Back in July Grammy Award winning Jamaican reggae legend Buju Banton returned to the U.S. for the first time in 13 years when he performed two back-to-back shows at New York’s UBS Arena, delivering what Billboard described as “a masterclass in stage performance,” his 90-minute set, chock filled with much-loved anthems like “Champion” and “Wanna Be Loved,” left fans crying out for more. Not long after that appearance, Buju Banton gave fans exactly that – more — when he announced that he would do a 14-city USA arena trek with the inspiring name “The Overcome Tour.” Kicked off on August 24 at the Amerant Bank Arena in Fort Lauderdale, and scheduled to concluded November 17 at Barclay Center in Brooklyn, the tour is exceeding even the highest expectations, delivering what one fan described as “more than a concert,” but “a dream come true.”
Contributing to this heady atmosphere on the tour is a John Dacosta lighting design that draws on a flexible, high output rig curated and supplied by Abbas Ritscher and his team at The Design Oasis. Brought into the tour design project by Gavin Hayden and Off The Wall Sound, Ritscher and his team focused on putting together a collection of lighting fixtures and video panels that had the power to reflect the energy of Banton’s music through brightness, intensity and movement. “Gavin had a lot to manage on this tour and needed lighting and Video just to go up and work, so the band could work their magic,” explained Ritscher.
Critical to helping the design team achieve this vision is a collection of over 110 CHAUVET Professional fixtures. Included in this formidable mix are 33 Color STRIKE M motorized strobe washes, 16 Maverick Storm 1 Hybrids, 30 Maverick Storm 2 BeamWashes, and 32 Maverick Storm 2 Profiles. The fixtures are arranged on a rig that was designed to deliver maximum coverage on stage and through the large venues on the tour. At the heart of this rig is a five-fingered overhead truss structure. Below this is a horizontal bar of US truss that runs the width of the stage. There are also eight rows of horizontal truss of varying lengths. A pair of these units are used to divide the video wall background into three distinct sections.
This rig was designed to open the way to creating big looks that match the stature of the music being performed on stage and the size of the tour’s venues. The fixtures on the overhead five-fingered truss configuration are used deliver down lighting, often in intense white. This lighting imparts a stark, other-worldly aura to the stage, helping the superstar stand out more dramatically.
Fixtures on the vertical truss structure are relied on for audience lighting. The net result of this crowd lighting, combined with the down lighting, is that the superstar and the audience share a clear visual connection to one another. That is very fitting for a towering artist who has built such a strong bond with fans.
Further information from CHAUVET Professional: www.chauvetprofessional.com
