PUEBLO, CO – While most of his colleagues go about their daily occupation in theaters and concert halls, lighting professional Nelson Meeks works in an environment that's much more "earthy." "My world is dirt," said Meeks. As the lighting designer for the Professional Bull Riders Tour (PBR), Meeks meant this quite literally. With 2,000-pound bucking bulls kicking up clouds of dust and dirt as they race around the arena trying to throw off their riders, Meeks faces some big challenges keeping his gear running smoothly during the PBR's intense 10-month national touring schedule.
The lighting products used on the PBR tour have to be tough enough withstand flying soil and debris. They also must be "studio-friendly" enough to provide illumination for the sport's weekly televised events, and also for photo and video shoots. Additionally, the lighting gar must be able to light up live musical performances and guest artists that are part of the entertainment at PBR shows.
The PBR had used Elation light fixtures in the past, including the Power Spot 700 II CMY color mixing 700-watt moving head and the Design LED 12 Brick RGB color mixing brick, and Meeks credited their durability and roadworthiness.
"The 700s were my first Elation fixtures. I have 10 of them, and they have been solid from the start," said Meeks. "They have been through hell and back and just keep on going. I think I have sent only one back to get looked at in three years. Considering what they go through on this tour, I think that's remarkable."
This year, Meeks opted for an all-Elation rig, supplied by LB Lightswest (Lodi, CA), consisting of 20 Platinum Beam 5Rs, eight Design Spot 1200 Compacts, 10 Power Spot 700II CMYs, 16 Protron Color Strobes, 80 Design LED 12 Bricks and EWDMX wireless DMX systems.
The new Platinum Beam 5Rs have an output comparable to a 575-watt fixture, yet they are about half the size, uses less than half the energy and, weigh half as much as a typical 250-watt fixture. They feature the MSD Platinum 5R discharge lamp technology from Philips.
Pete Siegel of LB Lightswest introduced Meeks to the Platinum Beam 5Rs. "I knew this was what I wanted on my upstage truss," Meeks said. "After the opening, most of my show is with house lights at full, so I needed a beam that could punch through. The Platinum Beam 5R does this perfectly, from one end of the arena to the other."
Another Elation fixture added to the PBR's permanent rig this year was the Design Spot 1200 Compact, a 1,200-watt compact moving head hybrid spot/wash effect with CMY color mixing, eight colors, 12 gobos and an Animation Effects wheel. "I had used the 1200s the last few years at our finals in Vegas," said Meeks. "I love the stock gobos they came with, so when I got the chance to add them to my rig, I did."
Meeks continues to rely on his Power Spot 700II CMY and Design LED 12 Brick fixtures to handle the diverse range of functions his lighting is required to perform. "Besides the bull-riding, I light everything from photo shoots for boot sponsors, to video shoots like the Gary Allan Get Off On The Pain video, which was shot after an event in Pueblo. The 700s and LED bricks were used there."
Meeks also credited Elation for customer service "With our schedule, maintenance time is hard to come by – a quick wipe down and blowout is all the time I get. With the PBR my world is dirt, that's just part of life, so I want to be sure that support is there if I need it…Their support is the best that I have had. One phone call and it's handled. They treat me like I'm somebody, they care, and that's pretty cool."
For more information, please visit www.elationlighting.com and www.lbproductioncenter.com.
