By specifying the multipurpose Flares, lighting designer Nick Whitehouse reduced the overall fixture count for the tour, saving space, energy, labor, and freight, while at the same time gaining features and improved performance! Positioned on the stage, back wall, and overhead, the compact Flares can be used where conventional lights will not fit, e.g. hidden in the stage and other tight spots. The Flares were provided by Solotech of Montreal and Las Vegas.
"We tested the Flares on the JT-JayZ promo tour and loved the output and features," says Whitehouse. "Having used them to light the audience in entire stadiums, I knew they were the right choice for our arena tour.
"Part of my design for JT was to be as light and 'green' as possible," Whitehouse adds. "Replacing our old strobes, washes, and blinders with Flares helped us do this. The more we programmed and played with them, the more we used them in various modes. They're fantastic and really add a huge impact to the JT show. Nothing else comes close to the output of the Flare and the reliability is fantastic - there's no competition. Flares will certainly be on many of my specs in the future."
Selected Live Design 2013 Product of the Year and earning the 2013 PLASA Sustainability Award, the Flare features instantaneous RGBW color mixing with 1200Hz refresh rate for smooth on-camera dimming. The "pixel map" feature divides the Flare into as many as 12 sections. Saturated colors feature intense, deep reds and blues, ultra-bright greens, and brilliant camera-friendly whites. Solaris LED Flare models also include the new Flare Jr as well as Flare Micro and outdoor Flare IP (both coming soon).
Solaris LED Flare has appeared in many high-profile productions and events, including: The Academy Awards Shows; The Grammys; Kenny Chesney's No Shoes Nation Tour, Miami ULTRA Music Festival; the ACM, AMA, ACA, CMT, and VMA awards shows; Bruno Mars Moonshine Jungle tour; Jay-Z & Justin Timberlake Legends of Summer tour, and many more.
(Jim Evans)
