The lighting scheme for AWOLNATION’s tour was provided by Mitchell Schellenger from Station Six, LLC and included four types of Robe fixtures – CycFX 4s, Pointes, MMX Spots and PATT 2013s – supplied by LMG Touring, a full-service provider of audio, video, lighting and LED.
They based their final ideas on a nautical theme, so the stage set up started with the riser layout and the drum riser in the centre at 45°, resembling the bow of a ship. Mitchell then lined this with the CycFX 4s so he could create waves of light that could sweep across the set. Mitchell likes using linear fixtures and creating sheets of light, which is one of his trademarks. “The zoom capabilities of the CycFX 4 helped produced the ‘low glow’ effect I wanted as well as the ‘very cool’ waves of light.”
When Mitchell and Aaron were discussing ideas like porthole window effects, circles and colours, Mitchell immediately thought of the PATT 2013s. He knew they would bring a ‘perfect warmth’ that would cut through the largely cold basic palette of the show. During the show, the PATTs are held back and used as feature lights for significant moments in the set to make additional impact.
Wanting to keep rigging minimal and practical for the tour, but with as many different looks as possible, he knew he needed a ‘hybrid’ fixture, and the Pointe was perfect with its small size and massive brightness. It was THE fixture he needed to give the band a great looking and constantly changing show.
The biggest challenge in creating the design as a whole was to ensure that it would work with the great variation in stage sizes and spaces on the itinerary. They played a combination of sheds, theatres, clubs and festivals, so a rig that would scale up and down and still give all the drama and impact needed was the goal. He decided on different height vertical truss towers which allowed the rig to be expanded both horizontally and vertically.
This was Mitchell’s first time specifying Robe products as the primary fixtures on the rig and thinks Robe have become a major player in premium lighting manufacturer. “I was incredibly pleased with the looks I could create and I could get numerous effects out of all these very different fixtures, all from the same manufacturer, which was great.”
Running AWOLNATION’s lighting on the road was Lighting Director Andy May who worked with LMG’s Lighting Technician Chris Hill. The Production Manager was Bob Strakele and the Tour Manager Dan McKay. Jimmy Russo, LMG account executive commented, “We were using the PATT 2013s as the anchor of the design, the CycFXs lined the drums, while the MMX Washbeam provided a huge range of features. It looked really good yet took up such a small amount of truck space.”