Russell Armentrout, president of Performance Lighting, came up with the fog burst concept after a design concept meeting with R. Kelly. Performance Lighting made it happen with the help of lighting director Tony Trovato by using a collection of 24 Vesuvio RGBA high-output LED foggers from Chauvet Professional.
"The concert is really an unfolding story told with music, words, effects and lighting," said Armentrout, who serves as the lighting and creative designer of the tour. "There are a lot of wildly different elements pulled together here, kind of what fans expect from R. Kelly. The show is all about the transition from evil to angelic, so we rely heavily on effects to set the tone of our ongoing story."
Armentrout has arranged the Vesuvio RGBA units along the stage on both sides and the front. He also uses some of the units on a custom runway and in an FOH toaster that R. Kelly pops out of at one point in the concert. "They're versatile fixtures," he said. "We don't use them only as foggers, but also as replacements for pyro effects and as washes. Interestingly, Rob (R. Kelly) wanted CO2 jets at first, but we convinced him that the Vesuvio would not only be more affordable, but would also allow us to do more. Now he loves them."
Although all of the Vesuvio RGBA units are run simultaneously when the show opens, Trovato, who controls the large Performance Lighting rig with a grandMA2 full size, uses the LED foggers more selectively at other points during the performance. "
"Without a doubt, the Vesuvios are a key part of our show," said Armentrout. "We use them at six or so critical points, changing colours to reflect the changing mood of the story we're telling. This show really is different than your standard concert, because it involves a lot of storytelling. Having an atmospheric effect like the Vesuvio allows you to set the mood for the story better than you can with lights alone."
(Jim Evans)
