While this is Coldplay's second world tour with lighting company, Siyan, it is their first with the next-generation three-chip DLP Roadies. They were dry hired to the production by Robin Wealleans' company The Picture Works as part of a package that included sophisticated camera and control equipment.
According to the band's video director, Alan Yates, the Roadies were selected for their high brightness and high-resolution output. They continue to function superbly as an alternative video reference to the IMAG LED sidescreens. In the shows to date, the projectors have been positioned on a tower at FOH so set up and alignment was straightforward and quick. "We often had the luxury of a pre-rig day, and could line the projectors up in darkness," said Yates, who also operates the Roadies. "But on a number of occasions we had to align and focus just ten minutes before showtime, and this was still possible."
The idea of high-output projection video had been introduced by Coldplay's Chris Martin and his creative team back in September last year, with the idea of using it selectively in widescreen format, upstage centre. One of the highlights of the show is when the lyrics of Swallow In The Sea are projected onto the screen while other songs featuring projection video have been In My Place, The Scientistand White Shadows.But these tend to differ at each show, as Yates explains. "Since most shows have been outdoors, this has always depended on when it has been sufficiently dark to get the full impact."
He has needed to rely on all the 25,000 ANSI lumens, 10-bit image processing power and 2048 x 1080 resolution of the Roadie. All video images are stored on a RADlite NG1 video server as high definition (via four SDI video inputs) interfaced to the Avolites lighting desk which is the master control.
Camera feeds are supplied by a combination of five remote control, pan-tilt Panasonic widescreen digital SDI's, two Toshiba minicams, clamped on the side of the piano and three operated Sony D50 digital cameras - all under the control of Alan Yates who is vision mixing on a Sony DFS-700.
The modular design of the Roadie makes trucking and rigging an easy task. Travelling with cable of up to 100m, depending on the retired throw distance and a consequent choice of lens attachments (1.8-2.4:1 and 3.0-4.3 zooms) the Roadie's lamp ballast is split from the projection head.
"On the whole this is a great advantage and will prove a real bonus on shows where we have to fly them," says Wealleans. "The flexibility of that system opens up all kinds of options. As for the performance specs it was absolutely crucial that the projector offered 1040 x 2048 resolution with the Radlite outputting via DVI. We are also delighted with the colour clarity offered by the 10-bit processing, and have been running the projectors at around 90% full brightness."
Alan Yates concurs. "Having now completed a month long tour of stadiums, parks and festivals in the UK and Europe, the Roadie 25K has held up really well in transit, and since most shows were outdoors it has had to endure all weathers."
This is the first high-profile outing for Christie's new Roadie 25K on a concert tour which has seen Coldplay deliver shows in Dublin, Crystal Palace, Glasgow and Bolton, before moving first to Europe and now North America.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
