Kid Rock comes home to Motor City (photo: Todd Kaplan)
USA - Robe’s BMFL Blades and BMFL WashBeams were specified as a major element of the house lighting rig at the new Little Caesars Arena in midtown Detroit.
Crossfade Design’s Eric Wade specified the fixtures, while his team – comprising Jason Robinson, Michael Nevitt and John Early - coordinated the installation and programming of the new lights. The crew chose 36 x Robe BMFL Blades and 24 x BMFL WashBeams for their brightness and optics and flexible future sets.
They also chose Anolis ArcDots, 450 of which are mounted on the tensioned wire grid covering 80% of the ceiling and combine with 1,700 LED strips for a vibrant, dazzling environmental effect.
The BMFLs Blades are around the perimeter of the ice (for the ice hockey events), with the BMFL WashBeams rigged in the high corners of the building, all trimmed at around 100 ft. above the floor.
They needed a luminaire with a framing system to work along the edges of the ice or basketball court, which is why they picked the BMFL Blades. “I don’t think there’s a comparable framing system available in any other light,” Eric commented, adding that the framing is so fast that it can be used as an effect in its own right.
The BMFL WashBeams are used for the same basic functionality with the addition of the extra throw, especially when in wash mode.
The 22,000 capacity venue is home to the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings and the NBA’s Detroit Pistons and is also used for a wide range of concerts and events, serving as the cornerstone of a new sports and entertainment district in Motor City.
The new venue and its all-purpose lighting installation has already benefitted several events including six ‘homecoming’ concerts by Kid Rock.
His lighting and visual designer Nook Schoenfeld incorporated the house BMFLs into their lighting rig to ensure fans received an even more spectacular show.
(Jim Evans)

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