High End Systems SHOWGUN 2.5 automated luminaires make up a key element in
Jill Scott's tour. Scott recently finished a summer run on the Budweiser Superfest Tour, and continues in fall with her own tour using the same production.
LD Martin Thomas specified six SHOWGUN 2.5s, supplied by tour vendor Creative Stage Lighting.
Not only were the SHOWGUN 2.5s “the foundation of the design,” Thomas said, but other items were cut so that the units remained.
The SHOWGUN 2.5s gave him the defined beam he was looking for, which could project through everything going on in the overhead rig, without having to resort to a huge amount of fixtures on the floor. With two other acts on the tour - Anthony Hamilton and Mint Condition - the units had to clear position after focus to allow for set change of the other acts. “The units held focus position precisely once restored for Jill's performance, and the beams were of equal intensity and definition throughout the run.”
Thomas got the visual punch he was looking for with SHOWGUN 2.5s. “The smooth color mixing, pattern effects and even optics across the entire beam allowed the SHOWGUN 2.5s to make the impact I was looking for to fill out the visual structure of the show,” he said. “Couple that with the LED ring, which added an additional dimension to the overall look, and the SHOWGUN 2.5s gave me exactly what was needed to create the look as proposed to the artist and her management.”
Five of the SHOWGUN 2.5s are on the floor upstage of the main band riser, to create atmospheric fan and ballyhoo effects, as well as to project through the set. Facing the riser are four sections of 8-foot wide venetian blinds, slightly open to not only catch projections on their face surface from the downstage truss fixtures, but to also allow beam effects from the SHOWGUN 2.5s to be projected from behind. This effectively silhouetted the performers on the deck level in ribbons of light on some of the more lush music sections.
The sixth SHOWGUN 2.5 is hung from the center spine of the finger trusses, used as a truss spot effect. “This specific SHOWGUN 2.5 reads through everything in the rig, and was a perfect enhancement to not only the look of the show, but to give a strong backlight to make Jill's image on the projection screens used on the lawns of the outdoor shed venues read properly.”
The SHOWGUN 2.5's LED ring feature created looks throughout the show. “The soft glow on the floor units created an atmospheric cyc light effect behind the band that read as a contrasting horizon, as well as setting off a saturated reflection of color on the musician's instrument surfaces (underneath keyboards and on the drum and percussion hardware). The color contrast helped define the depth of the stage to the audience throughout the venue, and they added a soft light dimension to a beam-oriented design.”
The SHOWGUN 2.5s first appear during the song, "Hate On Me." From this point on, Thomas said, “They define the impact of the chorus of the song with a dynamic punch that nothing else in the rig can compare with. The beams read to the farthest patrons on the lawn, and the song always brought the crowd to their feet. The look matched the intensity of the music perfectly.”
“The SHOWGUN 2.5s created moments that were unmatched by any other units in the rig,” he added. “SHOWGUN 2.5 is a well designed and constructed fixture that performed without error every evening.”
For more photos, visit the High End Systems website.
Photo: Todd Kaplan
Press Release: Debi Moen, INK.