Lighting Co
Theatrical Media Services
Venue
Various (tour)
Crew
Creative Director: Wayne Coyne
LD/Programmer: Dan Hadley
Lighting Director/Programmer: Eric Cathcart
Lighting Crew Chief: Michael Arch
Video Content: Sachem Arvidson/George Salsbury
Video/LED Director: Sachem Arvidson
Lasers: Pete Winslow
Rigger: Michael Arch
Production & Tour Manager: Chris Chandler
Stage Manager: Zach Cox
Special Effects: Caleb Lenertz, Justin “JG” Godwin
LED/Video: TFL (video wall is band-owned)
Lasers: Pete Winslow
Trucking: Upstaging
Rigging: TMS
Gear
1 MA Lighting grandMA 2 Full
40 Clay Paky Sharpys
14 Martin MAC Auras
18 Martin Atomic 3000 strobes
19 Linear 4-light moles
2 8-Lite moles
6 16” scoop
2 DF50 hazers
2 HES FQ-100s
240 Element Labs Stealth panels (32’x16’ wall)
1 TFL Okie Engineered LED rope light system w/ proprietary control system
For more Flaming Lips tour photos by Steve Jennings, go to http://plsn.me/FlamingLipsExtras
Designer Insights
Eric Cathcart (Lighting Director):
“With singer Wayne Coyne’s creative direction and Dan Hadley’s lighting design, my side of it has been the easy part. I think that Dan and Wayne went a few rounds before coming up with the foundation of the show. I wasn’t involved with that part of the design process due to other commitments.
“I have been a fan of both Wayne and Dan’s work. It truly is a career high to be working with The Flaming Lips. Dan and I have worked together before and it is always a treat. I was blown away by some of the stuff that he has done over the years before I even knew that it was him doing it.
“With the new albums sound being a bit darker than the previous, I think that the idea was to change the overall feel of the show that had been one version or another of the same thing for nearly fifteen years. All of the previous gags, such as Wayne walking over the crowd in the bubble, went away. The confetti changed from rainbow to black, and the lighting became more of a centerpiece of the show than previous tours.
“I think that it took Wayne a while to see exactly what we could achieve with lighting rather than all of the other elements. Now he is completely on the look out for it. He will send me text messages of pictures that he finds on the Internet of our show, and others and tell me what he thinks is cool.
“We added 10 additional Sharpys after he attended a Beyonce show and saw how they were being used out there. I think that the foundation of the show is set for a while, but it will always be a work in progress. The Flaming Lips don’t necessarily tour on album cycles like most bands do.
“I have worked with a couple of other bands that have had singers that were very involved with the look of the show. I find that it is nice to have them push you to do things that you might not necessarily do. It is easy to stay in the “this is how lighting is done” rut.
“Dan had the basic foundations of the songs that were in the setlist, I have since gone in and created cue stacks and whittled the punting down to a minimum. The setlist is constantly evolving. It seems that every time we hit the road a new song is added.
“For instance, the show that you attended [speaking to Steve Jennings for PLSN] was the special Halloween Blood Bath edition of the show. The opening song (Michael Myers Halloween theme) along with the 300 large red balloons and 100 pounds of red paper and shiny confetti were only done for three shows.
“The LED rope is owned by the band. In fact, the system has been created and built by the crew and band. Sachem Arvidson, the video director, built the control system for the LED. Most of the other crew members have played a part in stuffing the LED strings into their jackets, and Michael Ivins, the bass player, has spent hours soldering connectors on the ends.
“The quantity of LED ropes has been growing since the first show and will continue to grow until there is no more space on the stage to put more.
“The laser that they own was formally a surgical laser that has been modified to use as a lighting effect. They have a second unit in the works.
“An additional 200 panels of video wall have just been purchased to be added to the current configuration.
“We just stopped using the 150 or so Versa Tubes that they own. On top of all that, the band also owns a complete second set of backline, and confetti blowers that live in the U.K., for our European shows.
“I think that both Wayne and Dan wanted to kick the audience in the teeth with the lighting. I have to say that I am right there with them. When the tour started, there were 30 Sharpys. Ten more were added for the last leg, and I would not be surprised to see more in the near future.
“Between the Sharpys, the Moles, and the Atomics, there really isn’t much to the show that isn’t there for punch. The local production plot to augment what we are touring with has a little bit of downstage wash and an additional 16 Atomics, and eight 4 Lites for even more punch.
“The use of lasers on just one song is quite powerful. The combination of Sharpys and lasers creates quite a large look.
“Pete Winslow, the laser operator, and the other crew members are all great to work with. Most of them are people that have come into Wayne’s life in Oklahoma City and ended up on the road with us as part of The Flaming Lips show for years. They all go above and beyond to be able to create Wayne’s vision.
“I have worked with few crews that would be willing to do some of the out-of-the-box thinking that goes into getting a show for the TFL up and running. All of the props and set carts for the backline have been hand built by them, with most of them not even having a background in production prior to
working for TFL.
“TMS, the lighting company, has been with them a while. Holly Vogt is the account rep. Michael Arch is my crew chief, tech and rigger. He has been an absolute pleasure to work with.
“Living in Kansas City, it was quite convenient to be able to drive up to their shop to use their vis suite when we added the additional Sharpys. The show is in a continual state of growth, with more video wall, LED rope and Sharpys being added regularly. It is a show that you don’t want to miss when you have the chance to catch it.
“I am honored to be on a tour with such a dedicated crew and band. The vibe is extremely DIY out here, with the great outlooks and attitudes of the Lips family, you don’t have a choice but to embrace it.”
