CONCERTS Copyright Lighting &Sound America September 2010 http://www.lightingandsoundamerica.com/LSA.html uitar Heroes A top team gets together G to support Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Centre By: Sharon Stancavage t’s the best show on the more, it’s hard to argue his point. Clapton’s tours), with technical planet,” says associate The event is the Crossroads Guitar direction by Upstaging’s John production designer and Festival, which took place at Huddleston. The event was created “I programmer Eric Wade. With a Chicago’s Toyota Park in late June. by Eric Clapton to support his lineup that includes Eric The event, which was produced by Crossroads Centre for the treatment Clapton, Steve Winwood, Jeff Upstaging Inc., of Sycamore, Illinois, of addictions in Antigua. The event’s Beck, John Mayer, B.B. King, ZZ Top, featured production design by Dave main stage featured more than two the Allman Brothers, Buddy Guy, and Maxwell (also known for his work on dozen performers; the Guitar Center n i k t a N l u a P / g n i g a t s p U : s o t o h p l l A Above and right: The main stage by day. For this year’s event, Dave Maxwell was responsible for the graphics as well as the production design. 76 • September 2010 • Lighting &Sound America www.lightingandsoundamerica.com • September 2010 • 77 CONCERTS especially live festivals, manage to used them,” notes Wade. “It’s a very “Compared to the Clapton tours that consoles, they adjusted the front-of- achieve: Everything went ahead of cool light, which we used for stage I’ve been doing both in the US this house and monitor footprints accord - schedule on every level that day,” and audience washes. It was one of year and in Europe—which were ingly. And when the 13-hour show Maxwell reports. the units that Upstaging recom - arena tours—the side array was began, the space was necessary. mended to Dave.” significantly bigger: 12 boxes high, as “We had up to three consoles at a Lighting The spotlights were the final major opposed to eight per side,” says Bob time, so they just rotated through— The design was based on what element of the lighting package. “We Weibel, a Clair system engineer. you were always at least two bands Maxwell and Wade were doing with used 14 Lycian spotlights—eight in “Amplifier-wise and speaker-wise, it’s ahead in terms of what was actually Clapton before the event. “We more truss, or six upstage and two pretty much a standard patched in.” or less doubled the touring system, downstage—and some Gladiators out arrangement,” he adds. Each side of To make sure that everything went then added a bunch of video front,” notes Maxwell. the main PA contained 12 Clair I5 smoothly, Weibel took part in elements, side lighting, and audience From a lighting standpoint, the cabinets, 12 I5bs, and 12 BT-218 extensive pre-production planning. “I light,” notes Wade. The audience show had three phases tied to subs. Eight I3 cabinets were used as made it a point to be in touch with lights—Martin Professional MAC different times of day—daylight, front fills. everyone in well in advance of the 2000 Washes—were hung in the twilight, and night. “During the day, In addition, says Weibel, “We show, and collected all the input lists stadium on two 100' trusses. In we used pastels and light colors, arranged for Mountain Productions to for all these bands,” he says. “I also addition, there were “three curved things that would read on camera; provide two delay towers, which we had a checklist to work down in The video, which consisted of 32 Martin Professional LC Panels, extended into the trusses stacked on top of one basically, we just painted a picture for used to make the back of the venue regards to inquiring about micro - wings. another,” explains Maxwell. daylight on TV,” says Wade. As the work a bit better. We had six of our phones, wireless, monitors, in-ear A variety of lighting gear was weather changed throughout the day, R4 four cabinets on each tower.” The monitors, and so on.” Village (see sidebar) included a out soon. found on the stage. According to so did the lighting: “When we had key to making the delay towers With so many artists on stage, variety of vendors who let patrons “We got together a great team,” Maxwell, the rig “consisted of a shadows, we could go with nicer, happen was management, he notes: the list of microphones was long and literally play with their gear, and take says Huddleston. Key to the team quantity of [Philips Vari*Lite] VL3000 richer colors.” Twilight was a “Production was not only willing but varied, and not all of them were part in guitar clinics; this area also was Tim Rozner, the site and stage profiles and washes, VL3500 FX transition time where “we did a few committed to doing whatever it took supplied by Clair Global. “Vince Gill featured another stage, sponsored by manager. “Tim handled the show Washes, and a large number of more looks with the automated lights to get the best sound possible.” brought in his stuff complete, from Ernie Ball, the maker of guitar strings with military precision—backstage, it [Martin Professional] MAC 2Ks dotted to give it a bit more depth, and did a For the show, Clair Global top to bottom; John Mayer was on and accessories. The event was also was like the flight deck of an aircraft throughout the audience and the little more on the video screens,” provided two DiGiCo D5 consoles for tour, so he brought his complete filmed, and had limited cinema carrier. The sold-out show achieved stage, as well as low-to-medium- Maxwell says. The nighttime acts the front of house and two for package, and Robert Randolph had release in July; a DVD is expected something that few shows, resolution Martin LC panels.” The featured full-on lighting and video monitors. In addition, says Weibel, his own stuff,” says Weibel “The sizable equipment list also included with all the bells and whistles. “We used a Midas XL88 at the front Allman Brothers were not on tour, Altman single-cell cyc lights, ETC During the almost 13-hour show, of house as the master summing but they managed to bring in some Source Four PARs, and a bevy of Maxwell and Wade divided up their console, and there was a smaller mics that were unique to their Molefay fixtures. As for the rest of the duties. “Dave basically handled all the Midas Venice, which served as a setup.” The microphones used for gear, Maxwell and Wade relied on the key lights and the audience, and I did production console.” The XL88 Clapton were, of course, the tour vast inventory at Upstaging, creating all the main stage and video,” accepts only line level inputs, and is microphones. Overall, the workhorse a winning combination of hard-edge explains Wade. commonly used in festivals like of the microphone stable was a and wash fixtures to fill in the stage Maxwell and Wade ran the show Crossroads. “It is a four-rack-space product from Shure. “You can’t go and audience. on two High End Systems Road Hog console,” adds Weibel. “We could wrong with a Shure SM58,” he says. One new unit that Wade Full Boars, the console that was used combine it into a rack with some CD The length of the show was a bit discovered during Crossroads was originally to program Clapton’s tour. players and CD recorders; we had the of an issue for Weibel and his crew. the Robe 2500 AT Spot. “It’s a really “A lot of the stuff I do is on the Hog,” Venice console on top, basically for “it probably represented the single nice hard-edge light; I was very says Maxwell, “Eric likes to use a walk-in music.” biggest challenge of the day— impressed with it,” he says. The [Martin] Maxxyz a lot, but he’s very Despite the available gear, Weibel dealing with a 12-hour sound check Robe units, working along with some good on other consoles as well.” It says, “Quite a few of the bands were day and then a 13-hour show day,” units from Philips Vari-Lite, were an was, in fact, Wade’s first time on a on tour and brought their own he concludes. integral part of the camera lighting. Road Hog. “It did great,” he says. “I console and/or monitor system.” “The Robes and [Vari-Lite] VL3000 have no complaints about it. I’ve run Just how many artists did so? “It Graphics and video Profiles were on the side towers and the Hog III a couple of times and it’s looked rather like a console Maxwell, a veteran of several the PA towers downstage—we used the same as programming that.” showroom,” he adds. The models Crossroads Guitar Festivals, had an them as camera key lighting in brought in by various artists included expanded role in the production this CTO,” Maxwell says. Sound a DiGiCo SD8, three Avid Profiles, time around. “For this one, I was The design team also had BB4 The sound rig, provided by Clair and an Avid Venue. responsible for all video content for LED fixtures, made by the UK-based Global, of Lititz, Pennsylvania, was Because Weibel knew how many show and the sponsors,” he explains. company i-Pix. “It was the first time I also based on Clapton’s current tour.