AMMAN, Jordan – TriTec AV used Clay Paky gear to light a concert performance by R&B singer/songwriter Akon last year. The show, hosted by The Arabian Journal and organized by Young Modes, was themed, "Party Like Never Before." Honorary guest Melissa Feat opened the concert. TriTec AV supplied 34 Clay Paky Alpha Wash 575s, 24 Clay Paky Alpha Spot 1200 HPEs and 16 Clay Paky Alpha Beam 1500 fixtures, all controlled with a grandMA Full Size console.
"For the Akon show we used almost the same amount of Clay Paky fixtures as in Distant Heat," said TriTec senior production manager Rajai Khalil, referring to a summer dance party held in the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan. "We didn't have many technical details or even a lighting plot from Akon's lighting designer. We just used our creativity, knowing that the Clay Paky fixtures would deliver the expected results."
Khalil described the challenges posed by the venue, which had a marquee ranging in height from 10 to 3.8 meters. The team decided to use a six-legged square truss with two center crossbeams and two PA wings. Four equally distributed crossbeams on top of the stage delivered uniform lighting coverage for any situation that the lighting designer needed.
The front truss held mainly conventional gear for face lighting plus Clay Paky Alpha Wash for color changing. The center trusses were fit with Clay Paky Alpha Wash & Spot 1200 HPE fixtures for effects and color changing, and the back truss was rigged with Alpha Wash, Spot & Alpha Beam 1500s. The remaining Alpha Beams were ground stacked on both sides of the stage for a wider continuation of the beam effect. A number of Clay Paky Washes were put on a separate truss on top of the FOH control area for further wash distribution for the long marquee, which measured 40 meters by 110 meters.
"Khalil noted that the LD for Akon had expected fixtures from another manufacturer, and was "quite amazed with the Clay Paky fixtures' equal, if not better punch and the overall setup." Khalil also referred to the Alpha Beam 1500 as an "extra toy" that proved to be "very strong," calling their power "incredible" and better than the rival gear, even though the other fixtures were higher in wattage.
For more information, please visit www.claypaky.it.
Photos courtesy of TriTec AV
