What Happens When Your Fireworks Show Outgrows the Crew

[PyroFL]

Every fireworks show starts with a vision not just of the sky lighting up, but of the people behind the scenes making it all happen.

Over the years I’ve been fortunate to work with some great folks who’ve helped bring my big ideas to life, often in bigger ways than anyone expected.

Like any good finale, there comes a time when the rack needs to be rebuilt not because it’s broke, but because the next show demands something new.

Lately, I’ve felt a shift. The vision is growing. The ideas are getting louder. And the show in my head? It needs a crew just as fired up as I am to see it through.

To be fair, some of the current team would rather bring things back to a simpler time when we were lighting fuses in the backyard and timing things by instinct instead of software and there’s nothing wrong with that. There’s heart in those roots.

My path's leading toward a more immersive, next-level experience, something cinematic, something unforgettable.

So, I’m quietly laying the groundwork for what’s next.

Forming a new team that’s more in sync with the long-term direction, the kind of crew that hears “pyro musical” and doesn’t just nod, but grabs a notepad and starts sketching ideas.

There are still a couple of the original guys who are holding tight to the dream. They see it. They feel it and whether they stay with taking few steps back or jump aboard the new ride, they’ve got my respect.

This isn’t a dramatic exit or a teardown. It’s just evolution.
 New sparks. Same fire.

The love for fireworks hasn’t changed. The bar just keeps getting higher.

And as always the show must go on, Go Big or Go Bigger!

2026!

[Birdman]

Being mostly a one man crew I hit that point after my second e-fired show when I clearly bit off more then I could chew. I learned the biggest budget and brightest ideas are worthless without the other resources to pull it off. It took me a few years to learn my limits.

My suggestion....this might be the year you given the people what they think they want. Then see if if there is a renewed interest next year for the 250th.

As of right now that is similar to the course I'm planning on taking this year. I'm thinking a year off may be good for everyone and bring about a renewed interest and appreciation. I have enough stashed for the core of a decent show. Even if prices skyrocket next year I will still be able to afford to do a respectable show.

[PyroFL]

Absolutely, I think most of us who’ve done this long enough have hit that “one man band” moment.

You’ve nailed it: big vision means little without the support to pull it off.

I tried showing my crew what a scaled-down show would look like … let’s just say that backfired harder than a dud cake.

We normally run close to 600 cues for our 4th of July pyro musical.

For comparison, I’ve done a much simpler New Year’s show the last couple years limiting it to 144 cues.

I build that one solo and the crew helps on-site. Setup takes under 3 hours door to door.

They love that pace way more than putting in the 40–45 hours each year for the 4th of July show, which includes the 8 hours of setup over 2 days each guy works.

So this year, I’m giving them what they think they want a simpler show.

We’re cutting by about 60%, and the physical layout is less than half. They’re suggesting we stretch our New Year’s level gear and cues (9-10 minute show) to over 18–20 minute show for the fourth.

As you know, that’s not even in the same league as our core July production, but I’ve agreed to it, for this year.

Sometimes you have to let things scale back so others can rediscover what made it exciting in the first place like you said, which I did and it backfired.

Respect to you for knowing your limits. I think sometimes stepping back is what keeps us in the game for the long haul.

[Birdman]

You know your situation better then anyone. It will be interesting to see what happens with my plan. It could backfire too. I do have a backup plan if it does.

[PyroFL]

It’s definitely smart to have a Plan B, sounds like you’ve got your bases covered no matter how it plays out. I’m sure whatever you put together will still hit the mark, even if it’s scaled back.

For me, I think the frustration comes from how much has already been invested to get us to a high standard nearly $28,000 in gear sitting in my garage and now there’s a push to use less than $3,000 of it. After years of building toward something bigger together, it’s tough to watch the momentum shift backward.

Like you said, sometimes letting it play out is the only way for folks to see the difference for themselves.

Just hoping it helps reset the vision down the road but am moving forward with plan B which is now plan A.

[KDirk]

Clearly you guys are operating at a much higher level than I am, or even aspire to. I'm pretty much a one man show, getting minimal assistance from others to make it all happen. I started doing what I considered "big shows" (relative to what I've done in the past piddling around with strictly hand lit consumer stuff at a relatively slow pace. 3 years ago I bought a bunch of DR11 tubes, built a variety of my own racks, bought Cobra hardware presently standing at 216 cues (though I do a lot of chain fusing, so get more mileage from my limited number of cues).

Last year was the biggest I've done yet, and probably the limit of what I can expect to do on my own without an actual crew to help. The pace of firing was a bit inconsistent (I went non-scripted, fully manual firing via the 18R2 from a typed cue list and basic outline of the intended timing to the music playlist) but the highlights of the show, and especially the finale were very well received. Despite all that, part of my extended family (and I do this mostly for their enjoyment) has already said they may be taking a vacation the week of the 4th this year, so that kind of kills the incentive for me to spend the time and money to even put a show on.

So much for establishing a family tradition. Apparently my enthusiasm for doing this isn't so much shared, and I'm not going to kill myself putting the production together if that's the lack of support and interest I can count on. Guess there's a good chance I keep my powder dry (quite literally) until next year now. With the potential supply and cost issues presently in play, it may be just as well that I hood onto what I planned to shoot this year. Maybe a year without a show will impart greater appreciation on those whose benefit I've been doing it for. If not, then maybe 2026 will be the end of the line for me to go out with a bang.

[PyroFL]

Hate to break it to you, but from where I’m standing, you are doing a large show. 216 cues plus chain fusing? That’s serious firepower.

The only real difference is I’ve built up enough single shot racks to fly 500 singles which, of course, eats cues like candy, but that’s just a style thing.

For me, those singles are the breath of the show and they bring the whole thing to life.

Don’t sell your setup short you’re absolutely operating at a high level.

I totally get the frustration, though. When you pour that kind of time, money, and heart into something for others, and the excitement isn’t reciprocated, it stings, but here’s the thing … even if your family’s out of town, I say invite a few friends over and still light the sky up.

Birdman and I are cut from the same cloth we love seeing family and friends together for the 4th, but honestly … We’d still be out in a field with just a few folks, smiling ear to ear with the 18R2 in hand.

This might actually be the perfect year to test some ideas you’ve been sitting on.

- No pressure
- No production stress

Just a fun, creative sandbox to try something new.

I hope you end up doing a show anyway. Sometimes the quiet ones are the ones that light the spark for what comes next year.

[KDirk]

I appreciate the encouragement. We've been doing family get togethers featuring my doing a fireworks show of some sort for several years now (since my nieces and nephews conveyed their enjoyment of fireworks, and were old enough not to be scared by them).

It started out with me hand lighting a few hundred dollars of product purchase at retail, growing to last year's show of about $3700 purchased wholesale (not all was shot, I have a large number of leftover canister shells, and a few cakes and other items) with music. With that in mind, being informed half the intended audience was probably going to be gone on the 4th this year really kind of rubbed me the wrong way, since this has been an annual event until now. I may still shoot this year, but the incentive to do so isn't really there. And my concerns over pricing and availability for next year has me considering holding what I had on hand (plus what I'd already purchased additionally for this year) in reserve for 2026.

I love fireworks, and have since I was a young kid. Getting to a point where I could afford to go big, along with the availability of decent firing hardware that wasn't home brewed, or lacking in reliability and safety, took my enjoyment to a new level (even with all the work involved). I still have some time to decide what I'm doing for this year, and maybe will do smaller show strictly for my own enjoyment. I do have other family and friends who will show up, but halving the usual attendance doesn't exactly have me wanting to put in the same amount of work I usually would.

[BMoore]

Nothing hurts worse than having close family members who know this is "your day" not show up. Or a helper that you thought enjoyed this just as much as you make other plans or decide to enjoy the cookout with their family instead of helping one year. Or spending weeks working on a new element that you are so exited about and hear someone from the audience say "It looked the same as last year." Been there, done that.

The fact is, no one is going to have the same level of excitement and enthusiasm as we do and it's something we need to recognize and accept. This is our hobby and we are putting this on FOR other people, not WITH other people, and that includes helpers. I have a few guys who help me out every year, but I plan as if it will be just me. This is supposed to be fun. I'm not going to try to force anyone to show up or work out in the heat all day and all night instead of spending time with their families. Our big personal shows are something we think about all year long and invest substantial resources to pull off. For everyone else it's just one day of excitement every year. So, the desire among others to scale back is completely understandable. But, if you've backed yourself into a corner where you absolutely dependent on your helpers for a personal show, that is your mistake. It is not their job. You are not running a display company. They are not independent contractors. It is just a backyard show. If you start looking for others to to reciprocate your level of excitement to justify what you are doing, you will find yourself sorely disappointed. Keep doing your thing and if the crowd is showing up and you are hearing those cheers when it's over then you are doing it right. That should be the only justification you are looking for.

[Birdman]

A part of the reason it looks like I'm going to take a pass this year is because much of my family is not traveling to where I shoot. My niece is due the week of the 4th so that whole gang is staying closer to home. Another issue is that my parents, now in their 80's, need help opening up the cabin where I shoot which is almost 6 hours away. I normally bring most of my product up over the memorial day weekend and begin some prep. I simply don't have the time or energy to get everything done my parents need help with and deal with my fireworks. I'll be better prepared for this next year.

Then there's the whole tariff uncertainty and frustrations. I've also recently healed from a case of achilles tendinitis that I'd like to give some time to heal up before I go pushing myself too hard. If that should flair up, I won't even have unwilling participants available to help with some of the grunt work I occasionally get help with. There's even some other minor issues that are, admittedly, petty....but still weighing on me as well.

While I know I'll be kicking myself come the 4th, right now I feel I could use a break and a stress free relaxing 4th for the first time in many years. With so few people staying at the cabin, it will be nice to enjoy a 4th with just my parents and my wife. There's usually about 16 of us staying at the two bedroom cabin. So everyone will have a proper bed to sleep in this year. We usually have to stay in a tent or our camper. It will also be nice to partake in the day drinking for a change. I also won't have to jockey for a comfortable place to sit and relax while I kick a few back.

Oh and there was one more new reason that popped up this week. The campground that also has a small firework show on the 4th is up for sale. Since my show usually "competes" with theirs, I feel it would be nice to give them the full stage this year. Plus who knows if the new owners will carry on this tradition. That could mean my show will be the only one on the lake next year for the 250th. It may also be the last show for me at the lake as my parents are considering selling due to their age.

Hope this doesn't come off as a rant or wanting a pitty party. I just wanted to share that the reason are many for why I'm taking a back seat this year. And...yes...it sort of helps me tale comfort in my decision to list them out like this.

[KDirk]

@BMoore, I certainly understand all that, and I'm not really dependent on helper(s) to get the show setup. I can load my racks and do fusing on my own, and while it takes a good while, I'll do it so we can all enjoy the show. With Cobra, even I can enjoy it because I'm sitting in a chair well away from the fire zone, so I'm another spectator, just happen to be pushing buttons. If there's a technical snag, then I have to get up and go into the field. No big deal, especially since I'm not striving for a "professional" quality show where black sky is a mortal sin. I'm just aiming for one that gets people excited, even if there are some hiccups.

Really, my only complaint is that (some of) the very people I choose to put on an annual fireworks show for are probably not going to show up, just because they've tentatively chosen the week of the 4th of July (out of the entire summer) as the time to go out of town. And they know full well the show represents a substantial commitment in funds and time that has to be made months in advance, so it comes off as a bit of an insult to tell me in late April after I've already bought and paid for more product that they "might be on vacation on the 4th". Now I either have to do the show anyway for the enjoyment of fewer people, or store it all until next year, and hope they don't pull a similar stunt again.

I know it probably isn't, but it almost feels like an intentional slight to bail, since I'd already been talking about this year's show in March. At any rate, I'll have to make a firm decision on what I'm going to do here soon, as I start planning the show around the product I have in early May, and begin wiring slats in early June so I'm done and ready by the fourth.

[BMoore]

KDirk - I’ve had things like that happen several times and yes it hurts, but I’m telling you they just don’t get it. Don’t take it personally. They know that you live and breath fireworks, they know the effort you put into it. But they also see it as your thing. In their mind, you can shoot your show whether they are there or not. They feel they are the ones missing out, not you. The whole aspect that part of the reason we do this is for the enjoyment of others seems to get lost. My advice is to go on with your show. Instead of worrying about who won’t be there, be excited about those who are. In my experience, the people who appreciate it the most aren’t often the people who probably should.

[topshelfpyro]

Welp, here is my situation.....

I will spare you the background noise but after shooting "random" stuff for 4 years, I did my first "pyromusical" in 2020 with a good friends help, it was over 500 cues and I very mistakenly thought that (2 people) could do it on shoot day. We worked from 8am till almost 10pm when I said were done, it is what it is, put what we could not do back in the rented uhaul and shot it. It was better than expected but not what I expected (audience still loved it lol). Learned ALOT from that first try. The next year it ballooned to 817 cues and we enlisted help to get it done still working from 9am till almost 9pm with 6 rookie people helping. Went much better other than we were all dead by shoot time. In 2022 it was 867 cues for the backyard and after learning from the past 2 years, we had it set up before 7pm! Went fantastic and was the first "musical" I was really proud of.

Skipped 2023 completely (I couldn't do it), I alone shot 2024 with no music and about 250 step fired uneventful/uninteresting cues. I must admit it was very stress free....LOL

For 2025 we started planning in October 2024 and in Feb my friend told me this was his last year for fireworks and he was going to sell his part of the equipment. Kinda felt like a gut punch but I get it, life changes.

I have WAY too much invested in this hobby of mine to just quit as long as I have a place to shoot. I'm not sure what 2026 is going to look like, it may be smaller, shorter or it may not be, I haven't gotten that far (I strive for about 20 minutes). I am not going to just quit/give up because I still enjoy the creative process and the crowd reaction after a successful show. If my friend that has the place I shoot at loses interest in fireworks for the 4th (she does the party part, food, etc) then I will be in a pickle.

Not sure what the cue count will be this year, my part so far is over 500 cues and I have 2 "crazy" minutes of music left to do but I expect over 900 cues total. They have 3 music tracks to do and I told them to "send it" in order to get rid of as much as possible of their items in my container. lol

Now I have to decide if I am going to buy their equipment or not and how am I going to pay for it more importantly..........

Whatever the future holds I know I am going to have to start setup in the field at least 2 days early to get it done...........glad I buy plastic bags by the case.....lol

Best of luck in your future whatever you do!

[PyroFL]

@ BMoore

I completely hear where you’re coming from and under normal circumstances, I’d absolutely agree. If this were my own solo pursuit something I dreamed up, funded, and pushed forward alone then yes, it would be on me to manage expectations and not rely on others to match my energy, but our situation is a bit different.

Our Fourth of July event wasn’t built by one person with a few helpers it was built by a team. There are ten of us, and every step of the way, we’ve made decisions together, what kind of show we wanted to deliver, what direction to take it creatively, and what gear we needed to invest in for the future.

None of the equipment I purchased was on a whim. It was all agreed upon based on the group’s shared vision and long-term show goals.

So when things shift suddenly not just in direction but in overall effort and commitment it’s not just a personal adjustment; it’s disheartening.

Not because I expect people to kill themselves for a hobby, but because this wasn’t framed as my hobby. It was our vision. Our project. Our goal.

That’s what makes it hard.
I’m not airing dirty laundry or holding grudges I’m adapting.

I’ve come to accept that sometimes visions diverge.

And like you said, no one will ever be as invested as you are in something you’re passionate about, but in this case, that passion was originally shared. That’s the difference.

So this year, I’m taking a step back. We’re scaling down a lot and maybe that’s what needs to happen for everyone to figure out what they really want going forward.

I’ve already accepted that the gear may sit unused. That’s OK, but it’s also fair to acknowledge the frustration that comes from investing so much into a shared dream… only to find out you’re one of the few that are still chasing it.

At the end of the day, like you said, this is supposed to be fun and I’m still finding ways to enjoy the process even if the path forward looks different than expected.

[PyroFL]

@ topshelfpyro

Whew!

Sounds like we’ve both walked some very similar paths. That first pyromusical will humble you fast … it sounds like you handled it exactly the way many of us have, make the best of it, launch what’s ready and laugh about the rest after the finale.

Honestly, what you pulled off in 2022 is impressive. To hit almost 900 cues, finish setup by 7pm, and be proud of the final product that’s the dream. And I completely understand how 2023 ended up as a pause. I’ve hit that wall myself physically and mentally and sometimes that step back is the only way to reset for the next jump forward.

Losing a key teammate is tough. Been there. Especially when you’ve built momentum and shared the vision with someone who "got it."

It’s more than gear it’s like losing part of the foundation. That gut punch? Yeah, I felt it reading your post, but the fact that you’re still planning, still creating, still finding joy in the process that’s what separates real builders from just weekend lighters.

You said something that really stuck: “as long as I have a place to shoot.” That hit home. Same here. It’s not about throwing in the towel it’s about adapting as the circumstances shift.

Whether it’s scaling back, restructuring or simply reshaping the vision you keep firing because it’s in our blood.

If 2026 looks different, that’s ok too. The crowd doesn’t know the cue count they know the emotion and it sounds like you still know how to deliver that, no matter the scale.

As for buying your buddy’s gear … I feel that one hard.

I’ve got almost $30K in equipment sitting in the garage right now and our crew decided to scale back to a third of less of what we’ve done in years past.

It’s a weird feeling to be surrounded by the tools of the dream when the people around you decide they’re no longer chasing it, but if you still are even in a new way then the gear will find its purpose again.

Whatever direction you take this year or next, just know this, you’re not alone in the evolution and you’ve got a lot of respect from others who’ve been on the same ride.

[topshelfpyro]

@ PyroFL

Yea, I agree. When Ga when legal in 2016 I knew I was in trouble not having to "hide" anymore. My first "mistake" was buying my first FireTEK mod and trying e-fire.....my second was deciding music was a great idea..... lol After my friend helped me with the first musical he was hooked even spending to buy equipment, I didn't mind him using mine I just didn't have enough for both of us at the time. It's difficult to share the scripting/music picks/etc but it was still fun at the end of the day. It sucks, like you said, when those that you thought were all in like you are, change their minds but it is what it is.

I am fortunate in the sense that I bought a container to store excess pyro in as well as the ability to start matching and setup of racks, cakes, etc far in advance because I have some space to put it. I know a lot of people frown on that kind of thing but it's a necessity for me at this scale.

I do intend to buy his equipment since it is the same as mine which will give me 1296 cues available (he owned 512 of our total) the rest of the equipment is almost all mine anyway. I hope I don't regret having that amount of cues available to just myself. I tend to over do it then have to scale back. My bank account is already squealing. LOL

We are all going to do what we do regardless of others hopefully. When the real Pyro loses interest that's when it becomes sad.