USA - AJR - Adam, Jack & Ryan Met’s current Maybe Man campaign which started at the end of 2023 and continues throughout this year. For the tour, Ezra Donellan of Moon Bolt Designs specified over 200 Robe moving lights, including 83 x Fortes, 88 x Tetra2s, 44 x Tetra1s and 32 x Spiiders, all delivered by Gateway Studios & Production Services (GSPS).
AJR comes with a fully realised visual concept and production design created by Mitchell Schellinger of Station Six, which is a combination of his and the band’s ideas. “It’s a very invigorating way to work,” comments Ezra on the collaborative nature of the design process. “There are challenges, and we all enjoy dealing with these and finding the best solutions.”
On tour, there’s a prominent curved video screen upstage, and a downstage ‘vanish’ screen divided into six sections, each independently moveable via a TAIT control system, which also forms a rounded edge and moves into different formations.
Robe Fortes are right at the essence of the lighting plot. “It was the logical choice and perfect for its greater firepower but using the same excellent colour and optical systems as the Esprite,” noted Ezra, adding that “punch” was extremely important with so many LED screens in the production design.
The Fortes are mainly positioned on two curved upstage trusses that match the curved video walls.
Over 100 Tetras are positioned mainly upstage above the Fortes, and ‘yoked out’ around the rear video screen to give extra orientation and more jauntiness in the angle. This enables some impressive geometric shapes to be created, together with a bunch of cool kinetic fluid movement effects that ripple through the Tetra lines.
Spiiders are “a great wash light” that he’s used extensively on previous designs, and he also appreciates their beam light capabilities.
He is running a three-way RoboSpot system on the principal artists which is connected to eight of the Fortes giving a back and a front light on Adam and Ryan and two Fortes front and back for Jack.
The Maybe Man tour is the first time he’s worked with Gateway Studios & Production Services as an equipment vendor (lighting and video), and they have been “fantastic,” he reports.
The Gateway team includes David Haskell, president of business development, project manager Adam Ellis and lighting crew chief on the road, Jeffrey Metter.
