As part of
their European journey, Swedish metal band Opeth opted for a single show at
Wembley Arena for their UK audience. Magnus Boyd has been lighting the band for
the last eighteen months. The show at Wembley was a part of the “Sorceress”
World Tour. The first portion started in the US with twenty shows and continued
in Europe – all the time accompanied by 1 x grandMA2 light and 2 x MA NPU
(Network Processing Unit).
“During
the tour, we have done special extended sets (at Radio City and Belasco in LA)
featuring songs from the ‘Deliverance’ and ‘Damnation’ albums before the third
at Wembley”, explained Boyd. “The final extended set will be at the Sydney
Opera House in February. These are impressive spaces that really deserve a
large production; the design didn’t change much, we just doubled what we would
normally have in the rig.”
Boyd
hooked up with High Wycombe based rental company Siyan Limited to deliver his
touring and Wembley show lighting requirements which is an overwhelmingly Claypaky
and MA affair. Both exclusively distributed in the UK by Ambersphere Solutions.
“Magnus
was looking for a supplier who stocked Claypaky fixtures and MA control
systems,” opened Tom Grant, project manager. “He and I had some initial
conversations by email about his requirements and we went from there”. Boyd’s
final spec comprised of Claypaky A.leda B-EYE K20, Mythos, Sharpy, Alpha Wash
700 and Stormy CC, along with a grandMA2 light and two MA NPU (Network
Processing Unit).
On the
control side Boyd has been a regular MA user for the last fifteen years. Siyan
provided a grandMA2 light with a pair of MA NPU. “The grandMA2 light gives me
everything I needed for this run despite being designed/pre-programmed on an MA
onPC command wing and a grandMA2 full-size in Oslo. In regards to the MA NPU,
the MA solution for networking is pretty much all I need. They make it easy to
incorporate house rigs to my design and offer a stable network for my touring
package. In addition, networking with other consoles for programming/backup is
a dream with them in the package.”
For the
Wembley show, Siyan supplied the crew in addition to the extra lighting: crew
chief Matt Morris along with Dan Everitt and Mark Baruch. Boyd is full of
praise, “All the gear was in mint condition and Tom was very on the ball as
project manager; if we needed anything it was sorted instantly. From concept to
plan to build and finally tour, they have been there every step of the way
supplying information, ideas and support. Altogether a very enjoyable
experience indeed.”
Photo: © Siyan Lighting
