Lighting designer Baz Halpin added 30 Sharpys tothe US leg of the tour after having used them for Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum shows.
"Katy's tour was very theatrical. It was set in a 'Candyfornia' world that was very colourful and thematically-inspired, very much like Katy herself," he explains. "The show was divided into five acts with different colour schemes for each, ranging from pastel to dark to monochromatic."
Halpin found that he needed "very small but punchy" fixtures on the floor upstage and along the perimeter of the stage. "Since we didn't have rehearsals, I wanted a light I already knew about," he says. "With Sharpy, I knew we could match colours with the Alpha spots and also have the benefit of quick, snappy changes of the colour wheel."
Halpin utilized 64 Alpha Profile 700s as "multipurpose workhorses" on the tour. "They have a very strong beam, and I love the style of colour. We could throw a gobo on and use them as Profiles or frost the lights and use them as a wash. They're great for theatrical themes as well as very dynamic up-tempo beams."
Francesco Romagnoli, Clay Paky area manager for North and Latin America, adds, "We're proud that our lights are such an important component of this tour. Mr. Halpin has been a friend of Clay Paky for a while and it's rewarding to see him use our fixtures in such interesting ways."
(Jim Evans)
