Jedi mind trick? After ‘parking jam for nothing,’ Star Wars drone show plans Boise do-over

After high winds kicked up Thursday in Boise, it seemed likely to me that drones performing a free show that evening for Star Wars Day might get blown to a galaxy far, far away.

But organizer Skyworx Drone Shows had the Force on its side, right?

“To anyone concerned about weather tonight: We do not fear the weather,” Skyworx posted on its Facebook page.

Instead, crowds who gathered across the city — primarily near Simplot Hill — were treated to more of a Jedi mind trick.

Rather than playing it safe and canceling in advance, Skyworx waited until after 10 p.m. to share the disheartening news on Instagram — more than 30 minutes after the planned 9:30 p.m. start.

In a statement sent to media Friday morning, Skyworx apologized for the cancellation, adding that the local company hoped to reschedule.

“This free show was going to be a sight to behold, especially for all the local Star Wars fans we now know are out there,” Alden Skeie of Skyworx wrote. “We will be performing many more shows in Boise, and are already in plans to redo this show for the city (maybe later this month).”

It took time for word of the cancellation to spread among attendees sitting in grass on Simplot Hill or watching from spots nearby. Although the decision was posted on Instagram, Skyworx didn’t post it on Facebook.

My 13-year-old son, who went with a friend and his parents (God bless them!), said they found out from “some random dude” walking by on the sidewalk.

My boy arrived home around 11 p.m. with two words before heading to bed: “That sucked!”

And while many Boiseans were understanding — after all, it was a major undertaking facing challenges from Mother Nature — plenty of others felt like my middle-schooler.

“So glad we left when we did,” one Facebook commenter wrote. “I was already so pissed off by 10:15 p.m. If we had to leave when everyone else did in a hour-long traffic jam I seriously would have lost my (expletive). What a disappointment.”

“Is this the drone show?” posted another, sharing a photo of crammed cars pointing in all directions while trying to exit The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints parking lot. “Oh no, just the big parking jam for nothing,” she wrote, adding a laughing emoji.

Multiple Facebook commenters shared phone screenshots of a Skyworx Instagram post warning of a brief delay at the planned start time: “We are still go for launch,” it said. “We have a 15-30 minute delay due to previous weather during our setup.“

But screenshots more than half an hour later revealed the bummer news: “We are sincerely sorry but due to last minute technical difficulties we have decided to cancel tonight’s show. We thank everyone for coming out to show their support and are so sorry this didn’t go as planned. We look forward to many more shows in Boise.”

The show, which was to include 500 drones, would have been the largest ever performed in the City of Trees, organizers had said.

This story was originally published May 5, 2023 at 9:21 AM.