When Heart returned to the road this year, lighting designer Carl Burnett set out to create a show that was both powerful and organic - a design that could fill arenas but still feel intimate in theaters and sheds. To get there, Burnett and the Heart crew relied on Gateway Studios & Production Services (GSPS) for both technical rehearsals and turnkey production support.

“The design had to be worthy of the rock legacy that is Heart,” Burnett explained. “At the same time, we wanted something beautiful that had an organic feel. That’s why the show is very drape oriented. All of the video content is projection-based, not LED, and it’s more about graphic movement than live cameras.”

That projection approach is anchored by a fleet of Barco UDX-4K40 projectors driven by a Disguise GX2C media server, all supplied by GSPS. A kabuki drop and a projected montage of Heart’s career highlights set the tone before the band takes the stage. “The projection gave us depth and texture without dominating the design,” Burnett said.

Lighting is centered on 101 Robe Forte LED moving lights, giving Burnett a unified look across the rig. “I wanted the system to be solely LED based,” he said. “Using the Forte as the backbone gave us a consistent beam quality and the luxury of gobos in every lamp.” The system, provided by GSPS, is rounded out with Robe LEDBeam 350s and Tetra2 LED battens, along with Chauvet Color Strike M strobes and Strike Array 4 blinders.

Flexibility was another priority. Built around modular trusses, the GSPS-supplied rig can expand to full arena scale or contract for theaters and fairgrounds without losing its identity. “It was important to all involved that the show be impressive while also fitting the budget - and at times feeling intimate,” Burnett noted. “Using drapes to create a theater feel let us keep the show consistent across very different venues.”

Gateway Studios & Production Services not only hosted Heart’s tech rehearsals at its St. Louis campus but also provided the complete lighting and video package, and crew. “Having Heart in our studios and then watching Carl’s design translate so well to the road is exactly why Gateway exists,” said Paul Owen, vice president of business development at GSPS. “Our role is to give designers like Carl the tools and environment to realize their vision - and to support that vision once the tour leaves our warehouse or studios.”

On the road, crew chief Bryan Marks works with GSPS technical design manager Adam Ellis to ensure the lighting and video systems are executed to spec every night. Together with Burnett, they’ve delivered a show that captures both the scale of Heart’s music and the intimacy of their performance.

“Keep it beautiful, keep it organic, and make it worthy of Heart,” Burnett summed up.