Australian singer songwriter (and former Aussie rules football player) Vance Joy has been touring in support of his third album, In Our Own Sweet Time, released in June 2022. The tour included a full slate of sold-out dates across North America in February and March, with more shows planned for later this year. PLSN had a chance to speak with Lighting Director Morgan Embry about directing Vance Joy’s current tour and her experience working with Designer Sooner Routhier for the first time.
Morgan Embry
Lighting Director
“Prior to this tour, Sooner and I had never directly worked together. It has been an absolute pleasure working with her on this project. I had been peripherally involved in previous projects of her design, as a member of the programming team, etc., but this is our first time working directly together. We had gotten in touch late 2021, and I asked if she had a project coming up that I might be a good fit for. I was excited when this Vance Joy tour came to mind.”
Embry says this design was interesting because of how scalable it needed to be, with Vance Joy performing in everything including arenas, stadiums, theaters, and amphitheaters within the past year. “This design has really served the show by allowing us to customize to each venue. Artist and management conveyed their desire for both the scalability and easy transport of the scenic elements, but also that the show be able to be captivating without overstimulating. While developing the lighting looks for this show, the emphasis was on setting an atmosphere for each song. I did not want to get caught up in representing every audible component visually, but rather take the song as a whole. A Vance Joy concert is meant to be a fun experience, but we don’t want the production taking away from the performance. I think audiences will find it a nice change of pace and a colorfully theatrical show.”
Embry says she was brought in after the initial design had been developed. The scenic elements were conceptualized before she came on. “I jumped in at the details phase. My involvement consisted of our regular Zoom meetings where we discussed song color palettes, lighting fixture additions and placement edits. I then attended previz and rehearsals to implement the design on our behalf. Once rehearsals ended, I rolled over into the Lighting Director role. At this point, I am maintaining the day-to-day of the design, drafting new rig iterations when needed, and always looking for ways to polish the show further. For instance, the design used to utilize GLP [impression] X4 Bar 20’s overhead to light the scenic mesh, but now we light from moving washes below. It saves us time and effort in setup, but it also gives more depth to the mesh. The updated rig also allows me to incorporate the house rig every day, which provides not only more flexibility in programming, but also allows each show to be unique.”
Embry says she and Lighting Crew Chief/Tech Quincy Stanton have been trying to jump on a tour together for years. “This is our third project we have worked on together, but up until now, we haven’t been on the same tour. I am very grateful to have his expertise and leadership skills on this tour, and I am so happy he was able to join us.”
A Changeable Rig
Every tour section of this design cycle has utilized different fixture types, notes Embry, saying this just seems to be the reality of things right now, with touring being so wide-open. “You take the closest thing to what you asked for and make a good show with it. The [Vari-Lite] VL3600 were pretty much the only option PRG had for spots in our lumen range during the tour dates. The fixture is brand new, so there are quirks that come along with that. They are also significantly heavier than the original spot fixture we toured with, but they are beautiful in the show. The show was originally programmed for [Martin MAC] Viper Profles, which was also decided at the time due to availability. The moving wash fixtures have also changed every time. Lighting Programmers Dan (Norman) and PJ (Carruth) did an excellent job of laying programming groundwork that would translate to clean cloning, regardless of which fixture types changed from show to show.”
Embry also credited the Chroma-Q Color Force II, a “staple” fixture in the rig, for “dependability, color quality and punch… As far as artist lighting goes, it was requested there be uplighting for him, as he has very curly, full hair that tends to sabotage steep front light. It all goes back to the goal–ambience of the show–which is supposed to be very warm and welcoming. We definitely want our artist to be ‘shadow free for all to see,’ so we cover every visibility angle possible between the house rig FOH options and our ground package. I add a little drama to that with our side light towers of the VL3600’s, which give him colorful edge light and a dynamic profile that ties him into the color palette of each song. I am very happy with how well the two [GLP] impression X4 Bars and the [Robe] Robin LEDWash 1200 on either side fill in his face.”
More Vance Joy In Our Own Sweet Time tour photos by Steve Jennings:
For a list of production crew and gear, go to https://plsn.com/articles/showtime/vance-joy-in-our-own-sweet-time-tour/
