Lighting Co
Premier Global Production
Venue
Various (Tour)
Crew
Lighting Designer: Butch Allen
Lighting Director: Michael John Grant
Lighting Crew Chief: Eric Cathcart
Lighting Techs: Chris Gilliam, Zack Zagrodzky
Production Manager: Anthony Pitcher
Tour Manager: Jim Runge
Stage Manager: Nic Close
Stage Carpenters: George Werner, Chris “Rock” Glatfelter
Staging Company: Tate Towers
Gear
1 grandMA full size console
28 Martin MAC Auras
33 Vari*Lite VL3000 Spots
6 Martin Atomic 3000 strobes
16 Clay Paky Sharpys
30 18” Altman Scoops
15 16” Altman Scoops
4 10” Altman Scoops
6 Lowel DP foot lites
4 Reel EFX DF-50 Diffusion hazers
More photos at www.plsn.me/BlackKeysExtras
Designer Insights
Michael John Grant, who has been lighting The Black Keys for a little over four years, talks to PLSN about lighting the current tour.
Michael John Grant (Lighting Director):
“I’d been lighting the band for some time, and when we got so big that we were going into playing arenas, that’s when I met lighting designer Butch Allen — in February of 2011. He came to a show in Las Vegas to check out the show at that time and to see what improvements/changes could be made for our first arena run in the summer of 2011. So when we were programing for a European run in winter of 2011, Butch was drawing up the design for this recent tour. The programming was done by Rob Koenig (LD for Metallica.) It was wonderful being able to work with the both of them. The amount I’ve learned in the past couple of years working with Butch, and now also with Rob, has been huge.
As for some interesting fixtures, I asked a local lighting company to go on a search for the oldest fixtures they could dig up. I got a pile of dusty, rusted and beaten-up scoops, Fresnels and other weird things. The scoops seemed to have the best glow, punch and decay out of all of them; also a good amount of applications for a conventional fixture. Between that, the light bulb sign, mirror ball, and all PAR can rig, it was a straight-up rock show. For the first arena run, all the elements stayed with the addition of festoons and four drop-down projection screens. Then onto this tour, where Butch really beefed it up with a massive 5-panel video projection concept, second mirror ball (6,’ along with our original 4′), and upgraded flown rig. The pars were replaced by Martin MAC Auras. I love them, they are the closest thing I have seen in a LED product that matches the “look” of a PAR can. First thing in the morning, I normally place all the scoops on the towers myself. In that time, lighting tech Zack Zagrodzky will be setting up dimmers, and crew chief Eric Cathcart and tech Chris Gilliam build the onstage flown rig. It can be quite a project sometimes, trying to find that one position or angle that works just right with the rest of the scoops on its tower.
Premiere Global Production in Nashville is our lighting company. We are in good company, they also supply for Metallica, Rush and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It’s a blast to direct this show, has been since day one. It’s great to work with music that you truly enjoy listening to and see performed night after night. And along with all of the amazing people I have the pleasure to work with in every department of our camp, I look forward to putting on shows every night.”
