PSI Supplies Fatboy Slim Extravaganza

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Production Services Ireland (PSI) supplied lighting for the first gig staged at Belfast's new Giant's Park venue - headlined by legendary DJ Fatboy Slim - together with a star studded line-up of the hottest dance acts, including Deadmau5, Kissy Sell Out, Zane Lowe, Sidney Samson and Thomas Gandey.

The outdoor show was promoted by Planet Love Music, for whom PSI has supplied many other events. Sean Pagel led the PSI team and comments, "It's always a great honour to work on a landmark event and inaugurate a new venue, so we were very proud to be part of the production team that made this special gig rock!" Fatboy's lighting designer Steven Abbiss sent over the plot, together with Alan King to mind it for him, and PSI flew the rig inside a Star Events Orbit stage that was set up lengthways down the north foreshore of Belfast Lough to spread the audience out sideways. This also gave the performers a commanding view of the Lough and the dramatic surrounding environment from the stage.

PSI built Fatboy's full festival rig, which in terms of structural elements, comprised three overhead lighting trusses, 4 trussing towers and 2 flown 'ladders' which they fabricated for the show. The downstage truss towers stood at 3 metres tall, which was the highest they could go with the curve of the orbit above, while the upstage ones were at 4 metres high and in the next arch back. Upstage from these in the next arch of the roof were the ladders, which were attached to each side of a central LED screen that was flown from the roof.

Each of the ladders was rigged with 3 Robe ColorWash 700E ATs, with the bottom fixture at head height for access purposes.

The overhead lighting trusses were at the front and mid positions overstage, with another truss flying the video screen far upstage, and a third lighting truss behind this, complete with 3 Space Flowers that blasted through the PIXLED screen supplied by XL Video.

The moving lights totalled 62 - 28 Robe ColorSpot 700E ATs and 34 Robe ColorWash 700E ATs. Then there were 24 Martin Atomic strobes, 4 CityColor 1800s, 5 Space Flowers, 2 Source Four Zooms for key lighting the DJ console and 28 x 4-lite Moles, strategically positioned on the towers, the front truss and the floor. Thirty-four PixelLine 1044s were also dotted around the stage and rig.

The front truss was loaded with 6 Robe 700 Spots and 4 Washes, 4 Atomics, 6 PixelLines and the 2 profiles. The mid truss, positioned just behind Fatboy's DJ console, contained 8 Robe ColorSpot and ColorWash 700E ATs, 4 of each, plus 3 Atomics.

The back truss - upstage of the screen - was used just for 2 of the Space Flowers, with the other 3 units positioned on the floor in an arc around the back of the stage, together with the 4 x CityColors.

Lighting on all 4 towers was identical - 4 Moles, 3 x ColorSpot 700E ATs, 4 x ColorWash 700E ATs, 3 Atomics and 4 PixelLines.

On the floor - in addition to the SpaceFlowers and CityColors mentioned above, were another 6 ColorSpot 700s and 4 ColorWash 700s and 5 Atomics, plus 2 Moles, illuminating Fatboy from behind.

"It was a very flexible design," comments Pagel, "Which looked and worked really well in the space".

The 'festival' desk supplied by PSI to run lighting for most of the opening acts - the show started at 4.30 p.m. - was an Avolites D4 Vision. Alan King brought his own Chamsys MagicQ to run Fatboy's set, and Deadmau5's LD John McGuire bought his Road Hog Full Boars - along with some of the MiTrix screen columns and the floor lighting package that they are touring with. PSI rigged an additional truss to hang the MiTrix.

It was a tough gig time-wise for Sean Pagel, who crewed it with Joe Byrne over four very long days! They started on the Thursday night, with the Fatboy production arriving on Friday. Everything was rigged and ready for Alan King to programme through Friday night .. and then they were back on site first thing on Saturday morning to meet the Deadmau5 crew.

Both Fatboy Slim and Deadmau5 were production managed by Mark Ward. The show has been hailed as a great success and an exciting opener for the many acts that will be playing the new venue to follow.

For more press info on Production Services Ireland, please call Louise Stickland on +44 (0)1865 202679 or +44 (0)7831 329888 or Email ‘[email protected]'. Call PSI direct on +44 (0)2890 814858 or check www.productionireland.com