Paramore's popularity in the U.K. has grown since the film Twilight featured "Decode" on the soundtrack. That left LD Chad Peters with a dual challenge: find fixtures bright enough for arena-sized venues, yet still meet the band's strong "green" preference. As with the band Rise Against, where Peters had first used GLP Impressions, the "green" preference had more to do with environmental impact than any particular color.
"They were asking whether it was a green design, and I thought they were talking about the color of their set until I realized they were concerned with eco-issues," Peters said. Peters ended up adding 28 GLP Impressions to the rig, sourcing the LED fixtures from Bandit Lites UK's rental stock of 60 Impressions.
The advantages, Peters added, weren't limited to energy efficiency. "You can produce a PAR can white from the Impressions – a nice tungsten – without getting that rainbow lighting effect," he said, noting also "you also deliver a really nice tight beam angle – it really punches.
"Considering how bright and responsive they were, they just seemed so lightweight," Peters said. "The speed of the color and position is a big plus for me as I am using them as my main wash lights, and for an arena-size show, this is actually quite small. So it gives me the flexibility to use them for big stops and instant color bumps that would normally require more lights and the need to set up a cue to make it appear instant. So it's ideal for the LD on a budget."
Peters, who used a High End Systems Road Hog console for control, arranged for 14 Impressions to be individually mounted on pipes at different heights to create the illusion that they are floating within the set. "There's no clamping – each fixture threads directly into the top of the pipe," he said. The remaining 14 heads are mounted on the overhead truss, which includes four T-bars.
Peters originally landed the gig with Paramore back in 2007. "I had one of their songs on my Myspace page and my room mate / best friend Robb Jibson sent me an email saying that that they were looking for an LD/tech that could also do video. I replied – and here I am."
