June Cover:Cover 08/06/2009 08:39 Page 1

June 2009 entertainment, presentation, communication www.lsionline.co.uk Pink On Tour L&SI behind the Funhouse Priscilla in L&SI at the Palace Theatre

Alpha Males Clay Paky in Profile

TF: Electric String Cables & Connectors

PLUS: PLASA Focus in review; Minack Open Air Theatre; Showlight 09, ; Laura Pausini, Italian Diva; Orbital’s Sound Fundamentals; Audio File; Inauguration Special Crew Cuts; Green Room & more . . . South Africa Celebrates

L&SI has gone digital! Register online FREE at www.lsionline.co.uk/digital On Tour - Pink v2:On tour.qxd 05/06/2009 10:42 Page 30 tour on online.co.uk www.lsi

30 Lighting&Sound - June 2009 nTu P - Tour On i n k this isapeople business,and theyallcount. and Icommendthis Promotertoanyartistthatunderstands: manager RogerDavis wasn’ttheretowitnessthisact, butIwas across thearena floor andouttotheFirstAidpoint. Pink’s quite obviouslybearingmostofher weight,supportedher brought hertofeet,thenwith armoverhisshoulderand Marshall didn’tjusthandthisgirlon toSecurity, heslowly Yeah, yeah;thecynicalamongyoumightsay, buttohiscredit close behind. aid, withasecuritymandispatchedbyshowdirectorBazHalpin emotion andtheheat.Marshallhadseenherfallranto mix enclosureayounggirlhadcollapsed,overwhelmedbythe late, butthiscannotbeoverlooked.Onthefloorinfrontof Barry Marshall.Yes IknowI’vementionedhimagreatdealof in blackshirtandtrousersranfrontofme.Itwaspromoter to thethirdcrescendowith19,000peoplesingingalong,aman Astonished, Istoodmesmerisedformostofthesong.Asitrose plexus, justeasy, measuredbreathing. barely showaflickeroffatigue.Notpant,notheaving on stageleftwheretomyamazementIsawhertinybody After twolinesIswitchedmyattentiontotheIMAGscreenhigh resplendent inbrightyellowFreddie Mercurymilitarytunic. reappeared andbeltedstraightintotheopeninglines Rhapsody change thantheunmistakableopeningnotesof she disappearedthroughaportalinthesetforcostume letters. Thedismountwasfastandelegant,yetnosoonerhad as sheswooshedthoughtheairsaid‘authenticity’inbig her malecompaniondidimpress;thewindnoisefrommic singing liveassheperformed180°flipsbeneaththearmsof too overawedbythis,althoughthefactthatshewasclearly As sheisanacknowledgedaerialgymnast,weshouldn’tbe performed thesong What stoppedmewasameasureofthatenergy. She her ownexcessofexuberance. more controlledpresenceonstage,easilyharnessing none ofthatfrighteningenergy, butshe’sanaltogether years agowhenIlastreviewedherforL&SI.She’slost best oftheyear:Pinkisachangedwomanfromthree me. I’dalreadyseenenoughoftheshowtocountit my waybackhomewhentwothingsabruptlystopped 70 minutesintotheshowandIwasjustabouttowend v Monitor engineer:HorstHartmann FOH soundengineer:ChrisMadden Production manager:RichardYoung LD &ShowDirector:BazHalpin 2 O tour.qx :On rang out.Beforewecouldcatchbreath,she Pink’s Funhouse Words &picturesbySteveMoles. Funhouse tourisatight,theatricalshow, programmeddowntothemillisecond. A remarkably energeticperformer, backed byanexperienced crew:Pink’s 50/0910 05/06/2009 d Sober 40 feetabovestageonatrapeze. : 43 Audio crew:ConcertSound Audio supplier:ClairBrothers Lighting supplier:PRGEurope Lighting operator:Trent O’Connor Bohemian Page 31 framing to presentthephantasmagoria: “We startedwiththe frames, allirregular rectangles,theyusephysicaland software There arescreens, inevitably-sixofthem;allarepicture to maximisehisdollar,” saysHalpin. enough tosatisfythegapingmaw of . “Rogerlikes show crammedin.”Iwouldn’tdispute that,it’smorethanbig it’slikean18-truck tour: “Rogeraimedfornine,but10’s OK, she’s beenthereeversince.”Halpin revealedthisisa10-truck in everydecision.MarkFishermade theinitialdrawingsand reminds meofTina, she’sinvolvedineveryaspectandincluded Did shecontributebeyondthatpreliminaryconcept?“She the feeling. carnival-style. Butithasanedgy, darktwist,”Halpinconfirms around atthemoment,”(Madonna&Britney?)“sothisismore moment forittojumpintolife.“TherearetoomanyCircuses room, itconcealsacertaincreepiness;youexpectatany ventriloquist’s dummysatstaringblanklyinthecornerof somewhere betweentheghosttrainandafunfairride.Like stage setpresentsasanever-so-slightly insanehallofmirrors “Funhouse actuallycamefromher,” beganHalpin.ThePink measured confidence. talent, ideasandconfidence.Notarrogance,justquiet, learned muchfromthisman;buthe’snocipher. Halpinhas managed byRogerDavisandhisownadmissionHalpinhas something ofthesorcerer’sapprenticehere,theseareallacts Director forPink,Tina Turner, CherandJoeCocker. There’s design forWestlife. Nowhereheis,notjustLDbutShow saw thisyoungsonofIrelandtakeoverthereinsaslighting Before westart,letmesaythis;it’sbarelysevenyearssinceI ‘Baz’ Halpin. in anage-hewhisksmeawaytomeetwithshowdirectorBarry O’Connor ontheMartinMaxxyzdesk-firstI’veseentour but ithasabigrockandrollelement.”BeforeIcouldquiz It allsoundsabitbusy. “There’ssomestrongtheatreinthere, set guysknowallthePropcuesreally.” said nonchalantly. “Automation isitsowndepartment,andthe followspots andsomeofthesetcues-“trapsconfetti”,he millisecond,” O’ConnorrunslightsandaCatalystsystem,calls “Lights, choreography, setmoves;it’salldowntothe O’Connor whenIarrivedatfront-of-house thatafternoon. “This isaverytight,theatricalshow,” saidlightingoperatorTrent Lights, stage,show Custom setelements:Specialz Set Construction:BrilliantStages Set Design:MarkFisher Video supplier:XL Lighting & Sound - June 2009 ontour

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set - no gags, no props; looked at the you can have great dancers, but it has to work sightlines, then considered video elements. together as part of whole. That’s my approach Once that was defined we thought about the to lighting. There are some big songs in here, gags and props. They all came about through but that doesn’t mean the lighting is all in your meetings with Alicia [Pink’s real name] as we face; if the action is on stage, put it there.” developed the set list.” And how does Pink input to that evolution? It’s here Halpin revealed Roger Davis’s “She’s secure in her own ability but wants to masterful touch. “We started with the opening have fun on stage; she’s not afraid to be and ending of the show, then the big self-deprecating; she has that ‘so what?’ production songs. She has too many potent attitude. She’s also into new technology. songs so we had to choose carefully; that’s For U + Ur Hand - an S&M song - she wears Roger’s genius. He sees the pacing of the LED gloves and we emphasise that by putting show and feels the ebb and flow acutely. I’ve part of the glove routine in blackout. She seen him watch rehearsal for the umpteenth wanted to do the whole song like that - that’s time and then suggest, let’s just move this one what I mean by unafraid.” from here to here, and suddenly the whole thing comes alive. That’s a great skill.” In reality, Halpin caught the measure nicely, perhaps 45 seconds of total darkness in which For my own personal gratification I went to see to identify the glove gag, congratulate Tina Turner’s final show of her comeback tour yourselves as an audience for appreciating it, a week after this one and that skill was then move on. There were other adventurous revealed. With the exception of the opener and things Pink did, including the most beautiful closer of the first half and the interjection of rendering of Led Zeppelin’s Babe I’m Gonna Mountain High, the first hour followed exactly Leave You which had all the raw, burnt emotion the song pattern from the tour I did in ’87. ‘The I saw in Robert Plant 35 years ago at Alexandra next song will be Better Be Good to Me’ I Palace. turned and said to my wife. ‘How do you know that?’ she replied. It was that big wide river of But we should move to the technology. “The familiarity and I was happily floating down on a show is 70% straightforward, 30% big big rubber tyre of nostalgia. Davis did not need production numbers,” says Halpin. “To create to reinvent the wheel. lighting for rock and theatrical is a very tricky thing. The fact we play to 270° audience way Halpin explained: “It’s a two-hour show so up the sides of stage didn’t detract from the pacing is critical, between those big songs and need for side lighting, but sightlines are costume changes there has to be time for the paramount.” Halpin has dangling pencils of From top: audience to digest and relax,” I’d never heard it eight foot PRG mini-beam, rigged high with Show director Baz Halpin. put so eloquently. four Martin MAC 2000 Washes on each. Horst Hartmann, monitors. Staggered up/down stage, they give him

online.co.uk “She has very little off-stage time, but that still enough lighting leverage from the sides with Production assistant Jill Aram Orid has to be managed. Quick-change interludes minimal compromise to audience viewpoint. and production manager Richard have to be high-brow. There’s a piano solo, for Young. example; if it’s virtuoso the audience “The rig is a mix of MAC Wash and Coemar www.lsi Lighting operator Trent O’Connor appreciate it, even if it’s not their thing. It’s the Infinity. That’s a budgetary consideration; the and Dennis Brown (PRG). same when you consider the choreography, Coemars are for the back truss, a much higher,

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more distant vantage point, but they have caught the mood throughout, yet all So it was with some expectation I viewed the punch to handle the distance, and application was subtle, even the big the I5s when I first entered the Manchester they’re good for key lighting from the front numbers showed restraint, making even the Arena. I can tell you now, I haven’t walked truss as well.” He also has Vari*Lite 3000 rock and roll a touch theatrical. When she around this arena so much since its Press Spots in the rig, the three different played the Touch Me song on the chaise launch last century. Listening at every point, instruments giving him the essential toolkit. longue, and hands reached up through the right to the top of the upper tier and all All other lights serve a decorative or upholstery to stroke her erogenous zones, around, I can tell you Clair Brothers have environmental purpose. there might have been a temptation to done their sums and balanced the equation. reveal the act more overtly, especially to Full-bandwidth total coverage, no nasty “The set doesn’t morph, it’s constant, so a room of 20,000 where you might imagine peaks or gaping holes. Not the most that visual dynamic between instrument big gestures are needed. But no, he held musical sound, granted, but this is rock and types matters. Specialz built some custom the girl alone in her private boudoir roll, not Sibelius. festoons for us that drape the vertical mini- atmosphere with a dappled pink smoke beam. They’re faux fairground, slightly tacky, diffuse piquancy that transmitted more Front-of-house engineer Chris Madden (no some odd bulb sizes, one or two blown about sexual intimacy than any porn video. relation to Rory) comes from a recording lamps, they look the part. A little thing like studio background. “I’ve been working for that can help create a really claustrophobic As I said at the beginning, this was my first Pink since last October, before that I did Joe atmosphere on stage.” sight of a Martin Maxxyz on a tour. Halpin Cocker, his last world tour.” So the Roger comments: “They’re popular in the USA Davis thread continues. “The I5 is new to Halpin enhances this slightly shambolic feel these days. I’ve used them a lot over the me, but then I’ve never toured with the I4 by deliberately mis-programming some last three years - Christine Aguiliera, Cher, before either, though I have used it for one- elements; colours and focuses aren’t always Queen; I’ve taken them around the world offs. This is a marked improvement, in the correct, “that gives us all the more impact and they’re reliable. It has the best lamp high end especially. For subs I have just four when we switch to the big, wide rock look,” BT218s a side; it’s a twin 18” as the name he says. suggests, but I can get so much low end out of the main system.” Other details include Color Kinetics iColor Flex strings surrounding the video screens, Madden wasn’t sure how low the BT218s and again used by Brilliant Stages who built reached, “but they go up to 80Hz. But the set, for the large illuminated Fun House I don’t need much energy from them, in marquee above centre stage. “The set is all essence this is still a pop act, though printed, including the Marley, rather than personally I’ve never been a trouser painted, which is more durable. There is not flapper.” That doesn’t prevent the Concert a lift in the stage, that’s a first for me in a Sound crew from rigging a line of I5Bs, the while and I like it; but Prop traffic is pretty I5 sub, of equal length to the main hang, “so high - an eight foot bed for Please Don’t there’s plenty there around 100-120Hz. Leave Me, Grand Piano, Chaise Longue, Howard Page from Clairs did come out with Trapeze, things come and go.” me for the first few weeks, which was very helpful. Now the crew is all Concert Sound, Halpin had input to the video content: “The and they’ve all toured this system before screens are two formats, centre stage are cloning I’ve ever come across. I programmed with the Sugababes.” XL Video’s Hi-Def 7mm F/LED, the outer this show, I always try to, it avoids the ones are Stealth. I worked with Olivier frustration of trying to explain to an operator So what of the music and Pink’s band? Goulet from Geodizik (based in Montreal) while your mind is alive with thoughts.” “Simple enough - drums, bass, guitars, two on the content.” (Goulet provided the keys, two BVs and a fiddle player.” And her Sound content for Tina Turner and Cher as well.) voice? “She wears a headset mic a lot of the “We wanted original content: Olivier’s style Three months ago I was taken by Trip Khalaf time, I’ve not had a lot of experience with is very versatile and draws upon many on a tour of Clair Brothers in Pennsylvania. them, but you can hear her, and not tons of artists. We worked out the basic treatment Clairs have manufactured their own wind when she’s singing and flying through for the entire show in two meetings, cabinets for decades so the in-house the air.” building a collection of ideas. From that factory was expected, but the scale of he’d create still images, put them on production was intimidating. What the hell Madden deferred to monitor man Horst a website for Alicia to view and give the are they making? I asked Khalaf. “The new Hartmann about mics: “He basically built yea or nay. It’s all original bar one montage I5 - can’t build them fast enough,” he said. the headset one for her with Sennheiser’s of pop videos that showcases the excellent help - he’s the man. Stage levels generally work done for her by director Dave The old S4 lasted decades; the I4 has been are not an issue, the band all use in-ears, Meyers.” superseded in less than 10 years. That’s she wears a set, but uses generally one ear a blank admission that their first foray into piece, and she has a bunch of wedges. The Well worth a look-see on music TV if you line arrays has been a steep learning curve. guitar is loud but the main problem, as ever, never have; there’s something of the Jean I was reminded of the I4’s shortcomings at is drums. She does like to go onto the riser Harlow about this girl, and the camera loves the Tina Turner show a week after Pink. No and she will point the mic at the cymbals; her. “Yes there is some IMAG, but it’s legs over distance, particularly in the high- and she expects to hear that little boost.” limited. Directed by Larn Poland, who again mids - a fact that saw me visit FOH engineer worked with Olivier on Tina, the shot set-ups Dave Natale during the intermission and Madden, in fairness, said this without the crave a seat in the enclosure (thanks Dave, are mixed and unexpected.” slightest hint of frustration on his face, in online.co.uk and in fairness to Clair’s, Dave Natale can fact he smiled. “There are harder things - It was nice to watch a show where for once get something approaching Low End the BVs are all over the place, and there are I felt that lighting was secondary; not once nirvana from just a few flown I4 Subs - times when Alicia is in front of the PA with www.lsi was I distracted from Pink’s performance. something so potent it would shame many her headset mic, so it’s a show to be Yes, Halpin hit the spots and certainly a much beefier system of subs). watchful. I’m using a Digidesign Venue with

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touring; and second it has 48 faders. Inputs are full, 190 in; some are double - vocals, for example, for wedge and in-ear. Kick drum I have one channel for him, one for tour everyone else. 48 mixes, 12 stereo, matrix output for days,” This man is smiling

on broadly as he tours me through his empire. “I have two [PM1D] brains, in mirror mode, 32 line amps, 80 mic pre-amps, world clock, 20 minutes of UPS back-up power.” He has reason to smile.

“There are nine people on in-ears, nine on stage, plus three or four backline guys. There are wedges and side-fills - Clair 12AMs.”

She wears just the one ear? “Yeah, I have lots of clients like that,” he smiles again. “I like wedges, front and rear, gives her a place outside if she wants to step into it, two sidecars; I’ve got 80 inputs, but just previous guy who couldn’t make some and a bigger field of walk room. We use the three hot channels really. I use just one tool shows. That carried on through 2007, then Sennheiser G2 system, 14 channels, two outboard, a Mindprint DTC - a two-channel they called and asked, did I want to tour eight-ways, combiner, and an AP5000 aerial. mic pre-amp with four-band parametric; Europe and Australia? It was a big question; Radio mic is SKM2000 - that’s the Pro it also has a valve stage compressor. I use I have three other German bands I work version of Evolution G3 which they’ll launch it specifically for added warmth on the at PLASA09. fiddle, cello and double bass. In fact I use it “It sounds almost like all over the place. It’s one of those things “The new 2000 series have bolt-on I’ve had for years, I can’t even remember a normal mic. We capsules; we have a special cap’, like the where I first found out about it, but I wouldn’t 5000 series. Not a pure copper coil, it’s be without it. It’s simple, versatile and very actually allow the smaller, lighter and gives a little bit more quick.” high-end. For a female voice, it sounds good. This is a prototype capsule but I think “So with the board set-up I have a potential audience to hear a little they should launch it.” 96 input system, two HD cards and HD3 Pro Tools so I can record every night. Alicia wind noise so they know Well that’s a revelation on the hand-held. wants to sound-check, so I don’t use it for What about this head-worn mic Madden that; that may change as the tour it’s live, not lip sync’.” says you’ve developed? “Something so she progresses.” (When the tour leaves Europe, can go on the trapeze . . . Well, a DPA made Pink moves to Australia where she plays no sense; we needed something that would almost 60 arena dates in two months.) regularly. Production was good, money reach her mouth, not her cheek. For me, the good, so why not? I cancelled all my 09/10 only choice was the 104 capsule from “On board I’m using Fairchild Comps quite engagements; I do lots of TV shows on Sennheiser, we made a single ear wire a bit; a TL something-or-other for reverb - it a regular basis, so I was booked, but could wrap, long boom, and used skin-tone tape runs old school plate reverbs; I like that - find them a good replacement.” to secure it to the mouth position. It sounds I used to tour with an old AMS. I’ve started almost like a normal mic. We actually allow using the Cranesong Phoenix tape Hartmann uses a Yamaha PM1D: “I like it for the audience to hear a little wind noise so emulation, that’s quite nice, makes it pop out, two reasons - I think it’s the most reliable for they know it’s live, not lip sync’.” very simple, one knob.” A more is less man.

“Day-to-day my focus is mainly on the drum group and vocals. I get on really well with the desk EQ; I’ve been using it for four years now, so I should. There’s no point in comparing it to analogue, but the bonus is versatility and I continue to get results I like.”

Monitors Down at the stage end of the snake, Horst Hartmann is just tidying up as I arrive; monitor men these days have an endless amount of house-keeping to maintain the radio ear and mic systems. Hartmann

online.co.uk appears very happy in his work, a characteristic that carries over into his conversation with me. He is without doubt the most engaging and pleasant monitor www.lsi man I’ve interviewed in some time. “I started with her in 2006, just filling in gaps for her

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You sound very happy and on top of your I suspect he will be hired by this man again. deck, 8ft for the cradle, 10ft for swing, and game? “Yes, we are happy, but feedback is “I really like his work ethic. He’s interested. If I another 5ft of clearance from stage. Plus is still to be refined. For us these are all practical go with a genuine request he will listen, even has to be rock-solid, so it’s on four points of solutions. Sennheiser have worked very hard if he doesn’t always agree. He has good, rigging and is guyed to the roof structure. tour for us, they liked the idea of what we wanted clear vision of what he expects; he’s not Dave Rowe from Artform Ents is the rigger. to do, put the mic in the corner of the lips, wishy-washy, he’s always thought it through.”

a small windshield, all these things can be There’s also the water gag at the end, on done, you just have to find the right person.” It’s a big departure from what you had on a tank of water 6ft wide, 3ft front to back, Radiohead. “Yes, I’ve never done a show and 2ft deep, and the water needs to be Radio mics run on the Sennheiser G3 with a Mark Fisher set before. But I applied warm. We started with a circulating system: the receiver is the new EM2050. my usual process - I stuck my nose in swimming pool-type heater system. It failed “It’s well made with a nice in-built PSU and everywhere. This set was designed direct by two hours before the first show. Yes, she did aerial splitter - all good.” A man who loves Mark; between him and Tony [Bowern] at have a few choice words that first night. his job - he’ll never be short of work. Brilliant (another new relationship for me), Now we have a three-phase 63A heater. It’s I found everything I needed to know. Brilliant a feat of science, especially if we’re playing Production are not cheap, but make good product.” on top of an ice rink. Why? Because we heat I couldn’t let this pass without a quick chat it to 50° four hours before the show and to production manager Richard Young, the Halpin mentioned the initial desire to restrict then allow the water to cool. If it’s still too man who stitched together the ecological trucking costs? “We did try without a rolling hot as the finale approaches we have a big aspirations of Radiohead last year, and stage. When we set up rehearsal in Nice it bag of ice on standby.” produced a coherent production plan that quickly became apparent it wasn’t practical fulfilled them. “I was looking for a gig, then to use venue stages. Alicia singled out the I think he meant a big feat of art, not science. in the space of one week I had calls from problem when one of her stilettos slipped Which is where we came in; this show is three independent production managers - down in the gap between the boards. Now a composite whole, none of the elements they’d all put me forward for this gig.” we have an extra truck and a rolling stage within the presentation live within their own rented from Litestructures. Load-in starts at skin, all contribute to a greater whole: Art. Flattering, but did that mean all three were 6.00 and the stage rolls into position around called ahead of him and for whatever 1.30; it takes between 1.5. and 2 hours to reason couldn’t take the gig? “Yes. But we build the set. ADDITIONAL ONLINE CONTENT all go through that at some point. I spoke to Marshall Arts, and then got a call from Young continues: “Trim height is my biggest View Baz Halpin’s lighting schematic online at: Roger Davis. We had lunch the next day issue. The static trapeze hangs from a box www.lsionline.co.uk/Jun09 and I was hired 45 minutes later.” truss; it needs to be 36ft from the stage online.co.uk www.lsi

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