Associate LD and lighting operator Manfred Nikitser from MANIK Show Lighting, Vienna, is running the lighting for the current touring schedule together with Rainer Becker. The summer shows are a mix of festival and own-headliners, 90% of the time using local productions matched as closely as possible to their generic spec.
Robe's BMFL Spots are among a number of primary moving light fixtures on the rider that Manfred is happy to accept from local vendors.
The biggest challenge of the current leg of the tour - with all the lighting, rigging and LED provided locally - is the need for good pre-production and advancing to still make a show happen in countries with radically different and varying standards.
At a recent show in Lisbon, Portugal, 32 x BMFL Spots, 18 x BMFL Blades and eight Pointes were supplied by rental company Audiomatrix, also based in Lisbon.
The lighting and video design being used for these summer shows is simplified from the original production tour, however, it still contains some substantial video elements, and a trim of around 10m. So when it came to spec'ing the fixtures, he wanted discharge lamps and needed units with some serious power to register against the LED and also offer the warmth and beam shape of a discharge lamp to make those sumptuous classic 'big rock show' looks that are an essential part of the aesthetic.
The BMFL Spot is on his spec list for several reasons. "The overall speed of all features is very impressive, and the zoom of the spot is just stunning and I am convinced this fixture really improves the creativity and possibilities of designs."
For the show at Lisbon MEO Arena, he was offered several different moving light combinations, and chose the BMFL series as the "best option".
The standard spec - on the current tour - is for 50 x BMFL Spots, but in Lisbon they were offered a mix of Blades and Spots. The BMFLs were programmed to create the Lisbon show's powerful beam and effects looks, with two for key light on the drummer,
"The output, the zoom and the speed of all the features are just stunning. It is like all the physical rules of moving lights are broken!" states Manfred.
(Jim Evans)
