Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

ENTERTAINMENT:

Sam’s Town launches new water and laser light show

Mystic Falls at Sam's Town

Christopher DeVargas

Mystic Falls Park, pictured here inside Sam’s Town on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011, features a newly revamped laser light and water show.

Mystic Falls at Sam's Town

Mystic Falls Park, pictured here inside Sam's Town on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011, features a newly revamped laser light and water show. Launch slideshow »

The technological artists behind laser shows at Walt Disney World, Six Flags and Cirque du Soleil have brought their talents to Sam’s Town.

The Boulder Strip property recently debuted an updated laser light show with new music, more sophisticated effects and a wide range of colors. The free attraction plays three times nightly in the indoor atrium between the hotel’s casino and buffet.

“The show was dated, the music was dated and the technology was dated,” Sam’s Town Vice President and General Manager John Sou said. “We looked at what we previously had and wanted to expand.”

The upgrade is the first major renovation of the show since it debuted in 1994. Sam’s Town executives declined to say what the upgrades cost, except to note the price was in the six figures.

Until last month, the seven-minute show consisted primarily of a Western adventure. Music, lights and animatronic characters chronicled the pioneer experience. The new show runs 15 minutes and features several different themes, including an homage to stock car racing and a tribute to patriotism. The production begins as it always has but now segues into the new bits.

“The music literally changes from Shakira to country to big band, with a salute to NASCAR and ‘Proud to be an American,’ ” Marketing Director Melanie Mabry said.

The lasers used in the new show are eight times more powerful than those they replaced and can emit 16 million colors. They also shoot light across the entire pavilion, whereas the show’s earlier incarnation used only half the space. An animatronic bear, eagle and mountain lion growl and move to the music, while fountains shoot water eight stories into the air.

The show was produced by Laser Show Design Inc., an Orlando, Fla., company that develops laser displays for theme parks and planetariums. Las Vegas-based DTB Technical Services designed the theatrical lighting. The company also works on numerous Cirque du Soleil shows, including “Love” and “O.”

And more changes are in store for the production. At the end of November, it will receive a winter makeover with lights, garlands, a holiday soundtrack and falling snow.

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