HSL provides lighting riot for Prodigy
- Details
HSL is again the lighting supplier, and the band are playing arenas and living up to their reputation for being among the most exciting live acts around.
Tim went for a massive, wide and “epic” look for the stage. “I wanted to get away from the postage stamp look of some shows in arenas, where only a tiny part of the actual venue is involved,” he explained. In addition to feeling the energy and atmospherics of the lighting, the band wanted to embrace the whole audience and pull them kicking and screaming into the Prodigy live trip and lighting plays an absolutely instrumental part in this process.
Tim was also involved in drawing up and developing the set design which is based on an idea from the band inspired by the album artwork involving the iconic Routemaster London bus.
In the middle of the stage are two AEC Routemaster front-engined double-decker buses which are 6m high, 2.5 wide and 3m deep.
Built by Brilliant Stages Tim worked alongside Prodigy production manager Tyrone Brunton and Brilliant account handler Bullet to perfect the scenic elements.
As this is a Prodigy show, these are no ordinary London buses – Tim calculated how many lights he could squeeze into the space and filled them with Martin MAC Quantum Washes, Atomic LED strobes and ColorBlock II LED battens to illuminate the scrolling signs on the front, with Cob FC LEDs for the headlights.
The zig zagged trussing over the stage and wings is based on the apex roof architecture of typical London Bus Depots.
The overhead rig is designed to be as much of a retinal onslaught as possible to match the SPLs and intense sub-base characteristic of FOH engineer Jon Burton’s mix.
The four main LX trusses above the stage are all lined with Martin Sceptron LED battens and there’s a total of 136 of these on the rig.
The main ‘general’ lighting fixtures are 58 x Robe Pointes – their multifunctionality effectively tripling the available lights on the rig - 62 x Atomic LEDs and 32 x GLP JDC1 strobes making a total of 98 strobes, 42 x 2-lites, 16 x 4-lites plus the16 x Robe MegaPointes which are on moving pods.
These are joined by 50 x MAC Quantum washes and 12 x GLP X4s which are on the band’s left and right-side booms, shooting across the stage.
There are also 33 x Robe LEDBeam 100s which follow the curve of the band’s backline risers including the two on / off ramps.
Fourteen Vari*Lite 4000 Spots are divided between the stage – six at the back for silhouetting, and six downstage for key lighting, with the other two at FOH for gobo projections during the intro.
There are six original PixelLine 1044 LED strips in the footlight position along the front lip of the stage.
Over the stage there are four x 4-metre sections of truss each suspended on two 500Kg Liftket motors running with Kinesys Elevation 1+ vari-speed units.
Tim programmed and is running the show on a Whole Hog Full Boar console with another running as hot backup. “It’s been a tough one timewise,” he commented. “But the rig definitely has the ‘bigness’ that I envisioned. I’m working with a fantastic crew from HSL who ensure everything goes up effortlessly each day.”
His f team on the road are crew chief Matt Brown who is joined by Joe Dowling, Stu Wright, Ryan Soave and Steve Major.
The tour is being account managed for HSL by Jordan Hanson assisted by Emma Turner.
(Jim Evans)
