The Song Remains the Same
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Copyright Lighting&Sound America March 2008 CONCERTS www.lightingandsoundamerica.com the song remains the same A tribute to Ahmet Ertegun is the occasion for the historic reunion of Led Zeppelin n a year that saw some big events realized by team of top industry pro- who was involved in the initial design Iin the English concert world— fessionals. The process began during for the show; and Zeppelin’s produc- including Live Earth and the Concert the summer, when the event was not tion manager, Steve Iredale, who for Diana—few created as much fully confirmed. “Once we got the go- came onboard fairly early on.” excitement as the return of Led ahead,” says production manager Jim Zeppelin for a concert in memory of Baggott, “we spoke to some key Video Ahmet Ertegun, the late founder of people—such as lighting designer All involved envisioned a big, open Atlantic Records. Dave Hill; live image and video director stage with plenty of imagery. “The The event, a fundraiser for Dick Carruthers; Mark Norton from band was involved, right from the Ertegun’s education fund held at the Thinkfarm, who provided the show’s start, with how their part of the show O2 Arena on December 10, was projection imagery; Peter Bingham, was going to look,” says Baggott. Photos: Ed Robinson@one red eye March 2008 • Lighting&Sound America “We knew we wanted to steer away able to have a bit more practice.” and Jim Parsons as producer. from the traditional left /right screen “We arrived at the O2 at 8am on The end result was a combination arrangement and use one big screen the 9th December,” adds CT’s busi- of abstract images and soft-edged to back them.” ness development manager, Adrian video, creating a mood and pace It became apparent that a tradi- Offord. “Complete set-up for all the appropriate for each song. “The pace, tional LED screen, creating a solid screens, including cabling and fault- the colorization, and use of imagery wall upstage stage, wouldn’t work for finding, had to be done by 4:30, for a speak volumes,” says Carruthers. the band, so Creative Technology band walk-through at 5. This was one “‘Stairway to Heaven’ had only a brought in a 280-sq-m. Element Labs of the main reasons the Stealth certain amount of impact because it Stealth LED screen, recommended by screen was used.” was a slow, gentle mix. Something Mike Walker from Live & Direct, the The content was a combination like ‘Black Dog’ had a much smaller event’s video consultant. of Thinkfarm’s animated footage, image size, but because of the way it “It gave us a lot more flexibility,” integrated with Carruthers’ live was ‘mashed up’ and negative, with says Baggott. “We wanted a clean camera feeds. “We inhabit a world at black silhouettes and fast cuts, it really stage and the band didn’t want lots Thinkfarm that is not always rock ‘n hit you in the face. of lights around them. This way, we roll and entertainment,” says Mark “I think we got the overall balance could keep the lighting quite high, but Norton. “But I’ve worked in and out right,” adds Carruthers. “The screen could also create some unusual of the music and entertainment was never intrusive; it always felt like effects by shining lights straight world for a long time and was a backdrop and had a good combina- through from the back of the screen, brought in to integrate the video tion of animation and live content and as it has 55% transparency.” element into the set and lighting a variation of shapes and mixes.” In addition to the Stealth, CT sup- design, working very closely with “This is the biggest screen that has plied two standard 6 x 6-panel Barco Dave [Hill] and Dick [Carruthers].” been put into the O2,” says Offord. OLite612 LED screens, positioned Richard Turner programmed the “From CT’s point of view, it was great stage left and right, which were used video with a Vista Systems Spyder to be back there after we had been during the support bands’ sets and to video processor. The multi-layered there with Elton John’s 200-sq.-m. show the video story of Ertegun and Spyder utilized 16 channels to address screen just a month prior. It was an his foundation. This was edited by various areas of the screen individually, honor to be involved in such a high- Carruthers’ firm, Cheese Film & the mixes being taken from Carruthers’ profile project.” Video, and shown before the concert. desk and turned into two separate At the beginning of Led Zeppelin’s blocks of information that the screen Lighting set, the two side screens disappeared processors could understand. Having spent a quarter of a century and a set of curtains opened to reveal As more programming was com- with the Rolling Stones, Hill knows a the Stealth. pleted, the team worked out different thing or two about lighting major Technical rehearsals started at methods of doing things. “There would artists. As show director and lighting Elstree Studios two weeks prior to the be one, two, or even three layers of designer, it was his responsibility to show, moving to Shepperton Studios playback material,” says Carruthers. ensure that the visual elements for the final week. “The original idea “In a song like ‘Kashmir,’ Richard worked seamlessly, without stealing was to do everything at Elstree,” says would take that directly from the two focus from the band. CT’s production manager, Alex six-channel hi-def LSM processors; “It was decided, at the beginning Leinster. “But, because the date of other times, I would be mixing this in of the planning process, that the the show had to be moved when with live shots upstream.” show would feature the large Jimmy Page broke his finger, Elstree The entire system was kept in screen,” Hill says. “So the lighting wasn’t available for the entire period. uncompressed HD, using two six- and video had to be an integrated “In some ways, it worked to our channel EVS devices, as well as mixing design. The band didn’t want any advantage by giving us another on a Snell & Wilcox Kahuna HD/SD structures or set onstage, so I was chance to run through a load-in and production switcher that ran in parallel limited to floor lighting, and every- out. Although it comes in a collapsed to the Calypso situated in the OB thing else being hung 35' above the fan shape and cantilevers out of the truck. As it became obvious that there band. My first priority was to specify flight cases, making it really quick to would be a large number of HD cam- lights with lot of punch.” rig, with only two hours allowed to eras, it made sense to get an HD OB Hill chose a selection of Vari*Lite get the Stealth screen floating off the unit in, so Carruthers requested Mary VL3500 washes and VL3000 Spot deck, it was not a bad thing to be Jefferson as video production manager fixtures for the main overhead rig, www.lightingandsoundamerica.com • March 2008 CONCERTS with Martin MAC 2000 Washes on the descend over the band. I hinged the and we were very happy with the front, back, and sides of the truss. arms to make it hang over the band result.” The system comprised 72 (Lighting gear was supplied by PRG in a kind of domed roof effect. I think Meyer MILO curvilinear loudspeakers, Europe.) “To really give me the punch it worked well, especially as, at that with a center hang of six MICA boxes, that I needed, I also had 26 point, the video was configured to and eight flown 700-HP subs per side. Syncrolites: Ten B52 5kWs, seven only show an image within the struc- Ground stacks included nine 700-HPs B53 5kWs, four of the new SX3000 ture of the truss. It made for a very per side, and four MICAs per side for 3Ks, and five of the new SX10Ks,” he nice, intimate moment in the middle outfill. In addition, one MICA per side says. “I put the B53s and SX3000s of the show.” along with eight UPA-1Ps were strung onto the overhead rig and the rest were on two horizontal trusses, which I flew on a Kinesys system behind the video wall.” Hill also used Martin Atomic 3000 strobes, plus a 40,000W Lightning Strikes unit beneath Jason Bonham’s drum riser. Given the clear Perspex top on the riser and the fact that the strobe shone through Bonham’s amber Ludwig Vistalite kit, the visual effect was remarkable. “I thought it might be a problem and blind Jason—I’ve done it before,” says Hill. “When we fired it, he said, ‘There is no problem seeing anything—but it is The lighting rig gets loaded in. a little warm!’ With 40,000W of power bouncing around, it’s like having four electric fires beneath you, although Sound across the stage lip for front fills. it’s only for a split-second.” “Led Zeppelin is world-renowned for Three Galileo loudspeaker manage- Hill used the semi-transparent being into their loud music,” says ment systems handled 36 outputs, qualities of the Stealth LED screen to Baggott. “We realized that the band and a SIM 3 audio analyzer was used good effect, adding another visual would have to make the final decision to tune the system. dimension via the moving trusses about who to use for the sound.