Sky Elements, the drone show performers that have for years now had the hearts of the Drone Girl team, has now captured the hearts of pretty much all of America. Sky Elements is one of a rare crop of performers to have made it to the final round of America’s Got Talent Season 19.

And the team, led by Chief Pilot Preston Ward, is set to take the stage in the America’s Got Talent finals on Tuesday, September 17. The show will air live, where it’s recorded at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium near Los Angeles, California.

Sky Elements is certainly vying for the $1 million prize, but the drone light show company’s impressive run on the show has been about far more than just that. Here’s the inside scoop on the America’s Got Talent drone show — and what you need to know ahead of the Sept. 17 finale:

The Sky Elements AGT run, so far

Sky Elements has long been putting on drone light shows all around America. You might have seen one, as they play out at prominent locations like baseball stadiums and rodeos. In fact, Sky Elements put on my first-ever in-person drone show, an Oakland Athletics Star Wars Light Show. Their drones have appeared on national TV before, such as for the Grammy Awards.

Sky Elements is largely considered the biggest drone show company in the U.S. It’s even one of the biggest drone show companies in the world.

The America’s Got Talent audition

But Sky Elements got a big boost on June 4, 2024 when it appeared on Episode 2 of America’s Got Talent Season 19, which was one of the audition episodes. That audition in itself was quite unique because drones flew in the skies over Pasadena, rather than inside the audition studio— as most other acts do.

Performing at Quarter Finals

Not only did Sky Elements get past the audition phase, but — once on the show — their 1,000 drone show nabbed the Golden Buzzer from Simon Cowell. That show recreated scenes from the moon landing. Perhaps Simon was delighted by the anonymous astronaut performing the spacewalk who turned out to be, well, Simon Cowell himself.

Watch that show here:

From there, the shows kept continuing. Sky Elements put on a show for the Quarter Finals, this one circus-themed. The faces of the judges appeared in the sky, each as a different type of circus performer. That included Terry Crews as the ringmaster, Sofia Vergara as a trapeze artist, Howie Mandel as a magician and Heidi Klum as a fire breather.

Check out that episode here:

And while America was already captivated by the drone shows, Sky Elements proved their emotional prowess as much as their technical know-how in what might have been their best show yet.

An emotional Semi-Finals performance

During the semi-finals, Sky Elements put on a drone show that told the story of Chief Pilot Preston Ward and his infant daughter, named Briley Rose, who tragically passed away in 2020. Set to the song “Butterfly”, which was by another AGT finalist, Lily Meola, the drone show expressed Preston’s grief and optimism through imagery like butterflies and a rose. I personally felt chills during the ending, which had drones create the shape of a phoenix in the sky.

With that show, there was hardly a dry eye. And also with it, audiences nationwide voted to send Sky Elements to the Finals. That’s what we’ll see on Tuesday night.

But if there’s one thing you see between now and then, you must watch (or re-watch) the touching Butterfly show:

Why Sky Elements on AGT matters so much

Sky Elements has consistently delivered breathtaking displays of aerial choreography, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with drones. Their ability to synchronize multiple drones, creating intricate patterns and formations, is truly mesmerizing.

It’s a first-of-its-kind act to make it this far

Not only did Sky Elements showcase drones as creative entertainment — but their performances have given AGT something more than the more “expected” acts like dance troupes, magicians and singers. This is the first time we’ve ever seen a drone light show make it this far on America’s Got Talent.

Now this technically isn’t the first drone light show on America’s Got Talent. In fact, Verge Aero appeared briefly on the show back in 2022 as part of a version called “AGT:Extreme!”. That spinoff version of the show focuses on talents like stunt performances. Judge Simon Cowell gave Vero Aero a Golden Buzzer back then (as he did with Sky Elements this season).

Verge Aero famously builds the Verge Aero Composer software, which is a fairly simple drag-and-drop software so you can design your own custom drone show. Watch the 2022 Verge Aero performance here:

We’ve also seen some smaller-scale uses of drones on America’s Got Talent. For example, way back in 2016, a tiny fleet of drones flew in tandem with human performers on stage in an act by Japanese multimedia dance troupe Elevenplay.

Drones get a better name

As a dedicated drone enthusiast, I’ve been eagerly awaiting Sky Elements to get national recognition. Drones have long had a negative connotation in areas like spying or data security. Sky Elements deserves massive credit for making America see drones as beautiful, witty, creative and emotional.

Drones get a personality

Earlier shows like the circus performance were highly entertaining. But especially in the last “Butterfly” performance, drones took on an incredibly emotional act.

Sky Elements is not the only drone show company out there. But perhaps why Sky Elements made it to ATG as opposed to other shows is their ability to tell stories through movement and light. Each single contributes to a larger narrative, their choreography is always visually stunning and emotionally resonant.

That Verge Aero show in 2022 was certainly impressive, but it didn’t have the connection that Sky Elements has.

Chief Pilot used his art to tell his own, deeply personal and sad story — and it’s something many who have lost a loved one can relate too. It’s this very human element that sets them apart from other drone show companies out there.

“Who knew that drones could make you so emotional? That was a surprise. That was so beautiful,” said judge Sofia Vergara in reference to the “Butterfly” performance.

Related read: How much does a drone light show cost?

What to expect from the America’s Got Talent finale with Sky Elements

Tune in to NBC on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET to watch the finale, which will feature other acts including standup comedian Learnmore Jonasi, singer Richard Goddall, dog and owner dance duo Roni Sagi & Rhythm and quick-change magician Solange Kardinaly.

What can we expect from the final Sky Elements performance on America’s Got Talent? While the specific details are under wraps, Sky Elements has revealed the title for the final show, which is “The American Dream.”

I’m confident that Sky Elements will raise the bar even higher. Based on their previous performances, we can anticipate a stunning blend of technology, artistry, and emotion. I’ll be there in-person at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium to witness the show myself.

Now you don’t necessarily have to make up your mind on who you’ll vote for until the live show actually happens on Tuesday night. But if your mind is made up (and yes, I’ll admit mine is), make sure you vote. The America’s Got Talent rules limit votes to 10 per person — and you can bet I’ll be giving my 10 to Sky Elements.

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Curious about how to put on your own drone light show? Check out either the Drone Dojo light show kit, which you can unlock with a Blue Belt Membership. Or, consider the Drone Blocks light show drone kit, which costs about $7,500. Check out the Drone Blocks drone show kit review.

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