Sublime with Rome is a musical collaboration between bass player Eric Wilson, formerly of the band Sublime, singer/guitarist Rome Ramirez and drummer Josh Freese. Their North American tour is their biggest headlining gig to date. They released their new album, Sirens,this summer.
Warner designed the band's tour two years ago when they carried only a floor package. "They wanted to step up their light show for this project," he says. "I was ready to start programming when I had to move over to another client, but thank goodness lighting director and programmer Aaron Craig was available. With his help we've given Sublime with Rome exactly what they asked for."
"The band is playing a lot of various sized venues, so we have a small rig. But the fixtures and placement make it feel larger," explains Craig. "It's not so much about lighting the band but creating a big look. I programmed six or eight songs. The rest I do on the fly, since they don't always follow the set list. That's a lot of fun for me since most of my other shows are all cued out."
All fixtures are mounted on a mid-stage beam truss in an asymmetrical V shape. Twelve Sharpy Washes light the audience; 12 Sharpys are under hung and used to make the big looks. Eight B-EYEs are suspended on tail down pipes; they act as a general wash for the tour's three opening bands and as added texture for the set. The fixtures were obtained from Clearwing Productions' Milwaukee office.
"The Clay Paky fixtures are perfect for this band - nice and punchy; they look really good," Craig reports. "I've used Sharpys before but this is my first time with B-EYEs. They are performing very well - we have had no problems whatsoever."
Francesco Romagnoli, Clay Paky area manager for North and Latin America, added, "It's great to see our fixtures on another tour this summer. Scott and Aaron are great designers and have put our lights to great use."
(Jim Evans)
