Switchfoot’s ninth studio album, Fading West, shares its title with a documentary film that combines behind-the-scenes band member footage with their surfing exploits in exotic locales. Although brothers Jon and Tim Foreman along with drummer Chad Butler have been performing as Switchfoot since their first album release in 1997 (Jerome Fontamillas and Drew Shirley officially became band members in 2003 and 2005, respectively), Switchfoot has deftly switched between different musical genres and eluded the Christian Rock pigeon-hole.
Garnering Grammys for Best Rock Gospel Album (Learning to Breathe, 2001) and Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album (Hello Hurricane, 2011), the band remains difficult to categorize — an indie SoCal surfer band with ties to big labels and songs referencing St. Augustine, René Descartes, T.S. Eliot and Søren Kierkegaard.
John Hansen
Lighting Designer & Director
John Hansen, who’s been working in the industry since 2001, is the lighting designer and director for Switchfoot’s current tour, having been with the band full-time for the last four years. Hansen says that when he first got his hands on moving lights, he knew he was hooked. He spent several years cutting his teeth and tech’ing, getting as much console time as possible. He started EnHansen Design three year ago. The mission: “to design shows that enhance both our client’s performance and their audience’s experience. We also own control hardware, lighting consoles and media servers that we rent out. It’s been a fun journey, and I’m looking forward to further expansion.
“Our show is constantly evolving as I try to bring new technology and ideas into it. [Switchfoot’s] music is very dynamic and allows me quite a range of looks and content. The band is constantly switching up the show, even mid-set…The audibles definitely keep me on my toes. Switchfoot doesn’t use any tracks or timecode; everything is run manually for every show.
“For this current tour, I drew up a concept and presented it to the band and production team. We made a few changes to work within the budget for the tour and moved forward. After several years, I know what the band likes and doesn’t like, so I build around that. For example, the band doesn’t like a lot of front light, so I loaded up on side light, which lets me still see their faces when I need to. Switchfoot spent a year making Fading West, which is a surf film/rockumentary. They wanted to incorporate a lot of the footage that they have as video elements and texture to highlight the show and tie the live performance together with their film.
“We play a wide variety of venues, from small clubs to theaters to small arenas. The lighting and video rig needs to be scalable to be able to fit wherever we are playing. I wanted, and the band really likes, [Clay Paky] Sharpys. Especially in a club setting, they kill. I also had to have [Martin] Atomics (strobes). I use them for a lot of dynamic hits; they’re a staple in my show.
“Most of my rig is built into four pieces of Tyler GT Truss that I custom modified into roll-on carts. Each piece has two Sharpys, two [Philips Color Kinetics] ColorBlasts and an Atomic strobe attached to it. All of the fixtures live on the truss and ride in the truck that way. All cabling, including home runs, rides inside each piece of truss. The Sharpys are mounted on pipes that raise up to allow me to get a tiered side lighting look. The [ETC Source Four] PARs act as nice warm side lights. It’s hard to beat an actual tungsten light source. Having RGB lasers gave me a lot of options for striking, varied looks to complement video and lighting to enhance the overall show. Every night, when the lasers first hit, you can hear the crowd freak out.
“From design to programming to setup and running the show, I am a one-man wrecking crew. I have learned how to prep and design things so that day of set up is as easy as possible. The name of the game is finding the delicate balance between the artistic side of design and the practical side of set up. For this current tour, the GT Truss carts roll on, plug in, and are ready to go. The upstage wall consists of video panels that are pre-assembled, lasers, and 101s pre-rigged on pipes. It all hangs off of tower truss. With four stagehands I can have the rig, which takes up about half of a semi, set up and ready for focus in two hours.
“Many thanks to the band and crew out on the road with me. We are truly a family on the road… from the great gigs to the hardest ones. Thanks to TMS out of Omaha, which has been Switchfoot’s lighting vendor for many years. I started working for TMS in 2005 and spent many years there learning what hard work was and the rewards for doing things the right way. Shout outs to everyone who has helped me or given me an opportunity along the way. Specifically, Ernie Gubbels (Bright Spot Lighting Designs), Mark Carlson, Mark Huber and the late Tim Kohlmeyer of TMS. Also, Heath Marrinan of FadeUp Design Group. Additional thanks to all of the TMS crew guys and gals who I count as great friends and who are an invaluable resource in the industry.”
Switchfoot Fading West Tour
Crew
Lighting Designer & Director: John Hansen (EnHansen Design Inc.)
Video Content & Lasers: John Hansen
Production Manager: Ryan Nichols
Tour Manager: Ike Schaible
Stage Manager/Monitors: Travis Bing
Lighting Co: Theatrical Media Services (TMS)
Video/LED Wall: (Band-owned)
Lighting/Video Control: EnHansen Design Inc.
Trucking: McCollister’s Transportation Group
Gear
1 Martin M1, Martin M2Go (Backup) lighting consoles
8 Clay Paky Sharpys
9 Martin MAC 101s
4 Martin Atomic 3000 Strobes
2 X-Laser Defiants
4 Martin Atomic 3000 strobes
8 Philips Color Kinetics ColorBlasts
12 ETC Source Four PARs
4 5’ sections Tyler GT Truss
2 Green Hippo Hippocritter media servers
24 9mm LED Panels
1 Base Hazer Pro hazer
For more Switchfoot tour photos by Steve Jennings, go to www.plsn.me/Switchfoot2014.
