NASHVILLE – For country artist Kane Brown’s first headlining tour in support of his self-titled debut album, designer Chris Lisle was looking for a compact yet versatile LED video solution. He found it with PixelFLEX’s FLEXCurtain HD LED video wall tiles.
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Since making his debut on Social Media and shows such as X Factor and American Idol, RCA Nashville recording artist Kane Brown has seen a meteoric rise in the Country Music industry. Now regarded as “one to watch”, Brown recently launched his first headlining tour in support of his self-titled debut album. Needing a production design to complement the Tennessee-native, his management team enlisted the assistance of designer Chris Lisle.
Lisle got to work creating an exciting yet functional tour design which included PixelFLEX FLEXCurtain HD 6.25mm LED video supplied by tour sponsor Monster Energy.
“This is my first tour with Kane Brown as his production has now grown to a point where he needed creative direction, so I was contacted by his business manager and asked to come on board,” began Lisle. “Since he would be playing a wide variety of venues, we had to create a tour design that would work in houses of all sizes, but we also had to look at the logistical factors associated with the tour. We had to always keep in mind how much space was in the trailer, who was going to set-up and tear-down the system each night, and then how much power the rig would require. Needing compact touring elements, we were very fortunate to have the FLEXCurtain HD LED video wall because it’s a bright and high-performance product that can pack away very easily and it requires minimal tech time for the load-in and load-out.”
The Parnelli Award-winning FLEXCurtain HD is a lightweight and flexible LED video screen ideal for high resolution video playback and video effects for a wide range of touring and live event applications. Its hi-res LED video can be driven by any DVI output, and the multi-directional, flexible design makes it easy to store and transport. FLEXCurtain HD is 60-90% lighter than the competition, and using the quick-lock system, 500 square feet of FLEXCurtain HD can be set up and broken down in under 15 minutes.
Lisle continued, “When management and I started discussing the tour, we knew we would have the main LED video wall and the two side columns supplied by tour sponsor Monster Energy, so we worked a lot of the production design around the LED video wall. While I had loosely worked with PixelFLEX before, it was never in a touring environment and we have really enjoyed working with the FLEXCurtain HD. It’s bright with a perfect intensity, and I’m hearing great things from the team on the road about its performance night-after-night.”
As the production team got to work designing the content for the LED video design, Lisle and his team had very specific ideas of how the design should work within the flow of the concert. Not wanting the video to take focus away from the artist and the music, they were cognizant to use it as an enhancement rather than a distraction.
“For the LED video design, we opted for a combination of stock content, custom design elements that we designed in-house, and then a few elements Kane already had in place from a previous tour with Florida Georgia Line,” explained Lisle. “We wanted to have a nice flow to the production design so there are a few songs where the LED video is soft and subtle, but then there are also times where the content is very rich and visual. This is how we like to design our shows because we don’t want fans staring at the video screens the entire time. We want them to enjoy the entire performance while keeping it visually interesting throughout the night.”
Another element to any production design is making sure than all the design features work together as one. Understanding how the LED video and lighting needed to complement each other, Lisle worked with programmer Erik Parker to ensure that all the elements stay connected throughout the show.
“One of the main things I always look for when designing is that the colors make sense,” admitted Lisle. “In my design style, I rarely have more than two colors up at any given time and that includes LED video content. I like very rich, solid content so when working with our programmer Erik Parker we are very cautious that each look is a cohesive design element, and he does an outstanding job.”
As the “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now Tour” continues its way across the United States, fans are lining up to spend an evening with one of Country Music’s hottest young stars. Looking back on the work that went into creating the production design behind the tour, Lisle is quick to acknowledge that the FLEXCurtain HD was a significant factor to its success, overcoming all logistical challenges and performing beautifully in all venues along the way.
“The major advantage of working with the FLEXCurtain HD on this tour was definitely its ease-of-use and performance functionality,” concluded Lisle. “On tours like this where we are getting the entire package inside one bus trailer, space is a big concern and it’s nice to be able to fold it up, put it in a road case, and go on down the highway. The FLEXCurtain HD is also bright and colorful enough to perform in any size venue, and it goes together very easily for a small crew. Simply put, it has been an ideal LED video solution for the ‘Ain’t No Stopping Us Now Tour’ and it looks great onstage.”
