Maverick Belgian superstars Clouseau rocked the
first two (of four) spectacular “Clouseau Central” shows at the Antwerp
Sportpalais, complete with stage, set, lighting and visuals designed – to match
the profile of the occasion – by Luc Peumans from creative design practice, Painting
With Light.
The band last played the Sportpalais four years
ago, in a series of landmark multi-date end-of-year shows that had become an
annual end of year concert experience. Back in 2014 in some style with a 6
month tour, they wanted to end the year with a performance phenomenon that was high-impact
and memorable and different.
The initial concept discussions between Luc and
lead singer Koen Wauters started nine months in advance. Of all the shows that the
band have performed in Belgium’s favourite arena … they enjoyed 2003’s in the
round presentation the most.
Clouseau have a huge rapport with their fans, and
Koen, as the charismatic and highly engaging front man, loves to be close to
the crowds, so they decided once again that ‘in-the-round’ was the route to
take.
To make it original and different, Luc then
proposed a set design based on a rectangular stage in the middle of the arena
with four zig-zagging runways coming out from each corner and running right down the length of the
auditorium.
“Clouseau Central” was born.
Every 2 metres, the top of the runways were printed
with a 3D blocked design, which really came alive when lit, adding another spacial
dimension to the look and feel of the space , especially for all those viewing
from above. The stage was constructed by StageCo
The design idea was also a bit hit with promoters Jan
Van Esbroeck from PSE Belgium as it enabled a capacity of 21,000. All four
shows sold out within minutes of going on sale!
Positioning all the kit in an in-the-round (or even
in-the-rectangle!) environment is always a challenge, the arena has an upper
balcony as well as raked bleachers, and Luc had to ensure that everyone could
see all the stage action and that the performance looked visually interesting
from all angles.
Apart from creating a great sense of spectacle and
anticipation with the design, as the four shows were in two sets of two
consecutive dates, it also had to be practical to get in and out!
Where possible, Luc prefers to design all the
visual elements for a show as it brings a fluidity and coherence to the bigger
picture, so this was a great opportunity for him to showcase this integration
as well as the multi-disciplined approach characteristic of Painting With Light
Scenic pieces for in-the-round shows are always
problematic, so Luc decided that a kinetic ceiling would be a flexible and
exciting piece of architecture to complement the stage below.
He imagineered a grid of 300 LED ‘pixel balls’ each
suspended on individually DMX-controlled winches which ran the full 50 metre length of the set, out to the ends
of the runways.
The eye-catching bespoke system was fabricated and
supplied by Inventdesign and purchased by the production. The winches were run from the grandMA2
lighting console merged with a MADRIX system and could fly into different positions,
totally shifting the look and dynamics of the space as well as changing colour.
The 50 cm diameter balls were flown 2.07 metres apart.
A main role of lighting was to ramp up the drama
and help deliver an extraordinary Clouseau experience to everyone present.
The first lighting brain-teaser that Luc set
himself with the design was the millimetre-precise positioning of 108 Robe
Pointe moving lights all around the stage and runways … so when they were in the direct upright
position … they didn’t illuminate any of the 300 pixel balls in the roof!
These Pointes were used to throw beams around the
room and into the audience adding lots of depth. The ‘jail-bar’ looks he
programmed for them instantly defined the stage space. A further 20 x Pointes
were hung underneath the main balcony around the arena – run in spot mode,
their brightness was impressive – and the other 76 x Pointes were dotted around
the network of overhead trusses flown above the stage.
Forty Clay Paky A.leda K20 LED washes fitted with
rotating B-EYE lenses were dotted around and used for rich and powerful washes
and funky twinkling effects.
Martin MAC Viper DX wash lights (with the framing
shutters) were the general stage washes, while 24 x Vari*Lite VL3500Q Spots
were utilized for key lighting and specials.
Also greatly adding to the creative tool-box were
76 x SGM Q7 LED strobes which were highly effective for intense punctuation
points that illuminated the entire venue.
All the lighting – around 500 fixtures in total – was
programmed by Luc and Painting With Light’s Paco Mispelters, and operated by
Paco.
As you would expect, video was also an integral
part of the show, but it was vital that it didn’t distract from the stage action
and the band so its most important role was as a vehicle for IMAG and ensuring
that everyone even in the further reaches of the arena could get a great view.
A large central LED ‘cube’ was built directly above
centre-stage, which together with four delay screens – one facing in each
direction flown in the roof further out from the centre – allowed all 21,000
fans each night to enjoy Video Director Hans Pancake’s dynamic six camera mix.
The main LED cube was made up from 60 square metres
of Roe MC7 7 mm pitch high definition LED surface, – specified by Peumans for
its quality output and light weight which makes it easy to rig. The projection
screens were fed by (2) (Panasonic 12K) projectors also rigged
in the roof.
The inside of the video cube was clad with GLEC
Phantom 30 low res transparent LED product, so the many audience standing at floor
level and looking directly up at the stage could also see content being
displayed on the under-side … rather than looking into a black hole.
It’s attention to details like this which make
Painting With Light stand out.
Michael Alfar and Aitor Biedma from Painting With
Light created custom video content for the show, which was stored on a Coolux media
server programmed and run by PWL’s Katleen Selleslagh. This was integrated
tastefully with the IMAG images being shown onscreen.
Custom show video content (from the Pandora’s Box)
was also played out to the venue’s own LED banner which forms a digital border
around the front of the balcony which circles the entire space.
As with any large scale show, smoke and atmosphere
were another vital element to the visual mix – just enough is needed to enhance
the lighting but not to impair the video experience. Any hazing also has to contend
with the venue’s efficient AC system, so another fine balance was required for
which they used two Concept Vi-Count hazers and six Look Systems Viper NT2.6
foggers.
A powerful vertical smoke effect during “Vonken en
Vuur” (Sparks & Fire), featured eight Robe Cyclones (LED wash light and fan
combined) strategically placed around the stage
Clouseau unfolded their epic high-energy set over
three and a half hours – with a short break so all could draw breath! Many
highlights included a breath-taking aerial stunt with Koen attached to a Fly-By-Wire
winch system from Toprek Rigging, flying out to the balconies and touching
hands with fans around the Sportpalais to the absolute delight of the audience!
All the main technical equipment – rigging, lighting,
sound and video – was supplied by PRG. The Lighting Crew Chief was Filip Van
Broeckhoven and the Production Manager was Walter D’Haese.
“I was extremely proud to be a part of the team
that brought this show to fruition” says Luc, “A lot of ingenuity, heart and
soul and some incredible collaboration went into the production … and I think
the results spoke for themselves”.
In 2015, Clouseau celebrates 30 years of creating
great music and delivering superlative live entertainment.
Photos by Elke Briers, Dirk Kestens & Louise Stickland –
please see filename
