Green Day released three albums in quick succession late last year — ¡Uno! (Sept. 21), ¡Dos! (Nov. 9) and ¡Tré! (Dec. 7) — along with a documentary chronicling the process — ¡Cuatro! — that premiered at the X Games in Aspen, CO earlier this year (now available on CD). After some preliminary promotional gigs, the band’s “99 Revolutions” tour supporting the album trilogy started in earnest with a North American leg in March and April 2013. The band then headed to Europe for shows slated from May through August 2013.
Ethan Weber
Lighting Designer & Director
“This is my first time working with Green Day. I was approached by the band’s management when production manager Greg Dean and stage manager Brian Kountz put a word in for me.
“There was a fair amount of pre-production time, but a few design changes ate that up pretty quickly. We only had two and a half days of production rehearsals, so it was pretty important to me that part of the deal was time with the system at Upstaging. I did some wysiwyg-ing as well, but mainly to get song structures in. I think I have 30 or so songs in now, but need to do at least another 10. There’s middle section of the show that changes nightly at a moment’s (or less) notice, and I would prefer not to have to punt the half-hour or so.
“The one directive from the band was that this tour be less serious than their last outing. There was some discussion about using video elements, but that went away fairly early and it turned into a rock show with a light show. Attention is focused on the band, not on video screens.
“We’re using Upstaging lighting for the tour; John Bahnick is the account rep. It’s a good budget, and vendors went after it pretty aggressively. The tour is playing a wide range of venues, and Greg [Dean] wanted the design to look big enough in the bigger venues, but not have to leave large parts of it in trucks in the mid-sized/smaller ones. I’d like to get some low 3/4 trusses in and a front spot truss, but I’m pretty happy with what I have. There’s a back wall of 288 PARs (64 by 8 feet, WxH) that’s been kind of fun to play with.
“As for fixtures, I had heard from a few trusted friends that the [Martin] MAC Viper Profiles are a good/bright light and wanted to try them. I’ve used the 700 Profiles for years, but they’re on the plot mainly because of Viper availability and budget. Much of the Martin line is good for shows like this, with a variety of strobe modes, and the animation wheel comes in pretty handy. It’s also a brand that’s pretty easy to find worldwide, and the tour spends a fair amount of time in foreign markets.
“It’s been a very enjoyable tour — one of the best live bands I’ve worked for — and everyone, from management down, is a pleasure to work with. Fun music to light, and a lot more complex than I had initially envisioned.”
More photos at www.plsn.me/GreenDayExtras
Sidebar
Title/Headline: Green Day “99 Revolutions” Tour
Lighting/Rigging Co: Upstaging Inc.
Crew
Lighting Designer/Director: Ethan Weber
Crew Chief: Seth Conlin
Dimmers: Joseph Welch
Lighting Techs: Wayne Kwait, Mike Turner
Rigger/Carpenter: Kirk LaRocco
Tour Manager: Mike Amatto
Production Manager: Greg Dean
Production Coordinator: Claire Van Herck
Stage Manager: Brian Kountz
Upstaging Rep: John Bahnick
Risers: Gallagher Staging
Gear
2 MA Lighting grandMA 2 Full consoles
25 Martin MAC Viper Profiles
24 Martin MAC Profiles
49 Martin MAC 2000 Wash XB
33 Clay Paky Sharpy
30 Martin Atomic 3000 strobes
288 LED Pars
7 5000 Fresnels
7 9-Light Moles
8 ETC Source Four 10° Lekos
2 ETC Source Four 26° Lekos
4 Hazers
