A planetarium, normally known to feature stars confined to the night sky, now showcases other kinds of stars: the ones who rock.
"Music360: Rock on Demand, Vol 1 & 2" fuses music with motion at Santa Fe College's Kika Silva Pla Planetarium. Classic rock 'n' roll tunes blast through surround sound speakers while 3-D animations dance on a 360-degree domed screen at the weekly Friday and Saturday show.
"It's a unique music experience," said Kristin Fiaccato, planetarium assistant.
"There's nothing really like it within 100 miles."
Once the opening song "Back in Black" by AC/DC started the 45-minute show, the images morphed into a dizzying blend of red, blue and green geometric shapes.
"It was a lot like being inside a kaleidoscope," said Gainesville resident Gary Blaskowski.
Between songs, images of counter-culture icons like Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix floated on the screen.
Another audience member, Nick Wagner, described the show's nostalgic nature.
"It's like a visualization of classic rock songs we've grown up on," Wagner said.
"Like someone interpreted the music with animations."
The 3-D scenes rocketed the audience through space at break-neck speeds, followed speeding cars through cities and dashing in and out of imaginary tunnels.
Other bands featured in the program included Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Saturday night's show, "Vol 2," features songs from U2, The Beatles and Pink Floyd.
The program is not typical of a planetarium, but that's OK with Fiaccato.
"We wanted variety," she said. "The main goal of the planetarium goes beyond astronomy."
