TOUR: Peter Frampton
DATES: June 3-Aug. 27 (U.S. tour)
THE DESIGN: “I went into this tour blindly, doing my own thing. I spoke with their previous LD, Joel Reiff, to get his input. He said, ‘This is your show,’ so I went with it. We’re carrying just a lighting console and a textured curtain backdrop. We have different lights at each venue, so I create something new every day. I like to start the show with energy that keeps building. I use slow gobo rolls for the slower ballads, and to make the acoustic jams intimate. I use a few textures. I learned how to let lights complement the music rather than distract. In this case, I have to focus on Frampton. I have no formal schooling but this show has a theatrical feel to it, as well as a rock edge.”
BACK STORY:
Home Base: Moving soon to St. Petersburg, FL.
First Gig as an LD: “This is my full first tour — with the band and in the industry.”
What inspired you to get into lighting? “I was always drawn to lighting. The party lights at Spencer’s Gifts at the mall drew me in; I wanted cool lights to make my bedroom cool and flashy. Now I do it for artists on a larger scale.”
How did you get your start? “From attending church. They had automated lights and didn’t use them, so I asked if I could try them. So, at age 14, I became a techie and started to get the hang of the console. At 19, I was working local production, doing audio and lighting for churches in Kalamazoo, MI. I was sent to a few conferences with hands-on lighting workshops.”
How did you get this gig? “Before this, I was doing local production for a show at the Four Winds Casino in Buffalo, NY. I heard the LD went home for a family emergency, so I spent the day programming the show. I was already going to be working the show, so I basically filled in for the LD. After the show, the stage manager asked if I would fill in and do a 19-day run through Canada. Those 19 days were a lot of firsts. It was my first time stepping inside a tour bus.”
What do you like about what you do? “I love the travel, and it’s comfortable out here on tour.”
