Lighting
rental specialist HSL supplied lighting and rigging equipment and crew to the
UK leg of the recent tour by hit-busting U.S rock band Heart whose incredible
career spans five decades.
The shows
started with a special gig at the Royal Albert Hall where Heart – known for the
brevity and dynamics of their rock based music – was accompanied by the 67-piece
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO). The same gig was filmed for release as a
live DVD.
Says HSL
MD Simon Stuart, “It was an honour to be involved in a unique collaboration
like this at a magical venue, as well as to supply the rest of the Heart UK
dates”.
The tour
was project managed on the road for HSL by Lester Cobrin and back at base in
Blackburn by Sean McGlone, with Lester liaising directly with Heart’s
production manager Dale Doucette and lighting director Gabrielle Scheff who has worked
with the band in various lighting capacities since 2012.
The big
challenge on this one was the fact that the RAH show was the first of a run of
four on this whistle-stop visit to the UK, and because of the DVD shoot, Gabi
had the additional parameter of cameras to consider in her lighting scheme as
well as ensuring that the orchestra were well and appropriately lit.
The
pressure was on with this essentially very high profile one off followed by
the rest of the tour.
Heart is
a hardworking live band that tours constantly year round, and will often
utilize locally supplied productions to spec (or not sometimes!) and house
systems, so the key to Gabi’s design is always to create some sort of consistency.
However this frequently changes to additionally take into account the needs of in
what can be very different venues, so her world is an ever fluid environment!
For this brief
UK tour, they had the luxury of the same rig every night.
There
were two overhead trusses – mid and rear
– each loaded with Martin Mac Viper Profiles, MAC Aura LED washes and
MAC 2K XB Washes. More Vipers were upstage on the deck, used for powerful
through-the-band and aerial effects.
Also on
the upstage truss were strings of ACLs, and Jarag 5×5 blinders on the mid
truss. There was no front truss, instead the band members were highlighted with
Robert Juliat Cyrano follow spots, also from HSL, each loaded with six
saturated colours.
The
different MAC moving lights picked from HSL’s extensive stock of Martin
fixtures – were all used to create numerous vibrant and interesting scenes.
Gabi admits that she misses the physical movement between base stage washes –
harking back to the days of massive PAR can rigs – but feels in part able to re-imagine
this classic physical style with these different moving luminaires and achieve
more intensity and punch!
The MAC
2K washes she found infinitely useful as a bright source with a tight zoom,
while the Auras provided strong rounded beams and ultra-fast movement due to
their small size “The ‘Aura effect’ really allows me to create those big rock
looks without the 2K colours becoming washed out,” said Gabi.
The
Vipers were primarily animated specials – ideal for both fat beams and crisp gobo
looks and big, bold moves, perfect for the rock numbers as well as creating tasteful
atmospheres for the ballads.
HSL
supplied a grandMA2 full size console for the tour, Gabi’s desk of choice, a
tool she finds “incredibly intuitive” and easy to use. “Programming is a breeze
and running a show ‘live’ is even easier!” she confirms.
It was Gabi’s
first time working with HSL as a lighting vendor, an experience she’s found “Wonderful
working with touring professionals with great experience who appreciate that a
little local love goes a long way!”
Heart are
continuing their proactive touring schedule in the US
Gabrielle
Scheff is a freelance designer based in Boston. She landed in the industry ‘by accident’
after finishing her undergrad Technical Theatre degree at Rhode Island College
and becoming acting master electrician, programmer and assistant LD for
Providence’s premier ballet company. During that production she made contact
with Bob Morrissey of East Coast Lighting & Production Services (ECLPS) a renowned
rental company in the region and then into the rough and tumble world of
concert lighting.
http://www.hslgroup.com
Photos : Lindsay Cave
