NASHVILLE – There is a common thread running through dance and lighting design, two art forms that rely on movement, sometimes subtle, more often dramatic, to tell stories and convey emotions. This connection is beautifully evident in the compelling design that Matthieu Larivée and the team at Lüz Studio created for Jason Aldean’s 31-city Full Throttle Tour, which began May 23 and concludes October 4 at the iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach.

Working with a rig from Bandit Lites, Larivée and his colleagues deftly moved video and lighting elements through carefully choreographed steps that would do any ballet company proud. Virtually every design element in this production was in motion at one point or another, from the CHAUVET Professional COLORado PXL Curves, which Larivée said “waltzed slowly to the music” in three songs, to the 49’x 19’ Upstage video wall, as well as panels on the 52’ x 3’ riser, and 52’ x 8’ border, all of which were married in motion.  

“We designed this, so the video header could go down and meet the band riser video fascia,” explained Larivée. “The entire band riser is on stage lifts, so it can rise to meet the wall as well. This configuration creates another canvas for us to work on mid-stage. We vary the relative size of the two walls depending on the content we want to create.”

The Lüz Studio team uses this dual wall arrangement to hide the band at the top of the show. By having the two walls, the team is also able to create a variety of compelling backdrops that place Aldean and his band in a variety of unique (and very immersive) settings. So, while the artist and his musicians may seem to be performing on the stage deck for one song, they appear to be in the middle of a Detroit Diesel truck’s front engine grill in another, before being transported to the top of a tractor for a third number.

“Since the name of the tour is ‘Full Throttle,’ we wanted to have something revved up for the show, which is why we have truck backdrop,” said Larivée. “Also, Big Green Tractor is one of the highlight singalong moments in the show, so we wanted to do something special for that.

“We did this by merging the two screens,” he continued. “We were able to create the bottom part of the tractor on the riser video, while we used the US screen to create the windshield.  Since the entire band riser is on stage lifts, we were able to raise the band 12’ high for Tractor scene.  We also used it for the descent, in the next song.  We decided to show the mechanics of the lifts and create virtual hardware around this element to make it cohesive.”

The massive upstage video wall itself had a captivating 3D look. Lüz Studio created this effect on the wall (which was not a blow-through) by positioning pods with Maverick Storm 2 BeamWash fixtures in front of the panels.  “We had a metal mesh in front of the pods that refracted light from the Mavericks when it was directed downstage,” said Larivée. “When the pods were lit from the side, it created an opaque fascia. So, it was very versatile.”

In addition to the COLORado PXL Curve and Maverick Storm 2 BeamWash units, the Aldean touring rig features 42 Color STRIKE M motorized strobe-washes, which are arranged on the floor of the band riser. “They give us a powerful wash, and they’re also great to punch through the design with their tubes on some hits,” said Larivée. “We also used them offstage to extend the design into the house. The amphitheaters on this tour are so wide that we sometimes lose the size of the production.

“Getting this intricate design aligned and scaling it for different venues is no easy task. “The great LD Andy Knighton, who’s at the helm each night, and Pierre-Luc Bedard, who led the lighting design for Luz and programmed it deserve all the credit in the world,” continued Larivée. “As always, Dizzy from Bandit Lites was very helpful and supportive.”

Like any impressive, choreographed work, this design has a lot of moving parts, noted Larivée. Those parts are coming together seamlessly on The Full Throttle Tour because talented production partners, like great dancers, are working in harmony.

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CHAUVET Professional offers innovative professional lighting fixtures for the production and touring market as well as permanent installation in theaters, hospitality venues, cruise ships, clubs, television and architainment applications.