Rod Stewart's New Tour Provides Both Spectacle and an Intimate Look At
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CONCERTS Copyright Lighting&Sound America April 2007 www.lightingandsoundamerica.com Celtic Pr Rod Stewart’s new tour provides both spectacle and an intimate look at the long-lived star By: David Barbour April 2007 • Lighting&Sound America They say nothing lasts forever—but then how do you explain the career of Rod Stewart? From swinging London to 21st-century America, he has reinvented himself time and again, for a fan base that has remained determinedly loyal through each manifestation of his persona. Consider the many stages of his career: there ide were stints with bands like The Jeff Beck Group and Faces, followed by a tumultuous solo run that saw him become, among other things, Rod the Mod, an acclaimed bluesman, hard rocker, arena attraction, disco diva, and specialist in the Great American Songbook. And he’s not done yet. Currently, the 60-ish singer is on the road again, covering the U.S. and Canada before heading off to Europe this summer. (Among his U.S. dates is an appearance at the New Orleans Jazz Festival this month.) In many ways, the tour is a return to basics. This is not the Rod Stewart who has recently topped the charts with renditions of “Embraceable You” and “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square.” Instead, it’s the return of Rod the rocker in a greatest-hits survey that takes in such classics as “Tonight’s the Night,” “It’s a Heartache,” and, yes, “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy.” (Not one to take himself too seriously, he introduces this number, saying, “Here it is; you’ll either love it you’ll hate it.” At Madison Square Garden, where LSA caught this tour, they loved it.) The current tour manages the nifty trick of supplying plenty of visual kicks while simultaneously maintaining a feeling of intimacy. This is, in many ways, an up-close and personal show, a night of give and take between The set is an trio of interlocking circles. ALL PHOTOS: TODD KAPLAN Stewart and his fans. Even though there On the center stage can be seen the logo of the Celtic Football Club, a favorite of are plenty of driving up-tempo Stewart’s. The perimeters of the circular numbers, and the musical energy is stages are lined with LEDs. high throughout, the prevailing www.lightingandsoundamerica.com • April 2007 CONCERTS atmosphere is easy and relaxed; lost his taste for the sport. As the fans know exactly what they’re arguably Scotland’s greatest gift to getting, and they’re more than rock music—he was born in happy about it. London, but considers himself a That atmosphere extends to Scot—it’s only natural that he backstage, where many of the should be a passionate fan of creative and technical personnel Glasgow’s football team.) have been with Stewart for quite “The set,” says Brogaard, “was some time. Lighting designer Mark done by committee. Ian Knight, the “Pope” Payne has been around for designer, and I went to Rod’s 15 years. Front-of-house mixer and house in London. Typically, Ian production manager Lars Brogaard makes five or six different models. has been on board since 1985. We talk to Rod and then, a week Together, they, and many others, later, bring in more models. When have put together a show that we have an agreement, we bring allows Rod Stewart to be Rod in Mark to find where to place the Stewart, sharing his past and his lighting, video, and sound.” Payne personality to an audience that is adds, “We integrate everything. eager for both. The devil is in the details. For example, the monitors were built The Scottish stage into the set; they’re placed on the This is an in-the-round show; the wireless tower.” Another detail: the set is a trio of interlocking circles. semi-circular ramps feature sleek At center is a raised circular stage, railings which allow for close connected on either side by two audience contact and eliminate the semi-circles, each of which need for security barriers. The set contains an area for audience was built by Tait Towers. seating. Stewart and the musicians The was assembled by can descend from the center stage California-based Sew What? and down to the circular ramps for consists of 1,500 yards of material. plenty of close contact with the “Plaid is a favorite pattern of fans. Adding to the feeling of Stewart’s,” says Payne, “but this is intimacy is a set of four IMAG the first time we have used it in a screens—this is, according to show.” Megan Duckett, of Sew those involved, the first all-HD tour What?, says that the idea of digital (more about this later). printing was discarded in favor of a Before the show, the stage is process that involved custom- hidden behind a circular Austrian milling the fabric and printing on it curtain done in Tartan plaid. The with four 60" ink drums; after that, performance begins with a satirical it was put through a flame- video depicting Stewart as the star retardant process before sewing of The Rodfather, then the curtains began. are raised to reveal the set. (Before Payne’s lighting design adds this, we’ve already seen a fife and plenty of oomph, bathing the set in drum corps pass through the colors and patterns, pulling the auditorium, striking a note of audience into the show with arena- Scottish nationalism even before wide color washes, and isolating the star appears.) Overhead video the star and his musicians, who reveals the logo of the Celtic often fan out across the stage. The Football Club, which covers the designer has done many shows in center stage. (This is, of course, the round and is at ease with the the star’s favorite club: Stewart, format; the key to his design, he who tried out for more than one says, is to keep the focus on football team as a youth, has never Stewart, whom he calls “a great April 2007 • Lighting&Sound America performer.” change a thing. We were able to save work at the desk and look at it in Payne’s lighting rig is dominated ourselves a lot of mucking about. I’m WYG. Also, if there’s a problem with by 60 Vari*Lite VL3000s in both Spot not a fan of programming in the previous show, I put it into and Wash configurations. “For me, WYSIWYG but, for all the other WYSIWYG and fix it. You don’t have it’s the optics on the Vari*Lite units,” details, it’s very good.” to have the whole lighting system he says. “The set is covered in a In addition, he says, WYSIWYG is attached to the desk in order to fix silvery grey, and it takes light integrated into the show’s lighting something.” beautifully. The zoom is also network, which is particularly Indeed, Payne projects an air of important. I can get massive gobo valuable for running an in-the-round imperturbability as he works, a looks, covering the entire audience, show. “Today,” he says, by way of feeling that no doubt comes from his with 30 spots.” Indeed, he’s fond of example, “I’m in a position where the long experience with Stewart. Then spinning gobo patterns on the drum kit is obscured—but I can do again, this tour may go down as audience and deck, a fact the focuses for it in WYSIWYG. I meaningful in more ways than one. established during the opening number, “Tonight I'm Yours.” The VL3000s also create a highly theatrical beam look in “Wear it Well.” Also on hand are 16 Molefays and a set of low-voltage tungsten uplighting units built into the decks. The set is outlined in a series of white LEDs, creating a necklace-of- lighting look onstage. The LEDs can do chases, as in “Lost in You;” combined with VL3000s on the floor, they create a kind of glitter-rock effect. A 4' diameter mirrorball comes in at one point, for that disco- era feeling. Controlling the lighting is the High End Systems Wholehog III, a board that has earned some major respect after a very rocky start. Payne worked on the Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies in Turin with lighting designer Durham Marenghi, where the Hog III acquitted itself nicely, he says. “We had to reset the system once in three weeks,” he recalls. Working with WYSIWYG to design the Stewart tour, Payne says he “sat at home mapping out the set and seating, the PA, and truss heights,” integrating his lighting into the layout. “We went into rehearsals at The Forum in Los Angeles before Christmas, and I didn’t have to Payne’s lighting rig is dominated by 60 Vari*Lite VL3000 units in both Spot and Wash configurations. Controlling the lighting is a High End Systems Wholehog III. www.lightingandsoundamerica.com • April 2007 CONCERTS This page, top: Stewart uses AKG mics. This page, bottom: The tour is one of the first to feature all-HD video. Opposite: The large plaid Austrian curtain was made by Sew What? wide-coverage boxes and nine M’elodie curvilinear array elements. He also makes use of Meyer’s Galileo loudspeaker management system, in addition to the company’s SIM 3 audio analyzer and Windows-based RMS remote monitoring system. “The Galileo has been extremely useful for driving and aligning our system across multiple zones,” Brogaard notes. “It makes it very easy to cut out the frequencies we don’t want and emphasize the ones we do, especially in the bass range.