Rogues back Pigeons Playing Ping Pong
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The size of the stage didn’t matter much; breaking rules and flying off in wonderfully unexpected creative directions can take place in any space. The popular jam band provided proof of that recently when they improvised their way through two upbeat sets filled with energy and original musical turns.
Flowing with them on this freewheeling journey was their long-time lighting designer, Manny Newman. Described by the quartet as “the fifth member of the band”, Newman also proved that limited space is no obstacle to limitless ideas. His expansive show filled the stage and the entire venue with visual delights that included swirling custom gobo patterns and colour combinations that moved from dreamy pastels on white, to bold edgy mixes.
Helping him achieve these looks were the 18 Chauvet Professional Rogue fixtures in the band’s own touring rig. He positioned six Rogue R1 Spot fixtures across a 16-foot truss as part of his ground package, and hung 12 Rogue R1 Wash units on four grids that were placed across the truss. Working this road package with the house rig, he unleashed a stream of looks across the stage’s backdrop that invited imagination.
“Usually during the second set I like to do psych looks on the back wall for certain jams,” he said. “At Avondale, I did this with light and gobos rather that video, because I don’t like to shoot media in people’s faces.
Newman also made liberal use of white during the show, sometimes using it to envelop the band in a brilliant fan of light. “During peaks of jams I tend to go all white,” he said. “I like to look at the progression of brightness like the fret board of a guitar.”
