Having taken a break from the live circuit for the last two years, getting back on the road in early 2004 has meant the opportunity of using the latest and most powerful of the Avolites Diamond range - the Diamond 4 Vision. Blige's lightshow design took her spectacular 'soft' good set as a starting point. This is designed by Tom McPhillip of the renowned set and material specialist, Atomic Design, based in Pennsylvania. The stage is dressed in a 'box' style of textured curtains and drapes which give it a luxurious, rich 3D feel.
The rig consists of 46 MAC 2000s (24 Washes and 22 Profiles), 10 ETC Source Four Pars with the new Wybron CXi scrollers and some 8-lite Moles along the stage - all controlled by the Diamond 4.
After many tours using Avo Diamond 3s, LaBriola now rates the D4 as highly and above, and comments that it's in a class of its own. With years of Avo operating and programming experience under his belt, La Briola enthuses: "I've watched the Avo brand grow from becoming the industry standard conventional lighting desk back in the 1980s to the powerful contemporary moving light consoles. It's been an interesting process that's resulted in successive generations of Avo machines becoming even more flexible and powerful than the last."
(Lee Baldock)
