Robe is hardwired for Metallica
- Details
Rob has worked with the band for around nine years, and in that time, they have performed several in-the-round tours. It’s a format they prefer for getting physically and psychologically closer to their fans.
For this one – which started with a stadium section and is currently playing arenas – Dan’s idea was based around 52 video cubes suspended above the stage, 36 of which are on steel cables and a custom motion-controlled hoist system developed by TAIT and the other 16 are in fixed positions.
Apart from presenting a distinctive and very precise aesthetic, this set architecture has defined Rob’s lighting positions for the indoor legs of the tour.
As per Dan’s request, there is no ‘traditional’ trussing on the show, instead all the BMFL WashBeams are attached to and associated with a video cube.
A combination of the TAIT Navigator and grandMA2 control systems and virtual markers in the MA 3D visualizer are being used to process and physically pinpoint the lighting positions. A Disguise (formally known as d3) video server also receives positional information from the Navigator to map the video exactly to the 4-faceted moving cubes.
Rob needed 20 overhead follow spots – five per band member – and uses BMFL WashBeams .
There are some other lights on the rig - 32 x hybrid moving fixtures on top of stacks of Meyer VLFC subs in the corners of the arenas, and a selection of different strobes - 44 x LED wash / strobes flown for audience light, plus 16 x strobes and 10 x flood / blinder / strobes on the stage floor.
Rob runs lighting for the shows himself using a grandMA2 console. He worked closely with programmer Joe Cabrera who helped ensure the infrastructure was set up for the Navigator, MA and disguise control systems to all talk to one other in addition to programming lighting, while second lighting programmer Troy Eckerman also collaborated with Rob in refining the complexity of the lighting cues.
At the start of the fall European leg, they underwent a few days of production rehearsals in Malmo, Sweden, ahead of the first gig in Copenhagen’s Royal Arena.
Premier Global Production, based in Nashville, Tennessee, is the tour’s worldwide lighting vendor, where the account is looked after by Anthony “Geddy” Kordyjaka and James Vollhoffer.
(Jim Evans)
