Asked to describe the kind of lighting look his client Halestorm wants, Rodger Pugh spells it out in four unambiguous words “classic rock show aesthetic.” Pugh, the owner of Dveus Designs is delivering that in emphatic fashion for the award-winning hard rockers global tour. His industrial floor package is supporting the band’s hard-driving music with intense back lighting and aerial effects, bold washes (often in stark white) and well-timed strobing.
But Pugh’s design goes far beyond sheer force. Changing light angles and intensity levels, he is creating a lighting narrative that changes the emotional aura on stage, to reflect the mood of the music. This is very evident in his masterful use of strobe effects. Wielding the CHAUVET Professional STRIKE Array 4 fixtures in his floor package like a maestro conducting an orchestra, Pugh creates a variety of images (often subtle ones) with his strobing.
“I focus on using strobes as dramatic punctuations, highlighting musical stings or emphasizing transitions,” said Pugh. By varying the rhythm, angles, and layers, I’m able to keep the energy high without letting it feel repetitive.”
This is evident throughout the show. For example, during songs like “Darkness Always Wins,” the first single off the band’s new album, Pugh starts off the lighting with relatively slow, carefully measured strobe effects from the STRIKE Array 4 units that are positioned in the center of fixture carts that line the upstage deck. Then, as the piece progresses, the strobing picks up, seamlessly matching key peaks in the music, before gaining momentum, and finally erupting in intense flashes at the end of the song.
Adding a stark, dramatic effect to Pugh’s show is his frequent use of white light. “The tour kicked off in Europe during the summer, which means long daylight hours and fewer dark shows—especially up north,” he explained. “I leaned into white light to create impactful, high-contrast moments that would still cut through in daylight or ambient conditions. It helped keep the show visually punchy regardless of the environment.”
Absent for the tour’s production was a big video wall backdrop – though there were I-Mag screens stage left and stage right. The decision to go without a video wall stemmed from practical and creative considerations. “This is about classic rock looks,” explained Pugh. “The band is not particularly drawn to complex media playback. When the backdrop isn’t an option—like at festivals, which are always a bit unpredictable, I’ll pivot to using a media server and control the logo’s color live from the desk — assuming we have access to video control. This allows us to stay consistent with the band’s identity while being flexible with each venue’s limitations.”
Pugh fills the space behind the band by complementing the big logo with bold uplighting and strobing from his floor package, which is supplied by Go Audio out of Germany for the EU leg of the tour and will be provided by Bandit Lites in North America.
The EU leg of the tour has been stopping at a wide variety of venues, each presenting its own unique challenges, noted Pugh. He credits his colleagues Mathis Kuhn, Production Designer; Joe DiLeo, Production/Stage Manager; and Cedrik Hofmann L1 with helping him maintain consistent looks throughout the tour for a show that is vibrant, dynamic, engaging – and marked by some extraordinarily diverse classic looks.
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