Rutgers’ school colors are scarlet, gray, and black. But for the Friday night football game against Washington on September 27, the university asked students and fans to dress in all black when they entered SHI Stadium. The football team itself donned all black uniforms for the game. No, this wasn’t a night of mourning—the color code was chosen to create a “blackout” throughout the 53,000-seat stadium, the better to show the dramatic lighting effects scheduled for the evening. This started with fans turning on their cell phone lights when cued during the pre-game fireworks display.
Then at halftime, there was an intense Ode To New Jersey lighting display to showcase the induction of the Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame class of 2024. Members of the band marched with lighted pixels, while a collection of eight CHAUVET Professional Maverick Storm 4 Profile fixtures animated the center of the filed in crisp white light that played off brilliantly against the blackout background.
Victor Zeiser of Squeek Lights, which supplied the Maverick fixtures, installed the lighting system with his team Charlemagne Magboo and Adam Brown. Positioning the high output 1250-watt LED profiles in pairs at every corner of the stadium Zeiser and his crew were able to cover large areas of the stadium in light. In three of the corners, the IP65-rated fixtures could be rolled into place, but in the fourth, they had to be carried up a flight of stairs.
“We used the storms to create ballyhoo looks over the audience in white spotlights, and to sweep the sky throughout the event,” said Zeiser. “During the Hall of Fame moment, we created a tight special at the 50-yard line that was very dramatic looking. We’re happy that K Sound brought us into this project – and grateful that PJ Mullen for having the vision to appreciate how these fixtures could enhance the fan experience.”
As for the Maverick Storm 4 Profiles, Zeiser noted “they performed great and had the punch we needed for both the audience in person and for the folks watching at home.” Whether they watched live or on TV, Rutgers fans left the game happy, not only with the incredible lighting, but with the outcome, as their team won.
Rutgers is no stranger to the gridiron. The school played the first ever American version of football when it squared off against Princeton on November 6, 1869. Rutgers won that game too. As for the halftime at that historic contest – no one is quite sure what happened. One thing is certain though, it couldn’t have been nearly as spectacular as the lighting that transformed SHI stadium on this warm, cloudy night in September.
Further information from CHAUVET Professional: www.chauvetprofessional.com
