Live Design's Plot Of The Week focuses on LD Emily Bornt's lighting for Brandi Carlile's "Echoes Through The Canyon" at The Gorge Amphitheatre in Quincy, Washington, on June 9-11, 2023.
"This weekend was unique because it was three nights of very different shows, all hosted on the same stage with the same rig with slight modifications to create a new space for each one," says Bornt. "Night one was a “standard” Brandi Carlile show with tons of guest appearances and set list audibles, so we used our touring floor package with a standard overhead rig. Night two was a set of special guests accompanying Joni Mitchell in recreating some of her original catalog live. Joni is known for having get-togethers at her house with various artists and jamming, so we wanted to recreate that vibe for the show. She had previously appeared with Brandi in Newport with a show of a similar format, so we took from that show and expanded on it. Rugs and sofas were brought out on stage, and the trim heights for the overhead rig were lowered to help it feel like a more intimate setting. We utilized Nyx bulbs in some decorative lamps, and removed our touring floor package to help with this. We were able to recycle our touring Chroma-Q Color Force and Robe Esprite fixtures, using them to subtly backlight the performance and up light the roof. Night three was the country super-group, The Highwomen, so we removed the Color Force from our touring towers, and hung chevrons consisting of Chauvet Chorus Line 16 and Strike 4s to add a backdrop to the show. The chevrons helped backlight the performance at some moments, up light the roof other moments, or create eye candy in select moments."
"Each night’s show had different styles and motivations in terms of color and movement," Bornt explains. "Night one was a mix of the Brandi Carlile catalog with some fun covers, most accompanied by the original artists that sang them. Being such an energetic show full of surprises, there’s a large variety of color combinations, movements, and effects to layer in the energy to match the music. Some songs slowed down and were stripped back with only a few cues giving everyone a chance to reset. Ultimately it was a visual rollercoaster, bringing the audience on the highs and lows of the musical journey. Night two, which featured Joni Mitchell as the main attraction, was a much more intimate setting. We wanted to keep the audience engaged in the moment, and not distracted with any over the top lighting. Most songs were only a few subtle cues, and in larger moments parts of the lighting system were used to light up the audience and support the energy of the music. For the most part the show lived in a very constrained color pallet, giving a few songs moments to shine with more supernatural combinations. Night 3 with The Highwomen was an evening of country, so there were lots of ambers mixed with basic blues, or magentas, or lavenders depending on the song, leaning heavily into a classic incandescent feel," adds the LD.
"Being honest, I get a little bit of flack for not busking the show. Coming from a theatrical background, I love telling stories with lighting, and lighting with intention," Bornt admots. T"here’s a part of me that still gets goosebumps when you hit a cue that anticipates a powerful moment in the music, and you can feel the excitement of the audience and hear the cheers. That goosebump moment is genuinely what reminds me of how much I love my job and why I do it. As a lighting designer or director our main job is to support the story that the music is telling, and help transport the audience along on that journey, echoing the energy of the performance on stage. I think a lot of good lighting is having good instinct, being able to hear how a song feels and how it looks when you close your eyes. I could get into color theory and all of the fundamentals, but I truly think a lot of it is instinct. In saying that, sometimes our instincts are not always right, but that learning process is part of the joy of live entertainment."
Lighting Crew:
Lighting Designer: Emily Bornt
Production Manager: Tim Reitnouer
Touring Lighting Crew Chief: Jenn Carter
Outlaw Lighting Crew Chief: Peter “Punch” Schmidtke
Outlaw Lighting Tech: Patrick Wheeler
Gear List:
Tour/Solotech
12 Portman P2 Hexaline
4 Robe Robin Esprite
6 Chroma-Q Color Force II 48
2 Chauvet Amhaze Stadium
1 MA Lighting grandMA2 Fullsize
1 MA Lighting grandMA2 Light
2 MA Lighting grandMA2 NPU
Local/Outlaw Lighting
31 Maverick Storm 2 BeamWash
26 Robe Esprite
15 Chauvet Strike Array 4 LED Blinder
12 Elation Chorus lLne 16
6 Chauvet Strike 4
Volt
2 Astera Nyx Bulbs