concerts copyright lighting sound america lsa oct sd5.pdf · ometimes, looking forward means...

CONCERTS

84 • October 2015 • Lighting&Sound America

Copyright Lighting&Sound America October 2015 http://www.lightingandsoundamerica.com/LSA.html

ometimes, looking forward means looking back.That’s what Dan Hadley, production/lighting

designer for the Foo Fighters, did when he began thedesign phase of the band’s current Sonic Highways Tour.“On the last tour,” he explains, “we had video elementsbut no large screens, and we found that people werepaying attention to the IMAG screens, because theconnection between Dave [Grohl, the band’s singer andlead guitarist] and the crowd is quite strong. I realized thatconnection needed to be made towards the stage and nottoward the IMAG screens.”

Hadley started with the visuals, specifically the presen-tation of them within the staging structure. “The video isthere purely to showcase the band, and to visually amplifywhat is happening on the stage, not create another worldor layer of entertainment and eye candy to distract fromanything,” he says. “We want to amplify everything.” Hisnext step was to ascertain the best way to present thoseimages to the audience. “I wanted to make it as interestingas possible—to take it away from the ubiquitous bigrectangle in the back. It drives me mad that people spendtheir days and nights staring at those rectangles, be it intheir hands or on the wall of a restaurant with a TV going;we finally get them to come out for a communalexperience, to enjoy live music with a live band, and thenwe put them in front of a giant TV again. I feel that is reallycheating them.”

There was also scale—as well as scalability—toconsider, since the tour would be playing festivals, arenas,stadiums, and sheds. “What they needed was somethingflexible, that was big and could fill stadiums, but wouldalso keep the focus on the stage,” Hadley adds.

The band and its management left the design details toHadley; however, they did have one very solid and non-negotiable requirement: a B stage. “It was the thing thatDave wanted, to go out and do a set, including coversongs, from the middle of the crowd,” he notes.

Creating the B stage was a bit more involved thansimply drawing a circle somewhere between the mainstage front-of-house position and putting in a thrust. “Theband isn’t on in-ears, but Dave is very adept at going outin the house and dealing with the delay from the PA,”Hadley explains. “But a whole band doing that gets reallymessy really quickly. So we tested it and came up with amagic distance that they are able to do without anyproblems. We put it out as far into the crowd as we could,which was about 75' from the stage.”

When the venue is B stage-friendly, it’s part of theproduction. “The B stage itself is a 20' turntable that risesto 6.5', which is the height of the ramp at that point. It’s anoctagon with a circular center,” Hadley notes. During theshow, “The band comes up, gets lifted up while rotating,to join in mid-song, and does a set of songs.”

For his design—initially done, old-school, by hand,rather than on a computer—Hadley created a set thatrelies heavily on IMAG upstage, but changes in formatthroughout the evening. He explains, “The show starts outas one big screen upstage. After the first or second song,it splits into three portraits, and goes into multiple configu-rations after that. The center screen stays in a portraitconfiguration [12' x 20'], but the rest, on either side, iscomprised of six vertical strips that are 2' wide by 20'high.” The center screen is equal to six individual strips;they’re Saco V-9 LED screens from PRG-Nocturne, whoprovided video gear to the production.

The automation moving the screens was provided bythe Las Vegas office of SGPS. Hadley explains, “The sixstrips not only have to travel on a truss to break apart,they also lift to different heights, and they rotate to revealthe lighting that’s hung on their backsides. The centertravels up and down, but it always maintains its position inthe center; it is usually the anchor of the visual and carriesthe IMAG. Putting all that machinery into something lessthan 2' wide took quite a bit of figuring.” Eric Pearce,

www.lightingandsoundamerica.com • October 2015 • 85

Pho

tos: To

dd

Kap

lan

Designing for The FooFighters means being

ready for every eventualityBy: Sharon Stancavage

Riding the

SonicHighway

S


president and principal designer at SGPS, designed andbuilt-in 12 of his smallest Whirlygig units to handle thetravel and rotation.

To complete the technical end of the screens, Hadleybrought in screens overlord Leif Dixon, who has workedwith him and the band in the past. For the hardwareportion, they engaged Control Freak Systems (CFS), basedin Lititz, Pennsylvania. Dixon explains, “Control Freak waspart of the last Foo Fighters tour, and therefore Dan andmanagement were open to using them again. I’ve workedwith CFS in the past, so using them for this tour was anatural fit. I consulted extensively with Ryan Middlemiss—our CFS project coordinator—and Andy Babin [CFSsystem integrator] to come up with the broad strokes of asystem build and what I wanted it to do. Then those guysdug in deep to build the system the way they do best. Werely heavily on CFS’s expertise for overall system designand integration, and Andy was a big part of this, includingfiguring out some cool tricks for us once showprogramming was underway. He’s pretty much a livingencyclopedia of ones and zeroes. We now have TroyGiddens as our touring CFS tech and often refer to himsimply as ‘the smart guy’.”

The system the team put together is comprised ofmultiple PRG Mbox media servers [two active, plus aspare for the stage] and a Barco Encore switcher withcustom Control Freak Encore Bridge software. “Theupstage video wall splits up into 13 pieces during theshow, so there are a lot of different possibilities for looksand routing,” Babin notes.

The Mboxes play back the pre-produced content andalso have an impact on the IMAG. “The Mbox is pushingout all the content: straight QuickTime movie files andclips. Since this is an IMAG-heavy show, it’s also doing alot of the effects on the IMAG, like grunging it up andchanging the colors,” Babin explains.

Speaking of the Barco Encore, Babin comments, “Onebig issue we’re attacking is overall latency. If Dave is upthere clapping his hands, you want to see hands clappingin real time. With the Encore, the whole system hasincredibly low latency. We did as much as we could tobypass unnecessary conversion.”

Control Freak also interfaces with the SGPS motioncontrol system, via Art-Net. “It’s turned out to be about afull universe of Art-Net control going back and forth tothem,” Babin notes. “Not only are they giving us the X/Y

Hadley’s design consists of 12 vertical LED columns that turn to reveal Ayrton MagicBlade-Rs, Clay Paky Sharpys, and Robe Pointes.

CONCERTS

position of the screen, they are giving us the rotation of thescreens and a whole bunch of other data.”

That positional data goes to Dixon at the front of house.He explains, “I receive motion feedback from the SGPSsystem; actual operation is done on the side stage byColin Nevins, who is the head of our amazing SGPSsquad.”

There are also two 16'-wide x 24'-high portrait-formatside screens for IMAG; they’re ROE creative display MC 7H LED walls and are fed by one active Mbox with a spare,just in case. Hadley explains, “The portrait screens matchup better with what we’re doing with our screens on stage;the general rule is that it either plays exactly what is takingplace on stage or is used to create a larger format thatextends from beyond the stage.” The second case resultsin what might be viewed as a broken landscape or wide-screen format. “The IMAG screens are there for utilitypurposes. People can see them if they need to, and instadiums, you do need the IMAG,” Hadley adds.

At the front of house, there are “three full-size [MALighting] grandMA2 desks: one for me, one for Dan, and aspare,” Dixon explains. “We operate on a single MAnetwork and show file; I operate most of the video in theshow, but being on a single MA session allows Dan to firesome cues that trigger both lights and video—Dan runsvideo for a couple of songs [the particular songs are a tour

secret], along with the lighting cues, for a few numberswhere it made sense to program it that way. However,most of the time, I look at pretty girls, eat snacks,and occasionally throw things at Dan.”

Dixon controls all the screen routing and mediaservers. “Josh Adams—our video director—shoots his

show as he normally would. What actually gets to thescreens—Josh’s line cut, individual cameras,graphics/movie playback, etc.—is under my control. In themost simple songs, I’m essentially just routing Josh to thescreens. At the other end of the spectrum, I’m creatingmulti-camera looks across the stage and side screens,layered with effects and animations,” Dixon notes.

Adams’ video package includes a Grass Valley KarreraK-Frame S-Series SPORT 2 SD/HD/3G switcher, sevenGrass Valley LDK 8000 HD broadcast video cameras witha variety of Fujinon lenses, and three Bradley cameras withwide angle adaptors. Babin adds, “Josh is still cutting theshow traditionally, which is the case until we get to the ISOsongs. For those, we’re taking direct ISOs from thecamera system as well, but all of the media server andscreen looks are triggered by the grandMA.”

Overall, what goes on the screens is a collaborativeprocess. “Dan oversees the process as designer, ofcourse, but Josh and I also provide a lot of creative input,and Josh has been invaluable in creating/editing someadditional content pieces,” Dixon says.

The show is IMAG-heavy, with the occasional use ofcontent. “They’re just not a content band,” Hadley admits.A couple pieces of the content are provided by Montreal-based Moment Factory, while the rest came from RobbWagner at Stimulated Inc., located in Burbank, California.

LightingThe backs of the 12 video strips are filled with lightinginstruments. Hadley notes, “Six of them are populated with[Clay Paky] Sharpy Washes and Robe Pointes: threeSharpy Washes and four Pointes on each of the six strips.The other six strips each have ten Ayrton MagicBlade-R

The center screen, in portrait format with IMAG, is used exten-sively in the show.

Thirteen Saco V-9 video screens, supplied by PRG, also featurecontent from Stimulated Inc. and Moment Factory.


units to create a spine down them.” He adds, “I like theSharpys quite a bit, and the Robes. It was really the matterof their flat prism that really pushed the Pointe over thestandard Sharpy.” Each strip also has one Clay PakyMythos mounted in a custom bracket at the top.

The MagicBlade-Rs have a specific purpose in the rig.“When the video strips turn around to reveal the lights, weneeded something for eye candy, which the Bladesprovide, since people aren’t sick of looking at them,” notesthe production designer. “They’re quite new and quite flashand quite punchy. I also wanted the sheet-like beam effectof the MagicBlades to be available, and they did quite anice job of that.”

As for the rest of the rig, Hadley explains, “Theworkhorses overhead downstage for the main illuminationare all [Martin Professional] MAC Vipers—a mix of Profilesand the AirFX Washes.” Hadley has put the latter throughits paces on the road. “ test out the hybrid nature of theAirFX Wash, which I’ve come to really enjoy. And they’redoing quite a good job.”

Another favorite of the designer is the Solaris Flare; hehas 36 on the main rig, “I have 11 on the downstage trussto use as crowd light, and a bunch on the floor and on thedrum riser. Those things are beautiful.” There are also 30

Clay Paky Mythos units, of which Hadley says, “I lovethem. They do what they do very well.” The lightingequipment is being provided by VER’s Los Angeles office.

Programming began without a set list, which isexpected with the band. Hadley says, “I knew that therewas a progression of reveals with the screen splits andmotion tricks that had to be respected regardless of theset list, so we were really left with only one option—toprogram every song to work in every configuration of thescreen and lighting rig and see where the set list cards fellonce we got into a groove of touring. Once we did, the setlist fell into as much of a rhythm as it ever does, and I wasable to start tweaking the lighting and video for theirpositions and configurations.”

Hadley programmed 45 songs on his MA LightinggrandMA2; the band has over 80 songs that they can, atany point, include in the set list. “I don’t think that the righas 80 looks of equal strength, so many song pages havemultiple options of operation for different songs,” thedesigner says. “That’s why I keep my programming veryfluid and very manual. We also still get curveballs at everyshow, whether it’s Dave challenging the band to join in asong without telling them which one before he starts theintro, breaking a song down until eventually asking for a

CONCERTS


total blackout, or us getting a set list 15 minutes beforethe show with ‘Everlong’ as the first song—it has been thetraditional show closer for as long as I can remember.”

At the console with Hadley is a foot pedal that he callsthe “MA shoe,” created by lighting designer BreckHaggerty. “I have this assigned to trigger an executorwhich changes depending on the song—video cues,strobe hits, chase tempos, etc.,” he says. “It’s also veryuseful during programming when used to trigger the ‘next’macro, so I don’t have to move my hands from theencoder wheels.”

The lack of a solid set list affects Dixon as well. Whenasked what happens when Grohl decides to playsomething completely unexpected, Dixon says, “Wepanic!” He smiles and adds, “Dan and I will sometimesborrow programming from another song not being playedthat night. Otherwise, when Dave calls an audible duringthe show—which happens quite frequently—Dan will justpunt lights. In that scenario, I always have a get-out-of-jail-free-card by routing Josh’s line cut to the screens if I don’thave something better up my sleeve. Sometimes it willdepend on screen orientation; if our columns are spun withthe lights facing forward, I’m likely to just lean on cleanIMAG.”

SoundHandling the sound duties at the front of house is BryanWorthen, who has been with the band for 13 years. Forthis tour, Worthen is using an L-Acoustics K1/K2 PAprovided by Los Angeles-based Delicate Productions inpartnership with Winston-Salem, North Carolina-basedSpecial Event Services (SES). Per side, there are fourteenK1s over four K2s on the main hang, twelve K2s for theside hang with 12 KARAs and 12 ARCS for front fill.Worthen explains, “For me, the K1/K2 PA does everything Iwant and need it to do—high volume, low volume, itdoesn’t matter—[it works] with not a lot of effort. For theband, there is little to no audio spill out the back or theboxes’ sides to affect the stage in a negative way. It’sgreat.” Rounding out the rig are L-Acoustics SB28 subs;as expected, the system is considerably enlarged for theband’s stadium dates.

Worthen runs the show on a DiGiCo SD5 console. Henotes, “It’s the only digital console that, to me, is visuallyanalog. That’s really important to me. The SD5 is veryuser-friendly, it sounds great, and everything on it workslike it should. It uses the same software as the SD7 withfewer bells and whistles on the surface. I don’t use a lot ofwhat the console offers, anyway, so why have buttons andknobs there if I’m not going to use them?”


Opposite: Control for the video walls was specified by Control Freak Systems and is handled at the front of house by screens directorLeif Dixon. Above: Hadley’s workhorses in the rig include the Martin Professional MAC Viper AirFX and Clay Paky Mythos.


Worthen is mixing without Waves. “I have fiveAvalon VT-737sp [channel strippers] and four channelsof Midas XL42 [microphone preamps] without the Bstage—there are eight Avalon 737s when we have theB stage. The 737s are for Dave’s vocals, Taylor’s[Hawkins, drums] vocal, and guest RF mics. XL42s arefor guitars.”

Sennheiser manufactures Worthen’s primary micro-phones of choice. The kick drum has a Sennheiser 901and 902; the snare top has a Sennheiser e905, thebottom a 614. All the toms are Sennheiser 904s, whilethe high hat and overhead have Sennheiser 614s. Forguitars, Dave [Grohl] is on a Sennheiser MD 421, ChrisShiflett [lead guitar] is on an e906, while Pat Smear[rhythm guitar] is on a Shure SM57. Worthen says,“Chris’ vocal mic is an e935, Taylor’s vocal mic is aSennheiser e904, and Dave’s are Sennheiser MD 431s.There are no special reasons why we use these vocalmics, except Taylor’s mic. The e904 is typically a drummic but, in this case, it pretty much works,because it’s small. It’s easier for Taylor to movearound, grab etc. For me, it gets less bleed from thedrums and cymbals than anything else we have triedin the past.”

Night after night, Worthen has a few challenges todeal with. “The biggest challenge is getting Taylor’svocal out loud and clear,” he says. “Drum vocals canbe a real challenge with a hard hitting drummer andcrazy-loud stage volume. The Avalon 737 is a lot ofhelp to me for this situation.”

The Sonic Highways Tour’s last date in the US is inCalifornia; it moves into Europe next month.

CONCERTS

The Broken Dave Show

On tour, the unexpected is always expected. Then again,some things are truly unexpected. One such eventhappened on June 12 in Gothenburg, Sweden, when DaveGrohl stumbled off the stage, breaking his leg.

There is a YouTube video of Grohl, in the pit with a micro-phone, talking to the audience while on his back, immobileon a stretcher. To the audience’s delight—and the shock ofhis crew—Grohl was patched up and returned to the stage.He skipped one song from the set list, but added two.

However, accommodations had to be made for his injury.Hadley explains, “It was really unfortunate that we had tocancel the shows we did in Europe. That’s his kick-drumfoot, and he’s a very good drummer. No one wants thatability changed.”

So there needed to be a plan. “There was no way that hewas going to cancel the rest of the tour. As soon as thedoctor said, ‘You can play if you’re sitting down the entiretime,’ that was it,” Hadley adds.

However, there was a slight problem. “We had no timeand no experience doing a Foo Fighter show with animmobile Mr. Grohl, so we had to design a few options. Wehad a ground-based way of getting him out over the crowd,and also a sky-based way of getting him out over the crowd.Neither of which worked for us for our show, so we endedup with him on the runway a couple of times on his mobilethrone,” the production designer explains.

The mobile throne concept came from Grohl himself; infact, the hand-sketched design is now available on theband’s website on a T-shirt. “It’s like a magic carpet with abig rock throne on it,” Hadley notes.

Hadley adds “The throne has 12 of Ayrton’s newMagicDot-Rs, three Solaris Flares, and one Martin JemZR33 fogger. It’s on a SGPS creeper deck, so it can travelfrom the stage, down the runway, and back. We probablyhad about a week and a half to construct it and take it toDC.” The throne was fabricated almost instantaneously bySGPS, and is tied into the lighting console via cables. Attimes, it even throws an Ayrton MagicDot-R spotlight on oneof the other band members. “You want it to kick ass and berock and roll,” the designer says. “There’s a fine line to ridewith them in making it enough rock without it being toocarnival, and it’s a hidden line that’s easy to cross. We werejust trying to figure out how to get as close to that line aspossible.”

The Grohl throne was a success; Grohl has beenlauded—and rightly so—for his show-must-go-ondedication. Grohl told the Associated Press, “I think thesehave been the best shows the Foo Fighters have ever done.I think, because of this situation and because of thechallenge of just getting onstage to do the shows, theshows are more passionate, [and] they’re more energetic.”—Sharon Stancavage

The Ayrton MagicBlade-Rs provide a new kind of eye candy forthe audience.

concerts copyright lighting sound america lsa oct sd5.pdf · ometimes, looking forward means...

Documents