Lighting Designer/Lighting company for SYW Tour

[RavenOfRhiannon]

Odd question, but can anyone look in a SYW Tourbook and tell me the lighting designer and/or lighting company for the tour? I am at work and don't have access to my tourbook. It's kind of time sensitive, so any help is appreciated.

[mylittledemon]

VLPS Lighting Services
Curry Grant

[RavenOfRhiannon]

Thank YOU!!!

This may help temendously.

[mylittledemon]

You're most welcome.

[sywlindseyfan]

wait a sec....Curry Grant??? Is this who i am thinking about, who once had some fun, that I would like to have....with a certain blonde?....I'm talking about Christine, haha

[jld92]

Originally Posted by sywlindseyfan

wait a sec....Curry Grant??? Is this who i am thinking about, who once had some fun, that I would like to have....with a certain blonde?....I'm talking about Christine, haha

Yes, I believe that is the man who made loving fun.

[michelej1]

Here's an article about the lighting:

Family Reunion
Aug 1, 2003 12:00 PM, by Sharon Stancavage


http://livedesignonline.com/mag/ligh...ion/index.html

Lighting designer Curry Grant has worked for the band since 1974. Lighting and projection designer Paul Guthrie has worked for its female lead singer for the past six years. It's also been six years since the group's last tour. The band? Fleetwood Mac. The designers' goal? To ease them into the 21st century. “We wanted to try and bring the band into a slightly more modern look, but it could never be a scenario where the production overpowered the band,” explains Guthrie.

Grant created the building blocks for the tour — the set, projection, and lighting concepts — that were later revised with Guthrie, of Toss Film and Design Inc. (www.tossfad.com) in Minneapolis, and Bruce Rodgers of Tribe Design in Los Angeles. “The band doesn't like to be glitzy in a production sense. They want to carry the show themselves and because each one of them has their own distinctive persona, they're able to do that,” Grant explains. It's apparently a simple undertaking, yet one that's remarkably rare, considering the over-the-top, everything-goes touring environment of the moment. “I think it's a mistake to use technology just for the sake of it,” Grant notes. “The artists should be the show, not the technology.”

The band began working on its current CD, Say You Will, about a year and a half ago, and everyone knew a tour was to follow, after a lengthy stint in rehearsals and production. “We started in production 700 years ago I think,” Guthrie laughs. “We started with reflected light from the sun and by the time we were finished, automated lighting was invented.” In reality, the band was in rehearsals for two months, then spent the month of April at Culver Studios in Los Angeles in production. “We're all used to doing it in a week or 10 days, so having a month wasn't necessarily an advantage,” Guthrie admits.

It was at then that longtime friends Grant and Guthrie faced their biggest challenge: not collaborating with each other, but collaborating with the band. “It was amazing to be able to have four different — extremely different — viewpoints to draw on and then roll that into what we wanted to do,” Guthrie explains. The positive part about the situation is that the band members were able to express their opinions, which gave Grant and Guthrie clear direction. “It was good because we'd get very defined feedback from them,” Guthrie notes. “There were lots of examples of things that they adamantly didn't like, which was very good for setting boundaries,” he adds.

In the past, the band wasn't necessarily as focused on the production aspects of the show as they are now. “As long as the lights were complementing the music and the timing was on, they were happy,” Grant says. Now things are a bit different. “Lindsey [Buckingham, vocals/guitar] even came out and sat with us toward the end of rehearsals to see what we were doing and gave us a couple of good ideas,” Grant adds, noting that, from a production standpoint, Buckingham is a fan of understatement.

Projection is one of the most crucial visual elements of the show. “I came in with a concept for a projection screen that wrapped all around the stage, because I thought it was really important for them to use video and IMAG this time,” Guthrie explains. The concept was refined by Rodgers, and turned into six video screens that encircle the stage like the stylized collar of a shirt. “The projection is very subtle,” Guthrie explains, “we use some IMAG and then there's some simple playback in about half of the songs; it's all reasonably low key.” The projection doesn't overwhelm the band, rather it augments what's happening on the stage.

One might think Guthrie had ages to work on his video content since the band was in rehearsals for two months. It didn't happen that way. “In fact, we had to be ready to come up with anything, and we really only had a content meeting 10 days before the first show,” he adds. Guthrie was ready with a library of stock footage and a plethora of ideas. “We use the footage from the original ‘Tusk’ music video and from ‘The Dance’ [the band's last tour], which featured a newer version of the USC Marching Band,” Guthrie says. “I ended up rotoscoping some of those characters out and then combined it into one big crescendo; it was kind of cool.”

About half the songs feature projection, from the outstretched hands in “What's the World Coming To,” to the rippling water in “Destiny Rules,” to Stevie Nicks' own artwork. “In ‘Rhiannon,’ I scanned a bunch of Stevie's drawings and put it in a slow animation. It's desaturated, almost black and white, and we tone it with the [Vari*Lite®] VL2416s™. We actually add color into the projection with the lights,” Guthrie explains. The effect is something Guthrie has tried on film, but not on tour. “It's a nice effect because the color really tones into the shadows of the image, so you can actually change the color in the shadows, as well as overlaying on the lights,” the designer comments.

Grant's other scenic elements are four windows, which evolved from his initial concept. “I wanted shafts of light coming through a window, as you see in films,” Grant explains, initially trying for a moody texture. They eventually turned into more of a scenic element. Another concept was for an overhead grid to light through, like you would find in an old soundstage. “I was going for a more natural breakup,” Grant explains. “It was Paul's idea to break the grid into three smaller pieces, or pods, as we call them.”

The show relies heavily on Vari-Lite gear, which isn't surprising, since both Grant and Guthrie have longtime relationships with the manufacturer. “Almost every Vari-Lite mode is represented,” Guthrie says. From the VL1000™Arc to the VL2416, and a plethora of units in between, they're all there, and, surprisingly enough, none can be considered the workhorse. “The work is divided up pretty evenly, which keeps the show from being repetitive,” comments Grant. “I think we did a great job of delegating types of lights to applications they're most suited for.”

The lighting package also includes three 3kW Syncrolites as well as MR-16 striplights. “I said to Paul, in the design stage, that the one thing we don't have yet is audience light,” Grant confides. “Mini-striplights are kind of a signature item of his, so he instantly suggested them. And they do look great. The Syncrolites were originally going to be the light coming through the windows and the overhead grid, but ended up being the main source for blasting through the grid pods.”

There are numerous high points in the show, one of which is “Gold Dust Woman.” “That song is Paul's ‘Stairway to Heaven’,” Grant says with a chuckle. Guthrie sees it a bit differently. “‘Gold Dust Woman’ is incredibly dynamic,” he states. “It's a song that I only run off the faders; there's no real cues once the song gets going. It's broken down so it can be run in a very traditional submaster style,” Guthrie explains. The result? It looks different every single night. Grant's conclusion? “‘Gold Dust Woman’ is a huge favorite every night.”

The songs ‘Come’ and ‘Peacekeeper,’ which both feature Buckingham's input, have unique moments in them. “For ‘Come,’ Lindsey actually suggested one floor light moving across the stage slowly, like a searchlight, for the verses. We tried it and it was great,” Grant remarks. ‘Peacekeeper’ also shows some of Buckingham's touch. “There are these little explosions during ‘Peacekeeper’ that happen on the projection screen. I think if Paul or I had suggested that to each other, we would have thought we were just running out of ideas. But we tried it, and it was actually pretty cool,” Grant adds.

In the end, the Say You Will tour is an example of a collaboration that went right. “Paul and I get along so well, and we're such good friends that we made it through with no problems at all. We actually had a great time. The most fun was blatantly taking credit for each other's ideas!” Grant laughs.

In early June, lighting director Wally Lees came onboard, taking over on the Virtuoso for Guthrie. Fleetwood Mac's tour has been extended into August.

[michelej1]

Here's one about The Dance

livedesignonline.com/mag/lighting_dance_partners_lds/index.html

Dance partners: Lds Steve Cohen and Curry Grant collaborte on Fleetwood Mac's comeback tour

Jan 1, 1998 12:00 PM, Catherine McHugh

Unlike the similarly combative Eagles, who chose Hell Freezes Over as the moniker for their surprising reunion album and tour three years ago, Fleetwood Mac (famous as much for its in-fighting as its music) promoted their reborn affection for each other by releasing a live greatest hits album with a far less caustic title, The Dance. Adding to its event status, the tour also coincides with the 20th anniversary of Rumours, and features that top-selling album's lineup: Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, and Lindsey Buckingham.

"This is the first time Lindsey has toured with them since the Mirage album in 1983," says LD Curry Grant. "It's not really Fleetwood Mac without Lindsey." Or, it seems, without Grant, for that matter. Now an account manager for Vari-Lite Los Angeles, Grant started touring with Fleetwood Mac in 1974--before Nicks and Buckingham were even part of the band. Other acts whose tours Grant has lit include Crosby, Stills and Nash, Supertramp, Chaka Khan, and Waylon Jennings. This tour also marked a reunion of sorts for LDs Steve Cohen and Grant. "Right before I joined Vari-Lite, I actually went and directed Hall & Oates around the world for Steve," Grant says. "He designed it, and I went out and ran it for him because he had to go out with Billy Joel."

For this tour, Cohen came up with the stage concept and designed the show's overall look by incorporating curved custom trusses built by All Access Staging. "Steve and Tom Strahan from Scale Design had a model, and all these curved pieces of trussing, which they were moving around to see what looked best," Grant says. "They had a really nice set, too, with graduated steps for the backing musicians--until we realized that they just wanted to be real low-profile. And we couldn't hang anything on vertical planes because they wanted to sell the arenas 360 degrees. That was the biggest limiting factor; it kept us from having a 'wall-o-light' or any backdrop to light upstage."

For Cohen, "It was all about architecture. There was nothing onstage. When Mick Fleetwood walked in, his first reaction was that I had done sort of a Beaux Arts train station," he says. "We customized the trussing with a flexible fiberglass type of material to light these curved lines and use projectors, then we'd backlight the three 32' (9.8m) curved arches. It's really the only thing we have to light besides the band."

The automated system lighting the band is composed of 90 Vari-Lite(R) automated luminaires augmented by seven Cameleon 4k Telespots, which were supplied, along with the conventional gear, by The Obie Company. In production rehearsals, Cohen and Grant worked with Vari*Lite programmer Robert Cochran and the tour's lighting director/Vari*Lite operator Wally Lees to put the looks together for the songs. "I tried to look at Fleetwood Mac as a whole, as a collective vibe, and bring that out with some really nice architecture, while at the same time consider each individual's contributions," Cohen says. "Each has their own particular style: Lindsey's songs looked tough and hard-edged, Stevie's were surreal, and Christine's were pretty pinks and lavenders.

"It was great working with Curry--a friend of mine, who at the same time is somebody I rent lights from all the time," Cohen continues. "What's interesting is that, in turn, Curry happens to be a fan of mine. So I'd come up with these looks during programming and ask, 'Is this going to fly?' And he'd say, 'Well, I really like it, so let's leave it.' We sort of indulged ourselves. We truly collaborated, because I brought my own little style in there, and Curry did the editing that was required--taking out what he felt wouldn't work and enhancing what would. I tried to approach it from what I felt was applicable for the band. The process of working with Curry was just a lot of fun, because he's a lot of fun to work with."

"I was basically just trying to play police, because I know the band so well," Grant concurs. "When Steve would throw in some big move, and I'd go, 'I don't know if we're going to get away with that,' Steve would say, 'Think arena. Think arena.' And he was right--it was just difficult for the band to picture how what we were doing would look in them. Of course, they've played large venues before, but, because they're standing onstage and not 450' away, it's hard for them to see the big picture.

"It was great working with Steve," Grant continues. "He's a really talented guy. I have a great deal of respect for him, and he's one of my best friends. We had a ball programming it, because there was Robert and Wally, and me and Steve, and every time we would come to a place where we needed a cue, we had four people with ideas for it. We have so much respect for each other that we would all sit and pow-wow and listen to everybody's input before we decided what to do. It turned out better, but it definitely took longer."

During the programming rehearsals, Grant did step back from designing some of the band's more popular songs such as "Dreams," "Rhiannon," and "Gold Dust Woman." "I tried to let Steve, Robert, and Wally do the songs that I have been doing for years and years, because I know how I would light those songs," Grant says. "I've done them a million times. I know the color palette I would use all the way through--and that's just my vision. So, hopefully, they finally look different."

Yet Grant admits he kept in a few of his favorite cues. "I did use some of my signature looks," Grant says. "There are some blackout cues I always like to do. For example, at the end of "You Make Loving Fun," it stops so abruptly, and it's all lit up--then we end it with just one back followspot on Christine. I kept that."

"Tusk" was another anthem for which Grant deferred to his fellow LDs--but for a different reason. "I just never knew what to do with it," he laughs. "They were actually going to try to find a college marching band to join them for that song in every city, but it would have been an expensive, logistical nightmare, so they ended up sampling the marching band. They had the horns on keyboard, but it's not the same as 80 guys marching around up there. It's such a weird song, but those guys created some good cues for it, and it builds up slowly."

In fact, even for the band's really huge hits, the lighting rig's potential flashiness is reined in to let the songs and the performers shine. "Just because it's an automated system doesn't mean it has to move--and it doesn't very much," Grant says. "We used the big 4k Telespots, because we wanted some big wash looks--some film lighting kind of looks-- in there for them. Lighting this band is actually very simple. Our job is to direct eyes, and not to distract from what those five people are doing onstage."

This was a lesson Grant learned from his previous tours with the band. "I tried to design sets for them--for a while I tried to drag them kicking and screaming into the 1980s," he says. "And every time, we'd end up with Mick's riser, Christine's riser and the amp line, and a carpet or a floor--and that was it. That's what they were comfortable with and that's what they liked. You could park a light on each one of them, and then just do color changes at every point in the song that warranted a cue, and be fine. Because I'm sure there's a lot of people that want to just sit and watch John McVie play bass all night, or John and Mick together. Mick is the epitome of an animated drummer. Watching him all night is a riot. So you could, theoretically, just light them up and do some solid color changes, and they'd be happy. It just works for them."

Grant started off with the band as lighting technician in 1974. "But they didn't like the guy who was doing their lights, so I took over and they loved me," Grant laughs. "I've been there ever since. In '74 it was Bob Welch, Christine, John, and Mick. They've been doing this a long time, and they're all very comfortable just being surrounded by their instruments. Stevie's and Lindsey's personalities are the same in that respect: None of them have ever been into anything that could be termed even remotely flashy. But because those five personalities are so unique and distinct, they can carry it. Directing the focus to the focal point--it's pretty simple."

To ensure that those focal points remain consistently illuminated, the tour is carrying six Lycian 1,200W Starklites. "We tried to do it without upstage followspots this time, just to be different, but in the end we decided we needed them," Grant says. "However, with the spot bridge in place in the arenas, we always have those nice, close angles so the audience can see them."

That's especially important for this band. "People are watching for the interaction between two or three of the members--especially in this soap opera band--so that's what we have to highlight. Christine is incredible, and everybody wants to watch Stevie. Lindsey is just unbelievable. And John McVie playing bass: He's like the invisible man, but bass players watch him intently. What he does is so understated and so cool. If there's something Mick does every night at a certain point in the song, you want to make sure that people don't miss it. And if you've got flashing lights flying around all over the room, they might miss it."

After rehearsals, Cohen left to dedicate himself to creating magic for Elton John's latest tour, as well as begin working on Billy Joel's upcoming outing. Also, the two piano players will co-headline another tour this spring. Grant stayed with the 11-week Fleetwood Mac tour for the first week or so, before returning to his duties at Vari-Lite. He left directing duties in the capable hands of Lees and crew chief Kevin Cassidy.

The last full tour Grant did with Fleetwood Mac was Tango in the Night in 1986-87--Cohen created its butterfly design. "Then I went and started the Behind the Mask tour in '91, which Allen Branton designed. I was working for Vari-Lite by then, so I tried to turn it over to somebody else, but eventually I had to go there and start it up. They just can't do it without me," he laughs. "They've tried."

[sparky]

This is the most interesting thread on the ledge I have read for at least
2 years.

I have almost zero interest in the band anymore.

They are creatively dead. I have no interest in their tour.
The solo tours bore me to distraction, and there is of course no new
music from the band.

I skipped the last Stevie tour, even with free tickets, passes and parking
15 minutes from my house. And Lindsey solo? No thanks.

Free tickets and parking for their LA show will be an unlikely incentive to give up an evening swimming, riding my bike or enjoying time with friends.

But, hearing about the design process of their stages and lighting is fascinating. That's creativity. That's something new and interesting.

Thanks to those who posted the articles.

[David]

Originally Posted by sparky

This is the most interesting thread on the ledge I have read for at least 2 years.

Because you posted in it!!! To have you back is a blessing to so many of us!

Post in some more threads, spark. You can't just post in one thread & then leave again.

I have almost zero interest in the band anymore.

They got old & wheezy.

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by sparky

This is the most interesting thread on the ledge I have read for at least
2 years.

I have almost zero interest in the band anymore.

They are creatively dead. I have no interest in their tour.
The solo tours bore me to distraction, and there is of course no new
music from the band.

I skipped the last Stevie tour, even with free tickets, passes and parking
15 minutes from my house. And Lindsey solo? No thanks.

Free tickets and parking for their LA show will be an unlikely incentive to give up an evening swimming, riding my bike or enjoying time with friends.

But, hearing about the design process of their stages and lighting is fascinating. That's creativity. That's something new and interesting.

Thanks to those who posted the articles.

we miss you sparky...

[RavenOfRhiannon]

This is what I love about The Ledge. Not only did I get my answer, but a bunch of other interesting info related to my query.

Thanks Guys!!

[michelej1]

[If I had provided any services for FM this tour, I would be complaining about the lack of a tour book more than the fans are. You deserve to be credited]

Digital Content Producer: http://blog.digitalcontentproducer.c...our/#more-9871

The grandMA Helps Fleetwood Mac Get “Unleashed” For Its New Tour
David Steinberg April 3rd, 2009

Fleetwood Mac is starting its “Unleashed” greatest hits tour with lighting design by Paul “Arlo” Guthrie. Arlo chose a pair of full-size grandMAs for lighting and video control. A.C.T Lighting is the exclusive distributor of the grandMA in North America.

The band commenced its tour of the US and Canada in Pittsburgh on March 1. It will continue to play dates through the summer.

“Arlo and I programmed the whole show during two weeks in Los Angeles,” notes Axis deBruyn, the tour’s lighting director who himself is a “big fan” of the grandMA. So much so in fact, he own’s one himself! “The design of the show is fairly simple with lots of video. Two PRG Mbox Extreme Media Servers feed custom content to 42 Martin LC Panels mounted into light boxes.”

Among the lights controlled by the grandMAs are 120 custom Barco O-lite PAR cans, six DL3s, five Bad Boys, eight VARI*LITE 3000 spots, eight VARI*LITE 1000TS spots, 14 VARI*LITE VL3500 washes, eight VARI*LITE VL500 washes, and 16 Altman Mini Strips.

Guthrie comes to the grandMA having used other desks in the past. “He’s very happy with it,” deBruyn reports. “He especially likes the way it handles media servers more than any other console he’s used.”

“It is a pleasure watching Arlo use the grandMA through his programmer Axis deBruyn. They have tapped the power of the grandMA and the show has really benefited from the sophisticated lighting & video,” comments A.C.T Lighting President and CEO, Bob Gordon.

About A.C.T Lighting

A leading importer and distributor of lighting products, A.C.T Lighting, Inc. strives to identify future trends and cutting-edge products, and stock, sell and support their inventory. The company provides superior customer service and value for money to all of its clients. For more information call 818-707090884 or visit www.actlighting.com.

[TrueFaith77]

^^No Curry?

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by TrueFaith77

^^No Curry?

Curry doesn't make lighting fun anymore..

Oh, in a previous article from 2003 both Guthrie and Curry were working on the set. It seems like Curry did the framework and then Guthrie built upon it. Maybe that's what happened this time.

Michele