CONCERTS Copyright Lighting&Sound America October 2015 http://www.lightingandsoundamerica.com/lsa.html 84 October 2015 Lighting&Sound America
Riding the Designing for The Foo Fighters means being ready for every eventuality Sonic By: Sharon Stancavage Highway Photos: Todd Kaplan Sometimes, looking forward means looking back. That s what Dan Hadley, production/lighting designer for the Foo Fighters, did when he began the design phase of the band s current Sonic Highways Tour. On the last tour, he explains, we had video elements but no large screens, and we found that people were paying attention to the IMAG screens, because the connection between Dave [Grohl, the band s singer and lead guitarist] and the crowd is quite strong. I realized that connection needed to be made towards the stage and not toward the IMAG screens. Hadley started with the visuals, specifically the presentation of them within the staging structure. The video is there purely to showcase the band, and to visually amplify what is happening on the stage, not create another world or layer of entertainment and eye candy to distract from anything, he says. We want to amplify everything. His next step was to ascertain the best way to present those images to the audience. I wanted to make it as interesting as possible to take it away from the ubiquitous big rectangle in the back. It drives me mad that people spend their days and nights staring at those rectangles, be it in their hands or on the wall of a restaurant with a TV going; we finally get them to come out for a communal experience, to enjoy live music with a live band, and then we put them in front of a giant TV again. I feel that is really cheating them. There was also scale as well as scalability to consider, since the tour would be playing festivals, arenas, stadiums, and sheds. What they needed was something flexible, that was big and could fill stadiums, but would also keep the focus on the stage, Hadley adds. The band and its management left the design details to Hadley; however, they did have one very solid and nonnegotiable requirement: a B stage. It was the thing that Dave wanted, to go out and do a set, including cover songs, from the middle of the crowd, he notes. Creating the B stage was a bit more involved than simply drawing a circle somewhere between the main stage front-of-house position and putting in a thrust. The band isn t on in-ears, but Dave is very adept at going out in the house and dealing with the delay from the PA, Hadley explains. But a whole band doing that gets really messy really quickly. So we tested it and came up with a magic distance that they are able to do without any problems. 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 the production. The B stage itself is a 20' turntable that rises to 6.5', which is the height of the ramp at that point. It s an octagon with a circular center, Hadley notes. During the show, 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 that relies heavily on IMAG upstage, but changes in format throughout the evening. He explains, The show starts out as one big screen upstage. After the first or second song, it splits into three portraits, and goes into multiple configurations after that. The center screen stays in a portrait configuration [12' x 20'], but the rest, on either side, is comprised 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, who provided video gear to the production. The automation moving the screens was provided by the Las Vegas office of SGPS. Hadley explains, The six strips not only have to travel on a truss to break apart, they also lift to different heights, and they rotate to reveal the lighting that s hung on their backsides. The center travels up and down, but it always maintains its position in the center; it is usually the anchor of the visual and carries the IMAG. Putting all that machinery into something less than 2' wide took quite a bit of figuring. Eric Pearce, www.lightingandsoundamerica.com October 2015 85
CONCERTS Hadley s design consists of 12 vertical LED columns that turn to reveal Ayrton MagicBlade-Rs, Clay Paky Sharpys, and Robe Pointes. president and principal designer at SGPS, designed and built-in 12 of his smallest Whirlygig units to handle the travel and rotation. To complete the technical end of the screens, Hadley brought in screens overlord Leif Dixon, who has worked with him and the band in the past. For the hardware portion, they engaged Control Freak Systems (CFS), based in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Dixon explains, Control Freak was part of the last Foo Fighters tour, and therefore Dan and management were open to using them again. I ve worked with CFS in the past, so using them for this tour was a natural fit. I consulted extensively with Ryan Middlemiss our CFS project coordinator and Andy Babin [CFS system integrator] to come up with the broad strokes of a system build and what I wanted it to do. Then those guys dug in deep to build the system the way they do best. We rely heavily on CFS s expertise for overall system design and integration, and Andy was a big part of this, including figuring out some cool tricks for us once show programming was underway. He s pretty much a living encyclopedia of ones and zeroes. We now have Troy Giddens as our touring CFS tech and often refer to him simply as the smart guy. The system the team put together is comprised of multiple PRG Mbox media servers [two active, plus a spare for the stage] and a Barco Encore switcher with custom Control Freak Encore Bridge software. The upstage video wall splits up into 13 pieces during the show, so there are a lot of different possibilities for looks and routing, Babin notes. The Mboxes play back the pre-produced content and also have an impact on the IMAG. The Mbox is pushing out all the content: straight QuickTime movie files and clips. Since this is an IMAG-heavy show, it s also doing a lot of the effects on the IMAG, like grunging it up and changing the colors, Babin explains. Speaking of the Barco Encore, Babin comments, One big issue we re attacking is overall latency. If Dave is up there clapping his hands, you want to see hands clapping in real time. With the Encore, the whole system has incredibly low latency. We did as much as we could to bypass unnecessary conversion. Control Freak also interfaces with the SGPS motion control system, via Art-Net. It s turned out to be about a full universe of Art-Net control going back and forth to them, Babin notes. Not only are they giving us the X/Y 86 October 2015 Lighting&Sound America
position of the screen, they are giving us the rotation of the screens 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 SGPS system; actual operation is done on the side stage by Colin Nevins, who is the head of our amazing SGPS squad. There are also two 16'-wide x 24'-high portrait-format side screens for IMAG; they re ROE creative display MC 7 H LED walls and are fed by one active Mbox with a spare, just in case. Hadley explains, The portrait screens match up better with what we re doing with our screens on stage; the general rule is that it either plays exactly what is taking place on stage or is used to create a larger format that extends from beyond the stage. The second case results in what might be viewed as a broken landscape or widescreen format. The IMAG screens are there for utility purposes. People can see them if they need to, and in stadiums, you do need the IMAG, Hadley adds. At the front of house, there are three full-size [MA Lighting] grandma2 desks: one for me, one for Dan, and a spare, Dixon explains. We operate on a single MA network and show file; I operate most of the video in the show, but being on a single MA session allows Dan to fire some cues that trigger both lights and video Dan runs video for a couple of songs [the particular songs are a tour show as he normally would. What actually gets to the screens Josh s line cut, individual cameras, graphics/movie playback, etc. is under my control. In the most simple songs, I m essentially just routing Josh to the screens. At the other end of the spectrum, I m creating multi-camera looks across the stage and side screens, layered with effects and animations, Dixon notes. Adams video package includes a Grass Valley Karrera K-Frame S-Series SPORT 2 SD/HD/3G switcher, seven Grass Valley LDK 8000 HD broadcast video cameras with a variety of Fujinon lenses, and three Bradley cameras with wide angle adaptors. Babin adds, Josh is still cutting the show traditionally, which is the case until we get to the ISO songs. For those, we re taking direct ISOs from the camera system as well, but all of the media server and screen looks are triggered by the grandma. Overall, what goes on the screens is a collaborative process. Dan oversees the process as designer, of course, but Josh and I also provide a lot of creative input, and Josh has been invaluable in creating/editing some additional content pieces, Dixon says. The show is IMAG-heavy, with the occasional use of content. They re just not a content band, Hadley admits. A couple pieces of the content are provided by Montrealbased Moment Factory, while the rest came from Robb Wagner at Stimulated Inc., located in Burbank, California. The center screen, in portrait format with IMAG, is used extensively in the show. Thirteen Saco V-9 video screens, supplied by PRG, also feature content from Stimulated Inc. and Moment Factory. secret], along with the lighting cues, for a few numbers where 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 media servers. Josh Adams our video director shoots his Lighting The backs of the 12 video strips are filled with lighting instruments. Hadley notes, Six of them are populated with [Clay Paky] Sharpy Washes and Robe Pointes: three Sharpy Washes and four Pointes on each of the six strips. The other six strips each have ten Ayrton MagicBlade-R www.lightingandsoundamerica.com October 2015 87
CONCERTS units to create a spine down them. He adds, I like the Sharpys quite a bit, and the Robes. It was really the matter of their flat prism that really pushed the Pointe over the standard Sharpy. Each strip also has one Clay Paky Mythos 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, we needed something for eye candy, which the Blades provide, since people aren t sick of looking at them, notes the production designer. They re quite new and quite flash and quite punchy. I also wanted the sheet-like beam effect of the MagicBlades to be available, and they did quite a nice job of that. As for the rest of the rig, Hadley explains, The workhorses overhead downstage for the main illumination are all [Martin Professional] MAC Vipers a mix of Profiles and the AirFX Washes. Hadley has put the latter through its paces on the road. test out the hybrid nature of the AirFX Wash, which I ve come to really enjoy. And they re doing quite a good job. Another favorite of the designer is the Solaris Flare; he has 36 on the main rig, I have 11 on the downstage truss to use as crowd light, and a bunch on the floor and on the drum riser. Those things are beautiful. There are also 30 Clay Paky Mythos units, of which Hadley says, I love them. They do what they do very well. The lighting equipment is being provided by VER s Los Angeles office. Programming began without a set list, which is expected with the band. Hadley says, I knew that there was a progression of reveals with the screen splits and motion tricks that had to be respected regardless of the set list, so we were really left with only one option to program every song to work in every configuration of the screen and lighting rig and see where the set list cards fell once we got into a groove of touring. Once we did, the set list fell into as much of a rhythm as it ever does, and I was able to start tweaking the lighting and video for their positions and configurations. Hadley programmed 45 songs on his MA Lighting grandma2; the band has over 80 songs that they can, at any point, include in the set list. I don t think that the rig has 80 looks of equal strength, so many song pages have multiple options of operation for different songs, the designer says. That s why I keep my programming very fluid and very manual. We also still get curveballs at every show, whether it s Dave challenging the band to join in a song without telling them which one before he starts the intro, breaking a song down until eventually asking for a 88 October 2015 Lighting&Sound America
Opposite: Control for the video walls was specified by Control Freak Systems and is handled at the front of house by screens director Leif Dixon. Above: Hadley s workhorses in the rig include the Martin Professional MAC Viper AirFX and Clay Paky Mythos. total blackout, or us getting a set list 15 minutes before the show with Everlong as the first song it has been the traditional show closer for as long as I can remember. At the console with Hadley is a foot pedal that he calls the MA shoe, created by lighting designer Breck Haggerty. I have this assigned to trigger an executor which changes depending on the song video cues, strobe hits, chase tempos, etc., he says. It s also very useful during programming when used to trigger the next macro, so I don t have to move my hands from the encoder wheels. The lack of a solid set list affects Dixon as well. When asked what happens when Grohl decides to play something completely unexpected, Dixon says, We panic! He smiles and adds, Dan and I will sometimes borrow programming from another song not being played that night. Otherwise, when Dave calls an audible during the show which happens quite frequently Dan will just punt lights. In that scenario, I always have a get-out-of-jailfree-card by routing Josh s line cut to the screens if I don t have something better up my sleeve. Sometimes it will depend on screen orientation; if our columns are spun with the lights facing forward, I m likely to just lean on clean IMAG. Sound Handling the sound duties at the front of house is Bryan Worthen, who has been with the band for 13 years. For this tour, Worthen is using an L-Acoustics K1/K2 PA provided by Los Angeles-based Delicate Productions in partnership with Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based Special Event Services (SES). Per side, there are fourteen K1s over four K2s on the main hang, twelve K2s for the side hang with 12 KARAs and 12 ARCS for front fill. Worthen explains, For me, the K1/K2 PA does everything I want and need it to do high volume, low volume, it doesn t matter [it works] with not a lot of effort. For the band, there is little to no audio spill out the back or the boxes sides to affect the stage in a negative way. It s great. Rounding out the rig are L-Acoustics SB28 subs; as expected, the system is considerably enlarged for the band s stadium dates. Worthen runs the show on a DiGiCo SD5 console. He notes, It s the only digital console that, to me, is visually analog. That s really important to me. The SD5 is very user-friendly, it sounds great, and everything on it works like it should. It uses the same software as the SD7 with fewer bells and whistles on the surface. I don t use a lot of what the console offers, anyway, so why have buttons and knobs there if I m not going to use them? www.lightingandsoundamerica.com October 2015 89
CONCERTS Worthen is mixing without Waves. I have five Avalon VT-737sp [channel strippers] and four channels of Midas XL42 [microphone preamps] without the B stage there are eight Avalon 737s when we have the B stage. The 737s are for Dave s vocals, Taylor s [Hawkins, drums] vocal, and guest RF mics. XL42s are for guitars. The Ayrton MagicBlade-Rs provide a new kind of eye candy for the audience. Sennheiser manufactures Worthen s primary microphones of choice. The kick drum has a Sennheiser 901 and 902; the snare top has a Sennheiser e905, the bottom a 614. All the toms are Sennheiser 904s, while the high hat and overhead have Sennheiser 614s. For guitars, Dave [Grohl] is on a Sennheiser MD 421, Chris Shiflett [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 a Sennheiser e904, and Dave s are Sennheiser MD 431s. There are no special reasons why we use these vocal mics, except Taylor s mic. The e904 is typically a drum mic but, in this case, it pretty much works, because it s small. It s easier for Taylor to move around, grab etc. For me, it gets less bleed from the drums and cymbals than anything else we have tried in the past. Night after night, Worthen has a few challenges to deal with. The biggest challenge is getting Taylor s vocal out loud and clear, he says. Drum vocals can be a real challenge with a hard hitting drummer and crazy-loud stage volume. The Avalon 737 is a lot of help to me for this situation. The Sonic Highways Tour s last date in the US is in California; it moves into Europe next month. The Broken Dave Show On tour, the unexpected is always expected. Then again, some things are truly unexpected. One such event happened on June 12 in Gothenburg, Sweden, when Dave Grohl stumbled off the stage, breaking his leg. There is a YouTube video of Grohl, in the pit with a microphone, talking to the audience while on his back, immobile on a stretcher. To the audience s delight and the shock of his 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 to cancel the shows we did in Europe. That s his kick-drum foot, and he s a very good drummer. No one wants that ability changed. So there needed to be a plan. There was no way that he was going to cancel the rest of the tour. As soon as the doctor said, You can play if you re sitting down the entire time, that was it, Hadley adds. However, there was a slight problem. We had no time and no experience doing a Foo Fighter show with an immobile Mr. Grohl, so we had to design a few options. We had 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 ended up with him on the runway a couple of times on his mobile throne, the production designer explains. The mobile throne concept came from Grohl himself; in fact, the hand-sketched design is now available on the band s website on a T-shirt. It s like a magic carpet with a big rock throne on it, Hadley notes. Hadley adds The throne has 12 of Ayrton s new MagicDot-Rs, three Solaris Flares, and one Martin Jem ZR33 fogger. It s on a SGPS creeper deck, so it can travel from the stage, down the runway, and back. We probably had about a week and a half to construct it and take it to DC. The throne was fabricated almost instantaneously by SGPS, and is tied into the lighting console via cables. At times, it even throws an Ayrton MagicDot-R spotlight on one of the other band members. You want it to kick ass and be rock and roll, the designer says. There s a fine line to ride with them in making it enough rock without it being too carnival, and it s a hidden line that s easy to cross. We were just trying to figure out how to get as close to that line as possible. The Grohl throne was a success; Grohl has been lauded and rightly so for his show-must-go-on dedication. Grohl told the Associated Press, I think these have been the best shows the Foo Fighters have ever done. I think, because of this situation and because of the challenge of just getting onstage to do the shows, the shows are more passionate, [and] they re more energetic. Sharon Stancavage 90 October 2015 Lighting&Sound America
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