Some 32 of the award-winning FLX fixtures were used in the Hard Stage setup, each multi-functional light alternating with LED wash lights from center stage fingers of angled overhead truss. "The FLX were chosen for their punch and versatility as a beam and profile light," said Stage-Tech's Charley Guest, owner of the Santa Fe Springs-based company. "They were used for the majority of the beam effects and were the meat of the rig. It was the FLX's that created much of the impact."
Held 30-31 July at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, the Hard Summer Music Festival attracts thousands of hip-hop and dance music fans, who this year congregated around the racetrack to experience headliners Ice Cube and Major Lazer, as well as many other EDM acts, in its new home.
Stage-Tech has been involved with Hard Summer for the last seven years and this year handled design, lighting, video, and staging for the Hard Stage along with the Pink Stage design. Charley Guest served as lighting designer for the Hard Stage with lighting operation performed by Ryan Burke.
Working with the FLX fixtures from the end of each finger truss, with some on an upstage truss, were 12 ACL 360 Matrix LED moving panels. The ACL 360 Matrix panels' 360° continuous rotation and tight 4-degree beam from each lens made a variety of looks possible. Guest says that Stage-Tech chose the continuously rotating 5 x 5 matrix moving heads for their unique effects as a camera eye candy/key light effect.
For eye-catching thick beam looks, Stage-Tech spread 38 of Elation's Platinum Beam 5R Extreme moving heads throughout the rig, while 38 Cuepix Panels were used to frame the tips of the abstract video strips for a blinder and matrix effect.
Keeping the air sufficiently hazy for mid-air lighting projections were 6 Antari HZ-500 hazers while Antari M-5 and M-10 foggers provided atmospheric fog effects. Meanwhile, on the Pink Stage, 24 fully rotational ACL 360 Bar colour-changing LED battens were used to keep the atmosphere fresh with a variety of dynamic colour effects.
Charley Guest noted that Kenny Kightlinger, Guest's former partner, was the "behind the scenes hero" on the project. "He wore different hats, staging, lighting, video even rigging," he stated. "He solved so many problems and did it over and over without a complaint or second guessing as to why something needed to be done. A real hero."
(Jim Evans)
