LONDON – Designer Baz Halpin and show producer William Baker have created a new set for Westlife's Where We Are arena tour that includes 80 GLP Impression moving LED fixtures. The compact fixtures are positioned on ladders above the video screens to accentuate the height of the overall backdrop.
Halpin had previously specified Impressions for Alicia Keys' Freedom tour. "I was impressed with their power, flexibility and reliability," he said. "Given their compact size and speed they can be placed in areas where most traditional fixtures cannot.
"For the Westlife tour," Halpin added, "William was keen to create a feeling of height akin to city skyscrapers. The Impressions were the obvious choice and I constructed a series of 10-foot and 20-foot custom ladders to peer over the top of the video screens."
Another man already familiar with the Impressions after using them with JLS was touring LD, Dave Lee. He said the ability to scatter beams at such high-speed, using the fixtures' 660° pan and 300° tilt movement, evoked memories of his entry to the business after the birth of the Rave scene 20 years ago – before fast-scanning mirror devices had been replaced by moving yokes.
"At that point you lost the speed of being able to throw beams everywhere. But now it's turned full circle – the GLP Impression is seriously fast and like a moving mirror with a color wheel."
The eight 10-foot sections (split five and three) are positioned above the video screen with each five Impressions suspended from each ladder beam to create a tower of light. In addition there are four 20-foot sections – two downstage left and two downstage right, each supporting 10 more Impressions.
"Set above the Vari-Lites, these just create so much height," said Lee, adding that the color palette helps him complement the screen footage, much of which is devoted to the skyscraper buildings.
Lee also credited the Impressions for their light weight, reliability, ease of rigging and the quality of the white beam. "On some LED fixtures the whites are so dirty – almost lavender – but with GLP's white balance adjustment they can match conventional HMI lights."
After announcing their introduction into the Westlife set with a stab of color as the band enters with an up-tempo medley, the primary colors then make way for softer pastels during the ballads.
"Using the standard (10°) lens, we have been able to create a lovely beam," Lee noted. "The colors are marvelous – immensely accurate – and I can get the precise colors I want," he added. "They provide the bulk of the looks – zooming all over the place with snappy color changes; you simply can't get that snappiness with CMY mixing."
The production is a far cry from the boy band's earlier touring sets, which featured staircases, risers, ramps and so on, and Halpin is pleased with the results. "The Impressions have performed perfectly, and one of their most amazing qualities is that you can place them beside a VL3000 or a Mac 2K wash and they stand up in terms of beam and intensity."
With Bandit Lites providing the tour with equipment, production has remained constant throughout – although its scalability may be put to the test June 5, when Westlife is expected to perform at the 80,000-capacity Croke Park in their native Ireland, when the rig size is expected to double.
For more information, please visit www.glp.de .
