The fixtures were specified by the band's LD Tommi Stolt and supplied by one of the leading Finnish rental companies Akun Tehdas. The Nightwish crew chief Villie Kauhanen asked Akun Tehdas to supply lighting again, after they serviced band's last Finnish tour. The company has a good reputation in terms of equipment and crew on the road in Finland - which now includes a selection of Robe Show Lighting products.
The Robe's where positioned on main rig over the stage and back wall horizontal trusses. They were creating basic effects for the show. Stolt particularly likes Robes for their high output and fast movements. The 1200 ColorSpots also have good gobos. The rig also contained a wide variety of generic fixtures, strobes, follow spots and video, and the lighting was run off an WholeHog 3 console.
Stolt picked Robe lights because he needed very bright spot and wash lights for the show. They also needed robust lights as the working days were long. The Robes were used to their maximum capacity, as the show was also recorded for a DVD titled End of An Era. The schedule was very tight, and there was only time for one run through in the afternoon, so it was crucial that all the gear worked first time.
Akun Tehdas's Mika Ylijyra says: "We have always used a variety of different moving lights, but after this show we were so impressed by the Robes that we have decided to really concentrate on using them as our first choice from now on!"
(Chris Henry)
