The band's long term LD Benoit Richards and their video designer Bert Baldwin worked together on developing the 2005 show's 'visuality', which united both lighting and video in an integrated stage 'look', matching the band's huge energy. Both Richards and Baldwin have been involved with the band for some time. "It's very much been a collaborative effort this time," says Baldwin. He and Richards enjoy a great creative dialogue with the band, and they pooled numerous imaginative ideas for 'potential development' at the start of the tour.
Baldwin's Dream Theater years started with him evolving the band's video concept - both hardware and content - and running the video show. Into anything 'technical' since a small child, he's also worked in their studio as a second audio engineer, onstage as a keyboard tech and played in various bands himself. Apart from his natural musicality being a great asset to lighting and video operation, he's found his all round talent for 'technical' skills have been readily transferable between the different departments.
The stage set is designed around three video screens, with the lighting design balanced to work alongside the video as well as having its own identity. Dream Theater's music is intensely rhythmic, so it's ideal to have overall control of both mediums, explains Baldwin, who runs the lighting off a WholeHog 3 that also triggers a Catalyst digital media server running all the video content.
Bandit supplied Martin MAC 2K profiles and MAC 600 washes as the main moving lights. The design featured two over-stage lighting trusses - front and rear - each containing six 600s plus six of the 2K profiles on the back for big, bold, punchy beam effects and five MAC 500 profiles on the front truss used as 'specials'.
On the floor were eight MAC 600s at the back, and then two 600s a side for cross-stage washes, 'shin' and filler lighting, the upstage ones rigged were on top of flightcases for a bit of elevation, and the downstage ones were all on the deck. They had eight Atomic 3K strobes - four in the air and four on the ground, and 10 sets of 4-lites with colour changers, four sets on the front truss and six on the back. A single Par can on the floor at front of stage was utilised for highly effective special 'ghoulish' moments on the singer's face.
Bandit also supplied four Lycian 1.2k followspots and top crew members Ian Lomas and Ewan Cameron. Lomas has worked on the previous two Dream Theater tours. "Bandit were excellent," says Baldwin. "All the gear was well prepped, and the crew were brilliant and super efficient - it all just flew in and out of the venues."
(Lee Baldock)
