The 16 x BMFL WashBeams were supplied with separate cameras to work with the four RoboSpot systems, with the luminaires rigged in banks of four. “It is definitely THE best fixture in its class.” Niller appreciates having these extra layers of Spiider effects ‘up the sleeve’ which helps keep the visual surprises rolling throughout the set. The Spiiders were picked both because they are an “awesome LED wash fixture” and because of their flower and pixel ‘flow’ effects which he used extensively, “it allows us to ‘gobo’ out the whole rig with both sets of fixtures which is a great contrast effect in itself”.
The Spiiders were dotted in between and around these, and this carefully calculated placement created the depth and dimension essential to fashioning the video visuality of Volbeat’s show, together with the brightness of both fixture types they needed to slice through the lumens! The 30 x MegaPointes and 50 x Spiiders were distributed over five slightly raked upstage / downstage orientated truss sections, each rigged with six carefully positioned MegaPointes which had the effect of making the rig look extremely large. “MegaPointes are one of the few fixtures versatile enough to be able to provide a completely different set looks for the two shows,” he confirmed.
The idea was to have a universal MegaPointe look in the roof rig that would give those unrelenting BIG epic rock looks that set the tone for both artists. “The fixtures are reliable and feature-packed, the brand is big in the USA with the lights widely available, so that part of the decision-making process was very easy!” “Erich and I had both utilized Robe a lot,” he stated. Guy is also Volbeat’s TM, he has toured with groove metal legends Pantera - among others - in the past, and is one of Niller’s mentors. With that history in mind, he knows exactly where – and where not – to put lights, so he and Erich, together with Niller’s co-show designer Guy Sykes, went through about four interactions of the overhead design before they agreed on a model that worked well for both. Niller has been working with Volbeat for 13 years and with new album Servant of the Mind just released, like everyone, they were ready to rock post-pandemic! While the contrast could not have been starker, the two designers fully embraced working together, and from the first discussions six months out, they were both equally decided on one thing – they wanted Robe on the rig! Ghost then took to the stage, and blasted through a potent, highly theatrical and action-packed performance, rammed with lighting drama, changing back-cloths and epic presence.
The pressure was on for both designers to create completely unique shows for their respective bands using this shared lighting system plus their own individual floor packages.įor practical and technical reasons, Volbeat played first, thrilling the audiences with their futuristic-looking set and high energy video visuals which were matched and paired perfectly with a non-stop barrage of complementary lighting looks and cues. Robe moving lights – MegaPointes, Spiiders and BMFL Spots – were the primary moving lights of choice for this challenging task, all supplied by Premier Global Productions out of Nashville.
This tour also united the imaginations of two different but equally talented international lighting designers – Niels ‘Niller’ Bjerregaard for Volbeat who is based in Denmark and Erich Bertti from Brazil, LD for Ghost – who combined creativity and lateral thinking to design a top rig that would work for both bands but yield totally contrasting results!