GLP provides Killer effects for Steven Douglas
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Now in the midst of the Wonderful Wonderful world tour, he has been exploring new dimensions and challenging perspectives by introducing GLP’s hybrid JDC1 strobe to his toolbox, along with the GLP X4 Bar 20 battens, to help maintain the band’s status as being one of the world’s leading touring rock bands.
Whereas on previous albums there has always been jumping off points such as artwork to inspire the design, he says that this time the process began while the band was still recording. “Therefore, we were able to start with a clean sheet.
“We knew there would be Las Vegas references as it’s such a huge part of the band’s DNA. Once the set designers, Fireplay, were onboard, we moved quickly through their initial sketches and added things to it.”
He admits that the X4 Bar 20 is a fixture he has wanted to use for some time. “I needed something almost scenic in appearance which could virtually wash the stage, as other than the front truss I have no conventional wash lights in the rig.
“With the large amount of video surface in use I went for a lot more beam orientated fixtures, so we built the pod structures and lined them with X4 Bars. They are extremely versatile so I knew I could get a full wash from them as well as a narrow beam - and I was able to replicate some of the ‘Vegas-style’ Bulb / Marquee chases through them to capture the old casino look down the Strip. It also became the perfect fixture to outline our upstage video triangle/pyramid because it was so low profile.”
As for the JDC-1, this entered the picture when Steven was investigating various LED strobes. “This fixture was recommended by a couple of people,” he says. “Christie Lites sent me one to try and I loved it straight away.”
In total Steven commandeered just under 100 of the X4 Bars, deploying 68 on the overhead pods, and the remaining 26 framing the upstage ‘pyramid’ video screen. The 33 JDC1 heads are divided into 12 for the over-stage, eight on the front truss and 13 mounted on pipes set around the band.
The world tour, which included two shows at London’s 20,000-capacity O2 Arena, has so far only visited the US and UK, with Christie Lites supplying inventory Stateside and Neg Earth picking up in the UK.
(Jim Evans)
