With their soaring, distinctive harmonies and brilliantly crafted songs, the Hollies were one of the most important pop groups to emerge from the early 1960s British Rock revolution. In addition to being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, the Manchester group is, in fact, one of the few British groups of the era – along with the Rolling Stones – to have never disbanded.
For the recent German leg of their ongoing world tour, the Hollies turned to Lighting Designer Chris Taylor to create a visual concept upon which to perform hits such as “Just One Look,” “Look Through Any Window” and “I Can’t Let Go”. Responding to the design brief, P2 Veranstaktungstechnik supplied Taylor with 50 CHAUVET Professional Maverick MK3 Wash fixtures for his stripped backlighting rig.
“I wanted to achieve a show which complemented the Hollies’ music while putting focus upon the band,” commented Taylor. “What’s more, as the band travels with very little kit, it was of paramount importance to come up with a versatile and practical solution. The Mavericks were the perfect solution.”
Positioning the Mavericks from the front and rear trussing hung above the stage, Taylor exploited the 27 (40W) Osram RGBW LEDs, pixel mapping effects and CTO colour mixing technology to douse the stage in a pincer movement of saturated colour.
“I utilized the Maverick’s full range of colours and slow dimming curve to meander through various shades and tints, which was fantastic for ushering in gradual changes in mood and atmosphere,” continued Taylor. “As the Hollies have a predominantly older audience, the Mavericks allowed me to create some tasteful and dignified looks without being too flashy.”
With the large stage area of the 5,000-capacity Emsland Arena offering unhinged creative possibilities, Taylor also made use of the Maverick’s 5° to 29° beam angle, 7° to 45° field angle and 7° to 45° zoom angle to create a number of expanding and atmospheric visuals.
“I loved playing with the aperture of the Maverick to create almost a beam-like effect and combining it with the zoom feature,” continued Taylor. “This enabled me to quickly flip between tight beams for mid-air aerial effects, to wide and expansive sweeping wash effects over the band on stage.”
Thanks to Taylor’s intelligent incorporation of the Maverick MK3 Wash fixtures into his lighting concept, the Hollies are still rocking the British Rock and Roll invasion over half a century after the release of their first single in 1962.
“It’s an honour to have been able to provide a fitting set of visuals for such a legendary musical outfit,” concluded Taylor. “The MK3 Wash was absolutely instrumental in achieving this.”