USA - Rob Koenig and his team are working with Metallica on the second North American leg of the band’s M72 World Tour.
Elevating the show on this tour “to a new, and even higher level of engagement” is an innovative production design by Dan Braun, supported by an equally original lighting design by Koenig that features 144 Chauvet Professional Color Strike M motorised strobe washes supplied by Premier Global Production.
The design’s 360-degree stage brings the band closer to the crowd and affords clear views from anywhere in the big stadium. Those views are also bold, as Koenig pours volumes of bright light on the stage, impressively without having any truss-mounted fixtures, except for a small number around the drum riser.
“This kind of stage was all part of Dan Braun’s vision for the tour from the start,” said Koenig. “Dan has embarked us into a territory where we don’t utilise traditional truss – coming up with more unique ways to hang a show other than sticks of truss/lights attached. Dan has pushed for that ‘clean’ stage look for quite a few years now. We’re fortunate enough to have those kinds of freedoms.”
The openness of the stage is not impeded by video screens. In place of walls, the design features eight very large video panels on high towers positioned at different points on the stadium floor. This arrangement not only presents the audience with a clearer view of the stage, it also adds a new visual dimension to the design.
“I love the way the video is more of a set piece on this tour, more akin to a character in the show, rather than just another video surface,” said Koenig. “While it’s a massive video display, the positioning truly gives us enough negative space to punch through with light, and augment together rather than fighting to get over the top of massive, emissive surface.”
Having the videos positioned high above the floor offered another benefit, according to Koenig: “For a load of people in the high seats they are in the sight line of the stage,” he remarked.
The video towers also create ideal hang points for the Color Strike M fixtures, which are “married” to profiles on the structures. From this position, they serve as strobes and colour washes, to cover the tour’s big venues with light.
Koenig put together this powerful and versatile rig working with Premier Global Productions account rep James Vollhoffer, project manager Anthony Kordyjaka, and crew chief Mat Gass.
“The fixture choices were a decently long process,” said Koenig. “Coming out of the pandemic, most companies were focusing on new fixtures that would sell. Solid fixtures with robust features. We focused on what was being offered, as we also need to concentrate on IP-rated fixtures as much as possible, as we’d be travelling with no roof.”
