Science and Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" to Usher LASERIUM Back to the Bay Area on November 1

Chabot Space & Science Center and Grateful Dead's Rex Foundation to Benefit on Opening Night

OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Opening Night: Bring Back the Light  featuring Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon," is the concert launch of LASERIUM, being brought back to the Bay Area to Chabot Space & Science Center on November 1^st for an Opening Night benefit concert.  That Friday night also aptly marks the night of the New Moon, when it is at its darkest as viewed from Earth. 

Proceeds from the event will benefit Chabot's mission of science education, and the Rex Foundation, a charitable organization created by members of the Grateful Dead to support creative endeavors in the arts, sciences, and education. The evening coincides with the 40^th anniversaries of both the LASERIUM shows, which debuted in 1973, and the "Dark Side of the Moon," released that same year.

Opening event "Ambassadors of Light" will include cultural luminaries from around the Bay Area, including author of Stiff, Bonk, and Packing for Mars Mary Roach, R&B artist D'Wayne Wiggins, pioneer sound engineer John Meyer, medical cannabis advocates and entrepreneurs Steve DeAngelo and Salwa Ibrahim, Trixie Garcia, KFOG personality Rosalie Howarth, business icon George Zimmer, Crucible Industrial Arts Director Steve Young, film producer Henry Rosenthal and others.

The return of LASERIUM was the brainchild of Chabot Executive Director & CEO Alexander Zwissler, who expresses a great nostalgia for the shows that ran during his coming of age in the Bay Area. "For a huge part of the Bay Area population, the LASERIUM shows at Morrison were part of our experience, and the opportunity to bring this excitement and artistry back, and do it in a way that excites the public about science, is something we couldn't pass up."

Tickets for the November 1^st benefit (6:30pm-9pm) are $100/person (a portion is tax deductible) and can be purchased at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/484103  - shows are at 7:15pm and 8:30pm  Includes hosted food, drinks, and science demonstrations.

About Chabot Space & Science Center
Chabot Space & Science Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit interactive science center whose mission is to inspire and educate students of all ages about Planet Earth and the Universe. Located in the Oakland hills, the Center focuses on the earth, life, physical and astronomical sciences, with a 128-year legacy of serving Bay Area communities through exhibits, public programs, school field trips, science camps, teacher training, teen development programs and community outreach; hosts 50,000 students on school field trips and over 115,000 public visitors each year; and offers over 20,000 sq ft of interactive exhibits on a variety of space and science subjects, a world-class planetarium, school classes on over 30 different science topics, hands-on science activities, state-of-the-art classrooms and labs and publicly-available research-level telescopes.

About the Rex Foundation
Furthering what the Grateful Dead started 30 years ago, the Rex Foundation funds grassroots programs that are often under the radar of larger funding entities, yet work in bold, innovative ways to carry out essential work toward a healthy environment, promotion of the arts, protection of indigenous cultures, assisting others less fortunate, building strong communities, and educating children and adults. 

About LASERIUM
LASERIUM was born in the late 60s and early 1970s. Ivan Dryer, then a film maker, was treated to a lab demonstration of a new multi-colored laser at Cal Tech. He was so taken by the purity and intensity of the colors that he decided to make a film and set the beautiful patterns to music. His film, Laser Image, disappointed him though. Even though it was an enchanting visual piece, the lasers, as caught on film, lacked the original sizzle they had when seen live. Convinced that one had to experience laser light live, Ivan founded Laser Images in Van Nuys, California. He gathered together a group of optical, mechanical, and electrical engineers and artists who, in the next two years had crafted an advanced laser projector and choreographed the original LASERIUM show. In 1973, Ivan was granted a temporary concession operating permit from the city of Los Angeles to present at Griffith Observatory and Planetarium.  LASERIUM expanded to many locations in the United States and abroad and has been experienced by over 20 million people. LASERIUM continues to produce new laser shows for tours and for music listening events. The company also produces outdoor laser shows, night club, trade show, and rock concert laser effects, and special effects for motion pictures and television.

SOURCE Chabot Space & Science Center