Adams has been on the road since November 2006 and in that time has toured South American and the USA. For these sections, they toured the Avo console throughout and picked up local rigs for each show.
"You need a board that's totally hands on in this situation" says McRobb, "I need to be able to grab and access looks, scenes and fixtures instantly and to be able to improvise and go with the flow in real time - just as he does."
The rig is based on three trusses and a back wall. The back wall contains 15 Skypans and twenty 4-cell Moles. The rear truss features four Novalight High Ground searchlight fixtures and 8 bars of ACLs. The mid truss has another High Ground, eight bars of ACLs, two Martin Professional MAC 2K Washes and two Mole-arrays - a line array style hang of six 4-lite Moles. On the front truss, there are six Martin MAC 2K Washes, three Lycian 2K follow spots, and eight Source Fours for key lighting. The floor has 10 SGM Palco 3 LED wash lights, 15 SGM Giotto 400 CMY moving lights and four bars of Studio Due CS4s.
There are two kabuki drops that peel away, changing the backdrop and revealing different layers of the stage set and lighting as the show progresses. The final upstage section has eight pieces of upright truss at the back, alternated with seven tightly stretched column-like scrims - both elements toned with the Giottos on the floor.
"Each song is fully programmed up" says McRobb, "But things can chop and change randomly, and that's why it's really crucial for me to be able to get to everything I need quickly and easily - which is great on the D4. "The idea is to build the show gradually and not to give away too much too soon."
There is also a B stage in the middle of the arena, which is lit with some additional Palco 3s and the front truss wash lights. McRobb is working with a Siyan crew of 4 - crew chief Iestyn Thomas, dimmer maestro Dave Mathieson and technicians Tom James and Will Yapp. The tour is scheduled to run until autumn including summer festivals.
(Jim Evans)
