Ranging from stand alone displays to highly choreographed events that combine 3-D laser animation, music and video, laser display shows are used to add drama and excitement to concerts, night clubs, planetariums, political conventions, new product releases, amusement parks, and sporting events. Performers such as Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones have all used laser displays during concert tours. The convergence of optical and digital technology, along with smaller, more compact lasers and fibre optic delivery systems, means that laser display shows can be produced almost anywhere. In fact, an entrepreneurial laserist in Aspen, Colorado has developed a nine laser show which operates safely in the back of a taxi cab. On a larger scale, laser display shows have been mounted on the walls of the Grand Canyon, the Empire State Building and Times Square in New York City.
Laser display shows typically require high power lasers to produce visible patterns.
Since the output power of these lasers is hundreds of times greater than safe viewing levels, eye safety is a concern that has been addressed by both the federal and Ontario governments. The Ontario Ministry of Labour's Radiation Protection Service has developed a series of guidelines for the safe use and operation of display lasers. The federal government also requires that written notice, with detailed specifications, be sent to the Bureau of Radiation and Medical Devices prior to laser show performances. The Resource Facility also assists manufacturers and operators by providing access to lasers for testing and makes laser equipment available for on-site evaluation. Air traffic safety became a concern in the U.S. in 1995 when a pilot wa temporarily blinded by light from an outdoor laser show in Las Vegas.