This year I’ve opted to spend the summer lighting one offs for my bands. If I want these gigs to go smoothly, I am going to need some cooperation from the house programmers at all these venues. I actually don’t need a programmer as much as I need someone to set up a light board in advance so all the fixture attributes are in the console before I arrive. What helps me is if they have some generic focus positions already in the console along with the usual basic color palettes. This is not much to ask. I can take 150 movers and come up with six focus positions for all of them in one hour. So can most programmers, if they’re good. These programmers are there days before I get there. I may show up on a plane at 11 a.m. and walk into the gig at 1 p.m. for a 3 p.m. sound check and dinner at 6 p.m. I don’t necessarily have that hour to focus and generate color palettes. But I know the local guy did over the last couple days. If not, they should skip the hour lunch that day and work while somebody brings them a sandwich. That’s what pros do.
— From “LD at Large” by Nook Schoenfeld, PLSN, May 2014
