LOS ANGELES – LD Tony Fransen is controlling Sara Bareilles’ U.S. tour with a Jands Vista T2 lighting console, using his iPad as a remote. The band has opened for Sugarland and headlines their own shows as well. Theatrical Lighting Services (TLS) is supplying the Vista T2 and touring packages from their Nashville office.
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On the road since May, the tour is a mix of her own headline performances as well as some opening shows for country duo Sugarland.
Fransen’s neatly designed touring package gives Bareilles her own individual stage aesthetics using his distinctive “boutique” style.
Taking advantage of whatever extra lighting is available in each venue to supplement his design, Fransen uses the Vista’s Fixture Swap and Cloning to swiftly integrate units into his show.
This ability to further enhance his standard programmed show, ensures that it will always look great, and Fransen has the time to tweak and fine-tune as he goes.
“It’s extremely powerful, the software is rock solid and it is definitely the best control platform on the market,” he says.
Bareilles’ floor package consists of VARI*LITE VL2500s, about 40 Martin Professional MAC 101 LED washes and a selection of other products including JTE PixelLine 1044 battens, Micro W LED ‘bricks’, plus a splattering of generics. The slick, moody low level set contains a further 320 x MR16 ‘birdies.’
The Vista T2 and touring packages are being supplied by rental company TLS in conjunction with DeLux Productions. Huntsville, AL-headquartered TLS has several Jands Vista consoles in its hire inventory, and being based nearby, Fransen works closely with their Nashville office.
Fransen uses his iPad as a complete remote for the console, making focusing simple and allowing him to run cues to check his show from anywhere in the venue. “It allows me to be really efficient with my time,” he says.
“I love the way the timeline shows me information. I can literally just stretch the times out and line them up, all while seeing what I am doing, rather than looking at a bunch of numbers,” he explains, adding that you “simply can not beat” that way of working.
Fransen is full of praise for Jands’ North American distributors, A.C. Lighting Inc, “A.C. Lighting offer incredible support, they are on hand to help at any time, and are always a good springboard for bouncing new ideas as well as a brilliant team of people” he states.
This leg of the Sara Bareilles tour ran until the end of October, and continued with a series of Festival shows in December, where Fransen once again took a Vista T2.
His individual design style keeps him constantly in demand, and he currently has four other designs on the road, all of which have been programmed on and are using Jands Vista consoles, including Stephen Curtis Chapman and two “Women of Faith” tours.
