Paradise was initially approached after working with production manager Eddie Kercher on Incubus last year. He decided to create a 'Great wall of lights' effect for the show - which currently carries no video, so the main visual element, other than the band - is lighting. His primary objective is to match the intense, raw sonic impact of the band with lighting semantics.
Paradise also wanted to make the stage three dimensional, so he decided to stagger the three 'wall' trusses at different heights, "I wanted there to be lights wherever you look onstage" he states. He then added two vertically hanging side pods which are primarily used for front lighting as the band don't like traditional front illumination.
He chose Martin MAC 2K Washes and 2K Profiles as the main moving lights - 25 and 22 of them respectively. There is also plenty of blinding strobe cues from the 39 Atomics with colour changers.
Other lights include 18 Thomas 8-lite Moles, six MR16 zip strips, 6 MAC 250s, 18 ChromaQ ColorBlocks used for truss toners and 24 James Thomas Pixelline 1044 battens, which are arranged in a line above the set runway.
"As always, Bandit has done a great job" says Paradise, "The crew and the kit are unbeatable, and I use them wherever I can. Working with Lester Cobrin is always a pleasure as I never need to worry about anything. The kit is always presented accurately and in first class condition."
(Jim Evans)
