If you watched season eight of American Idol then you will not be surprised to learn that Adam Lambert was very much involved in the design and execution of his solo tour, Glam Nation. The runner-up in the singing competition was a sensation because of his creative approach to style, arranging songs, and the striking production. His singing voice was only the cherry on top. When it came time for Lambert to hit the road in support of his first album, PRG was given the job of putting together the gear and finding a designer suitable for the project. Julian Edwards of PRG contacted Jason Deboer, and the die was cast. Dave Ellison was to be the tour and production manager, Shane Johnson of Strictly FX was to be the stage manager. Deboer and Ellison met with Lambert's management company, 19 Entertainment, from which they drew inspiration to put together a "rough hand drawing" of the lighting and set design.
The Artist's Input
"Adam was involved in the design the whole time," Deboer said, "from picking colors for the songs to downloading the video clips he wanted to use." Lambert also contributed to the design in a way that changed the entire look of the show. "Using lasers was his idea," Deboer continued, "which really add a great touch to the show." Once the lasers became a reality, Johnson was assigned double duty as both stage manager and laser operator. "I wanted to do more creative work," Johnson said, of his dual positions. "I'm mostly a pre-production/road guy at the moment, seeing how busy I am with touring." Once the pieces were in place, Deboer went to work refining the design using Vectorworks 2010 Spotlight. Milton Diego of PRG helped Deboer turn out the final renderings using ESP Vision at PRG in Los Angeles.
A Tight Budget
The design was built on a scaled-down lighting and set design that was intended to be supplemented on the road. In addition to a few lights and digital luminaires, Deboer travels with a full sized MA Lighting grandMA console. "It would be really hard," he said, "for me to use another console."
"This whole tour was designed around a very tight budget," Deboer said. "The plan was to use whatever local gear was in house at the venues and (we would bring) a small floor package and two (Barco High End Systems) DL-3s to the rig every day. The design is very loose so that we can adjust to the venues that we are playing. We have seen every size venue you can: clubs, theatres, casinos and a few sheds."
Versatile Lasers
The laser package includes two Kvant 16-watt lasers under the control of a Pangolin processor and an HP Touchsmart PC.
"The lasers are an extremely versatile instrument now, with the advent of all of the color lasers and the color combinations that can be created," Johnson said. "It's not the same old shtick. I never tire of shooting them during this show. Lasers as effects have come so far in such a short period of time.
"The equipment I am using is very durable," he continued. "With the rigors of intense touring, it always delivers, and I have only experienced minor glitches twice in the last three months.
"This tour has been one of the coolest tours I've done in a while," Deboer said. "I've loved the challenge, from being my own crew to the challenge of not knowing what to expect from venue to venue."
Theatres to Slaughterhouses
Johnson added: "The show is fantastic. Jason is a very dedicated and creative lighting designer, and he brings a lot of hilarity to the long days as well. We both work well together to get the best-looking show we can, depending on the room we are in. This tour has taken us everywhere, from the finest theatres in the country to some really great clubs. We even played in an old cattle slaughter house in Lubbock, Texas and managed to bring a huge show to a very small room."
After the U.S. leg of the tour, the show is going Asia and Europe to finish out the year. "I have heard rumblings of another tour the first of next year," Deboer said.
"Adam is an extremely dedicated and hard working singer and artist who has his hands in every aspect of the show and design," Johnson said. "It's really a pleasure to be out on a tour with a man of his caliber. The company that I work for is the most supportive and creative employers that I have ever had the pleasure of working with. We are all on the same page, every show is top priority and everyone is on call 24 hours a day to help troubleshoot and solve any issues that arise. We're here for your entertainment."
Adam Lambert Glam Nation Tour
Lighting Designer; Lighting/Video Director: Jason Deboer
Lasers & Stage Manager: Shane Johnson
Tour Manager/Production Manager: Dave Ellison
Lighting Company: PRG
Lasers: Strictly FX
Gear:
8 Clay Paky Alpha Spot 700s
7 Elation Impression 90s
6 Martin Atomic 3K Strobes
5 4-Light Moles
2 Barco High End Systems DL.3 digital luminaires
