This was lighting director Jimmy Hatten's second major tour with Osmond, and the first in the UK. The set, designed by Michael Cotton, featured four large truss-framed video screens giving a shrinking perspective look to the stage. The lighting design on which this tour is based was created by Mike Frogge - Osmond's long-term LD - for a DVD shoot in Wales earlier this year. Hatten and Frogge have collaborated on many shows and projects over the years.
The upstage overhead lighting trusses covered the sides and rear of stage, with a total of four trussing fingers running front to back, the centre two of which also supported the overhead video screen. These were joined by a 50ft front truss.
Frogge and Hatten chose Martin Professional MAC 2000 spots for their profile moving lights - of which Bandit Lites UK has an extensive stock. For washlights, they stuck with High End StudioColors - primarily because they were used on the Welsh video - and revisiting them on this meant they could retain some of the programming from that show.
Bandit supplied a total of 20 MAC 2000s and 20 StudioColors, along with eight four-lite Moles, rigged on the front truss for audience illumination and six bars of ACLs, spread over all the trusses. The truss warmers were PAR 64s with narrow bulbs and Lee 202 gel. Bandit also supplied five Lycian followspots and two DF50 hazers.
Video was a big element of the show - and one in which Osmond takes a personal interest and produces much of the content, so the lighting also had to be sympathetic to that. The first half was titled Love Songs of The 70s in keeping with his latest album. This segment featured a lot of moody, deeply saturated colours and diffused gobo looks. In the second half it rocked right up, finishing with a flourish on the signature Osmonds anthem, Crazy Horses, where Hatten comments that the effects engine on his WholeHog II console really came into its own.
(Jim Evans)
