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Bandit Lights Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff kicks off her 2005 ‘Most Wanted Again’ tour with a mixture of both new and old faces. Veteran production manager Scotty Ross and tour manager Steve Dixon have teamed up with Seth Jackson for a dynamic scenic and lighting design to reflect the energy of Hilary Duff’s show. The result is a powerfully lit rock show complete with lasers and SoftLED curtain for effect.
Seth worked with Bandit’s Dizzy Gosnell extensively to preview the system before it hit the road and found himself making modifications as late as day prior to truck load. Seth Jackson says: “The tour developed on extremely short notice and Bandit was able to put the system together in record time despite drastic last minute changes. If it wasn’t for the flexibility of the crew (Sam Harden, BK Waggoner and Billy Willingham) and the endless amounts of drawings and input from Dizzy Gosnell I doubt we would have had the success that we did. The 3D CAD work (done by Diz) allowed us to spot several problems that wouldn’t have been discovered until rehearsal.”
For control Seth chose Martin Maxxyz and Maxedia which he calls a powerhouse combination. “I have never done a show with such flexibility, ease of programming and limitless options at your fingertips,” he says. “Our lighting director, BK Waggoner, was able to learn the desk in three days with the help of the Maxxyz staff at the Martin West Coast office.”
Howard Ungerleider and his team at PDI were called upon to supply lasers to the show with truly impressive results. Scott Wilson’s programming integrated perfectly into the show becoming part of the lighting system and not just a special effect. “The system is so compact and easy to set up you would never believe the power that comes out of that little box.”
The Mainlight SoftLED curtain provided by Screenworks and XL Video has proven to be a fantastic way to use video as a scenic element. “Due to the 4” spacing of the LED’s you have to be crafty with the feeds given the curtain but we found some fantastic clips and graphics that we were able to endlessly manipulate with the Martin Maxedia,” commented Jackson.
Regarding the lighting system itself, Seth chose a mixture of Martin product in conjunction with VL3000’s. “I love the VL3000’s for the great optics system and gobos that VL has always been known for. The zoom is unbelievable and being able to spread the beam that wide with such sharp images is just fantastic. The Martin MAC 300 is still my favorite light!” The power and look of that little fixture is just perfect. The MAC 2k wash is also becoming a favorite of mine. The brightness and color system are great and the flexibility of the beam sizing gives me tremendous options.”
The Hilary Duff ‘Most Wanted Again’ tour is out until late September with huge success. “Promoters are already asking to add second shows in some markets,” says Evolution Talent Agency’s Craig Bruck, who is booking the tour. “Along with Prince and Madonna, Hilary is turning out to be one of the few exceptions to the downturn that has plagued the touring industry this summer,” and, adds Pollstar editor-In-chief Gary Bongiovanni: “There’s a real positive buzz about ticket sales for Hilary’s tour.”
“We have worked with most everyone in production on this tour over the last five years and to accumulate them all on one show of this nature is just fantastic,” says Bandit Lites vice president Mike Golden. “Working with Seth Jackson is always a pleasure and I consistently stand amazed at the vision and understanding he brings to his productions.”
29th July 2005
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