Chauvet on Tom Odell’s Jubilee Road
- Details
Controlling the 15-universe show is a ChamSys MagicQ MQ80 with a Stadium Wing and a PC Wing Compact. A double-draped backdrop ties this multi-faceted panorama together.
“I have been working with Tom Odell across the world in many venues,” says Beardsmore. “When he asked me to devise a new design to take out on his Jubilee Road Tour, he pretty much gave me free rein. However, he had a red drape backdrop that he wanted. I didn’t want to be stuck with that for the whole show, so I came up with a design that allows me to switch between a mixture of red and cream backdrops through the use of rotating double-sided drapes and kabuki drop. This lets me have the plush red backdrop Tom wants, plus a clean canvas for other songs.”
Beardsmore is using this canvas as the backdrop for a far-ranging lightshow anchored by 12 Maverick MK2 Spot, six Maverick MK3 Wash and eight Maverick MK2 Wash fixtures, along with six Ovation E-910FC and six Ovation E-930VW ellipsoidals.
The MK3 Wash and MK2 Spot fixtures in the rig are double rigged on three pre-rig truss structures with four spots on top and two washes below them. These structures travel as stacked floor skids on the tour. At the start of the show, the structures are hidden behind the red drapery. Emanating from behind he drapery, side lighting from these fixtures creates an air of expectation, especially when it illuminates fog.
Beardsmore uses six of his Maverick MK2 Wash units as key lights. Tucked discreetly on the floor, these fixtures are angled at 45° behind the band members. The remaining two MK2 Washes are used as front fill on the downstage edge. Angled as they are, the washes add a greater sense of depth to the stage.
The Ovation fixtures in the Jubilee Road rig are being used for both shadow and silhouette effects.
“This tour has been a great experience, and I’m grateful that Tom has trusted me to complement his show with the best design and ideas that I have,” says Beardsmore. “For me, it’s been great fun to push the design process.”
(Jim Evans)
