Craig Richter blends old and new for Halestorm
- Details
The challenge with this design was to avoid looking repetitive from song to song, acknowledges Richter. Before the tour began, he says he asked himself ‘did I go out too far on a limb by avoiding traditional moving wash fixtures?’.
His distinctive design is supporting Halestorm with an array of multi-dimensional and captivating looks that not only reflect the band’s music in all its intensity, but also create a sense of intimacy between the artists on stage and fans in the audience.
Key to helping him accomplish this are 40 COLORado Accent 3 fixtures and eight Nexus 4x4 panels from Chauvet Professional, which like the rest of the lighting rig were supplied by Bandit Lites.
The 20-watt RGBA Accent 3 fixtures are positioned inside a series of seven tapering steps that get wider as they ascent to a centre-stage grated drum riser, which itself is positioned above four of the rig’s Nexus units. (The four other panels are located below two other risers, used to accent solo performances.).
“I needed something small enough to fit between the steps in our new set, but still bright enough to where they could punch through the overhead stage wash, and the Accent 3s fit the bill,” said Richter. “I am running them with a filter at a 14-degree beam angle. Since they’re pointing at the audience at head level, I wanted a wider angle so the light’s not ripping off people's faces.”
The tapered steps illuminated by the Accent 3 fixtures are pivotal to Richter’s design vision. “I wanted to tie in Halestorm’s new album to the show without doing an exact copy of the cover or having the band's name stamped on the stage,” he explained.
Intricate and engaging, this set required skill and organisation to set up in a timely manner. “Our crew chief Joey DiLeo, and tech Brian Bogovic have done an excellent job throughout the tour,” said Richter. “A lot of behind the scenes works goes into making the magic happen every night.”
