Upstaging, Inc. joined in the taping of the first annual VH1 Rock Honors event, which took place May 25th at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. VH1 Rock Honors paid tribute to KISS, Queen, Def Leppard, and Judas Priest for their influence on the sound of hard rock. The nominees performed as well as Godsmack, Foo Fighters, The All-American Rejects, and Paul Rodgers.
Lighting legends Roy Bennett and Stan Cocker co-designed this first annual event. “Stan and Roy are incredibly talented artists and great people in their own right,” says John Huddleston, managing director of Upstaging Lighting, “working with both on this one project was just double the fun.”
The design paid tribute to the honorees by bringing back the 80’s rock look. To accomplish this, the system included over 300 PAR cans, 15 audience blinders, and banks of ACLs built in under the stage deck, as well as a variety of other conventional fixtures and effects. More than 200 moving lights including Martin Mac 2000s and 700s, High End Systems Studio Colors®, Vari-Lite VL3000, and the Martin Big Lite 4.5 were utilized.
Upstaging’s new 140,000 sq.ft. facility played an important role in the execution of this system. With a project this large, it was critical to be able to prep the complete system in its entirety. “Having the space to properly prep and stage the system together helps ensure all the equipment makes it on the truck,” comments Tony Skiroock, equipment manager for Upstaging Lighting. A “rockin” crew was assembled to make it all happen, which includes co-production designer Anne Brahic; programmer Seth Robinson; conventional operator Ginger Corbett; co-crew chiefs Ken Burns and Mike Hosp; system technicians Ryan Tilke, Jorge Velasquez, Witt Davis; and gaffer Rob Kerwath.