Grammy
Award-winning singer Colbie Caillat toured the U.S. through the summer beneath a
highly original lighting design that featured high-power Elation Cuepix Panel LED
matrix blinders fabricated into eye-catching scenic light cubes.
Out on her “Gypsy
Heart” tour, multi-platinum selling artist Colbie Caillat is fond of the Cuepix
light cubes. “The artist has told us that the
cubes were the highlight of the tour, fetching the most compliments and
inquiries of any other element,” says Paul Hoffman, owner of full-service
lighting production company Pulse Lighting, who provided
the complete visual package for the tour. “In fact, she looks forward to
incorporating them into her touring plans in 2015.”
Built by Steelfab LLC of
Denver, “who did a fantastic job” Paul says, each cube consisted of six Elation
Cuepix Panels mounted in a steel frame. Powered by advanced Chip On Board (COB)
LED technology, each Cuepix Panel measures 21.6” x 21.6” square and is made up
of 5 x 5 30-watt RGB LEDs with individual pixel control which make more creative
effects possible, as well as letter and number projections. Capable of emitting
a full spectrum of colors, the light cubes were designed by Pulse Lighting’s
Michael Cummings, who also handled set design for the tour.
“The Cuepix are very bright and easy
to work with. We never ran them above 50% intensity,” Paul says. “We chose them
over other products because of our existing relationship with Elation,
excellent pricing, and their availability, which allowed this to happen in a
very compressed timeframe. We had to act very quickly and Chris Healy at The
Healy Group has always been great in helping us meet deadlines and solve
logistic problems.” The Cuepix Panels\’ larger size and greater number of pixels compared to
similar products, its robust design and excellent dimming were also factors in
its choice.
Lighting design for the “Gypsy
Heart” tour was by Kenneth Gribbon of Pulse Lighting, a design that originally
had six cubes hung in a gentle arc over the set. At one point in the design the
light cubes were used only to project warm white but as the design progressed
Colbie Caillat preferred a full color solution and the total number was cut to
five cubes. “We started the tour by hanging all five but on the first or second
stop we started hanging three and putting two on the downstage floor left and
right, which Ryan Bishop and Colbie decided they liked best,” Paul comments.
Working closely
with Tour Manager Ryan Bishop, Pulse Lighting handled all lighting aspects of
the tour, including lighting design, lighting direction and equipment supply.
“We provided the complete visual package, working on aesthetic concepts and
ideas directly with the artist – all the way down to the cables and screws that
make it all work,” Paul concludes.
Tour Manager: Ryan Bishop, Colbie
Caillat
Tour Supplier: Paul
Hoffman, Owner, Pulse Lighting
Cube and Set Design: Michael Cummings, Pulse Lighting
Lighting Designer: Kenneth Gribbon, Pulse Lighting
Rental Inquiries: Paul
Hoffman, paul@concertlighting.com
Photos: Steve Jennings
