"Garth wanted to use less power, so that was major factor there," said Butzler, while adding that the 1200's intensity was a huge draw. "With such a high trim, I don't have a strong paintable pallet, but we are still getting good effects out of it with the tight and wide beam. We are up against video, so I needed something that would stand out. Plus it also gives me a great foot candle on stage."
With a tour as vigorous as Garth Brooks, finding a hardy light fixture that doesn't require a ton of maintenance can save the crew major headaches, a factor that has endeared Butzler to the Robin 1200LED wash.
"We have not had to open one single Robe yet," Butzler expounded. "And it rides on the truss, so we aren't babying them."
Butzler created 4 "T" shaped Tyler trusses located between the custom pods with 8-1200's on each, for a total of 32 units. All of the "T's" and custom pods are automated and change positions during the show, giving incredibly dynamic looks. Additionally, a dozen more Robin 1200 units are in the mother grid, helping to illuminate the moving trusses below.
"All of these fixtures have LED cells grouped in concentric rings which allow some very cool graphic looks," added project manager Don Lockridge. "They create some very interesting patterns as well as making bright washes."
The 1200's are used as stage wash fixtures with an extremely bright output. The super-slim Robin 1200 LED Wash features 61 RGBW multichip LEDs with colour output ranging from gentle pastels to the richest saturation.
"Harry, Bob, Kevin and the great people at Robe have gone above and beyond the call of duty to work with Bandit," said Bandit chair Michael T. Strickland. "Their fixtures are robust and road worthy, as well as feature filled. Dave Butzler fell in love with the Robin 1200 Washes and had to have them on the Garth rig. They have been outstanding thus far and we expect nothing less. We wish to thank the Robe team for all their assistance and look forward to more ventures with them in the future. Bandit has a large Robe stock at this point, and looks forward to more in the future."
(Jim Evans)
