Tour: Steve Aoki Neon Future Experience tour
Dates: Feb. 13-March 21 (North America); festival dates follow
Design: “V Squared Labs designed the stage for this tour, and video is used heavily to drive the energy of the show. Seven sections of 9mm LED wall make up the core design element of the stage. Steve’s music is high energy, so the lighting and video have to be constantly animated to keep up with him. Video is used to highlight guest artists that are featured on certain tracks, but are unable to be present for the show. Surrounding the video screens is a custom 3D cube matrix, [also] designed by V Squared Labs. The cube matrix is made up of a large array of RGB LEDs mapped in three dimensions. Lighting and RGB LED blinders extend the energy of the video elements into the audience, and light Steve and his guest performers. The LED wall and LED Cube matrix are scaled to different configurations to fit various venue sizes.”
BACK STORY
Home Base: Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
First Tour: “This one. I was brought on board for a couple dates in Brazil. The Brazil shows were basically a test bed for what would eventually become the touring setup. Adapting to a touring environment has been a real challenge for me, and I am thankful to the rest of our crew for their knowledge and expertise in executing such a difficult setup given the size of the venues.”
Creative Spark: “I’ve always been a tinkerer, and this led me to go to school for audio recording. After college, I found myself building my own lighting and video setups for small parties in places like warehouses and art galleries. Eventually, I found myself doing lighting professionally.”
Your Approach: “Every project is different. Lighting a DJ tour takes a whole different skill set than lighting a corporate event or rock concert. The approach varies project to project, but preparation is key.”
The Payoff: “I enjoy the creative and logistical challenges that we face every day.”
On the Horizon: “After the tour, I will finish programming an art installation for the new Saints Ballpark in St. Paul, MN.”
Best Advice: “There will always be people who know more than you do, and there is always a better way to do something. You need to always be learning.”
