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James Blunt Tour Goes Wholehog
As James Blunt’s popularity grows, so grows his tour production. When Back to Bedlam kicked off last year in the UK, it carried a Wholehog 3 console to control 900 LED fixtures in smaller theatre settings. Now the tour’s carrying 2,000 LED fixtures, and worldwide venue sizes are expanding to arenas and amphitheatres, then festivals and stadiums this summer. So a Hog iPC console was added as backup.
Designed by LD Paul Normandale and supplied by UK’s Lite Alternative, the tour can accommodate the burgeoning production and venue capacities – and lighting director Glen Johnson explains how this fact affected his choice of consoles.
Says Johnson: “We’re controlling 2,000 LED fixtures via PixelMAD from the Wholehog 3 console. We've gotten some stunning effects from the Hog 3 with its Effects Engine, buddy system (advanced group manipulation of fixtures) and grouping, coupled with the timing syntax. We also programmed the show using the Hog 3's hue, saturation and intensity system, giving us more color options from the units and also matching the video content.
“The Wholehog 3 software is fantastic. The main reason for taking the console is the growing nature of the tour. We can just add lights to the whole show without needing to reprogram; we can change the fixture from one type to another without fuss.”
Johnson says the Wholehog 3’s change-fixture feature is a real favourite and a time-saver. “We had a last-minute gig put in at the House of Blues Los Angeles [note: HES fixtures are installed in the entire chain]. With a few button pushes of ‘Change Fixture Type’ I had swapped our existing show to High End fixtures in minutes. This then gave me time to add some extra features to this one-off. Hours saved - and more sleep for me after an 11-hour flight!
Johnson added the Hog iPC as a backup, saying: “I’m a big fan since (using it on) the Finn Brothers last year. It works fast and does what you want. Very neat and compact set-up as well.”
Johnson says his tech support from High End Systems is also worth mentioning. “Chris Ferrante, Brad Schiller and the rest of the team have a true passion to the Wholehog family of consoles.”
In Picture: HES UK’s Mark Leahy (left) with Lighting Director Glen Johnson.
23rd February 2006
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