Don started working with the band in 2011. This Three Album tour started in 2013 with him using Robe LEDWash 600s for the first time as part of his floor specials package. For the most recent dates, Pointes replaced the original beam fixtures he had used on the US tour, becoming an integral part of the floor rig supplied by VER.
The starting point for the tour stage presentation was based on a concept first created in spring 2012, depicting a starker stage set-up than in the past with no scenic elements, just an upstage video screen.
The 12 x Pointes were rigged onto a double triangular scaffolding structure upstage and on two downstage side towers, left and right, and utilized for most of the effects lighting. At each venue he also hooked in to the house's overhead lighting rigs.
At some venues like the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels - where Robe's reporting team caught up with him to experience the show - the Pointes were an ideal match as the house lighting system also contains 20 x Robe MMX Spots, which he maximized particularly for gobos and texturing.
The Pointes were fundamental to Don's carefully crafted show where each lighting cue is considered and relevant to the music, and he carefully layered the lighting to match the intensity and intricacy of the music.
"It's really more about enhancing and adding to the mood and the vibe, emphasizing a seamless relationship between visuals and music," he explained.
Having a fixture like the Pointe on the rig has made a real difference to the show because of the sheer diversity of options and subtleties that it opens up, which are ideal for an 'evolving' a show like this and also one that lasts three hours and demands some serious engagement from the audience.
(Jim Evans)
