MIAMI – Like jazz itself, the weather can take unexpected turns at outdoor music festivals. Just ask the organizers of Jazz In The Gardens, a premier jazz event held annually at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL, where heavy downpours and winds hammered the stage during much of the rehearsal and second afternoon of the two-day concert.
But thanks to Elation Professional, lighting problems didn't rain on the parade of all-star performers, which included Kenny G, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Roy Ayers, Erykah Badu, Common, and many other jazz greats. Elation's Design Wash 1400E CMY moving heads gave a consistently brilliant performance, powering right back up even after the show was forced to close down for a half hour due to drenching conditions, according to Washington Arias, president of the concert's production company Everlast Productions (Dania Beach, FL).
“We had 24 Elation Design Wash 1400s, and none of them gave me any problems,” said Arias. “It was a two-day show, and it rained a lot for rehearsal and for the second day. Out of all the lights we had, they were the only ones we didn't have any problems with. They got wet and we shut down for 30 minutes. After it stopped raining, we used just the 120K static rig, then powered all the movers back on, and the Design Wash 1400s worked perfect. They had the punch and durability to withstand what the Miami weather was dishing out. I wish I could say that about all my gear.”
But the Design Wash 1400Es were more than just reliable, added Arias. The mighty 1400W output from their Philips MSR Gold 1200 Fastfit lamps proved brawny enough to handle the height and distance of a large outdoor concert venue, where they were hung from 40'-45' truss. “We had used them before at a Seal concert on a smaller stage and they worked out great, so we wanted to put them in a big outdoor festival setting,” explained Arias. “This was a great event to try them out at. The roof was 60' x 40' x 50', so most of the lighting trusses were trimmed out at 40' to 45' to do the upstage video wall. The Design Wash 1400 certainly had enough punch and brightness to handle the job. I was really happy with the results.” Capable of producing a vast rainbow of rich, smooth colors through CMY+C color mixing, the Design Wash 1400E's versatility was ideal for lighting a multi-artist festival like Jazz In The Gardens, added Arias.
The unit's reliability under inclement conditions, bright output and versatility did not go unnoticed by the performing artists' lighting designers, all of whom commented favorably on the Design Washes, said Arias. Among the many well-known LDs in attendance were: Bruce “Hig” Higinbotham (Kenny G); David “Gurn” Kaniski (Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds); JC (Common); and the festival's main LD Yamil “Chippy” Charif and ME Ruben Lain.
“They all had great things to say about the lights,” said Arias. “All the LDs spoke great about our rig. This was the first time that they got to see the Design Wash 1400s, and they all liked them.”
For more information, call Elation Professional toll-free at 866-245-6726 or visit www.elationlighting.com
Everlast Productions can be contacted at 954-456-7167 or visit www.everlastproductions.com