SAN FRANCISCO – LD Brock Hogan specified 28 Robe LEDWash 600s for Train’s recent US tour, supplied by Orlando-based LMG. Hogan first used LMG’s initial batch of LEDWash 600s on last year’s Good Charlotte tour. From the outset, he had the LEDWash’s individual ring control in mind to use for some specific effects in particular songs. He programmed and ran all lighting via a grandMA2.
More details from Robe (http://www.robe.cz):
SAN FRANCISCO – LD Brock Hogan specified 28 Robe LEDWash 600s for the recent US tour by San Francisco rock band, Train.
Hogan has worked for Train for the last three years, and was turned on to the features and functionality of Robe products – specifically the LEDWash 600 – by LMG Touring, a national provider of video, audio and lighting equipment.
LMG Touring added Robe products to their inventory last year, and supplied lighting, video and LED for the recent Train tour.
Hogan first used LMG’s initial batch of LEDWash 600 on last year’s Good Charlotte tour.
Hogan’s aesthetic starting point for lighting the tour was to create a ‘big rock show’ look for the band, with plenty of color, movement and spectacle.
From the outset, he also had the LEDWash’s individual ring control in mind to use for some specific effects in particular songs.
He evolved a unique ‘eyeball’ effect for the raw, moody “Ordinary” with the inner ring in red and the outer in white.
A bit later on in the set, for “Calling All Angels” he produced eye-catching halo effects with the rings, which also went down fabulously with the crowds.
Additionally, he used crazy chases across the rings to enhance the onstage energy for dramatic moments of the show, like drum solos.
There were 24 LEDWash 600s rigged on four vertical trusses upstage of an 18 mm pitch LED backdrop, which split into five separate columns at strategic moments, leaving 2 ft gaps between and allowing the beams to blast through for some serious burn-out.
The other four fixtures were installed below two Plexiglas-topped risers onstage.
The LEDWashes were also used as back-light effects shining directly through the screen when in its solid format, and they had no problem penetrating the video wall due to their intensity.
However, Hogan’s real trick to maximizing their impact was simply using them sparingly.
He programmed and ran all lighting via a grandMA2, which made it really quick and easy to get the most out of the LED ring control.
He loves the light weight, brightness and versatility of the LEDWash 600, commenting that their small size was also ideal while doing a club tour with Good Charlotte and equally, their brightness striking on the bigger stages with Train.
He also appreciates the homogenized light engine, the smooth color mixing and the fact that the light source resembles a real lamp with a beam rather than a collection of LEDs. The theatrical-grade dimming is another big bonus.
“I’ll definitely be using them on my next tour,” he says.
The equipment was supplied out of LMG’s headquarters in Orlando, Florida. Craig Mitchell, national sales manager with LMG Touring, commented on the LEDWashes at LMG. “They are extremely popular with LDs, and have proved very robust and reliable.”
