Lighting & Video Company
R90 Lighting
Venue
Various (Tour)
Production Team
- Lighting Designer, Director & Programmer: Ali “Blue” Allison
- Production Consultant: Meagan Metcalf
- Creative Directors: Adi Goodrich, Sean Pecknold (Sing-Sing Studios)
- Tour Manager: David Scheid
- Production Managers: Josh Penner, David Scheid
- Lighting & Video Tech: Jory Bourgette
- Set Fabrication: PNTA
- R90 Lighting Rep: Joe Cole
Gear:
Lighting
- 1 MA Lighting grandMA2 full-size Console
- 27 Elation Artiste Picasso
- 24 Chauvet Strike Array 2 Blinder
- 8 GLP JDC1 Hybrid Strobe
- 34 GLP impression X4 Bar 20
- 2 hazebase Hazers
Video
- SNP Productions Catalyst Media Server
- NovaStar VX4S-N Video Controller
- Barco ImagePRO Processor
- V-Team An8.9 LED Wall (784×448 pixels)
Designer Insights by Steve Jennings:
This is Lighting Designer, Director, & Programmer Ali “Blue” Allison’s first time working with Fleet Foxes, a group which has been a longtime client of designer Meagan Metcalf, notes Allison. ”I honestly do not remember when I met Meagan, but we have crossed paths many times over the past years and stayed in touch. She first asked me if I was interested in being a programmer and director for the tour and I said yes. She later reached back out and asked if I’d actually like to design the show with her as a production consultant. I was thrilled—working with her has been a dream! I miss our bi-weekly calls now that we are past the design stage.”
All initial design discussions were with Metcalf, Creative Directors Sean Pecknold and Adi Goodrich of Sing-Sing Studios, and the band’s manager, Aja Pecknold-Smith. Pecknold and Goodrich created custom visuals that were either shot on 16mm film or animated, and Allison’s job was to design a lighting rig to complement these visuals. “Previous Fleet Foxes tours have utilized projections, but that was not a viable option for many of the venues on this tour. Sean and Adi were on board for a video wall, but they were concerned that the size of the wall would feel too small and suggested some sort of reflective panels flanking the wall to fill out the stage. They sent renderings of several of their ideas, and the band chose the one they liked the most. From there, I drew up my own renderings expanding on their idea by adding more reflective panels at different points on stage, and we all chose the configuration of panels that we liked the most.”
Joe Cole and the whole R90 Lighting team for lighting and video, Allison adds, were “super attentive at every step of the way and really worked with us to make sure that this rig could come together in time—and fit in the truck space allowed! Joe also trusted me with some of my design ideas that were slightly out of the ordinary and that trust made the process go so much smoother. Joe brought in Derek Zanto, who played an integral part in getting the lighting prepped in time, and video tech Jory Bourgette, who learned Catalyst as well as lighting tech roles in a matter of days. Joe also suggested the Elation Artiste Picasso fixtures for my profiles, and I was extremely happy with them. They have become a new favorite fixture of mine! R90 was also great at supporting us while we were out on the road, getting anything we needed sent to us as soon as possible.”
She was “ in awe” of the work that Sing-Sing Studios does, and it was inspiring to work with them and get a glimpse of their creative process. While they mostly worked separately during the design process, they did have a few Zoom calls to bounce around ideas. “It was during the programming process that we got to actually collaborate in person, with Sean sitting next to me at the console to guide me in putting the video content into the file. That was a challenge because the band does not play to a click track. or any tracks. Every show is a unique experience, so getting the video content to line up just right every day took a lot of back and forth and clip edits to figure out how to cue it so that it lined up properly.”
Allison says it was a pleasure working with Robin Pecknold (vocals/guitar) and the band. “Everyone on that stage is so talented and so fun to work with. I have felt so supported by them and management from the beginning.”
More photos by Steve Jennings:
