If an entertainer had to perform a different show every few months at a completely different venue, all without practicing, he would call it crazy.
If you add in the fact that at one specific show, 3 billion people worldwide were tuned in for the performance, the stakes were raised to insane proportions.
For the companies providing fireworks for the 2002 Winter Games, it's par for the course.
"It's not like a stage where you can do the same act over and over. Each time has to be unique and special," said Philip Butler of Fireworks by Grucci.
"We also don't have the luxury of each location being similar. For us every place is unique and has its own set of problems and requirements. Without any rehearsal, we have to just put our reputation and notoriety on the line every time and do it."
Three companies ? national powerhouses California-based Pyro Spectaculars by Souza and New York-based Grucci and hometown favorite Fireworks West, based in Logan ? were chosen a year ago out of 11 companies at a fireworks "shoot off." At the event, each group had 3 minutes to impress Salt Lake Organizing Committee officials.
The three companies will provide the pyrotechnics for the opening and closing ceremonies, the nightly Medals Plaza show and a nightly show in Park City.
Both Grucci and Souza are established family companies. In the past 17 years, Fireworks West has also provided fireworks for many big shows.
Grucci has done the past six presidential inaugurations, Fireworks West provides all of Disney World's arsenal and Souza did the Atlanta and Los Angeles Olympic fireworks.
As for three competitors working together, Grucci Vice President Phil Grucci said they have all worked together before and are comfortable with each other.
"It's great that during the time that the world comes together, three companies that are often competitors come together to entertain the world," Grucci said.
By the looks of it there will be plenty of work to go around.
"I can't even ballpark how many shells we'll use throughout the course of the Games," said Jim Souza, co-producer of the shows. "They range from special effects to big shells to close proximity shells."
While each area provides its own special set of challenges, each fireworks show also must specifically work into the event, matching the feel of what is going on.
"Each show has a different emphasis and there are different nuances," said Fireworks West's Vice President Al Burns. "For instance, at the Medals Plaza there will be a more elegant touch and the pyrotechnics have been designed to blend in the unique staging.
"In the opening ceremony there is a lot of pageantry and the fireworks production lends itself to that. The idea behind the closing ceremony is to leave everybody with a picture in their mind that they will never forget."
As for more information on what they will do for the closing ceremony, everyone remains tight-lipped.
"Asking us to tell what effects we're going to do is like telling everyone who's going to light the caldron," said Souza. "It's better that everyone doesn't know so that they are surprised."
For Grucci, the surprises is what makes it all worth it.
"We've got some secret surprises up our sleeves for the ceremonies," Grucci said. "I still get excited to bring something new to a show and getting asked afterward, 'How did you do that?' And with what we have planned, I'm pretty confident that there will be plenty of that after the ceremonies."
E-MAIL: pthunell@desnews.com