The Vari*Lite portion of the complete lighting package includes four VL3500 spot luminaires.For the Whack Attack tour, Stuba was looking for a sort of a retro-garage feel, as there is diamond plating on the set which is partially made up of amplifier cases and LED tubes. The amplifiers also have electro-luminescent rope for piping, which outlines the amps when electricity is applied.
With an active set and lighting design, it became necessary to dedicate three specific spot luminaires to highlight the band members, so they do not get drowned away by the light activity on stage. To accomplish this specific task, Stuba had to choose lighting instruments that would have the ability to stay on the band members and off the rest of the set. They had to be reliable and repeatable, and so for this, Stuba chose the VL3500 spot luminaire.
"I am using the VL3500 spot luminaires as the main key lights," said lighting designer Chris Stuba. "Billy [lead guitar] and Dusty [bass] each have one for their top lights, and one for Frank [drums] as his main front light."
Stuba went on to state, "I was looking for a light to replace some 10 degrees I had used in the past. The zoom track is what I was looking for. The field on the VL3500 spot is so even and the shutters are proving to be invaluable in keeping the lights on Frank and off the drums."
"The color-mixing and the field is a perfect combination on the VL3500 spot. The fixtures do exactly what they are programmed to do. The recall, even on the shutters, is phenomenal," emphasized Stuba. "With the framing shutters, the band really noticed the lights and what they are doing. Hats off again to Vari-Lite for making a truly amazing product."
(Lee Baldock)
