Writer and photographer Steve Jennings took the Mayhem Festival photos that appear in PLSN, Nov. 2010, pages 22-23. He also gathered these perspectives from those involved behind the scenes. -ed. Mayhem Production Designer – Nook Shoenfeld
"I was so impressed with the quality of gear and the work ethic of the Upstaging guys that I started spec'ing them on all my projects. John Bahnick services all my accounts and gives my clients remarkably fair deals, plus their facility and in-house visualization suite takes lighting programming to the next level. Upstaging doesn't actually employ any lighting designers; they are in the business of serving them. So while I am not a full-time employee, I spend so much time there designing shows and helping out on other projects that I may as well be.
"I design many festival tours and producers hire me to come up with rigs that are both unique and easy to assemble. Due to time constraints between the time we load in and the first band hitting the stage, it's necessary for the tour design to be fast and efficient, while looking big and cool. I then act as a liason between the various lighting designers who represent each act. Some may request a certain type fixture not in my design or some new products that they really need for their set. I do my best to accommodate everyone, while keeping within the budget.
"We fit everything on the main stage into nine semis. This particular tour is in it's third season and many of the crew members have grown with the tour. Now it's a tightly knit team of professionals who are not afraid of any obstacles. Ray Picard is one of the most level-headed production people I have ever gigged with and tackles all problems without breaking a sweat. Stage manager John Firpo has come a long way over the years and can whip huge amounts of gear on and off stage in record time. He and his so-called ‘Team Pirannah' do some fabulous work.
"The sheer size of the set designs took a lot of advance work. Jim Lenahan designed a beautiful replication of an oil field on fire. Getting 25' tall oil derricks with matching pumps onto any stage is a struggle, especially if it's a co-headline bill. Obviously Zombie did not wish to play in front of someone else's set so it was my job, along with Firpo, to figure out a way to get all the stuff on stage in a 25-minute set change. The same goes for the giant video wall Zombie wanted to use. I couldn't just leave it hanging in front of Korn's custom designed LED strewn backdrop. So I end up playing with a giant jig saw puzzle on numerous CAD programs until I find a way for it all to fit and make everyone happy.
"Each day after everything was up and running, I would sit down with Kurtis Grossen, the tour rigger, and figure out how we were going to rig everything the next day depending on stage depth. Trusses were sometimes squashed together or cut in length, depending on the venue. Each of the headliners required a minimum of 36' of stage depth.
"The bottom line is, this is a business. I have to make everything cost efficient for the producers, Kevin Lyman and John Reese. These are two tremendous individuals who give their all to the production, and more importantly, the fans. They put up a great line up of talent each year with a fantastic production. Everyone works as a team. There are 270 touring personnel on this show and simply no time for egos or finger pointing. I am no more important than the traveling tattoo artist out here and we all get along like family. I wish every production had the Mayhem attitude, which is exemplified in a Reese saying: ‘Fix the problem, don't point the blame.'"
Korn (Lighting Designer / Director) – Jason Bullock
"Peter Katsis and I had worked together with Jane's Addiction over the past year. The floor system was based on my spec and the overhead rig was designed by Nook Schoenfeld. I added some things such as the Upstaging Headlight which I really love and have been adding to most of my projects. The set was mainly lit by (Martin) MAC 300 LEDs, MAC 2k washes, and some Atomic Strobes. To get some heavy-duty fire power I added in six 2.5 Showguns.
"My console is the Chamsys Magic Q M300. I love this desk. Ever since I started using it I've never looked back. Being personally involved with Chamsys I even got one of the other LDs, Brandon from 5 Finger Death Punch to switch to it during the tour. If you haven't tried it I recommend you do.
"Nook was my mentor back in the ‘90s. This was the first time in years we were able to work together. It's good to have grown up and now be an equal with my teacher. Thanks Nook! The other LDs and I had a fun time in what could have been a very ego-filled, argumentative time. Thanks to Damien, Jay, and Brandon. Next time I'll buy the beers. See you all soon."
Korn (Set Design) – Jim Lenahan Production Design
For Korn's industrial set, Jim Lenahan was contacted for the project by Chris Kantrowitz at Frank Da Plumber, a company he's done a lot of work with.
"The requirement from the band was that the set be a burning oil field. Now that's something I can take and run with. The textures of old, dirty, industrial equipment were the first thing that came to my mind. I love textural scenery. The three pieces I wanted to include, which to me are emblematic of the oil industry in a visual sense, are oil derricks — the old fashioned kind in particular — pump jacks with a rising and falling motion.
"Accurate Staging built the set on a very tight schedule and this way they only had to create the cross braces and platform at the top. The derricks had to be on fire for much of the show so Show FX installed copper tubing up the center of the two derricks and propane tanks at the bottom to create a 25'-tall flame.
"Each pump jack have a variable speed electric motor and a well head into which a pipe fits. A larger diameter pipe section sleeves over this pipe and slides up and down giving the illusion that the pipe is actually dropping into the well. Both the derricks and the pump jacks were scenically painted by Heidi Luest for Accurate Staging. The rust textures and dripping shades of red and brown were my favorite part of the pieces.
"Finally, the backdrop was custom made by Sew What? Inc.. It's a piece of art I created out of many different photographic sources, primarily of chemical plants. I manipulated all this in Photoshop, then made a huge digitally printed version which was cut out, then sewn to scrim by Sew What?. In addition they sewed a couple hundred LED lights into the drop where lights might be on a refinery — catwalks, etc. Tubes were run up the back of the digital pieces and connected to two manifolds at the bottom. Two smoke machines were fed into the manifolds so that smoke rose from the tops of the towers. Behind this a white cyc, hung so that lighting designer Jason Bullock could silhouette the spires of the refinery for yet another effect. It made for a very 3-D image.
Between original concept and final set a few bits changed and morphed a bit, but all in all I was quite happy with the final set. Particularly in that Korn came on after Rob Zombie who had a very video intensive set. This couldn't have been more different. Very theatrical and old school, kinda like me."
Rob Zombie Lighting Designer & Director – Damian Rogers
"Rob (Zombie) and I have been collaborating for almost six years so I know what he wants and that makes my job easier. I can appreciate his artistic tendencies. Each year we create an even better look than the previous year. The first time I met Rob, he asked me if I liked spots. I told him no and his response was, ‘Good, me neither.' I'm not a big fan of front spots as I want complete responsibility and control over how the stage looks. I prefer to have the ability to use multiple fixtures, as Rob is very active on stage, playing in and out of light. He knows when he is lit, and I think spots would ruin the show and make him uncomfortable.
"Nook and I worked together last year while I was out with Marilyn Manson. I believe over the past five years with Manson, this was the first time I relied solely on another company besides my own (Gemini Stage Lighting) for the main rig. Nook was very accommodating and I look forward to working with him again. Similar to Manson, Rob has a great appreciation for theatrical lighting, which allows for greater creativity and innovation."
For more Mayhem Festival photos, CLICK HERE.
