Pretty Lights returns to the stage with their A Trip Thru Time Fantastic tour after several years away. Lighting designers Robert Fuller and Jake Roeber have created a dynamic and immersive visual concept featuring 113 CHAUVET Professional fixtures as key elements of the lighting design.
Pretty Lights made their live comeback at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, marking their first live performance since their 2018 show at Red Rocks. From the moment they opened with their new track, Vigs Drop, fans once again experienced the energy and distinctive musical style that define the group.
The show brought together constantly evolving music, imaginative scenery, a powerful stage presence and a lighting design seamlessly integrated with all these elements.
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Lighting designers Robert Fuller and Jake Roeber created richly layered visual looks that evolved with the music, adapting to changes in intensity, texture and atmosphere throughout each performance.
Our designs reflect Pretty Lights' music, which is richly layered and constantly evolving. There are so many sonic elements working together to create one cohesive sound, and the lighting should reflect that complexity as effectively as possible. Also, because these shows are not limited to a single 90-minute set, we have plenty of time to explore the capabilities of the rig and fixtures. Sometimes we discover unexpected effects that end up becoming intentional moments in the show, explained Roeber, who operates the lighting live through busking.
To create these immersive atmospheres, the design team used 113 CHAUVET Professional fixtures, including 70 STRIKE V tilting strobe-colour washes, 10 COLORado PXL Curve 5 arrayable LED battens and 33 COLORado PXL Curve 12 motorised battens.
"OnServices supplied the CHAUVET fixtures and the rest of the lighting equipment, while Beware provided the video equipment. Both vendors did an excellent job, and we are extremely pleased with their collaboration", stated Fuller. "All the STRIKE V fixtures are distributed across 12 towers at different heights, ranging from approximately 60 centimetres to 2.44 metres. We wanted plenty of flexibility and multiple options for pixel mapping the rig. This arrangement allowed us to use the STRIKE V fixtures and COLORado PXL Curves as an extension of the video surfaces".
Roeber takes advantage of the colour rendering capabilities of the COLORado PXL and STRIKE V fixtures when busking the show. "I try to match the colours to the tone and emotion of each song", he explained. "Is it happy? Sad? Uplifting? Mysterious? Earthly? Otherworldly? I try to find a colour or range of colours that fits those feelings".
When the band moves in and out of improvisation, we may add or remove colours from the mix, or leave them as they are. Everything depends on what happens in the moment. Just like the music, all the visuals are performed live. Nothing is pre-programmed or synchronised using timecode – it's 100 percent improvisation!
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In addition to colour, geometry plays a fundamental role in shaping the show's visual design. "The design itself incorporates spaces, angles and curves, so even when projecting light through the structure, different slices of light naturally emerge and interact with one another", explained Roeber. "The result is a massive light source resembling a spaceship, capable of moving and bending at will. And when you break the whole design down into its individual elements, you discover that each one is visually powerful enough to stand on its own as the centrepiece of a moment in the show".
Following three nights at The Capitol Theatre, the A Trip Thru Time Fantastic tour continued through festivals and later moved on to various concert venues, beginning with three performances at The Fillmore in New Orleans from November 6 to 8.
As the tour progresses through different dates, we will modify the rig configuration. We have three different configurations of this design. When I first started conceptualising the show with my design partner John Adamo, my goal was to make everything as mobile as possible. That is why we use towers on wheels and pre-rigged truss structures. With our A, B and C configurations, we can reduce the rig's footprint to suit each venue. At The Capitol Theatre, we used the C configuration, explained Fuller.
Although the lighting configurations may change throughout the tour, one thing will remain constant: the hard work and dedication of the technical team behind the production.
Fuller expressed his appreciation for the work of Pedro Pradenas, Chris Sommerville, Peter Schmidt, Rich Cano and Roy Bowling. Another aspect that will remain unchanged is the essence of the show. True to its name, regardless of the venue, it will continue to offer audiences a fantastic trip through time.
Photo credits: © Brittany Teuber
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