IntelliPix-XT supports Heavy Entertainment

Europe - Robbie Williams’ latest European tour takes in all points east and west of the continent throughout the summer, culminating in two shows in the Russian cities of St Petersburg and Moscow in early September. Touring in support of Williams’ 11th studio album, The Heavy Entertainment Show, the production reflects the nature of both the artist and the album, mixing full-on schmaltz with in-your-face entertainment in an atmosphere that is cheeky, loud and proud to be brash.
In a design set to dazzle in keeping with the effervescent star, lighting designer, Mark Cunniffe, opted to use 200 Ayrton IntelliPix-XT LED matrix fixtures to line the front edges of the stage, which is – what else – star-shaped. “One of the major challenges of a stadium show is that 50%-60% of the show is played in daylight, before transitioning into night-time later on. The further north in Europe, the longer the sun lingers, so it is important that we have a visual show for that first portion of the show, as well as beyond into full darkness. Whether it was lighting-based or screen-based, I wanted something that would work in daylight and was looking for a punchy pixel-based source that provided really serious impact – which IntelliPix-XT does in spades!
“I wanted there to be no separation between the staging and the lighting. By rigging IntelliPix-XT on the front of the band risers, the main stage and the star shaped forestage, I could clearly delineate the three stage levels and tie in the overall look and feel of the show.”
Cunniffe had not used the IntelliPix-XT before so his choice reflects a good deal of faith in the Ayrton brand, “I was looking for a really bright parallel beam to accent and clearly define the star-shaped stage edge; it is clearly an important visual indicator of the show’s character. They did a great job.”
(Jim Evans)

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