Jaz-Z and Kanye West (photo Alfredo Flores)
USA - Hip hop kings Jay-Z and Kanye West teamed on a second, eight-week leg of their Watch The Throne North American tour where Clay Paky Sharpy fixtures are playing a key role. The tour, which ended in Vancouver just before Christmas, supported the rappers' joint LP released in August and featured solo cuts from their own catalogues.

Solotech, which is providing all the tour's lighting, rigging and specialty lighting fixtures, supplied 130 Clay Paky Sharpys from its inventory to lighting designer Nick Whitehouse. "The design of the tour is very modern and eclectic," says Richard Lachance, at Solotech, which is headquartered in Montreal. "The lighting, lasers and staging are very different - there's a centre module that's a B stage which is very prominent, and the show is laden with LED products."

Karl Gaudreau at Solotech, adds, "The first time Nick used Sharpys was for Beyonce when they blew away all the other lights on the rig. Now Nick is using mostly Sharpys for the main rig for Jay-Z and Kanye. He's positioned 24 on the floor and 48 on the main truss. Three other trusses combine Sharpys with strobes, and Sharpys are integrated with other lights on the back wall as well."

(Jim Evans)


Latest Issue. . .