Hecker - one of Germany's most innovative designers - worked in close collaboration with Marc Lorenz, who looked after all the LED screen and video elements, to create the show and specify the equipment. It has been acclaimed as one of the best stage presentations of Die Fantastischen Vier's long and eventful career which has put German hip-hop on the map. The 14m wide circular stage was built with a combination of Lite Structures' standard and custom products. It featured four 5m thrusts, each at 90 degree intervals around the stage.
Above, it was crowned by four circular trusses at 8, 10, 12 and 14m diameters, with the three smaller ones all on a 18 axis Cyberhoist system, operated by Ingo Koenzen, allowing them to move into a dynamic section of different positions.
Five hydraulic rams were integrated into the stage and used for entrances, one in the centre and the other at the stage end of each of the thrusts. The show started with a lone sampler slowly elevating on one of these and the four Fanta 4 members mid stage, silhouetted by a hand-held photo-flood lamp against a circular cloth that kabuki'd in to reveal them.
Below the Macrolon topped stage was 100sq.m of Martin Professional LC LED screen, which provided another trajectory of lighting and for those sitting higher up in the bleacher seating, an additional visual dimension. The perimeters of all the above-stage trusses were clad with 1 metre high Pixled F-15 LED tiles - in total amounting to 140sq.m.
The smallest 8m circle was also rigged with 16 Robe ColorSpot 2500E AT moving lights, eight Martin Atomic strobes and 12 ETC PARs - and these were the only lights directly above the stage.
Four spine / finger trusses stretched out above the thrusts, each rigged with seven Robe ColorSpot 2500E ATs and seven ColorWash 2500E AT moving lights plus two Atomics and nine square 4-lite Moles. Circling the stage on the floor were 30 JB Lighting A7 LED washlights and four smoke machines were also on the floor for atmospherics.
Hecker operated the lighting using a Road Hog Full Boar console with a wing, complete with hot backup.
On the video control side of the show, they worked closely with Fantastichen Vier's AndY (Andreas Rieke) who designed a custom control solution for the visual elements based on Apple's Quartz Composer software system. Live-Video/IMAG was used in about 70% of the show and the screens were active throughout. There were seven cameras in total for IMAG, three operated Sony DXC30Ps in the audience and three Panasonic Domecam remotes onstage, plus a Toshiba 1KHRIS full HD camera placed centre-stage, and fitted with a 360 degree lens to produce special effects in two songs. These were directed and mixed by Franz Schlechter using a Panasonic AV-HS400A, and he also designed and produced all the show playback content and ran both that and IMAG live.
The tour was production managed by Christof Matthiesen. The 11 trucks of equipment was supplied by Satis & Fy AG, Werne - all video, sound and lighting kit apart from the LED panels; XL Video Germany, Munich - Pixled LED screen; PRG Germany from Hamburg - Martin LC LED frames; and Gunther Hecker GmbH Heidelberg - stage set and hydraulics.
(Jim Evans)
