years. The first documented origin of fireworks goes back to China in the 7th century where it was invented; eventually making its way into Chinese festivals and rooting itself into their culture and tradition. Around 1240 the Arabic peoples assimilated the Chinese knowledge of gunpowder and it is said that by the 13th century it had found its way into Europe, possibly at the hands of Marco Polo or crusaders who had brought it from the East.

By the mid-17th century Chinese fireworks were very popular in European society. Lev Izmailov, ambassador of Tsar Peter the Great once remarked of Chinese fireworks: “They make such fireworks that no one in Europe has ever seen.’

Of course, we would have to wait until the 20th century for the rise of stage pyrotechnics as we know it and the pioneers of incorporating this technology into their shows was undoubtedly Pink Floyd with their iconic smoke blast at the climax of Careful With That Axe, Eugene. Other bands like The Who, KISS and Queen soon followed suit, incorporating pyrotechnics into their repertoire as well.

Nowadays pyrotechnic displays are very popular in all levels of sports events and entertainment with current artists like Rammstein, Nightwish, Lordi and Green Day being well known for their spectacularly explosive shows (pun intended).

Pyrotechnics in South Africa

Here in South Africa there are very few acts – even top level acts – which incorporate pyro into their repertoire on a regular basis. However, this doesn’t mean we don’t have the expertise or the know-how; we do, despite the fact that it is arguably still a niche industry. What’s more, our boys are actually quite good.

Fireworks for Africa, one of our leading specialists in the craft, has won many awards over the past 15 years and have taken first place in such international pyrotechnics display competitions as the International Vuurwerkfestival, Knokke-Heist, Belgium 2008; KFM Symphony of Fire, Cape Town 2006; Les Grands Feux du Casino du Lac-Laemy, Hull, Canada 2000, 2001 and 2005; and Les Grands Feux Loto, Quebec, Canada 2000 and 2001. They have also supplied pyrotechnics for sporting events such as the 2010 football World Cup, the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations and the All Africa Games while also handling international concerts for artists like Beyonce, Cold Play, Enrique Iglesias, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Bon Jovi and many more.

Commenting on the history of South African pyrotechnics, Nick Mitri, owner and explosive pyrotechnics operator at FFA says: “We first came across stage pyrotechnics back in 1995 when we did the fireworks for the Bon Jovi SA Tour. We did three stadiums in three cities (Cape Town, Durban and Joburg) and fired a fireworks finale “carpet bombing’ while two American pyrotechnicians handled on-stage pyro consisting of gerbs, cascades and airbursts. The material and the two crewmen came from a company called Luna Tech based in Alabama. We were fascinated with this product as we had never come across it previously. I ended up going to the US after that and worked with a pyro company based in Fort Dodge, Iowa. I spent two months there every year, working over the 4th of July season. We then decided to import the pyro and start using it here locally.’

Mitri explains that at that time it was a difficult affair because nobody really knew what pyro was. This proved be a challenge in convincing both his clients and the local authorities that they could be used indoors. The idea just didn’t compute. This hurdle led to a demo with the Chief Inspector of Explosives (CIE) in Pretoria as well as with the local fire departments in each new city where they wished to use pyrotechnics indoors. However, as time went on the authorities grew more accustomed to the technology and the scepticism surrounding it gradually faded.

Pyro-technical

Today there are many different types of proximate pyrotechnics, otherwise called “theatrical special effects’ in the event world.

In a basic sense, a pyrotechnic device comprises a container that is adequately flame resistant and strong enough to hold its active contents. The active contents will almost always consist of highly flammable compounds such as nitrocellulose, blackpowder or a fuel/oxidiser (most common) mixture blended together. The active content particles can either be grains or flakes but the rule of thumb is that the higher the particle surface area, the higher the burning speed and the rate of reaction. Also, some chemical compounds known as binders may be used to “bind’ the powders into solid materials.

Fuels are generally based on metalloid powders and some effects may specify multiple fuels. Some common fuels include: aluminium, magnesium, iron, steel, zirconium, titanium and ferrosilicon. There are many more and they all have their own burning properties. For instance, manganese is used to control burn rates while copper is used as a blue colourant with other fuels.

Oxidisers consist of perchlorates, chlorates and nitrates most commonly while other less common compounds include permanganates, chromates and various oxides. The rule of thumb here is that the less oxidiser there is, the slower the burning rate with more light being produced.

Various other chemical additives may also be added to provide smoke, sparks or colour. For example, strontium nitrate will supply a red colour, charcoal powder will supply a yellow/gold colour and copper chloride will supply blue.

Getting into the types of effects that pyrotechnicians use to build their show, likely the most basic is what is called a “gerb’; a charge designed to eject a fountain or jet of sparks. As described earlier, it consists of a strong, flame-resistant container that holds the active compounds. A plug is found at the exit end of the container with a small hole called a “choke’ which constricts the discharge and increases the size and ferociousness of the jet. Then, what is called an “electric match’, or “e-match’, is inserted into the hole and is remotely engaged to initiate ignition. Control systems can range from a manual system via a switch console to wireless control through a specialised system on a fixed frequency to computer control according to a pre-programmed sequence that follows on-stage cues.

Mitri comments on their chosen control system and the current state of pyrotechnics technology: “Things have obviously come a long way since we started with pyro back in 1995. Our new controllers are radio controlled and fully programmable. Our receivers have a standby time of 60 hours, so it’s not an issue when they need to be flown on a truss. Flames, CO2 jets and confetti have also become part of what pyro companies offer and we are now able to run all of these on DMX. We are able to sit at FOH and control everything. As an example, when we did the recent Ultra SA events in Cape Town and Joburg, we were asked to control from FOH as the LD wanted to cue us. For that event, we had ten firing locations for pyro: four for flames, four for CO2 and six for the confetti and streamers. When we did the stadium pyro for the 2010 World Cup, we had 45 firing positions and fired 4 000 effects in 1 minute and 45 seconds. This would never have been possible with old systems. Not only has the technology come a long way in terms of the pyro we use, but also in terms of how we activate the pyro.’

FFA uses a system by a company called Galaxis, which specialises in wireless firing systems for pyrotechnics while some elements are also controlled via good old DMX. Travis Yeatman, special effects operator, on the system used at Ultra SA says “All the pyrotechnics were triggered via the Galaxis pyrotechnic system. The entire system is wireless on a locked frequency and the configuration is customisable for every venue and event. An Avolites Tiger Touch was used to control a DMX system which operated a dimmer rack for programmable hot power channels which triggered the CO2 jets and stadium shots. The Flamaniac units (flame producing units) have integrated DMX.’

Some things are operated manually, however.

“The confetti blowers are operated manually for easy adjustment of speed and flow of confetti,’ says Yeatman.

Safety

FFA has a very hard stance on safety, which, of course, is mandatory. “Safety is always our number one priority,’ says Yeatman. “If anything isn’t safe, we won’t do it. It’s not negotiable; ever.’

As mentioned, there have been catastrophic pyrotechnic disasters over the years worldwide that have cost lives. There is The Station club incident with Great White, which was particularly destructive, but many preceded and followed it. Metallica’s James Hetfield got second- and third-degree burns by a charge that exploded below him during one of their songs in 1992. In 2008, a pyrotechnic rocket fell off of its cable and landed in the crowd at WWE event and in 2010 WWE star The Undertaker was engulfed in a flame during his entrance. Most recently in 2013 – and probably one of the worst incidents on record – 236 people were killed and dozens injured at the Brazilian night club Kiss during a pyrotechnics accident.

Clearly, poor safety costs lives.
According to Mitri, the first point is that on-stage pyrotechnics must be manufactured and intended for indoor use and the technician must be a qualified pyrotechnician. Here in South Africa, the technician is required to write an exam at the CIE in order to be registered and permits are also required from the local fire department and the CIE for every event. Pyrotechnics are included in the Explosives Act so it is taken very seriously with severe penalties for non-compliance.

“We have found that the American and Europeans are the leaders in the manufacture of stage and close proximity pyro at the moment,’ says Mitri. “We currently use American and British effects for our indoor and stage pyro and Spanish material for our stadium pyro. Our fireworks are made in China, but to be honest, we have not come across anything from the East that we would be prepared to set up and fire close to an audience.’

All products that are imported into South Africa have to be authorised by the CIE and an import and storage permit is mandatory. The company in question has to be registered in order to apply. If the product is new, the CIE may request samples for testing and if approved the product will be registered on a system, making future imports easier.

The wrap

The overall picture I got from researching this article is that Pyrotechnics is an art, a chemical science and very, very dangerous in the wrong hands. In South Africa, companies like Fireworks for Africa are as successful as they are because of a strict adherence to the rules combined with a passion and a flair for technology and creativity. Plus, I’m sure it’s very fun to deal with high explosives! But Mitri, while passionate, is still realistic.

“We are pretty much doing everything locally as is done overseas, but on a very much smaller scale,’ says Mitri. “However, this does seem to be changing slowly as pyro is being seen as an integral part of the productions as opposed to a last minute add-on. Pyro is being included from the get-go and not on the day before show day as was often the case. I’m excited about where pyro is going. It’s being included in all kinds of events – not just rock shows. We get enquiries for literally all kinds of events.’