Elton John’s Tour Reflects 30 Years of Touring
Elton John’s idea of celebrating the 30th anniversary of the number one platinum-debuting album Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy is to play a series of shows. With the more recent re-release of the follow-up CD to that album, The Captain & the Kid, his newest tour serves to promote the new release and closes the book on the celebration. PLSN caught the first two nights of the tour in Northern California where he debuted the album and new tour while taking a break from his on-going Las Vegas Red Piano show. We spoke with lighting designer Kevin “Stick” Bye about the show.
Bye’s original concept was to fly a truss structure that emanated from John’s piano position off-center stage right. But line of sight issues changed that.
“Sometimes we sell the seats behind the stage,” says Bye, “which are actually quite good because of the way Elton sits at the piano. So I opted for a more symmetrical design, and I added the curves because it draws your attention in. I am able to trim it several different ways based on the needs of the day. I needed a flexible design that commands attention in a stadium setting, and also works well in an arena.”
Despite the fact that seats are sometimes sold behind the stage, there was still a need for a backdrop. The designers found something that provided the right combination of new technology and old. When they saw a Main Light Industries SoftLED curtain at LDI in 2004, Kirkham and Bye were “intrigued.”
“When the lighting rig came up for a re-design, we pitched the idea to Elton’s tour manager, Keith Bradley. When it was all said and done,” Bye says, “Elton purchased a custom-built 32-by-60- foot LED curtain framed by a fiber optic header and border panels. It’s great because when you’re not running content through it, it just looks like a large black curtain or a star-drop. I’m not allowed to shop at LDI anymore without a chaperone,” he laughs.
With the backdrop in place, all that was needed was some content to throw onto it. The inspiration came from their boss’s legacy. “Keeping the 30th anniversary Captain Fantastic album shows in mind, we used a lot of the imagery from that album, then added some content that we were able to compile based on the album art and lyrics from the latest album.
“My design partner, Benny Kirkham, is immensely talented with Motion, Photoshop and other programs used to create the content for the show. He ended up learning a lot of new programs onthe- fly. The SoftLED curtain, at the time, was such a new technology that we really had to play with it to see what would and wouldn’t work. We used a lot of existing high-contrast content, live camera shots and custom content created by Benny. Crew chief Ronnie Beal also Photoshopped some content for us. The final decisions were made by Benny and myself, with input from tour manager Keith Bradley.”
When it came to selecting the lighting, Bye relied on some legacy of his own. “I’m an old Vari-Lite guy with more than 10 years in that company, so I guess I’m a little biased,” he said. “Elton has used Vari-Lites for 22 years! But really, I simply love the colors, and the reliability has improved so much.”
With a trim height of 40 feet, the rig needed some lights with enough punch to throw a long distance. What they ended up with was a combination of washes and spots that included Vari*Lite VL 3000 Spots and Martin MAC 2000 Wash fixtures. The controller was selected by Bye for its popularity in the industry.
“I am a Virtuoso guy, and that is what I use on the Vegas Red Piano show. But for this tour I’m using an MA Lighting grandMA. The learning curve is really steep, but the board has served me well, and it seems like it is becoming the industry standard.”
Bye seems to be pleased with the resulting rig and his current boss. Living in Vegas is also a bonus, not just for the show girls. “I have the best job in the world to work with someone like Elton, because he lets me do what I want with the show. He has a short list of things he likes and doesn’t like, and every now and then he’ll have a specific request, but in general, the look of the show is left to me and the talented people that I am lucky enough to work with. Living in Vegas, I am fortunate to have ESP Studios right in my back yard. We are able to pre-program in the studio using their award-winning visualization software, ESP Vision. We usually have four to 10 days in the studio, then another day or two on site to clean things up.”
Bye is always mindful that his good fortune is due in part to those who have helped with his career, and he makes a point of recognizing them. “My thanks go out to Steve Cohen and Robert Cochran, who entrusted me with directing their shows years ago and ultimately letting me take on the design responsibilities. Our PRG lighting staff are second to none, and many are good friends of mine with whom I have worked throughout the years. It’s a very ninja-like crew — they show up, the rig goes together and trims quickly, though not easily since I’ve outrigged all the lights! Then they go about their separate duties, very professional, no drama, which is how Elton’s management likes it.”
As he reflects on his experience with this tour, Bye is grateful for the gig. “We play all over the world in so many interesting and different places, so it’s not always the same show, and that part of it keeps me from getting bored and allows me to stretch creatively.”
After touring with the band for seven years, he counts himself among the newer members of the entourage. Many of the band members have been with Elton for more than 30 years, and Bye says about them, “You couldn’t ask for a nicer bunch of guys.” And that’s a good thing, since he’s likely to be with them for a long time to come.
