Fast rising country
star Justin Moore set a real challenge on his recent US tour, with
venues ranging from state/county fairs up to 20,000-seat arena shows.
For production
designer Sooner Routhier (of SRae Productions) and touring
lighting director Aaron Luke it was a case of developing easily portable,
truckable and scalable scenography that was quick to rig and derig.
Sooner also lights
stages for Motley Crue to Bon Jovi and it was on a previous tour with the
latter that she started using GLP’s popular impression X4 heads, quickly sensing
the speed of the fixture and the number of beam shapes that could be achieved
using the pixel patterns. “I needed a good wash light to generate effects that
would give each song a different look — and GLP impressions seemed to be the perfect fit.”
And so she approached
long-term vendor SES from North Carolina for a similar solution when the
Nashville artist’s tour came around.
Working with
production manager, Art Switzer, Sooner sensed the importance of being able to
move gear on and off stage quickly as part of a scalable set, and the compact
nature of the impression X4 fit that
parameter perfectly.
“Justin has a pretty
rustic vibe mixed with rock and roll and a whole lot of old school country. I
attempted to represent this with distressed barn board backing some custom set
carts and some banners with distressed metal texture and his rooster logo. I
needed a light that was small enough to jam a ton of them into the carts and
the X4 was perfect.”
The 32 GLP fixtures,
configured in two rows within the carts, are part of an inventory of 56 GLP
fixtures, under the control of lighting director, Aaron Luke. “In the air, we
hang six wire rope ‘ladders’, with three fixtures per ladder. The final six X4s
are dedicated to lighting softgood banners,” he explains.
The X4 represents a
huge part of the show. “I’m pretty sure we use every feature of the light. The
zoom range and the macros are invaluable and I’m really impressed with their
output. Sooner created some really cool looks that just wouldn’t be the same
without the macros of the light.”
And the designer
herself says, “The size and the pixel patterns are the outstanding features. We
created a wall of light with the X4 and I just couldn’t have done that with a
traditional wash light.”
Luke has likewise
built familiarity with GLP’s evolving platform since the early days. “But the
first time I used the X4 I was blown away with how far they had come. It is a
great wash light that packs a real punch, yet has the effects to give the show
a unique look.”
SES has been involved
since Justin Moore first began carrying production. “They have been extremely
helpful in all aspects of the production and are fully capable of providing
virtually any kind of fixtures we spec,” says Sooner. “They were instrumental
in making the production for Justin exactly what it needed to be – a direct
support/headliner package that packs a punch.”
And the ability of the
X4 to withstand the rigors of the road is emphasized by Aaron. “They hold up
well, particularly as we don’t travel them in road cases. They now ride in the
truck pre-rigged to the carts and ladders. On the rare occasion we have needed
them both SES and GLP have been really great in providing rapid support — which
is great for me, since I don’t have time to be teching lights every day.”
Finally, the sheer economy
(of weight, size and power draw) is a huge plus factor. “We definitely play
venues where power is limited and I get some nervous looks at times when people
see 122 fixtures. Then I tell them that I’m under 100A, and they sigh in
relief. Also, our entire production travels in one semi-trailer, so space is
very tight. Trying to cram 56 larger-format wash lights along with our band
gear, consoles, set, and risers into a 53’ trailer would be nearly impossible.”
Aaron Luke is now
eager to try out GLP’s new X4 Bar. “I love the optics of the X4 moving heads,
so to have that in a batten-style fixture, with both motorized tilt and zoom
would be very powerful”.
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