SolaFrame 750s on Rainbow Kitten Surprise tour
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Cour Design’s Erik Anderson and Gordon Droitcour of Nashville designed the show, specifying the SolaFrame 750 LED automated fixtures from tour vendor 4Wall Entertainment for its wide range of features in a compact unit. “We have been very happy with the SolaFrame 750s,” says Anderson, citing speed and multi-functionality on a small club tour as key reasons for their spec. “They are doing a whole lot of work, since overall this production is quite minimal.”
As this was the first tour with production for RKS, Anderson says the design key was to balance the aesthetic and logistical elements. “RKS wanted a production to support the dynamic energy of their musical performance, but they wanted to make sure the lighting elements were not distracting or overpowering - which is why all the lights stayed out of the performance area.
“We also knew the band loved to change up the set list and song arrangements sporadically, which meant programming would require a dynamic and versatile fixture. The stage sizes also varied drastically and we had limited trailer space, so we needed a light that could deliver a lot of different looks and came in a small package.”
The SolaFrame 750 offers a compact footprint but a serious feature set, suited to the tour’s small to medium-sized venues. Lighting director/programmer Kai Colucci says the SolaFrame 750s were set on top of their road cases in a half circle behind the PARs - with one behind each band member - to create beamy sidelights, project gobos and allow for stunning silhouette prism effects.
Colucci enthuses: “I love the prism; I use it all the time. Plus, I can use the shapers with a rotating gobo and even cut it in half with the shutter. I also like the colour split effect. The frost and colour mixing are gorgeous.”
The LD also found the fixtures easy to transport. “The cases are beautiful and are super compact in the truck. The side handles on the fixtures are also helpful - people comment on them all the time.”
Rainbow Kitten Surprise will spend summer on a festival run. A larger headlining tour starting in September is designed to showcase a larger quantity of SolaFrame 750s in the rig.
(Jim Evans)
