DALLAS -Train’s LD Brock Hogan was tasked with creating one of the band’s largest rigs to date for their California 37 tour, which just finished. He chose VL3500 Wash FX, VLX Wash, VLX3 Wash, and VL3000 Spot luminaires from LMG Touring. It was his fifth tour with the band, and one of his concerns was to make sure the lighting did not lose out to the ambient light from the video elements. The VLX3 Wash helped him cut through, even with the LED video wall in the background, he said.
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DALLAS – At the conclusion of the California 37 Tour, the San Francisco-based band Train has been selling out venues of all sizes across the world. To make sure the show was unlike any the band had produced before, LD Brock Hogan had the opportunity to create their largest rig to date and he filled it with VL3500 Wash FX, VLX Wash, VLX3 Wash, and VL3000 Spot Luminaires. LMG Touring provided the lighting and LED equipment.
“This is was my fifth tour with Train and I was brought later than usual in the production process, so we were short in time,” said Hogan. “They gave me complete freedom to design what I wanted and to set the tone for the content of video for the overall look for the show. I would definitely need something powerful to cut through the video wall and I have always been a fan of VARI-LITE luminaires. In working with LMG’s inventory, they are well stocked with VARI-LITE fixtures and since we wanted to bring a big rock-show look to the tour, it was sort of a no-brainer.”
“This is our sixth tour with Train and the big difference this time was the size of the rig,” added Craig Mitchell, national sales manager at LMG. “VARI-LITE luminaires have always been very reliable for us, and they are high-quality and in-demand fixtures. As a vendor you want to have fixtures in your inventory that people want and need, and that is what happens with VARI-LITE luminaires.”
One main design challenge would be making the large, rock-n-roll rig not only powerful enough to illuminate the large stadiums on the way, but to also scale down to smaller arena venues as well.
“The only portion of the production that was in place before I came onboard was the set design with the circle configuration of the risers and then the concept of having a large LED screen in the front of it,” added Hogan. “Other than that, I was given complete freedom which was good because I got to pick all the particular fixtures that I wanted to use. The one aspect that you always have to keep in mind is what is the smallest venue and the largest venue we will play, and then what can I design that will accommodate the majority if the spaces so that we can utilize as much of the rig as possible.”
Hogan and Mitchell chose to use 12 VL3500 Wash FX, 6 VLX Wash, 18 VLX3 Wash and 24 VL3000 Spot luminaires.
Hogan said, “Last year I went down to Dallas with LMG and saw a demo of the VLX3 Wash and I thought they were amazing. Then when I learned that you could also have individual LED Engine control, I definitely wanted to use them. So I placed all 18 overhead with six per truss equally spread across to mirror the VL3000 Spots. The VL3000 Spot is an easy choice because of the quality of the gobos and the consistent color mixing. Since we wanted to have the big, rock show feel with this tour, I had to have them. I use the VLX Wash for my downstage wash and they work beautifully. They have beautiful color mixing and their dimming capabilities are phenomenal. The VL3500 Wash FX fixtures are used on an upstage ground row to give me nice, tight beam of overhead shots with a few gobo breakups, but I mostly use them for their nice, tight beam and they look great.”
Mitchell added, “When we introduced Brock to the VLX3 Wash down in Dallas, he saw the potential of the fixture right away, and in this show he is using the individual cell control effectively. I am impressed with the VLX3 Wash color temperature range and its ability to match tungsten fixtures, plus I think the individual LED engine control has huge potential in many applications. It can actually create movement in a rig without the light even moving. The VLX Wash has been a reliable light for us, and the VLX3 Wash is following in its footsteps.”
Hogan said, “I have been loyal to LMG Touring over the years as they always support us perfectly and are simply amazing. I know that if there are any issues that come up, they are on top of it, and the crew they provided was outstanding with Lighting Crew Chiefs Tony Dorman and Mark Donahue. They all do fantastic work, and LMG always takes care of me.”
“This really was a true rock ‘n roll show and we could not have made this look without using VARI-LITE luminaires,” Hogan added. “The fixture I was most impressed with was the VLX3 Wash because its output is amazing and the zoom range gives you a tight beam or a wide, even wash. Even with the power of the LED video wall, I was able to get their beams to cut right through it.”
Mitchell added, “The challenge with supplying a tour with LED video walls is that they can usually blow out the lighting. You have to have fixtures that can punch through. With the VLX3 Wash, we’ve had several comments from other designers as well who are surprised a 3-cell fixture is able to cut through, but with VARI-LITE power and performance, they are able to make it happen.”
