Elation on the pace with August Burns Red
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Needing a compact yet powerful narrow-beam fixture that could keep up with the band on their 2019 Dangerous tour, which kicked off 24 January in Lexington, Kentucky, lighting designer David Summers chose 12 Elation DARTZ 360 fixtures, supplied by Squeek Lights, as the bread and butter of his design.
“It takes a lot to keep up with a band this fast,” says Summers, who’s been with the band just over a year and describes his lighting design as fast-paced, precise and large. “We needed a light that could move fast with a good mix of colour and effects options.” Using 12 of the 3-degree RGB DARTZ fixtures grouped across four towers of 5ft pipe in a straight line upstage, Summers put together an impactful yet artistic design that captures the emotion of the band and the energy in the hard-driving music.
“This set up yields insane positions, especially for universal pan/tilt cues,” the designer says, referring to the DARTZ’s continuous 360° pan and tilt capability. “I obviously love the infinite pan and tilt options with this light. But truthfully, I think it’s an awesome beam fixture that doesn’t eat up your budget but can absolutely deliver in any setting.”
The band also carries six Elation SixBar 1000 six-colour LED battens as side light along with six Proton 3K Color LED strobes positioned on the upstage deck. “These are my favourite for creating builds and I love using these while I’m transitioning between cues,” says Summers.
Antari Z-350 Fazers provide a canopy of dry haze for revealing mid-air beams while lighting control comes via an M2GO console with an M-Touch used as a wing.
Lighting vendor for the Dangerous tour is New York-based rental company Squeek Lights, headed by Victor Zeiser.
(Jim Evans)
