Lighting designer Dan Boland specified the PixelLines, then programmed and directed for the road by Kirkham. Ed and Ted's Excellent Lighting of Oxnard California supplied the gear plus much of the tour's rigging, with 10 Vario motors overhead provided by Show Distribution of Quebec City, Canada.
Boland used 37 Pixelline 1044s on the ground in DMX mode, broken down into 666 separate "cells" of control. The 1044s lined the entire downstage edge, fully outlining three 16 x 4ft stage thrusts.
Overhead, there were 22 of JTE's latest 110ec PixelLines, which were broken down into five cells apiece, giving a total of 110 "cells" overhead. The 110ecs were also mounted into two 'M' shaped truss structures and in total the PixelLines required six universes of DMX control. With the lights set for DMX mode and maximum resolution, the effects they could achieve were "unlike anything I've seen before" states Kirkham.
With the PixelLine packed into such a small area, combined with some diligent programming, Kirkham could create a real sense of movement from the sources. "The individual cells were fast enough to strobe in any colour or do slow sweeps across the stage" he elucidated. "The intense colour and smooth response made some beautiful eye-catching animations."
Kirkham also likes the compact size of the fixtures, which fit effortlessly inside a truss. Operating the tour using a Grand MA lighting console Kirkham says that its excellent effects engine is essential for getting the most out of LED fixtures.
Tour lighting also featured Martin MAC 2K profiles and wash moving lights, High End PC Beams and Cyberlight Turbos, Syncrolite SX3Ks, and 3K Atomic strobes.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
