For the tour, which opened in Belfast and finished in London, White Light worked closely with production manager Rob Kern and lighting designer Kevin 'Deuce' Christopher, supplying a full production service including lighting fixtures, cabling, rigging, and power distribution.
The nine-venue tour in the UK is a continuation of Journey's worldwide tour with previous stops in North America, New Zealand, Japan, and Singapore earlier this year. Christopher, who has been the touring LD for Journey since 2004, worked with Lester Cobrin, head of concert touring at White Light, to accommodate the addition of double headlining act Whitesnake to the tour, adjusting truss spacing and trim heights.
For the tour, White Light utilised some of their recently purchased Loadguard motors and Guardian controllers. White Light hire director Dave Isherwood commented, "It makes sense to grow with our customers. This means we can continue to support productions of all shapes and sizes while keeping our commitment to quality products and superior service."
White Light also supplied the production with an experienced touring lighting crew, ensuring the technical quality of the rig on the road. "It was great to work with Lester and the White Light team," Christopher said. "They were efficient and responsive. It made for a smooth run in the UK."
For the design, Christopher layered multiple lighting elements along with video effects to create a variety of colourful, dimensional looks over the course of Journey's dynamic performance. "When deciding on fixtures and layout for the touring rig," he explains, "the goal is always to expand the space with light by building big looks with as little equipment as possible. The ideal lighting rig is one that travels small but once it is up, can completely fill the space. It is important to get the most out of every fixture while also making sure that they strike a visual balance."
Christopher used Philips Vari-lite VL3000Q and VL3500 Wash units to form the backbone of the overstage rig, adding Clay Paky Sharpy fixtures for an extra punch of brightness and colour. "The Sharpys are great - very bright and importantly, lightweight. They were perfect to add an extra layer of dimension to the show," he said. "The Sharpy units were also a good complement to the VLs which I have been using for years. I chose both because I knew they would stand up to the brightness of our video elements. Combined with the other lighting fixtures, rigging, and power - I have been very pleased with the lighting package from White Light."
(Jim Evans)
