Prince’s Revolution Reunites for a Night
It was déjà vu all over again for LD Leroy Bennett. He reprised a role he played back in 1984 by returning to the First Avenue in Minneapolis to light the stage again for Prince’s backing band, The Revolution. The iconic club had set the scene for the film and soundtrack album, Purple Rain. Now the band was coming together for one night this past February to celebrate drummer “Bobby Z” Rivkin, who survived a near-fatal heart attack a year ago. Funds raised were donated to mypurpleheart.org and the American Heart Association.
Adele at The Artists Den
Adele’s fans may have to wait a while for the artist’s next tour. Fresh from winning six Grammys in 2012, she stated her intention to take some time off to “live a little bit.” They might find some consolation in her appearance on PBS’ Live from the Artists Den, which kicked off the show’s fourth season on Feb. 3 — that show is available on DVD and can be downloaded from iTunes or viewed from artistsden.com.
For the taping, LD Jeff Ravitz was brought in to transform the Santa Monica Bay Women’s Club into an intimate performance site, with Adele performing her hits to a tiny audience. The show also includes backstage interviews.
“That was a terrific show to work on. It was a really intimate show and setup, at the Santa Monica Bay Women’s Club — a tiny place that was used as one of the Harvard locations for The Social Network. The place had that kind of classic look and a two-by-nothing-sized stage and some rusty border lights overhead,” Ravitz explains.
“Adele came in with just her pianist and guitarist, and since our budget was minuscule, our marching orders were to make it look great — make her look great, and the room — and then create variety by subtle changes in balance and intensity. In that respect, it was comparatively low-key, but with so little to work with, every light came under more magnified scrutiny by the producers. So it wasn’t like my gaffer, Jeff Porter, and I weren’t under pressure. But Adele is quite beautiful and takes light so well. And the music just dictated our changes, so, all in all, I was pleased with the results.”
Stone Roses Reunite
British band The Stone Roses are regrouping after their dissolve in 1996. Production designer Paul Normandale is creating their touring production. He describes it as video-centric — mostly I-Mag — with a new toy for live I-Mag manipulation that involves realtime slow motion and other effects. He’ll also take new lighting toys out on the run. Lighting director Glen Johnson takes it on the road starting June in the U.K. and Europe, then to Asia in July, with a return to Euro festivals in August.
George Michael Recovers, Reschedules
LD Benoit Richard has George Michael’s upcoming/rescheduled Symphonica: The Orchestral Tour on his calendar. “I’m so glad that George will be back on stage in September,” Richard said. Michael’s tour was interrupted the end of 2011 due to his bout with pneumonia. Michael starts his tour with two performances in Vienna, Austria — the city where it was interrupted, and where he had to be hospitalized. The singer has donated 1,000 tickets for the medical staff who cared for him to thank them in song.
Designing D’Angelo
LD Martin Thomas of Relentless Lighting Design was on his way to Angola in central Africa to work with on a private event with D’Angelo, an American R&B artist who returns to touring after a 12-year hiatus. Relentless is designing the lighting, video and set, directed by Thomas, who is also serving as production manager. The tour kicks off July 5 in Europe with a return to the U.S. in August. Relentless is also the visual director for tours this summer for Jill Scott, The Alan Parsons Live Project, Erykah Badu and The Cannabinoids.
Quick Cues…
LD Mick Thornton is out again with The Moody Blues, using video for the first time in their show… LD Alastair Bramall-Watson is conjuring up his designs for Chickenfoot’s Different Devil U.S. tour, which runs May 4-June 10. “It’s been a while since I last lit Joe Satriani, and I am looking forward to lighting him again, along with Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony and Kenny Aronoff,” he says… Let the games begin. But first — break ground. Production designer John Orchard produced the groundbreaking ceremony in late April for the San Francisco 49ers’ new NFL stadium. The $1.2 billion stadium in Santa Clara, CA is slated to open in 2014 with even more expected fanfare… What makes LD Howard Ungerleider tick? The design of Rush’s Clockwork Angels tour — named for the new CD which comes out in May. The title alone lends itself to some creative visual elements. The last tour featured a Steampunk motif. The 33-date North American tour starts Sept. 7… Programmer Laura Frank worked the last two months on Ghost the Musical in NYC, which opened April 23. It’s a Broadway build of the London production. She programmed two dual-output media servers for video designer/projection designer Jon Driscoll. The LD is Hugh Vanstone. Two corporate events followed: The Turner Network Upfront in NYC (with another media server), and then the Microsoft Xbox briefing at E3 in Los Angeles, which Frank programmed on five active media servers… LD Mike Baldassari and set designer Bruce Rodgers collaborated on the CBS Upfront at Carnegie Hall. It’s a live presentation that is closed-circuit broadcast around the country. Baldassari also designed all of the theatrical and concert lighting for the film Rock of Ages, which is set for a June 15 release. The director of photography is Bojan Bazelli and the production designer is Jon Hutman… LD Mike Swinford has been true to his UpLate Design company name since the year started. He cites a string of 2012 projects including Jason Aldean’s tour, Ron White’s Comedy Salute to the Troops TV show, the NBA 2012 All-Star Game in Orlando, Kenny Chesney’s Brothers of the Sun tour, Rascal Flatts’ tour, the CMA Music Festival and the 2012 NBA Draft.
…Meanwhile, the 2012 touring season is just getting started. Email Debi the latest news about your gigs. Send the details to dmoen@plsn.com.
