LOS ANGELES – Brit Floyd is finding fans worldwide in their recreation of Pink Floyd’s sound and live performance. The FIX8Group designed the touring production, with a light show designed by FIX8’s Neil Trenell. Tour lighting vendor Performance Lighting is supplying the equipment, trying for the first time Elation Professional’s Platinum Beam 5R moving head fixtures.
More details from Elation Professional (http://www.elationlighting.com):
LOS ANGELES – Nothing can match the over-the-top sensory experience of a Pink Floyd show, except perhaps for a Brit Floyd show. This UK-based tribute group formed by Chas Cole has quickly earned raves among Floyd devotees worldwide, not only for their on-target replication of the original band’s sound and musicality, but for their recreation of the total aural and visual mind-blowing psychedelic trip that was the quintessence of a Pink Floyd concert in the ’70s.
Brit Floyd’s current North American tour is no exception. The show’s production was done by technology consultants FIX8Group (Stockport, Cheshire, UK) and includes a light show designed by FIX8’s Neil Trenell.
At the centerpiece of this visual display are 38 Platinum Beam 5R moving head beam fixtures from Elation Professional. The Platinum Beams occupy a central position in the defining structures on the Brit Floyd set: a 16.5-ft. vertical circle of truss, flanked by an 84-ft. truss arch. Sixteen Platinum Beam 5R units are mounted on the truss circle, while and additional 22 units hang from the arch. With this positioning, the Platinum Beams can shoot white or colored beams in all directions, project gobo images, multiply their effects with the prism, or even wash the stage with the application of Frost. A dozen units of another Elation fixture, the Design Spot 1200C compact moving head, are mounted on the stage itself.
Original specifications called for a different lighting fixture to be used on the truss circle and arch, but the Platinum Beam 5Rs were substituted at the suggestion of Performance Lighting, Inc. of Elk Grove, IL, which supplied the lighting for the Brit Floyd North American tour.
Said Performance Lighting President Russell Armentrout, “We had just purchased 24 (Platinum Beams) and I was completely impressed with the fixture, especially their ‘bang for the buck.’ “Neil Trenell (the tour designer/programmer) went online and did some independent research, and decided to give ’em a shot.
“The Platinum Beam was an instant success – pinpoint accuracy, extremely bright, extremely quick – and it has also proven very roadworthy,” added Armentrout. “This light has been put through rigorously paced programming on a very intense tour schedule, and not one catastrophic problem occurred.”
From a design perspective, the Platinum Beam’s features were a good fit for the Brit Floyd show, said Trenell, who designed and programmed the tour’s lighting. “They are a great little unit,” Trenell said. “We use the frost a lot during the show to make the 5R into a tight wash. This works really well to make the difference between the big impact moments and the quiet moments.
“We also found the prism,” Trenell added, “and it blows me away. When you have 38 beams in the audience with rotating prism, the crowd always gives a little ‘wow’ too. My overall opinion of these lights is very good – they are quick and accurate and punch well above their value. The show has never looked so good! I even think we will stick to these when we are back in the UK and Europe.”
Plans are already being drawn for the Brit Floyd tour to purchase more Platinum Beam 5Rs from Elation’s UK office. In addition to the merits of the light itself, the manufacturer’s strong support has been a big plus in the demanding touring environment, said Douglas Peterson, CEO/founder of Performance Lighting. “My 27 years in this wonderful industry have taught me how important a high level of service and support is from a manufacturer,” commented Peterson. “We all know that there are last minute changes, things need to be adjusted, issues arise and time is always of the essence.
“For this tour I needed a bunch more brand new lights in less than seven days. Elation’s Rob Ludwig, Eric Loader and Gines Gines all came through, as they always do. They are like a tight Navy Seal team with rapid reliable response, and I absolutely love working with them.”
To contact Performance Lighting, Inc., call 847-952-9600 or visit www.performancelightinginc.com.
For more information on Fix8Group, go to www.fix8group.com.
