NASHVILLE – LD Tom Kenny specified more than 100 Robe moving lights for the 2012 Country Music Television (CMT) Awards June 6 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. This was the fourth time Kenny lit the CMT Awards, but his first time to use Robe’s MMX Spots. He credited those fixtures and Robe’s LEDWash 500s for their lumens and speed, saying they “proved themselves in every cue.”
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NASHVILLE – LD Tom Kenny specified more than 100 Robe moving lights – ROBIN MMX Spots and ROBIN 600 LEDWashes – among others – to light the 2012 Country Music Television (CMT) Awards event June 6 in Nashville.
Staged at Bridgestone Arena, the annual Awards show is a fan-voted show for country music videos and TV performances, which is enjoyed by a live audience of over 15,000 and broadcast live on CMT.
Hosted by Toby Keith and Kristen Bell, the evening featured live performances from Lady Antebellum, Willie Nelson, Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney and more. Lighting equipment was supplied by VER Rentals.
It’s the fourth year that Kenny has designed lighting for CMT Awards, and once again he brought a clean and fresh contemporary look to the stage, working closely with set designer Ann Brahic and video designer Tim Levally.
There was a close correlation between lighting and video in the scenic environment, and at around 300 ft. wide by 250 ft. deep, the stage dimensions emphasized the impact and importance of country music that underlined the essence of the evening.
The Robe MMX spots framed the various video walls and set pieces, and six were positioned on the floor and used for rear effects for the performances on the B stage.
The MMXs generally were used to produce striking back lighting for the cameras. Kenny likes using a blown-out rear key-lighting look to bring a real live rawness to the proceedings and a total antithesis to any sense of a studio environment.
The LEDWash 600s lit the various scenic elements and also the audience with great success.
Kenny has used Robe’s LEDWash 600s on a few previous occasions, but this was his first time using MMX Spots – for which he was suitably impressed with the power and output.
He says, “Robe fixtures can definitely compete with any other product out there – they are fast and always work reliably. That’s what you need.”
He adds that he received great support from Robe Lighting’s Rental and Staging Segment Manager Heather Busch, and also likes Robe’s approach to designers working in all areas and on all levels.
Kenny, in addition to being widely respected for his lighting design skills and having lit some of the highest profile musicians on the planet including David Bowie, Jimmy Page & Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, The Who and Eric Clapton, is also known for his great sense of humor and honesty.
“It takes a lot to impress me – I have been a guinea pig for many a new lighting product since 1987, and this new Robe ROBIN line is very good. Both the MMXs and the LEDWash 600s proved themselves in every cue, the speed and lumens gave us some great looks and I look forward to using them on future projects,” he says.
