Reardon was not only the lighting designer, but also the programmer and board operator. Plus, he co-designed the set with production manager Tony Gittins. Reardon explained: "I chose the Wholehog III because the show was extremely cue-intensive and I couldn't use a console that might slow down while running eight universes at full tilt. The Hog III's remote processing (through the DP2000s) ensured that there was no drop in performance at all! I saw a revolutionary undercurrent of potential that seemed to go much further than any of its competition. I have seen other console manufacturers follow in the footsteps of the Wholehog II and most, although not all, have resoundingly failed to achieve anything other than a poor facsimile. So, having waited in the wings for the Hog III to become more solid, I found myself with the opportunity of putting it through its paces with a complex and DMX-heavy show such as Duran Duran."
Reardon admits he was hesitant at first to choose the console, but found success with it. "There might have been a little tightness in the throat when we first started in production rehearsals, but I spent a good five days at High End's office in Los Angeles trying to find issues," Reardon adds, "then another three days at High End in London with WYSIWYG, and I found everything to be perfectly reliable. It is in my opinion rock solid. There is functionality on that console that made me chuckle out loud in terms of speed of programming and editing. Just check out editing timing in an existing cue as a quick example."
A full review of Duran Duran's live show appeared in the May 2004 issue of Lighting&Sound International magazine.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
