The more things change, the more they remain the same. Before there was even a European Union, Metallica was bringing aggressive thrash metal into the mainstream. This month the legendary California band begins an extended European tour, shredding the continent through May 2018. While the music is Metallica’s unique brand of traditional metal (and may it never change), lighting technology and control has come a long way since Metallica’s first gigs. The tour uses 50 Solaris Flare LED fixtures, and DMX distribution based around four ProPlex IQ Two 1616 Ethernet-DMX nodes, all supplied by Premier Global Production (PGP) of Nashville, Tennessee.
“The Flares are used 99% of the time for blasting the crowd,” says Geddy, PGP’s Design Manager. “Located atop the main center cube structure and cable bridges, we’re hitting the audience all night with whites and saturated colors. About one-fifth of the Flares are the new brighter Q+ version, which we find mix perfectly with the original Flares. The Q+ Flares can be calibrated to match the earlier generation units, but we found that simply running them in their ‘Theatre Mode’ works just fine; you can’t see the difference between the old and new. Even with the Flare Q+ ‘padded’ a bit, we have all the brightness we need. And what you would expect at a Metallica concert. We have two other rigs out with Flares at the moment and we’re always looking for more. We can’t get enough of them!”
Geddy adds, “A large part of our data networking is handled with ease by four ProPlex IQ Two 1616 nodes. We’re using 18 universes of DMX for lighting alone, plus additional data for video and motion gags. These ProPlex units have proven their worth on the road, simple to operate yet very powerful; built rock solid and extremely dependable.”
The LD for the tour is Rob Koenig, and Dan Braun is the Production Designer. Lighting and A/V for the tour is provided by Premier Global Production. For 20 years, PGP’s lighting division has provided lighting and staging equipment for the greatest musical acts in the world. Committed to quality and unsurpassed customer service, PGP’s lighting division offers a wide array of lighting fixtures and innovative equipment. Their staging division offers outdoor stages of all sizes. Both lighting and staging divisions include an outstanding, expert, and professional crew base who have earned their stripes on countless tours. Find out more about Premier Global Production at www.premierglobalproduction.com.
In the four years since their introduction, Solaris Flares have become a staple for lighting designers worldwide. With incredibly smooth dimming, vibrant colors, and many useful control options, the new Flare Q+ has all the features of its distinguished predecessor, plus the added benefits of Solaris’ new and revolutionary Q+ Technology™. This proprietary LED driver technology almost eliminates fan noise, while increasing brightness by over 40%: Up to an amazing 52,000 lumens in the classic 96-LED rectangular format of the Flare Q+, and 58,000 lumens in the new Flare Q+ LR 108-LED linear unit. In “Theatre Mode,” the Flare Q+ is effectively silent, yet still 8% brighter than the original Flare. All Flares now have a calibration function allowing precise matching of intensity and color between Flares of any vintage, a particularly valuable feature in the rental market.
TMB is exclusive distributor for Solaris Flare and ProPlex Data Distribution. Learn more about these and other outstanding products at www.tmb.com.
