Entec also supplied the floor lighting package for the Hyde Park gig, which saw the band entertain 60,000 people and delight them with extracts from their new alum The Magic Whip - the first complete studio work of the original line-up since 2003.
Entec has enjoyed a long working relationship with Blur dating back over 20 years, and lighting designer Dave Byars and FOH sound engineer Matt Butcher have also both been an integral part of the Blur production team for over 20 years.
Due to the huge variety of the warm-up shows, a very flexible rig was needed explained Dave Byars, which could be scaled up or down to fit the assorted stage spaces.
This replicated what would be the major elements of the Hyde Park show as realistically as possible for these gigs, so everyone in the band and crew could get familiar with some of the production elements that would be in place.
For Hyde Park a quirky, eye-catching and characteristically humorous set relating to The Magic Whip ice cream theme included a real ice cream van, internally lit with three shape shifters and covered with Light Initiative's LED neon. A set of three octagonal bagua mirrors (popular as Feng Shui protectors) were filled with high intensity LEDs and centred with massive mirror balls ... replaced by Super Nova Flower fixtures for the encores. There were also three 3m high scenic ice-creams, also decorated in LED neon together with some of the backline.
The album was inspired whilst the band were in Hong Kong, so the set design united graphics from the artwork, and was evolved with reference to the elaborate 'house' video system in Hyde Park - a back and side 'wall' of LED screens wrapping around the stage, conjoined to the two stage side wings (left and right), which were large scenic surfaces with IMAG LED screens embedded in their centres.
To capitalise on having these extensive video surfaces available, album art designer Tony Hung was commissioned to produce special video content for the show that was mapped to the screens.
The floor lighting package comprised eight Clay Paky a.leda K20 wash lights fitted with B-Eye lenses, positioned upstage of all the set pieces to provided a layer of basic upstage wash lighting effects in three different modes - 'tight', 'wide' and 'effects beams'.
Ten CP Sharpys along the front of the backline produced the classic piercing small beam effects - the show was near to the longest day of the year - so all lightsources were chosen for their brightness.
Six Robe LEDWash 600s lit the front of the ice cream van and the ice cream set pieces.
For the 'warm up' overhead rig, Entec additionally supplied Clay Paky QWO Spots, Sharpie Washes, more Sharpies, strobes and Molefeys.
Dave Byars used his own Avo Sapphire Touch running the new v9 software to control all the lights on the tour and hooked this into the 'house rig at Hyde Park. A Tiger Touch II was the backup.
The audio logistics for the tour and the festival dates were co-ordinated and designed from the office with the helpful input of both FOH Engineer Matt Butcher and Monitor Engineer Dave Geurin.
James 'Kedge' Kerridge represented Entec 'on the ground', while Matt Grounds looked after system and FOH - which required a flexible design that could be taken as a control package to the festival shows, and then augmented with some additional PA for their own shows depending on venue/audience size.
The French show was recorded and broadcast live by Radio France and the Wolverhampton
