The set, video and lighting were designed and built entirely by lighting and video designer Jvan Morandi and his company Placing Shadow. "The set itself consists of large hanging parallelepipeds, which are fitted with high resolution LED panels and large areas for video projections," said Morandi. "The entire 18-tonne assembly is equipped with a vertical automation system attached to the corners of the 3D structures (four triangles, a diamond and a cube), which can be moved to give substance to the scene."
The lighting system was supplied by Agorà and consists mainly of Clay Paky lights, including 36 Alpha Profile 1500s, 12 Alpha Spot HPE 700s and 24 Sharpys. Morandi said: "I think Clay Paky 1500s are the best spotlights around from all points of view: for their optics, colour quality, effects and reliability."
The Alpha Profile 1500s are installed on four 'finger' trusses jutting out from the stage and used both as front lights and for backlighting. Morandi said: "Thanks to the excellent framing system they have, you can direct light onto certain precise areas of the set."
About the Sharpys, he added, "They are incredible lights and of course I'm not the first person to have discovered them. I've mounted 24 on six vertical truss 'candles'. I use them for side lighting effects and often as washlights too; this is my favourite use as they fill the scene very well. Lastly I've used Alpha Spot HPE 700s as side key lights for the fixed lights on the musicians."
The whole set consists of modular components, designed to fit into each other seamlessly. The various parts are arranged in separate layers so that the crew can work together during load in/load out. For instance, the lights are already fitted onto 2.5m pre-rig trusses, and these are the only things moved at the end of the concert with all the cables and lights still fitted to them. This makes things much easier logistically, because it saves a lot of time: the stage can be fully rigged in just one day.
(Jim Evans)
