Twiddle at the historic Strand Theatre in Providence, Rhode Island
USA - Late in 2016, research agency Gallup conducted a survey of jam band fans to determine the “approval ratings” of different groups. The Vermont-based quartet Twiddle earned the highest score, even edging out fellow Green Mountain State stars Phish. Although the first-place finish might have surprised some, it wasn’t particularly shocking to the legion of Twiddle fans that turn out to see the band play at festivals and music halls from Maine to California.
Twiddle has recorded upwards of 50 EPs as well as multiple studio albums, but for the band’s true fans the greatest pleasure comes from seeing them perform live. Joyfully blending reggae, funk and rock, with some spirited dashes of hi-def shred thrown in, the band takes fans on a carefree journey, where a delightful surprise seems to wait around every musical bend.
Adding to the magic at a recent Twiddle performance was a free-ranging Evan Antal-designed lightshow anchored by Chauvet Professional Rogue fixtures, supplied by KTR Lighting.
Antal, who designed for Zeds Dead and several others before he set aside lighting full time to pursue law school, rolled into the historic Strand Theatre in Providence, Rhode Island with a floor package of eight Rogue R1 Spot fixtures. Happily for him, he encountered a house rig that included six Rogue R2 Spot and four Rogue R1 Spot fixtures, as well as eight Legend 230SR Beam units. Meshing his package with the house rig, he created a lightshow that brought the entire 104-year-old venue into his client’s embracing performance.
“The show at the Strand was particularly rewarding, because the rig was perfect for the room,” he said. “Old theatres are fun to light, with all their character and texture, and it was a joy to have a rig at my disposal that had enough oomph to make the room explode but wasn’t overkill. I have found that the rigs that have the most balance, and complement the room the best, are the ones that bring the biggest smiles. It’s not necessarily the ones that are simply bigger by fixture count or some other measure of firepower.”
(Jim Evans)

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