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Wholehog III Rules on Duran Duran

Duran Duran's recent UK tour this spring sold out in a matter of minutes. This pop band of the 80s has enjoyed a resurgence of late, drawing in old fans as well as new ones. Though they performed favorite hits from the past, they didn't stick with old technology for their stage show. The main workhorse of the rig featured some of the latest technology from High End Systems -- specifically, 50 x.Spot Xtreme and 46 Studio Beam automated luminaires, along with a Flying Pig Systems Wholehog III lighting console. All were supplied by Neg Earth.

Reardon was not only the lighting designer, but also the programmer and board operator. Plus, he co-designed the set with production manager Tony Gittins.

"I chose the Wholehog III because the show was extremely cue-intensive and I couldn't use a console that might slow down while running eight universes at full tilt," Reardon explains. "The Hog III's remote processing (through the DP2000s) ensured that there was no drop in performance at all!"

Says Reardon: "With Wholehog III, I saw a revolutionary undercurrent of potential that seemed to go much further than any of its competition. I have seen other console manufacturers follow in the footsteps of the Wholehog II and most, although not all, have resoundingly failed to achieve anything other than a poor facsimile. So, having waited in the wings for the Hog III to become more solid, I found myself with the opportunity of putting it through its paces with a complex and DMX-heavy show such as Duran Duran."

Reardon admits he was hesitant at first to choose the console, but found success with it. "There might have been a little tightness in the throat when we first started in production rehearsals, but I spent a good five days at High End's office in Los Angeles trying to find issues," Reardon adds, "then another three days at High End in London with WYSIWYG, and I found everything to be perfectly reliable. It is in my opinion rock solid."

Reardon continues: "There is functionality on that console that made me chuckle out loud in terms of speed of programming and editing. Just check out editing timing in an existing cue as a quick example. For anyone who ever loved the Wholehog II, you should stop standing still and get your hands on a Wholehog III. It does exactly what it says it can. We, as a collective industry of button pushers, need to continue to move forward. Otherwise we will be left with the LDs of old in a dinosaur scrap heap of unemployable pensioners! If all you do is listen to the chat without finding out for yourself then you should apply for your walker and a condo in Florida right now."

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Wholehog III Rules on Duran Duran

3rd June 2004

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