ADLIB lighting renewed its acquaintance with Michael Bolton's production and technical team led by PM Tim Durfey on the recent UK tour which culminated in a sold-out show at London's Royal Albert Hall.
Durfey had no hesitation in returning to ADLIB for all their lighting equipment and crew requirements, and comments, "I like ADLIB very much - they're our first choice of lighting supplier in the UK because the service, kit and crew are all top notch".
Durfey and Bolton's lighting designer Marco Zepeda again requested ADLIB's Andy Rowe as the main systems tech, and he was also joined by Neil Holloway on the lighting crew.
Zepeda's lighting design was based on the old skool rock 'n' roll concept of 120 PAR cans and 20 moving lights, with a video look also integrated into this to give it a bit of a contemporary twist.
The lights were spread over 3 trusses - all supplied by ADLIB as part of the package - and all rigged very symmetrically.
The PAR cans were used as basic building block washes, with the moving lights overlaid for additional layering and effects. There were 10 band positions onstage to be covered plus 4 risers, a staircase and a catwalk.
The moving lights were Martin Professional MAC 700 profiles. Four were on the upstage truss, 10 on the mid truss and 6 on the ground, spread out at the back of the stage, all arranged for functionality and to give maximum impact. These served as good 'all-round' multi-purpose fixtures - for a combination of practical tasks like back washing the band and stage, and also to provide some eye and camera candy with beam work from the six on the floor.
Zepeda is also a musician, so approaches the lighting design from a very musical angle, going with the flow, highlighting the accents and rhythmic nuances of Bolton's distinctive rock oeuvre and emphasising the dynamics of his voice, "Deciding the colours and choosing the vibe to follow is central to my design," he explains.
ADLIB also supplied 2 Lycian 1200W follow spots and a grandMA full size console. This has been Zepeda's desk of choice in the past year. He is based in Austin Texas, and also works as a moving light programmer.
Zepeda last worked with ADLIB on Bolton's 2008 UK tour, and comments that their equipment is "top quality", and the way their rigs are technically designed and made practical for tight touring schedules - right down to the cable looming and the packing of the road cases - is "really impressive and intelligent". He also comments that ADLIB has a great attitude and a real knack for finding and nurturing new young talent with an opportunity to become the next generation of lighting techs, programmers and designers.
ADLIB's Peter Abraham comments, "Repeat business is always a great compliment to any operation's work, and it was great to be collaborating with Tim and Marco again".
Tim Durfey adds that he's very much looking forward to working with ADLIB again in the future.