TAIT Fabricates Kinetic LED Umbrellas for Phish’s NYE Surprise Gag
USA - (January 3, 2017) Notorious for their musical improvisation, extended jams and surprise gags, Phish returned to the stage for their annual New Year’s Run at the famed Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York. On December 31st, after performing for three hours, Phish began revealing their surprise New Year’s gag at 11:30 pm with a musical production of “Petrichor,” a track from their latest album Big Boat, accompanied by choreographed dancers, sixteen kinetic LED umbrellas that floated above the stage and synthetic rain, made of small crystals, which fell from the ceiling of The Garden.
At the stroke of midnight, as if the kinetic LED umbrella performance wasn’t enough, Phish literally made it rain Cats and Dogs (balloons) as they wished their fans a Happy New Year. With the Garden buried in a mass of colorful balloons and confetti, Phish successfully finished their set with “Suzy Greenberg” to start the New Year.
Between December 28th and 31st, Madison Square Garden was filled with Phish fans, media influencers, and experience seekers who were eager to bring in the New Year with Phish. This year’s four night New Year’s Run marked their 39th performance at the world famous arena. Once again, Phish’s team consisted of Production Manager, Jesse Sandler, longtime lighting designer, Chris Kuroda, fellow co-designer Abigail Rosen Holmes, and lighting designer Mike Baldassari as well as New Year’s Eve creative director, David Gallo.
As previously seen in Phish’s Summer Tour, TAIT built the massive LED video screen that displayed patterned splash lighting and articulated into a cluster of kinetic video screens. During the first set, TAIT’s LED video structure is made of 78 individual LED video screens, designed to appear as one large panel that is 5.6 ft. tall x 51.2 ft. wide. As the Phish moved into their second set, the one large LED video structure separated into numerous smaller screens hanging at approximately 22 ft. above stage level. Throughout the entire show, the artwork displayed on the screens, via projection, included a flashing of abstract colors and “pop art” like content.
For Phish’s final set, TAIT manufactured and engineered sixteen Kinetic LED Umbrellas to float into different configurations for their New Year’s surprise gag. The kinetic display used sixteen TAIT Nano Winches to deploy the kinetic LED umbrellas, and the umbrellas ascended and descended at a distance of 60 feet from the ceiling. Each custom-made kinetic umbrella had an LED dome welded inside and were 42 inches in diameter.
The entire show, including the LED video screen and kinetic LED umbrellas, was operated by TAIT Navigator.
Dubbed as one of the most successful live acts in popular music history, Phish strikes again ringing in the New Year with an extraordinary live performance at Madison Square Garden.
About TAIT Nano Winch
The TAIT Nano Winch is a compact, fixed, single-point hoist featuring a conductive ribbon that transmits power and LED control down the line to a connected fixture. The Nano Winch raises and lowers a 4.50-kg (10.0-lb) load at a maximum speed of 3.05 m/s (10.0 ft./s). Dual brakes and over-travel limits provide safe and secure lifting at full load and at maximum speed. The Nano Winch is fully compatible with TAIT Navigator and can be programmed using 3D animation software with rigged models to perform intricate and precise movements while maintaining complete control of the load.
About TAIT Towers
TAIT is the World Market Leader in designing, constructing and delivering the finest live event equipment in the world.
Staffed by World Class Innovators creating World Class Experiences, TAIT is at the forefront of technology and live event. Whether it’s creating awe-inspiring spectaculars, complex touring sets, theatre automation, corporate events or brand experiences, TAIT works with the brightest minds in live event to bring their vision to life.
With its acquisition of Stage Technologies and Delstar Engineering, the depth of cutting edge technologies continues to advance TAIT’s global brand and capabilities. Among its claims to fame, TAIT supplies staging for the highest grossing concert world tours including The Rolling Stones, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Madonna and more. Additionally, TAIT created the largest kinetic light installation in concert touring history for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, was the production specialist that partnered with NASA to put the lyrics of U2’s ‘Beautiful Day’ into orbit, received a Guinness World Record title for its LED integration and customization at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the London Olympics, fabricated Las Vegas’ Omnia Nightclub Chandelier at Caesar’s Palace and created the first-ever commercial use of the Cable Coaster Virtual Reality simulator for National Geographic’s “Experience Mars.”