Squeek Lights captures Chon with Chauvet
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Filling venues from the Wiltern in Los Angeles to Brooklyn Steel in New York with wide beams and sharp gobos, while backlighting the artists on stage from multiple directions, Summers created a dreamy panorama that flowed seamlessly with the band note for transcendent note.
“Chon is an incredibly vibey group, which makes them fun to light,” says Summers, who worked his magic with a collection of Chauvet Professional Maverick and Rogue fixtures supplied by Squeek Lights. “The four artists in the band are excellent musicians. The two lead guitarists have their own signature guitar models. So, I wanted to accentuate each member of the band and his instrument, while still creating a deep, otherworldly atmosphere.”
Serving as the “backbone” of the Chon tour rig were six Maverick MK2 Spot fixtures, two of which were positioned on upstage pipe, while the remaining four units were placed two apiece on four foot and three-foot pipe. From these positions, the 440W LED movers were used to fill a variety of roles from back and side lighting the band, to providing audience light, to uplighting the distinctive backdrop with CHON’s logo.
“On this tour, the backdrop was a huge part of the band’s stage presence,” explains Summers. “I highlighted it with the Mavericks, especially during pretty moments of the show, to convey a mellow mood. The versatility of the Mavericks gave me a great deal of options to change up looks during the show. We really got some beautiful gobo effects out of them that transformed the room when coordinated with wide beams. It was the kind of look that made me sit back and say ‘whoa!’ I just hoped that everyone in the crowd felt the same way.”
The rig also featured eight Rogue R2 Washes that were positioned on four-foot pipe and on the stage deck by the drummer and bass guitarist. They were used to create moods by bathing the rhythm section in evocative colours.
(Jim Evans)
