PRODUCTION PROFILE: Bruno Mars
Below: Clay Paky Sharpys created intense beams of light as part of the design by Cory FitzGerald.
(in silver), 45 Martin Professional MAC Auras, 27 GLP impression X4 LED moving heads, 20 Martin Professional Atomic 3000 DMX strobes, 14 Solaris Flare LED strobes, 30 Martin Professional Stagebars, 12 Philips Color Kinetics ColorBlaze TRX LED fixtures, one Supernova Novalight search light, 276 Chromlech Elidy PX100 active tiles and 26 Chromlech Elidy PXX9 power supply units. For additional atmospheric elements, two MDG theOne haze generators, two Martin Professional Jem ZR44 hi-mass foggers and two Martin Professional AF-1 Fans were utilised on stage. Jim Petrusson, the tour’s Lighting Crew Chief, has been with lighting vendor VER since March, following 15 years in the industry. “They’re a great company to work for,” he stated. An electrician by trade, his introduction into the industry was accidental, yet he’s thrived off life on the road ever since. Although not involved in the lighting design or operation, the one-time mechanical engineer noted: “Clay Paky has really made a big name for itself in the last couple of years... I know we have a lot of Sharpys on this rig, and with that product, Clay Paky really have nailed it!” FitzGerald added: “We were tasked with creating a world for Bruno and his band to inhabit. Bruno has a lot of sounds and pushes past a lot of genres, so he needed an environment that would accommodate all his music. The lighting fixtures help a lot with that.” The versatile Sharpy Washes are “used for everything,” he said. “They’re the main wash for the show, and we have 36 overhead and 20
six on the floor. We built a ceiling, and the Sharpy wash 330’s are so small that they can be recessed in it and still shoot through. They also have a great zoom range and can do amazing beam effects,” he added. “It’s great to have the option to go super wide or super narrow. The fact that they can colour mix is a life saver.” Francesco Romagnoli, Clay Paky Area Manager for North and Latin America, commented on the products used: “We’re very proud to have so many of our fixtures on this tour and are impressed with the great work that Mr. FitzGerald has done.” GLP’s impression LED Moving Heads were also a must-have fixture for the tour. Fitzgerald had 27 Impression X4’s built into the retrostyle set. The LD explained that he has worked through several generations of GLP’s premier LED fixtures over the years - starting with the original impression 90 and RZ 120 Zoom. “I think the X4 is a natural progression - and a great fixture for tight places or smaller shows,” he said, adding that the compact size has enabled the fixtures to be built into the mirror ball, as well as being used inside the band risers. “They are great lights - very fast and bright and work well alongside the video elements and discharge lamps,” he continued. “It has a great zoom and I particularly like the fact that there is a separate white LED.” Another big part of the show was the Solaris Flares, of which a total of 14 were used. FitzGerald noted: “The flares are not only incredibly bright, but also incredibly versatile. Their unique design allows them to be a blinder,
a wide but directional washlight, and a powerful strobe, all while combining colour mixing and white LEDs. They are a truly powerful new tool!” CONCERT SOUND The Clair Global tour is outfitted with dual DiGiCo SD7’s at both the FOH and in monitor world, both running redundant Waves Soundgrid servers. Each desk has two SD racks for individual control of preamps and is connected via digital Optocore fibre cable - a big change from the 2011 tour. FOH Engineer Derek Brener is sending Madi lines direct from FOH to the record rig - handled by Charles Moniz - who records 96 channels into an Avid Protools rig, seamlessly. Brener is managing a total of 108 physical inputs for the eight-piece band consisting of two drum kits, bass, guitars, multiple keyboards, a B3 organ, plenty of vocals, horns, playback, and a couple of talkback mics. Bruno Mars’ band have been out on the road with the artist for the last couple of years and the current line up is: Phillip Lawrence, (back-up vocals) Phredley Brown, (lead guitar, backup vocals), Jamareo Artis (bass guitar) Eric Hernandez (drums) Kameron Whalum (trombone), Dwayne Dugger (saxophone), James King (trumpet), John Fossit (keyboard, piano). Resembling a larger, modern take on The Jackson Five, the backing group channels the likes of Prince, Luther Vandross and Stevie Wonder throughout the duration of the show. Brener has been a DiGiCo fan since Mars’ first run in 2011, and stepped up to an SD7