A team from Dublin-based Spectrum Productions led by David Lawless and Jack Quirke supplied a large quantity of Robe moving lights rig for Belters Only at Dublin’s 3Arena.
On the lighting plot were over 100 Robe moving lights: 52 Robe Tetra2’s, 12 TetraX’s and 32 MegaPointes comprising most of the moving lights, joined by strobes, some other profile moving lights and 10 x 30-Watt lasers.
The lighting design was based on a 10-metre diameter circular truss centrepiece, which was flown vertically in front of a large LED screen masked into a spherical shape.
Four two-metre upright truss sections in front of the riser were rigged with the 12 TetraXs, providing effects to fill the space where there was no screen and for dramatic backlighting for guest vocalists and dancers using the space in front to perform.
Twenty-eight Tetra2s were rigged around the perimeter of the large circle. More were on four floor-mounted vertical truss towers measuring three metres and six metres respectively and positioned left and right of the circle at different depths. The balance of the Tetra2s was distributed between two horizontal 3-metre truss sections also downstage left and right, with two fixtures on the front rail and three on the back of each truss section.
A six-metre truss circle flown directly above the DJ riser was rigged with 12 MegaPointes, with another six of Robe’s moving spot light on the two six-metre vertical towers, three each on the three metre verticals, with another three each on the ground trusses.
“We wanted the Terta2s specifically to frame the large circle which was the epicentre of the action and the stage design,” explained Lawless. “The idea was to make this circle pop out into the audience in a series of completely unexpected ways!”
Lawless liked the Tetra2 optics, “Mastering the atmospherics is key to getting this style of lighting design looking properly amazing,” he noted. On this occasion, they didn’t use the Flower Effect, but he added, “It’s great to know it’s there when needed.”
He appreciated the brightness of MegaPointes, he says that being able to go from the tight pencil shaft to the “high volume” fat beam is “super-handy”. “Our goal was to produce a properly immersive show and lots of mayhem for Belters Only, and these fixtures were great for this,” he stated.
The lighting installation was coordinated on-site by chief lighting tech, Emmet O’Donnell and the Spectrum team. An Avolites Arena was used for lighting control, which Lawless commented was an “excellent choice” as this show involved a high degree of busking and improvisational operation together with some timecoded moments.
Spectrum also supplied the LED screens and a d & b sound system, together with a substantial amount of pyro, SFX, as well as the aforementioned lasers, while Shane Fogarty and the gang from Emerald Isle Rigging worked tirelessly to get everything in the air in time.
