Two leading Croatian music artists – rock band Prljavo Kazalište and pop singer Tony Cetinski – double headlined in a special annual concert event in Zurich’s Stadthalle Dietikon, organised by Croatia-Media Organizacija (Croatia Media Organisation).
A striking lighting show was programmed by Sven Kučinić who works regularly with Prljavo Kazalište. Tony Cetinski does not currently travel with an LD, so his management asked if Kučinić could also take care of lighting the show. Robe is always his first choice of moving light.
Sometimes the brand is not available for a gig but on this occasion, in addition to the house lighting rig which includes Robe LEDWash 800’s and ColorSpot 575E ATs, the event’s lighting supplier was Swiss rental and event production company eventattack, which has invested heavily in Robe in recent years so Kučinić was, “like a kid in a candy shop.”
The rig featured 12 Robe LEDWash 800’s, 16 LEDBeam 100’s and 16 Pointes, which were hung on the house bars in a relatively conventional set up. The versatility of these fixtures “make even an ordinary rig come to life in numerous ways” commented Kučinić, although his zeal for the job, experience and sharp programming skills also helped.
10 of the Pointes were hung over the stage and the other six were located upstage behind the band. The LEDWash 800’s were rigged as front and rear lights and the LEDWash 100’s were arranged in a four by four matrix, which added substantial depth to the relatively shallow stage space. Kučinić was also able to programme a number of sphere like looks which gave the impression of the beams shooting out of a great ball of light.
He was able to provide two completely different and unique looking shows for both artists.
Kučinić’s favourite Robe fixture right now is the Pointe: “It is still a game-changing fixture which is instantly recognisable on any show and I have not encountered a better fixture in this class although there have been countless attempts to try and copy it!” he confirmed.
He also stated that he feels the LED Wash series has set an “unbeatable” standard in LED wash lighting, even though the original luminaires have now been on the market for some time.
The only other fixtures on the rig – apart from white lights – were some strobes, but these were rarely used.
Kučinić programmed the show in one intense marathon eight-hour session – on an MA Lighting grandMA2 console – after he arrived directly from the airport. “I wanted to get the absolute maximum out of my favourite lights, and I knew I would be able to do it as they are so reliable!”
After running the show, he grabbed a couple of hours sleep at the hotel and then caught the plane back to Croatia – making time, and using it efficiently, the biggest challenge.
The organisers were so impressed with the results and the light-show that eventattack are now going to become the regular supplier for all their shows in the area. Kučinić, who has worked on this concert a few times before with different Croatian stars, said: “I have watched eventattack grow and more forward in recent years as well as deciding to take the Robe road”.
Kučinić has been using Robe since the start of his professional lighting career. Over time he’s worked with several other leading brands, but has kept returning to Robe. “The reliability of the products is quite incredible,” he stated.
His impression of the brand now is that it’s a premium choice: “Any company using Robe is immediately recognised as being properly professional.”
Kučinić is based in Zagreb. He works prolifically on concert tours, events and musical theatre and also has his own medium sized rental company, LumiLas LLC, which specialises in lighting and lasers.
His professional career kicked off properly after studying sound engineering at college, but lighting has always been his passion since a child, together with the emotional responses that light can bring to performance situations.
His very first lighting job was as a 14-year-old volunteer at a local theatre where he had the chance to work with DMX control and conventional fixtures.
His technical knowledge is mostly self-taught and his imaginative inspiration comes primarily from the music. He believes that audiences are touched not just by the music, the acting or the drama, but by a whole range of sensations which can be evoked and enhanced with the appropriate application of technologies. “Lighting is an essential part of this process,” he concluded.
