This year's Wheels Up tour, presently on its North American leg, has seen experienced LD Paul 'Arlo' Guthrie (of Minneapolis based Toss Film & Design) providing an inspired and sensitive concept - one of two tours he has designed for the trio. Significantly, in so doing, he has become the first LD to take out GLP's new impression X4 Bar 20 high performance battens - the latest addition to the popular X4 family.
Having been heavily in demand this past two years, with work ranging from Fleetwood Mac tours to the Red Bull Crashed Ice North America Events and an Emmy award winning TV show, Guthrie returned to work with the band he first engaged with on 2013's Take Me Downtown tour.
"I was completely flattered to be considered by Lady Antebellum's management and loved their energy and work ethic from the first meeting," he reports.
"We both have a style that is influenced by a lot of diverse sources - so I just brought what I do to what they do. I don't really pay attention to any genres, I just wanted to make sure you can see them really well and the show has an arc and a flow. They are so much fun to collaborate with that."
As to working on such a large scale, he adds, "[Production designer] Bruce Rodgers gave us a great set for this tour with some elements that gave me instant inspiration for where to put lights and how to use them. It looks equally well scaled in an arena or amphitheatre and sits nicely with how the band uses the stage and works the crowd.
"Bruce had some lighting positions and ideas in place with his pitch to the band, so I had a springboard to start with - but the rest was up to me." Lighting director/programmer Tony Caporale - described by Guthrie as "the trusted hand at the wheel" - had used the tail end of the last tour to research some different products for this tour - "and I wanted to include GLP's new impression X4 Bar 20 battens.
"I had hoped I'd be the first to use these new lights," Paul Guthrie confesses. "It's fun to have new products in a show - as long as they work, which these certainly did.
"I tried out some demo units on a club show and a TV shoot here in Minneapolis - and was instantly sold." He could immediately see a role for them in this latest stage design - and admits he would have used more had the budgets allowed.
The overall experience could scarcely have been more positive or enjoyable. "Lady Antebellum are a dream to work with, you cannot say enough about how courteous and respectful they are. It's a very fun and artistically satisfying experience ... they have such a great energy and always make a great connection with the audience."
And having evaluated the worth of the new X4 Bar 20's Paul Guthrie confirms that he has added them to his tool kit for Van Halen's summer tour. "This tour will feature a butt ton of impression X4 and X4 Bars," he quips.
(Jim Evans)
