Chauvet gets versatile for ‘bag rock’ band
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Such was the case on 10 March when the Palace stage welcomed the Red Hot Chili Pipers after just completing a Friday-Sunday run of the musical Hairspray.
Like the Palace lighting rig, the Scottish ‘bag rock’ band (not to be confused with the Red Hot Chili Peppers), is also accustomed to bending barriers. The band performs an upbeat fusion of bagpipe and rock music. Keeping pace with their high energy performance at the Palace were 12 fast moving Chauvet Professional Rogue R2 Spots, purchased from Events United.
A night earlier, those Rogues were performing very different functions as stage lights. “The Rogues have proven to be very durable and versatile,” said Cerovski. “They are a permanent part of our rig for the musicals that are performed here. However, they make an easy transition to light the visiting bands. All of their components operate at a fast, accurate pace, and they have a wide range of effects and textures. Their 240 watt light source is bright enough to punch though all the other lights in our rig, even with a saturated colour or a texture. The diffusion is also an easy way to add another wash option if necessary.”
For the Chili Piper show, two of the Rogue R2 Spot fixtures in the Palace rig were positioned four feet off centre on the first electric, while three of the units were on the second electric (one at the centre and one eight feet to either side of the centre). The remaining Rogue units were positioned two on the third electric (four feet off the centre to match the first electric fixtures), and five on the fourth electric. The fourth electric Rogues were configured to have one unit at the centre and the remaining four fixtures spaced evenly at four foot increments.
The first electric Rogues were used primarily for front and down specials, while the second and third electric Rogues were relied on to create engaging angles and patterns in the haze as well as for back light specials and movements. The Rogues in the fourth electric provided back light break ups, movement and a variety of unique looks, all of which are critical to the Red Hot Chili Pipers stage presence.
In addition to the dozen Rogue units, the Chili Piper rig included 12 COLORado 1 Solo washes as well as a collection of incandescent ellipsoidals, moving spot lights and 40 CHAUVET DJ SlimPAR 38 color rendering par style fixtures that were used to light windows on scenic pieces via bounce focus.
(Jim Evans)
