GLASGOW, SCOTLAND -- Heroes come and go, but legends are forever, the late Kobe Bryant once said. While Bryant built his legacy on the basketball court, Barry Manilow secured his spot in the pantheon of all-time greats in a different arena, transforming stages across the world into showpieces of elegance, style, and unforgettable music.
The multi-platinum singer and songwriter is treating fans to an emotionally powerful sampling of the magic that has made him one of the world’s most beloved performers on The Last Concert Tour, which began its six-city UK segment June 9 in Glasgow, before embarking on an extended North American run.
Manilow’s lighting and production designer, Nathan Alves talked about preparing for the tour, which was announced after his client’s hiatus from live performing. “We were planning this one for a few months, but the window from the time of the finished band rehearsals to the first show was tight,” he remarked. “The first Glasgow show was rehearsed in the `Braehead Arena, then was moved to the Hydro O2. Most of in pre-production was handled via pre viz. We didn’t have a lot of time to assemble and tech.”
Hitting the ground running, Alves and his team tossed the show into the arena in a day, then spent one day and night making sure pre-viz looks translated to real life well. “I couldn’t have done this one without my long-time collaborators out here,” said Alvae. “Aaron Swetland is my lighting director and programmer. Erica Santucci is the production stage manager for our Vegas shows and our coordinator on all road dates. The 4Wall UK team was also great – showing up with really good kit and ready to go.” This really is a team sport and without their help I wouldn’t have been able to get this off the ground.”
Just as pressure turns coal to diamonds, Alves and the production team responded to their tight schedule by producing glittering results. Featuring well-placed downlighting on the iconic star, an uncluttered deck, a stylish backdrop with lighting, drapery, and a video wall that often displays images of Barry Manilow, as well as SL and SR risers for band members, the stage exudes classic sophistication.
Alves enlarges this polished aura with his deep, monochromatic color palettes, which play off nicely against the bright overhead lighting. He also changes the look of the stage throughout the show, by calling forth different colored washings, changing video content, and making scenic elements appear and disappear at different points.
Making a key contribution to this vision is a collection of 64 CHAUVET Professional fixtures. “They are basically the foundation of our floor package,” said Alves, who noted that the lighting rig for the UK tour was supplied by 4Wall UK, while the riser package and custom ramp were from All Access Staging, and audio was from Solotech.
Featured in the mix of fixtures are 26 COLORado PXL Bar 16 motorized battens, 10 COLORado PXL Curve 12 units, and 18 Rogue Outcast 2X Washes. “These fixtures perform very well for us,” said Alves. “Given the time pressure we were under in the UK part of this tour, we really valued the reliability at the start of the tour.”
The PXL Bar 16 battens in Alves’ rig line the front of the LED facia and run up the ramp in the middle of the stages. This helps shape the stage and define the structure of the design, noted Alves. For their part, the PXL Curve 12s act as a light curtain upstage of Manilow, allowing Alves to fill the negative space behind him.
“We have 10 of our Rogue washes on the floor for some downstage flare,” said Alves. “Their ability to tilt up and flare at cameras is of huge value. The remaining eight Rogues are on side truss and used as key light on band members. The color in those Rogues fixtures is fantastic!”
Speaking of fantastic, that word, or one very much like it, has been on the mind of fans who leave one of this tour’s shows – a tribute to a dynamic living legend, as well as the dedicated designer and production team supporting him.
About CHAUVET Professional
CHAUVET Professional offers innovative professional lighting fixtures for the production and touring market as well as permanent installation in theaters, hospitality venues, cruise ships, clubs, television and architainment applications. For more information, please visit www.chauvetprofessional.com