The show, a fusion of video and lighting, is designed by Mark Calvert of Immersive (formally known as Pixel Addicts), together with his colleagues John Munroe and Dave Green. It features a striking set architecture constructed from special dollies containing Barco MiStrip LED screen, which has its own set lighting system some parameters of which are controlled, along with the video content, by Immersive's Addict show control system. Additional lighting onstage is controlled through a 'traditional' lighting console operated by lighting designer Simon Barrington.
Mike Oates is project managing for HSL. He says, "When production manager Chris Griffiths asked us onboard we were really excited. We have also worked on projects with Simon and Immersive before, so it's a really bright and happy team. The show is right at the cutting edge of visual design and show control, which is a great opportunity for us all to be involved with pushing the technical envelope."
The moving lights are all Robe, with a total of 20 ColorSpot 700E ATs attached to the MiStrip dollies on special side wings as integral to the set, and the others rigged on two overhead trusses and the floor.
The flown central MiStrip towers are built from 10 MiStrip sections/dollies when in their full height configuration, and the 10 MiStrip side wings - which curve on three axes - are ground supported. Two truss sections above the side dollies each have six Robe ColorSpot 700E ATs to complete the form of the structure. The idea is that the intense energy of the band is picked up through video and lighting and radiated out into the audience for all to share the vibes and experience.
Six Robe ColorWash 700E ATs are positioned on the FOH truss and four a side on the front edges of the stage for cross lighting, but overall, it is a heavily back-lit show, with the band preferring to be in darkness or moodily silhouetted as opposed to conventionally lit.
HSL is supplying 10 of their new Robe Robin 300 Beams, which are dotted around the floor, and described by Ben Miles, who programmed, and then started off the tour operating for Simon Barrington as, "Amazing fixtures, and very much the highlight of my programming."
There's a massive amount of Atomic strobes contained in the structure ... all with colour scrollers. There are also Moles on the front truss for blasting into the audience and Omni photo floods on the top of each of the dollies.
The movement and beams of all the Robe ColorSpot and ColorWash 700s is controlled from the lighting desks - two Chamsys MagicQ's and a Wing, while the dimmer shutters and CMY mixing functions are controlled by the Addict server.
(Jim Evans)
