LONDON — LD Tom Kenny designed the original lighting scheme for Roger Daltrey’s U.K. tour, which features songs from The Who’s rock opera, Tommy. But Kenny was busy with prior commitments in the U.S., and had LD Dave Farmer step in.
The rig, provided by Zig Zag Lighting, includes 14 Robe ROBIN 600 LEDWash and 14 ROBIN 600 Spot moving lights. Joining these fixtures are bars of 6 PARs in pre-rigged truss sections, strobes and followspots, plus a Hog DP 8000 for control.
Although this was the first chance for Farmer to use some of Robe’s latest gear, he has previously used Robe’s 2500, 1200 and 700 series ColorSpot and ColorWashes on previous shows.
For the Daltrey tour, the LEDWash 600s and the 600 Spots were arranged on two overhead trusses and also on the floor, where their compact size enabled them to be fitted unobtrusively around the backline. They were used to light the band and the stage during the show, which was smoke-free. Farmer credited the 600 Spots in particular for their gobos, including dots, watery cones and the rotating propeller blade.
The LEDWashes he had to run at about 15 percent most of the time to keep general light levels down so that projections onto an upstage screen could be optimized, and Farmer noted that they dim “very nicely and smoothly.” He also used some of the Spot 600s for floor projections.
He cited other strong points with the new gear as well, including LEDWash’s 3200 CTO setting, the strobe function on both types of fixtures and their overall reliability.
Farmer and Kenny also collaborated on the lighting earlier this year for the Teenage Cancer Trust shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall, an annual series of charity performances that Daltrey helped start.
Zig Zag’s technicians on the tour included Andrew “Bob” Laidlaw and Tom Loynes. Zig Zag acquired the Robin 600 Spots in late 2010 and added the LEDWashes in mid-2011. Zig Zag MD Neil Hunt credited the fixtures as “hugely versatile,” also noting their “fantastic colors,” “great zoom” and low weight of 10.5 kg (23.1 lbs) each.
Other recent Zig Zag shows using the LEDWashes include concerts for R Kelly, Paolo Nuttini and Gary Newman, and the Escape To The Park Festival in Swansea.
For more information, please visit www.robe.cz.
