PRG XL Video supplies Cure world tour
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Mac explained the creative process behind bringing the production to life, and how they dazzled the expectations of die-hard Cure fans: “It’s important to note that Robert Smith was very hands-on with the design for the show—he’s been as much a member of our creative team as he has a band member. When Robert and I first discussed the design, we wanted a very simple look, where the set is the lighting rig, and it’s a very clean, uncluttered stage.
“We started off with the idea for a curved screen at the back of the stage, added a curved riser and pulled the ends of the truss back to extenuate the curved look. The different lighting looks we used was kept simple, but precise and well-executed—for happy songs we used bright colourful lighting, and for moody songs, we adjusted the lighting accordingly.”
PRG XL’s Event Services Coordinator, Ben Hornshaw performed the role of lighting programmer, and worked closely with Mac and Robert on all the live shows and in the pre-production stage: “We’re confident the fans really enjoyed the show—there was an awful lot of lighting and video technology on stage. The band played a fan-based show which lasted for just under three hours—made up not only of hits, but also album tracks and lesser known B Sides.”
Ben explained the technology which made up the lighting rig: “There were four overhead trusses which contained a selection of PRG Best Boy spots and washes, GLP X4 Bar 20 LED battens, Solaris Flare LED strobes and Molefays. All the truss used on the tour was PRG BAT truss, which made the load-in a lot easier for Crew Chief Mark England and his team of talented lighting technicians
“The overhead trusses had a ten-degree kink at each end, turning them back towards the stage to facilitate Mac’s curved design. Upstage there were five video columns, separated by six suspended vertical trusses, which we referred to as torms. Each torm was loaded with two Clay Paky Mythos, four Ayrton Magic Blades, one GLP X4L moving light, one Martin Atomic strobe and a PRG Best Boy spot. The purpose of the torms was to break up the video wall and fill in the space between the five sections, giving the illusion of a wider stage and more panoramic vista.”
Ben continued, “Sitting up stage, directly in front of each video screen, there were five more truss towers which contained a Martin Atomic strobe, an 8 light Molefay and a PRG Best Boy spot on top. Along the back of the stage were 10 Clay Paky Sharpy beams. Down either side of the stage were dollies containing a number of Clay Paky Mythos and GLP X4 moving lights. There were also GLP X4S lights under risers and on the drum kit.” Ben travelled with the tour, and this, combined with working on previous Cure shows made him indispensable to aiding Mac develop the design.
“c discussed how he has worked with The Cure for separate periods—the first beginning back in 1978, and then from 2011 until now. PRG XL Video Account Director Jon Cadbury coordinated the supply of lighting for the tour, Mac emphasised Jon’s relationship with the band: “One of the main reasons PRG XL supply The Cure is down to Jon, he worked with them in the days of Samuelson’s, before they became PRG, and the tour has stayed with Jon ever since.”
PRG XL Video account director Stefaan Michels oversaw the supply of video technology for the tour, Stef said, “The Gnats are a very versatile camera, because they can be mounted anywhere and still give a beautifully crisp 1080p HD image. We customised them even further for The Cure tour, adding remote control of the iris and contrast functionality; something which we would normally set directly on the camera, but we need the ability to change those settings during the show on this production.”
(Jim Evans)
