Coldplay is out on the road with a Martin rig that includes the new MAC 2000 Wash XB luminaire.

 

Touring Europe and North America in support of their new album, Viva La Vida, the show uses no LED screens or crowd imag at the band's request. Lighting, set, and production designer Paul Normandale makes sure of that, opting for visual impact from video projection and Martin MAC 2000 Wash XBs, MAC 700 Profiles, MAC 250 Washes and Atomic 3000 strobes.

 

"Coldplay are a high impact band that require dynamic looks with lots of cues," Normandale comments. "The MAC 2000 Wash XB is used primarily as a rear wash light and is so bright it means I can use less than I would with other fixtures. Plus we trim at 48ft so I needed a wash that would reach with cover to spare."

 

The MAC 2000 Wash XB is a new 1500W Fresnel that takes the proven optical and effect qualities of Martin's MAC 2000 Wash and adds "even greater brightness (over 60,000 lumens of power), new efficient fans, ballast, starter and more".

 

Specific features of the XB that Normandale likes include its "sheer punch. They are very, very bright and compact," he says. "And reliability has been really good."

 

Coldplay opened their 2008 tour mid-summer in North America and hit Europe starting in September. This fall sees them back in North America before a string of shows in the UK in December. Lighting vendor in Europe is Lite Alternative with Upstaging handling the US leg. Video vendor is XL Video.

 

(Jim Evans)

 

http://www.lsionline.co.uk/news/?M8H66Y

Martin MAC 2000 Wash XBs, MAC 700 Profiles, MAC 250 Washes and Atomic 3000 strobes 1500W Fresnel 60,000 lumens XL Video :dizzy2:

Martin only chose it 'cuz it has Martin as a name

:dozey:

*shoots tomato at emma*

You kinda lost me on the first sentance there. I'm sure its Very.. Very.. Good :confused:

:cool: cool!

Sounds cool, but I have don't idea were they talking about :P

What a great way to make us all feel stupid!!!! I'll have to assume all that is some really cool stuff, as I have no idea what's any of that!!!!!! :sweatdrop:

umm...

 

awesome :D ?

:dozey:

*shoots tomato at emma*

 

*ducks*

Summit Steel on Coldplay world tour

 

 

UK - Summit Steel is supplying production rigging plus two automation systems and control for the European and UK sections of the current Coldplay Viva la Vida world tour.

 

Summit's Jay Call has co-ordinated the project from its Kent HQ, liaising closely with the touring crew including head rigger Gabe Wood and production manager Craig Finlay.

 

The supply includes a 26 way Kinesys variable speed automation system with K2 control and a 10-way Kinesys fixed speed automation system with Vector control; 46 1 tonne CM Lodestar hoists and eight half tonnes for lighting and scenic rigging, along with a further two 2 tonne and twenty 1 tonne hoists for the PA hangs and 76 cm and 52 cm JTE trussing.

 

Twenty-two of the 26 Kinesys vari-speed motors (being run in conjunction with Kinesys Elevation 1+ control units) are being used to automate a series of 'wave' trusses - four individual runs of bespoke curved ladder beam flown horizontally, each section with a slightly different curve. Together they create a sine wave effect, and move into different positions throughout the show.

 

The other four vari-speeds are automating two upstage trusses rigged with a series of drapes, soft goods and scenic elements.

 

The fixed speed system is used to fly five inflatable globes onstage, each with a projector mounted vertically at the top, pointing directly into the mouth of the sphere. The globes fly in and out during the show on the 10 half tonne fixed speed hoists. A sixth globe/projector is flown above the front-of-house position.

 

The 76m JTE trussing was specified primarily because they needed trussing with sufficient depth to carry the majority of the Kinesys hoists, the Elevation 1+s, control cabling for the automated systems and for some of the fixed system within the truss. This was to help expedite the get ins and outs.

 

The stage has two thrusts either side jutting out into the audience, and the normal stage set up features seven standard cross stage trusses, plus four offstage cable management trusses, two per side. Of these overstage trusses, two carry the vari speed hoist system for the four wave trusses, and one the fixed speed half tonne hoists flying three of the five globes.

 

Above the thrusts are two additional runs of trussing, each of which is used for lighting points with another wave truss suspended below. These are also utilised to hang two under-hung spot chairs per truss, and as a cable route to the two FOH trusses.

 

Jay Call comments: "With a band such as Coldplay, who are actively involved in all artistic elements of the tour, the show has continued to evolve and this has required regular re-thinks and adjustments. Needless to say, all of the tour personnel have risen to the challenge, shown much good grace and patience and have been a pleasure to work with."

 

(Jim Evans)

 

(29 September 2008)

 

http://www.lsionline.co.uk/news/?-2RP3BY

Lightfactor supplies Flowers for Coldplay

 

 

UK - Rental company Lite Alternative has purchased four Novalight Nova Flower fixtures from UK distributor Lightfactor Sales, which are in action on the UK and European legs of Coldplay's Viva La Vida world tour.

 

The Nova Flowers - a high powered fully programmable 'flower effect' with DMX controllable pan, tilt, colour shutter - are positioned upstage of the band, and used sparingly, but for some spectacular back lighting effects and aerial impact.

 

Mark "Sparky" Risk initially lighting directed the first legs of the tour (now taken over by Fraser Elisha), and he comments, "They create nice big aerial beams and because they move and change colour, are proving extremely dynamic."

 

Coldplay are currently touring the US with lighting provided by Illinois based Upstaging, who have also purchased four Nova Flowers. They hit the UK in December.

 

(Jim Evans)

 

(4 November 2008)

 

http://www.lsionline.co.uk/news/?-690HMQ

XL Video Gets Spherical on Coldplay

 

 

XL Video is supplying a substantial projection system, cameras, PPU, Catalyst and Hippotizer digital media servers and crew for the current Coldplay "Viva La Vida" world tour.

 

Working closely with Edinburgh-based Pufferfish, XL has also jointly developed 6 unique internally projected spheres - and steel cage housings - which are a major scenic feature of the show.

 

The show's inventive set and lighting was created by Paul Normandale, with video playback content specially commissioned and produced by Justine Catterall, technical support by Richard Turner and live video directed by Andy Bramley. Des Fallon is International account handler & project manager for XL. Normandale's brief included the instructions to come up with something new that avoided using LED screens, and so the idea of the projection globes originated.

 

Five 2 metre diameter globes are onstage, three attached to the two rear trusses (which are horizontal ladder beams shaped like waves), and the other two downstage left and right at the sides of stage, flown on two more wave trusses. All these move in and out during the show on a fixed speed Kinesys automation system. The sixth globe - 3 metres in diameter - sits above the FOH mixer position.

 

Each day, the spheres are attached to the steel cages which also hold the projectors pointing vertically downwards, plus all the inflation technology and fans. The onstage ones are fed by 5 Barco CLM R10 projectors and the FOH one by a Christie 20K, all fitted with specially made fisheye lenses.

 

Playback content for all the globes is supplied by 3 dual head output Hippotizers complete with a special plug-in to make the projections 360 degrees, bend the images and get them the right way up. At 1400 x 1050 pixels, it's HD material in a slightly idiosyncratic format, working on multiple layers, so the whole exercise is really putting the Hippos through their paces! The Hippos sit backstage, with operator Ben Miles running them via Zoo Keeper remote software from his grandMA Lite console at FOH.

 

There is also a 60ft wide screen onstage at the back that is fed by 4 Barco FLM HD18s rigged on a centre truss with a mix of Andy Bramley's IMAG and pre-recorded footage stored on a Catalyst. This is covered by a curtain which raises and lowers throughout the show depending on when the screen is being used.

 

The pre-cut camera images are sent from Bramley's GV Kayak mixer to Miles at FOH to be output to the globes via the Catalyst. All the media servers are triggered via the grandMA Lite running on ArtNet protocol.

 

Two high level 21ft wide 16 : 9 ratio side screens were added to the ends of the stage left and right side trusses a couple of weeks into the European leg of the tour, along with another two Barco HD FLM projectors.

 

XL's lead projectionist on the tour is Matt Vassallo, who runs out approximately 600 metres of fibre optic cable a day to the projectors and 1.2 Km of cable looms.

 

Andy Bramley is directing his second tour for Coldplay, and his mix is based on 4 cameras, 2 with long lenses stationed either side of the arena, and two in the pit.

 

He chose to have the units with long lenses at low height on the sides to create a real depth of field behind the artists, and also to produce a superlative ‘sea of hands‘ effect, for which he also had the side stage thrusts reduced from 6 to 4 metres in height.

 

He mixes using a GV Kayak switcher with a Magic DVE that is used sparingly to enhance a couple of songs. They do a full camera shot record every night and also a DVD wide shot record from FOH.

 

Bramley basically had a clean slate brief, with Chris Martin coming up with some ideas and suggestions which he took onboard and interpreted into the visual picture. Definitely different to a standard IMAG show, he's finding it rewarding to mix the band's highly authentic performance, with lots of movement, energy and feeling. "It takes a lot of effort to get it right, particularly with the images on the globes" he recalls, but the overall results, particularly when integrated with all the other visual elements - are creating a stunning, optically stimulating show.

 

http://www.ukslc.org/news/installs_and_case_stories/xl_video_gets_spherical_on_coldplay.html

Gimme more, gimme more .... it was love at first sight :laugh3:

 

*heads start burning*

I think he is trying to say they have really badass lighting this time around

What an interesting article. Thanks for posting!

Cool, I always loved knowing the technical side of things.

Coldplay on tour with Edinburgh puffers

 

A TINY Scots company has been picked by Coldplay to help spice up the band’s world tour.

 

Edinburgh-based Pufferfish - set up by two entrepreneurial students - specialise in the 3-D spherical TV screen globes called PufferSpheres.

 

Founders Will Cavendish and Ollie Collier came up with the idea for the inflatable display system while studying at Edinburgh University five years ago.

 

Since they started up their business - which employs just seven staff - their PufferSphere has been used at functions for Google, Standard Life and London Science Museum.

 

But they have just been given their biggest gig yet - for Coldplay’s worldwide Viva La Vida tour.

 

So far the giant TV screen globes have wowed crowds all over America but are set to return to their homeland when the band play a concert in Glasgow’s SECC next month.

 

Ollie said: “It is an amazing feeling to stand backstage and look out at thousands of people and know they are getting a new experience of a music concert because of us.

 

“You work so long and so hard on a project like this, to see the end product having such an impact is incredible.”

 

And the pair, both 28, said they had fun discussing how to make the 150-date tour stand out visually.

 

Will said: “Despite being such a famous band, the Coldplay boys were really down to earth, nice guys. They had lots of ideas about how they wanted the visual side of the show to look - they’re really creative.”

 

Pufferfish started out as an art project undertaken while Will and Ollie were studying at the University of Edinburgh.

 

But the pair soon realised the idea could provide them with an income and set about creating their business.

 

And after three years of trying to secure funding and make sure they were ready, Pufferfish launched in 2006.

 

Their gamble paid off because apart from their most recent assignment with Coldplay, they have worked with lots of other big names, including functions for Google and Standard Life.

 

The company’s innovative ideas have already been recognised by the industry, and were last year awarded the O2 Scottish Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

And it was thanks to these orders that PufferFish landed the lucrative deal with Coldplay.

 

Will said: “Coldplay approached us because they had seen the PufferSphere and wanted to find a way to try and make their concerts a more interactive experience for their audiences.

 

“Our units allow them to do that. They project live feed from the stage and are suspended over the crowd in a way that means every member of the 15,000 strong audiences is seeing the concert from a different angle.

 

“It means the crowd are having a more personal experience, despite the massive size of the arenas Coldplay perform in.”

 

And after working on their “most demanding job to date” - which included several 18 hour days - they were invited by the band to see their work in action in LA.

 

At one US gig, the audience even began chanting ‘magic balls’ at the start of the show in anticipation of the spectacle.

 

Superfan Laura Young, 57, was at the gig in Madison Square Gardens, NY and said: “The balls are really cool. I hope the company keeps working on them to make them even bigger and better! They are great options for stage performers who want to push the envelope in terms of their lighting design.

 

“It’s nice to see that Coldplay cares enough to make their shows different and eventful to their loyal fans.”

 

And it’s not just the fans who are impressed by the PufferSphere - Coldplay’s lead singer Chris Martin has showered the balls with praise since the tour kicked off.

 

He said: “We have got some incredible balls and I mean that in the most technological of senses. In fact, they’re the most magic balls since John Lee Hooker had about 50 kids.

 

“They’re like a light show you’ve never seen before.”

 

During gigs the balls have so far been used as monitors for close-ups of the band, turned into pumpkins to celebrate Halloween and used as a lyric prompt so fans can sing along.

 

Now, Will and Ollie plan to take the rest of their staff to see their hard work come to life when Coldplay visit Glasgow’s SECC at the beginning of December.

 

http://deadlinescotland.wordpress.com/2008/11/17/coldplay-on-tour-with-edinburgh-puffers-343/