Production Profile

Celtic Woman sings their way into the Big Time.

You say you’ve never heard of Celtic Woman? You may not have, but millions of PBS viewers and concertgoers certainly are in on the secret, although it may not be one for much longer. Having notched three successful albums on the Billboard charts (including a recent Top 10 entry) with no MTV presence, the Irish folk/ pop project offering both covers and originals has beguiled audiences with a quartet of pretty voices, a vigorous violinist, pulse-racing percussion and a smooth mixture of energetic and ethereal moments. Currently finishing up a 100-plus show tour, Celtic Woman is becoming one of the biggest (yet quietest) pop sensations around. “It’s wild,” declares lighting designer Tom Kenny. “It’s one of those phenomenon like Riverdance that goes under the radar, then all of a sudden, becomes huge.”

Chaos’ crew tries to keep it fast, cheap and under control.

The third annual A Taste of Chaos tour certainly lives up to its name for its hard-working crew. With eight screamo/post- hardcore bands, six audio people and four Lighting crew, plus a truncated load-in time after the first few shows, over its two-month cross-country trek, the growing event has become a test of speed and endurance for this well-oiled touring machine. This year, it is also a challenge for Chaos crew chief Tommy Green, and 30 Seconds to Mars lighting director Rob Smith to allow the show to build up in intensity for a big visual payoff by night’s end. It’s a true lesson in the principle of “less is more.”

There’s as many headliners as cowboys at the Houston Livestock Show.

Well it’s bulls and blood
It’s dust and mud
It’s the roar of a Sunday crowd
It’s the white in his knuckles
The gold in the buckle
 He’ll win the next go ‘round
— Garth Brooks, “Rodeo”

Almost everyone has a picture in their head of what a rodeo looks like. For most, an image of a bull-rider probably comes to mind. But be they death-defying clowns or hairpin chuck-wagon turns, your image of rodeo is about to change.

Eric Clapton hits the road and fills up arenas in his most comprehensive, elaborate show to date

Let’s face it: Eric Clapton could enrapture an arena-sized audience with three PAR cans and a lava lamp for lighting and scenery. His tasteful chops and song catalog pre-date modern-day production as we know it, but his penchant for entertaining keeps him consistently in the spotlight on stages across the globe. This time around he’s packing two hours of classic Clapton hits, and he’s got two powerhouse guitar slingers in tow; Derek Trucks, son of Allman Brothers drummer Butch Trucks, and Doyle Bramhall II, son of the legendary songwriter and blues drummer Doyle Bramhall. 

Few performers command the type of production that you get with designers like Peter Morse (Prince, Bette Midler), Butch Allen (Garbage, Metallica and Dancing With The Stars, The Tour), Baz Halpin (Queen + Paul Rodgers, Westlife) and Jon Pollak (Steely Dan, Lenny Kravitz). But only the inimitable Christina Aguilera has the pull to bring them all together for one production, her “Back to Basics” tour. The tour continues its North American leg after starting in Europe.

Event Producers Sets the Stage

The schedule looks something like this: Get in to town on Sunday, maybe Friday or Saturday if you are lucky. Walk through Hall D of the Anaheim Convention Center late Sunday night, go over some points, make sure that you have all of the gear and prep yourself for a long week. This 221,284 square foot convention hall needs to be turned into an 11,000 seat theatre by 8:30 a.m. Thursday for the opening ceremonies for AARP’s National Event, “Life at 50+: Lights, Camera, Anaheim,” a gala-event with performances by Bill Cosby, Jose Feliciano and Elton John; along with appearances by Maya Angelou, Geena Davis and Dan Rather, among others. 

Tenacious D has been described as “this wild lead singer with pipes of platinum” and “the heavy-set bald fellow churning out riffs of pure profundity.” Of course, it was Jack Black and Kyle Gass, the two founders of the band, who came up with that description. You would expect nothing less from the self-proclaimed “Greatest Band on Earth,” the same duo who said their show “couldn’t be explained but had to be experienced live and in person.”

They weren’t just clowning around when the band Panic! At the Disco said they wanted a circus atmosphere for their then-upcoming tour.

“When I was first contacted by the band, we discussed the vaudeville/burlesque theme,” said Robb Jibson, lighting designer/ director. “Carrying that into a ‘Moulin Rouge’ look for the summer, we decided to apply those themes and colors to a really exaggerated carnival environment for the fall.” 

Different paths have led Seth Jackson and Eddie “Bones” Connell to lighting one of the biggest  tours in country music.

Over the last couple decades, country music has inched its way out of the realm of the folk Americana sound and into the arena of, well…arena. Where country stars once played enclosed theatres and large clubs, they have now taken over the stadiums that once played host exclusively to rock. High on the mountain of arena country stands Toby Keith, and, just like the arena rockers before him, his current “Hookin’ Up and Hangin’ Out” tour encompasses largescale lighting, a big sound, pyro and video.

Elton John’s Tour Reflects 30 Years of Touring

Elton John’s idea of celebrating the 30th anniversary of the number one platinum-debuting album Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy is to play a series of shows. With the more recent re-release of the follow-up CD to that album, The Captain & the Kid, his newest tour serves to promote the new release and closes the book on the celebration. PLSN caught the first two nights of the tour in Northern California where he debuted the album and new tour while taking a break from his on-going Las Vegas Red Piano show. We spoke with lighting designer Kevin “Stick” Bye about the show. 

LD Daunte Kenner captures the essence of Mary J. Blige in design.

She’s the soulful queen of hip-hop, an embattled figure who has recently emerged victoriously from bouts against alcohol and drug abuse to become a successful and happily-married entertainer. Her concert sounds like a battle cry for troubled women everywhere, leading the charge against the emotional distress of everyday life in the trenches. She is Mary J. Blige. And the responsibility for lighting her shows falls squarely on the shoulders of Daunte Kenner. And if MJB has gone through a series of changes, Kenner can certainly relate. Talk to him about the show and the constant theme that emerges is one of change. Take, for example, the design process.
“Nineteen,” says Kenner with a smile.