LONDON — The recent Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy “Rockwell” fund-raising event at London’s O2 arena strives to highlight the therapeutic benefits music can bring to children and adults living with traumatic illnesses, disabilities or memories. HSL supplied all lighting and rigging for the show, with technical production coordinated by Production North. The lighting design was by Peter Barnes.
The show brought together performers including Tom Jones, Joss Stone, Robert Plant, Lulu, Hot Rats, Razorlight, David Gray, Ronan Keating, Gabriella Cilmi, Dan Gillespie Sells and others. It featured memorable performances and collaborations while raising money for the charity.
Barnes’ rig consisted of four trusses — a straight one upstage and three chevron-shaped over-stage, staggered in length at 32, 20 and 12 feet per side, and raked at slightly different heights. This framed the visual architecture for the space while increasing the scope and depth of the moving lights hung on the trusses, giving them a more dynamic range of focus.
Because it was a charity event, the principal goal was to deliver a design that was both cost-effective and flexible, with enough latitude to provide an interesting light show for all the artists appearing during the two and a half hour performance.
The moving lights included a selection of Robe ColorWash 2500E ATs and Vari*Lite 3000 Spots — 43 in total. The trusses were highlighted with 19 i-Pix Satellite LED bricks, and there was also a selection of PARs and 2 and 8-lite Moles scattered around the trusses.
Except for fourA&O Falcon 6Kw searchlights, which Barnes used at selected moments for some high-impact low-level beam-work, the floor was kept clear to allow for quick changeovers between bands. Tom Jones’ band acting as the “house” band.
Barnes programmed and ran the show using a Hog 3 console and a Wing.
HSL sent their own collection of stars to crew the event, led by Simon “Piggy” Lynch. They prepped everything rigorously in the yard in Blackburn beforehand, and as a result, the lights just “flew in” with the O2 when they got-in on Thursday for Friday night’s show.
“It all went like clockwork,” said Lynch.
Rockwell was project managed for HSL by Mike Oates, who said, “It was a great honor to be asked onboard an event of this profile and importance, and of course it was also good to be working with the team from Production North again.”
The production manager was Sarah Hollis. Sound was supplied by Wigwam and video by XL Video UK.
For more information, please visit www.hslgroup.com.
