“Odd Couple” LDs Jason Bullock and Robb Jibson on the Fall Out Boy/Wiz Khalifa Tour
Chicago-based Robb Jibson is the LD of punk pop group Fall Out Boy. He caters to cue lists and joneses for his Jands Vista lighting console. New York City-based Jason Bullock is the LD for rapper Wiz Khalifa. He prefers to slam though faders and chooses the Chamsys. When both artists toured together for the “Boys of Zummer” tour, it begged the question: Can two LDs, on competing brands of consoles, come together to create one cohesive production for two radically different musical artists, without driving each other crazy?
PLSN: Have you two worked with each other before this tour?
Jason: Robb and I met years ago. We had done a few festivals together.
Robb: We had met and hung before, both originally Midwesterners, but this is the first time we danced at FOH together!
How did the design process come together?
Jason: In early February, Robb and I met at my house in New York and hammered out the basic concepts. As we are both the production designers for our respective artists, there was a lot of deciding what elements each would use. It was important that each had a unique feel, so we put in a moving truss system for two different shows, and sorted out which pyro / video / set designs would work. Two radically different types of music to light lends itself to the shows looking very different. The time of day also heavily influenced the design. Wiz played earlier in the day, so I had to compete with the sun at many venues.
Robb: Jason had specific ideas for his show, and we had identified a set early on, so we took the available overhead space to come up with something flexible and creative, while still making the production manager and the labor cell of the budget spreadsheet happy. We relied heavily on the Clay Paky Mythos fixture both as a hard-edge aerial effect and punchy beam wash fixture. We also used Ayrton MagicDots to fill in gaps. Really cool little fixture!
What console are you using, and why?
Jason: I’ve been using a Chamsys MQ 300 2014. I’ve been using the Chamsys for the past seven years and love it. It’s fast and easy. Its setup is essential for my method of operation. The extensive bitmapping utilities allow for a flexible level of control.
Robb: I am a Jands Vista user. I am using a custom brewed JandsS3/Mac Mini/Wacom Cintiq creation that is built into a road case. I have been a supporter of the Jands platform since 2012. I like the ability to manipulate the timing of every parameter quickly and the way feature sorting is accomplished. I also like the timeline interface, being able to time things visually and with respect to musical intervals. I can fit certain fades and delay times (events) within total timing space on this desk, so I don’t have to think of each individual timing per fixture or per grouping. I can quickly dial features and timings that I may not typically mess with because it is so intensive on other platforms and programming time is tight. The OS X platform allows me to program and launch Apple scripts to do just about anything: change Encore presets, A/B my media server router and check on my Amazon Prime deliveries. Kidding, kind of…
Do you swap out consoles and if so, what makes you switch?
Jason: I can use just about any console. I travel with my own Chamsys system, but I have show files for most consoles.
Robb: I like to keep up on different consoles and explore new approaches to show control. If I am running the show I will sometimes use consoles that make people go “huh?” If I’m bringing in a lighting director or programmer, then it’s their choice. Most consoles are full featured; it’s just about how you get there.
So, Robb likes to use cue lists, while Jason punts every show.
Jason: I do have pages written out for every song. With Wiz’s music, though, there are lots of embellishments that are drum fill or lyrically based. If it were written in to every cue, it wouldn’t have the same feel. I use the Chamsys because it has lots of faders. This allows me to add in layers as the tour and show develop. Wiz continually refines his show till he’s happy, so I have to be on my toes designing and operating.
Robb: This Fall Out Boy show is pretty linear per song, so a dedicated cue list for each song is the way to go, but audibles and things that would not lend themselves to cueing are still located on buttons and faders. I wouldn’t say Jason “punts” per se, he delivers a consistent performance. He just “unfolds” his cues laterally across the desk!
Did the artists perform together?
Jason: Both of us had one song in the set where members from both bands would come out and perform with the other.
Robb: There was one cross over song for each artist.
What was your involvement with video?
Jason: Both of us used video from Screenworks. Larn Poland was the video director who cut all the cameras. Wiz’s video is mainly I-Mag overlaid on textures and loops. Larn came up with wonderful picture layouts combined with content. My set also had 164 Upstaging’s LED Saber fixtures built-in. As a lighting and video fixture, the Sabers worked great at providing a new element that worked even in full sunlight. Wiz is involved in the content and, over the years, I’ve started to figure out what he wants to see. The entire show is really one big canvas to bring his music to life.
Robb: Our show relied heavily on video content, with a few large surfaces and a custom made LED tile set. I worked with the band to create the story of the content and then used creative animators to bring it to life. We are using a PRG Mbox system for media delivery, which is all controlled by a combination of the PRG Mbox Director app and TC Reader with certain parameters “passed-through” to be manipulated by the Jands console output. It’s a really fun and interesting approach to tying it all together!
Finally, how do you define “great show lighting”?
Jason: A combination of factors have to work together to make a truly great show: A good truss layout, good balanced fixture counts, clean programming, and someone to make it all happen in time. There are so many options for fixtures and gear; keeping them in balance is one of the biggest challenges affecting LDs today.
Robb: Something that complements the performance without stealing the show away from the performer. That’s not to say there are not moments when the environs are totally reliant on the lighting or visual elements, but all parts of a show — the visuals, audio, the performance — must play together. Anything that tricks my eye gets me excited. Balance is also important. And I believe the old adage, “don’t blow your wad in the first hit.”
For more 2015 Boys of Zummer tour photos of Fall Out Boy and Wiz Khalifa by Steve Jennings, go to:
http://www.prolightingspace.com/photo/albums/fall-out-boy-and-wiz-khalifa
