Bale worked for KOL for the last four and a half years, since he was originally asked onboard by co-LD and the show's creative designer Paul Normandale. This latest tour is a co-lighting design between the two of them, on which Bale is also working closely with video director Phil Woodhead and live visuals director & Catalyst (digital media server) programmer/operator, Phil Haynes.
The lighting rig is based on 10 trusses, all moved into different positions throughout the set via a Kinesys automation system. This is operated by Yose Lawson and Andy Beller.
Each truss has a cluster of Element Labs VersaTUBE LED fixtures attached to the front of it which are driven by Hayne's Catalyst. The front trusses form a chevron shape and are clad with Barco MiTrix screen, crowning the top of the stage.
Lighting fixtures in this set-up comprise 18 Martin Professional MAC 2 Washes, 20 MAC 700 Washes, 11 Atomic strobes, 23 4-lite Moles, six with scrollers, eight Omni photo-floods dotted around the stage and four 4.5K Big Lites, two positioned either side of the drum kit and two upstage. In addition to these are nine 9-way Svoboda battens and six individual floor PARs. For the UK and European legs of the tour, all lighting kit is supplied by Blackburn UK based Lite Alternative.
All of this is controlled via the Expert, on which Bale comments, "It's a perfect sized desk for an arena tour of this size - offering plenty of power and options without being at all over-complicated."
(Jim Evans)
