Dan + Shay once again turned to LD Taylor Price for their design. The LD had created an impressive design for their spring/ summer tour earlier this year supporting various artists. "I began working with the band in the spring of 2014, when they were opening for one of my other clients," said the LD. "We've had an excellent rapport since. The guys brainstormed some ideas, and tour manager Chase Bennett presented me with a few sketches of what they were wanting to do on their first headlining tour."
The original concept from the team had a centre stage video wall. After weighing the costs and logistical challenges involved in carrying video and media servers, Price presented them with an alternative idea: he could build them a centre wall out of Nexus 4x4s and then use additional panels as design elements on the flanking truss towers.
His plan, which the group enthusiastically embraced, called for creating a centre wall of nine Nexus 4x4 panels arranged in a 3x3 grid, as well as positioning an additional panel on each of the four truss towers that flanked this wall and putting four more panels on the stage deck in front of the drum and key risers.
The LD explained how he outlined his plan to his client: "By pixel mapping an LED lighting element like the Nexus 4x4, we could still achieve the idea they wanted and showcase their plus-sign logo as well as many other video like effects," he said. "This would not only control costs, but would give us more versatility from a design standpoint by allowing us to use the Nexus panels as both lighting and video effects. Also by replacing the traditional blinders on the truss towers and LED strip lights from previous designs with the Nexus 4x4s, we could carry the central design element across the entire stage for a more cohesive look and effectively kill two birds with one stone."
(Jim Evans)
