USA - Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart performed a series of US shows from 20 April to 23 May 23 on their Royal Flush tour, with lighting design by Carl Burnett. Burnett turned to Elation’s Proteus Brutus LED Wash FX and Proteus Maximus LED Profile moving heads as the foundation of the lighting rig, valuing their power while appreciating their refined design qualities.
Royal Flush marked the first live show the sisters have shared since 2019. Burnett, who designed lighting for Heart’s 2019 tour and is known for his work with Robert Plant, amongst others, is the lighting and show designer for the tour. He enlisted his good friend Max Conwell to assist with the design process for the first time in his career. Lighting for the U.S. leg of the tour was supplied by 4Wall.
Before kicking off the tour in Greenville, South Carolina, in April, Burnett designed some “testing the waters” shows on New Year’s Eve in Seattle and realised that he needed more power and brightness in an arena light for the upcoming tour. “I wanted a light that could go wide and look big, something that was obviously very bright and LED,” he said. “I was already familiar with the Maximus, but after talking to my lighting friends, including Graham Hill at Elation, I discovered the Brutus, which was just incredible.”
Burnett, who described his lighting style as more nuanced and organic than brazen, aimed to support the allure unfolding on stage rather than detract from it. “I’m not a lights-in-your-face type of designer,” he says, “but I prefer a subtle approach with occasional big looks. It’s a style that Ann and Nancy support as well.”
The refined approach also extended to video, with the designer preferring to project onto backdrops rather than overwhelm the senses with LED screens. Fronting a black chrome Austrian backdrop, which also covers all the trusses and legs, is a light vision gauze that hides the backdrop when projected upon. Working with the lighting rig, it allows for a variety of different looks.
Burnett used 56 Proteus Brutus and 49 Proteus Maximus to achieve vibrant and appealing visuals without overwhelming the show. The Brutus serves as the leading workhorse light in the rig, while the Maximus provides eye-candy looks from its two gobo wheels. The Brutus and Maximus work from four 60-ft overhead trusses and two 20-ft side trusses, with additional units on a stage set behind the band and in the gaps on the floor.
Elation’s Graham Hill brought Carl a Brutus and Maximus light to the designer’s studio in Malvern, England, so he could get hands-on with the fixtures and sort his palettes for the tour. “I could have done them without having the fixtures in front of me, but they wouldn’t have been exactly right for the tour start,” Carl said. “It meant that my palettes, rotations, gobos, and colour were absolutely perfect. That was incredible and very helpful.”
The remainder of the Royal Flush tour, including US, UK, and European dates, has been postponed for medical reasons. Elation wishes Ann Wilson a full recovery and looks forward to resuming the tour in 2025.
