Vasco Rossi decided to delight his countless fans again in 2023 with a short concert tour that crisscrossed Italy. As always, Giovanni Pinna was in charge of lighting, and made extensive use of Claypaky fixtures. “The set design changed radically this year,” Pinna told us. “We mainly used 70-by-26-meter stages based around a triangle: there were three triangles of automated battens of different dimensions around a large central triangular LED wall. Each batten was fitted with a modular rig complete with all the lights.”
Pinna deliberately chose to use only three kinds of moving light so that the stage was as uniform as possible. The ultimate goal was to achieve a high-impact, fully consistent visual result. Pinna used 148 Claypaky Hy B-EYE K25 units and 70 Claypaky Tambora Batten Squares as key lights, along with a few brand new Claypaky Skylos fixtures.
“The Hy B-EYE K25 units were a very important part of the line-up; you could even say they made the show on their own for several pieces. The tour started in May, so there was a lot of sunlight throughout the first part of the show, for about an hour. Therefore, I really needed a spotlight that would ‘shine a lot of light’.” I used Hy B-EYE units with white light for the first six pieces. Then, as darkness came, I added color. I was really impressed with their power and flexibility, and I have to thank Marco Zucchinali of Claypaky for his support with the programming.”
Another key element of the rig was the “square” version of the Tambora Batten. Tambora Battens are high-power LED fixtures with advanced pixel mapping capabilities. Their unique selection of “advanced layer management” functions mean they can be arranged in a line or matrix, for stunning lighting effects.
Pinna went on to add: “I arranged 54 Tambora Battens on the triangles on the ceiling and 16 on the ground, for which I had scenic stands built where the Tamboras are recessed to conceal their bodies and leave only their light sources visible. They are very bright lights and can often be used on stage by themselves. I also used them abundantly as washlights on the band, and I must say they did an incredible job.”
Lastly, Pinna was able to use four Claypaky Skylos units. “This was their international début, and they were the stars of the lighting design,” says the designer. “Skylos units have a white laser light source, capable of producing an incredible light output visible from miles away. Yet, they consume only 600W. The Skylos is a very versatile, weather-resistant fixture, capable of withstanding extreme conditions thanks to its IP66 rating and marine grade protection. All its components are tested to withstand temperature changes in a range from 70° to -30° C. I had four Skylos units and used them in pairs on both sides of the proscenium, especially for some pieces where their power stood out, like “Gli Spari Sopra”. I then used them during the breaks, so as to create a show within the show”.
The lighting and special effects equipment was provided by BOTW of Pomezia. Gio Forma handled Set Design. Fabrizio Moggio was Chief Lighting Technician, and Marco Piva, D3 Operator.
Further information from Claypaky: www.claypaky.it
