Chauvet backs Petty Junkies drive-in
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When lighting a drive-in concert by The Petty Junkies at the new Oasis outdoor theatre in Marion, IL, Upchurch had to weave the empty area in front of the stage into his overall design. “With safety protocol, you typically have the area in front of the stage empty,” he said. “Unless you address it, this creates this jarring blank space in front of your design, which disconnects your stage from the audience.”
To avoid this, Upchurch extended his design by covering the area in front of the stage with bold gobo patterns and colourful crossing beams that flowed seamlessly throughout the area. “My goal was to make the stage and the entire space in front of it look like they were part of one integral image,” he said. “This made the show much more immersive for the people in their cars. It creates a more natural concert experience that people are accustomed to.”
Helping Upchurch accomplish this were 34 Chauvet Professional Maverick and Rogue fixtures furnished by Midwest Music Supply. “Having intense, high-output fixtures was essential to creating the look we wanted,” said Upchurch. “If the light in front of the stage wasn’t punchy, our plan wouldn’t have come off.”
Upchurch used six Maverick MK1 Storm Washes for front fill and 12 Maverick MK1 Spot fixtures for all the “fun stuff” crossing patterns. “The Storms we used at front-fill because they have a great wash and can make it if we have bad weather. We were fortunate to not have to worry about the weather, though. The spots gave us the output do all the fun and crazy lighting stuff that really helps bring the energy and punch to the crowd,” he said. “Underpinning it all was colour from our 16 Rogue R2X washes.”
Colour combinations played a key role in creating looks that supported each song during the show. To accommodate the limited parameters of a drive-in environment, Upchurch tended to rely on basic two-colour blends, creating evocative looks with mesmerizing magenta and greens, as well as violet and greens. “Something about those colour combos just makes me happy when it fits with the music,” he said.
