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Copyright Lighting&Sound America June 2015 http://www.lightingandsoundamerica.com/LSA.html

HoneymoonThe

On her first major tour, gives her Phase fans what they’re looking for

By Sharon Stancavage

56 • June 2015 • Lighting&Sound America Kuroda’s lighting rig works in perfect harmony with the lavender confetti seen during “The Way.”

he’s one of the greatest singers of all time—I’ve 9mm LED wall, provided by VER’s office. been doing this for 26 years, and there are very Director Richy Parkin, one of Gratton’s team, explains, “S few artists who can actually sing. She’s one of “For the camera package we are using the Grass Valley them.” So says production designer/manager Chris 3ME HD switcher with five Sony HXC-100 and four Gratton. “She” is Ariana Grande, and The Honeymoon Panasonic AW-HE120KP PTZ cameras. Catalyst is the Tour is her first major tour. server we are using to run the two layers of content. All Gratton became involved with Grande when her signals run through the [Grass Valley] Kayak switcher and manager, Scooter Braun, asked him to head up his touring get distributed via the desk’s aux matrix, allowing us full division. Gratton accepted, and the first project out of the video versatility.” The majority of the video content is gate was Grande’s show. “She was extremely involved in provided by Nick Militello, of Los Angeles-based It Factor; the production, and she gave all of us direction,” Gratton Parkin created the rest. confides. Gratton explains, “The set design was based on giving Working along with Gratton in the early phases of the enough open areas for the dancers. There are so many project was set and show director Nick DeMoura; later, times that I’ve seen shows where there’s no flow for the Chris Kuroda came on board to assist with the production artist and dancers, because there are only a few entrances and lighting design. They created a multi-tiered stage with and exits. We have ten entrances and exits off the stage, geometric shapes with WinVision Air 9mm fascias. “When and we also have three lifts and elevators and four you’re looking at the entire stage as a whole, we can do toasters. So there are actually 17 entrances and exits.” cascading video tricks with the layers of video on the stair The stage and lifts are provided by SGPS ShowRig. fascias,” explains Kuroda. As the scenic design developed, Gratton says, “Scooter

Photos: Todd Kaplan Photos: Todd Located upstage is a 56' x 24' bi-parting WinVision Air wanted more layers, so we went from a three-layer stage

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Lasers and CO2 jets from Strictly FX add drama to the production.

to five layers. Because [Grande is] selling so well, we pods. “The smaller diamonds live inside the bigger shrank a little bit, just to open up sight lines. We’re [in an diamonds, and they are hung a little lower to create a end-stage configuration] and we started at 210°; we’re at chandelier-type vibe,” the lighting designer says. There are 230° or 240° now.” 12 pods in the rig; Kuroda added four medium-sized Much to the delight of her fans, Grande takes to the air diamond pods to fill in the spaces over the stage. The rig during the production. “The fly gags are very important to also includes several straight trusses. He notes, “We her; at one point, we tried to ask her to let them go and wanted to be clever about the way we distributed the she wouldn’t,” Kuroda confides. During “,” lighting, so certain pods have certain fixtures, while others the LED wall parts in the center, and Grande flies above have different fixtures, to keep things less cluttered.” the stage on a cloud via a SGPS fly system; a bit later, Kuroda also likes to keep his lighting instruments during “Right There,” the wall parts again and she appears focused—so to speak—so his gear list isn’t a garage sale on an ornate LED-laden chandelier. “After Ariana comes of fixtures. “I like to have four or five instruments that have down to the stage through the chandelier, it goes back up the functionality that I’m looking for and stick to that,” he in the air, and becomes a scenic piece for the next couple says. Consequently, he is using Clay Paky A.Leda B-EYE of songs,” Kuroda adds. K-20s, Robe BMFLs, Robe Pointes, and Philips Vari*Lite VL3500 Spots. “The VL3500 Spots were specifically Lighting spec’d to be stage key light because of the shutter The automation in the rig naturally affected the lighting. function, and they worked out great,” he says. Lighting Kuroda says, “We had to design the lighting rig around the was supplied by VER. air space that the fly gags were going to take up, and we The B-EYE is an important element of the lighting rig. had to be very careful with the placement. I had to work Kuroda comments, “The cool thing about the B-EYE is it with SGPS, going off of their plot to see where I could does double-duty—it’s a wash light and has pixel place lighting trusses and lighting fixtures.” functioning, so we wrote a ton of pixel effects when they Since Grande is a fan of diamonds, Kuroda designed were called for. When we need it to be a wash light, it is a

the lighting rig to include small and large diamond-shaped wash light.” Kaplan Photos: Todd

58 • June 2015 • Lighting&Sound America “Bang Bang,” the first song of the show, includes pyro on the stage and on the WinVision video wall.

Kuroda isn’t a fan of the full beam B-EYE look, when really it’s an LED block source that can strobe.” however: “When the entire fixture is on, it looks too big Also, Kuroda says, “We have roughly 170 Martin Rush and chunky to me. So when we use it as a wash light, we PARs, all dedicated as truss toners. We’ve also written take the outer ring of 18 pixels out, and that gives it a effects for them and created wipes to and from the stage.” much smaller, cleaner look in the air.” The production also includes glowing RF-controlled LEDs The B-EYEs are among the shin kickers Kuroda has from Glow Motion Technologies, which resemble cat ears placed at stage right and stage left, as are Solaris Flares, and are worn by audience members and, occasionally, by distributed by TMB. The latter gave Kuroda and his lighting Grande herself. team—associate designer Andrew Giffin and lighting Working closely with Kuroda was Giffin, who brought director Nick Van Nostrand—something unexpected. another artistic view to the project, thanks to his theatrical Kuroda says, “There are four Solaris Flares on each side; background. “I have always been a huge believer that the we thought we’d do strobe effects, and there’s a bunch of more sets of eyes, and the more heads, the better your B-EYEs in them that are for side washes. In the middle of final result is going to be,” says Kuroda. The pair programming, Nick looked at the Solaris Flares and said, programmed the show on two MA Lighting grandMA2 ‘They’re LEDs, they’re not strobes, they’re not going to consoles. fizzle out. Just turn them on and use them as light’.” During pre-viz, designers usually find a color palette A metaphorical light went on over Kuroda’s head; he did that suits the songs. This time, it was a bit more a quick test, and indeed, the Solaris Flare can be used as challenging, Kuroda notes: “Coloring this show was the an actual light, rather than simply as a strobe. “And all of a most difficult job I’ve ever had. We really, really had to sudden, we had a new trick up our sleeve,” he says. “It’s a think about it. It was a fantastic challenge—I embraced it wonderful light, it gives great coverage, it’s bright, it can and loved every minute of it.” put out nice saturated colors, and it punches—and it’s a Key to the process was Grande herself, who had very different look. It makes you wonder why they market it as specific ideas in regards to her songs. “There is a part of a strobe light, because just by saying those words, it the show that she refers to as ‘the 1920s’,” Kuroda says. ingrains it into the designer’s head that it’s a strobe light, “It includes the songs ‘Right There,’ ‘The Way,’ ‘Pink

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Top: Video, confetti “snow,” low smoke, and Kuroda’s lighting set the mood for the ballad “My Everything.” Below: SGPS provided the automation that allows Grande to fly during “Best Mistake.”

60 • June 2015 • Lighting&Sound America Champagne,’ and ‘Tattooed Heart.’ We would go back and features Confetti Cobra blowers from the ground. During forth and would write these songs , the ballad “My Everything,” Grande sits upon a grand trying to get the color schemes right.” Grande kept piano, with low smoke from four Strictly FX LSG units pushing them, and eventually, they found a palette that gently caressing her feet and tiny pieces of white “snow,” reflected her aesthetic. “These songs came out looking so from ten Strictly FX Deer Feeder confetti machines, falling good in my opinion—the color schemes are so fantastic— dramatically to the floor. Alaimo adds, “‘The Way’ uses and they are not what I would normally do,” he says. The four of our truss-mounted confetti units blowing lavender result is a section of songs that have a Great Gatsby vibe confetti at the end of the song, while CO2 jets are used in to them. ‘Be My Baby,’ ‘Break Free,’ and “‘Problem’.” Gratton notes, “It’s all placed and utilized in a very classy way, Effects instead of over-the-top.” “Ariana loves, loves, loves special effects, and she wanted “We also have four 36W lasers and three 30W lasers— to make sure we had certain effects in the show,” notes they’re a huge part of the show and look just amazing,” Gratton. “We have Gratton says. pyro laced throughout, Programmed by Lauren a lot of LSG smoke, a Nelson and Grant fair amount of CO2 Sellers, of Strictly FX, jets. We kind of have a using Pangolin Beyond little bit of everything.” software, they are To provide those featured extensively effects, he called on throughout the the experts at production. They -area-based provide amber accents Strictly FX. The overall in the retro-feeling pacing of those effects finale, “Problem.” is critical for Gratton: During “Break Free,” “I don’t like to be cosmic blue, white, and bombarded with fuchsia laser beams everything at first. grace the stage, while Even though we start “All of My Love” with a big intro and features magenta, blue, there’s a lot of pyro in and purple lasers that the beginning, the match the content on whole show develops the video wall. Grande

and grows as it goes.” Kuroda’s use of lighting pods brings the show out into the audience. and her dancers are Consequently, the also surrounded by effects are spread white laser beams that throughout the entire utilize a mirror trick production. during “Hands on Me.” Ted Maccabee, partner and visuals Effects appear early on, during “Bang, Bang.” “There director at Strictly FX, notes, “It’s a privilege working and are seven stage pyro positions, eight side truss positions, collaborating with this talented team of designers—their and an airburst truss,” explains Tony Alaimo, lead pyro combined vision has created an amazing production operator. The product includes sparkle cannons, comets, that perfectly reflects the essence of Ariana’s music and and airbursts in colors ranging from silver to aqua to persona.” purple, supplied by Next FX and Le Maitre. At the end of “Honeymoon Avenue,” Grande is framed by sparkling Sound gerbs on two levels of the stage. During “Pink Sound engineer Toby Francis was originally supposed to Champagne,” “We’re shooting Le Maitre VS pink mines be with Grande for two high-profile shows only. “After the and gold glitter mines from our side truss positions, as well first show, Ari’s mom, Joan, asked Chris Gratton why it as Next FX gold glitter airbursts,” reports Alaimo. sounded better. He pointed at me, and she said, ‘I think The production also includes a variety of confetti units. we need to keep him all the time’.” Francis’ daughter Alaimo explains, “‘Problem’—the finale—has Next FX happens to be a huge Grande fan, so he decided to stay. black and white confetti airburst and cannon simulators, For the production, VER Tour Sound provided a Meyer

Photos: Courtesy of Scooter Braun Management with Le Maitre gerbs, and white mines.” The song also PA. “I used it on a couple of one-offs on the Kanye tour,

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and was really blown away by the clarity, how far it throws, and the low end; the sub is phenomenal,” Francis says. For this tour, he has—per side—16 Leo-M linear line array loudspeakers with four Lyon compact linear line array loudspeakers on the bottom of the main hang and 14 Lyons for the side hang. Francis says, “It is by far the easiest PA I’ve ever used and the best results I think I’ve ever gotten. Anybody who uses it and takes the same approach will be equally satisfied.” With this system, Francis says he has achieved an incredible clarity on stage: “I’m hearing stuff I don’t normally hear; I’ve never heard a hi-hat sound so natural.” He credits the sound of the hi-hat to the engineering of the Meyer cabinet. “Leo is a two-way box, it has two 15" long- excursion cone drivers and two 4" compression drivers, and the crossover point is lower than it would traditionally be, more in the 700Hz range, which is really low. I think that’s part of the reason that the upper mids are so natural-sounding.” Francis also has six 1100-LFC subs (“LFC” for “low- frequency control element”) per side hung behind the main hang at a 15° angle. “On the indoor Kanye tour with a different sound system, I had some 40 subs per side,” he recalls. “We use 12 per side out here, and it’s a very comparable amount of low end.” Francis has a caveat regarding the Leo/Lyon PA: “It is crystal-clear, so if you have any issues, they’re going to shine through—it’s not forgiving, like some PAs are.” The volume is also turned up to “high” for the show. “At Ari’s request, it’s a loud show,” Francis says. “When we started, we were over 105dB, which is loud, and at times, it’s more like 108 or 109dB.” The Meyer PA can easily handle the dBs, he adds: “Every time I guess how loud it is, I’m off by at least 2dB, and I’m pretty good at guessing.” Francis runs the show on a DiGiCo SD7 console. “We’re running it dual-engine,” he says. “I have totally redone the digital engine and I’ve totally redone the Wave plug-in server. If anything gets weird with the console, I can switch over; if the engine were to crash, the B engine would automatically take over.” He adds, “The only issue we’ve discovered is that, if you’re using two Wave servers, the device that picks between the two engines causes problems. But we seem to have sorted it out.” Grande recorded her own backup tracks on her albums, DOTEC [DirectOut Technologies] EXBOX.BLDS—it’s a very and it was decided to keep it that way on her tour. “For unique box. It takes two MADI strings and picks between her backup vocals, we are running Pro Tools in kind of a the two. If anything is off one sample, it will switch to the unique way,” Francis says. “We are using two Pro Tool other. So we feed two Pro Tools in together, it picks the systems running in native at 96K with tracks that have stronger of the two streams, sends it to an Optocore been up sampled to 96K from the original form.” DD4MR convertor, and it goes into the Optocore loop and Francis’ unique Avid Pro Tools system has several other it shows up as a stage rack, which gives us the cleanest components. He says, “We use an Antelope Orion path.” The results are stunning. “All the vocal parts—her

Interface—we come out of the MADI of the Orion into a live vocal and the double parts—all sound the same. It’s Courtesy of Scooter Braun Management

62 • June 2015 • Lighting&Sound America “Tattooed Heart” features Parkins’ video work and Kuroda’s lighting.

really amazing doing it this way.” 414 is the only mic I’m using today that I was using when I On stage, Grande is on a Sennheiser 5235 mic. “It just started. I love the way they sound.” As for the rest of the sounds so pristine—but it’s a dynamic mic,” remarks drum kit, “The hi-hat and ride are Neumann 184s and the Francis. For the band—which includes a full string tom mics are Sennheiser 409s,” he adds. section—Francis has a variety of microphones. “For the Francis is confident of the skills of the rest of his crew. drum mics, I’ve got the Telefunken M82—it’s their kick “The sound crew we have could not be stronger,” he says. drum mic—I’ve got M81s on the top snares—there are Ariana Grande’s continues in the US three snare drums—and the bottom snares are AKG through October. 414s.” He uses AKG 414s on the overheads as well: “The

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