eclipse provides full service for Avicii
Published: MEA
UAE: eclipse Staging Services was called in to supply the audio, video and lighting equipment for the recent Avicii performance at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The gig also called on the services of eclipse Group sister companies Stage FX and Laser Grafix.
Staritng with audio, eclipse called on a DiGiCo SD8 for control with Waves SoundGrid and Waves Maxx Bass BCL running at FOH. The main system was a combination of 28 d&b audiotechnik J-series, 16 V-series which were all fully ArrayProcessed, 16 J-sub and six J-infra. Coms was via Clear-Com Freespeak II.
‘We made significant use of our new d&b DS10s which allowed us to transfer PA feeds and R1 system control via our Lake LM44s to the DS10s and amplifiers via Dante with a primary and redundant backup over Cat-5,’ said eclipse head of audio, John Parkhouse. ‘We used SPDIF to AES converters on the DJ mixer which meant that the signal stayed in the digital domain from source through FOH and to the amplifiers. This resulted in a significant and notable quality to the sound.
The rig was also fully ArrayProcessed,’ he continued. ‘Our d&b systems never cease to amaze us in their depth of quality with every nuance crystal clear throughout the entire frequency range and the spatial stereo field being vast. The J-Infras, in particular, were notable in giving the tangible feel of energy in the air and various VIP platforms. With a full capacity audience in such a large hall, the sound really was absolutely incredible.’
On the video side, eclipse provided a pair of 7m x 7m 6mm pixel pitch IMAGs, an 18m x 7.8m 9mm back wall and a 6m x 3m booth facia. The nature of the venue meant the supplied system needed to be altered from Avicii’s rider. ‘Video screens were reduced slightly as the rider called for more headroom ideally which just wasn’t possible in the trade centre,’ explained Duncan Shortt, project manager for eclipse. ‘As such the IMAGSs were trimmed down from 6m wide x 9m high. Even these were big for the space available both in terms of height and overall width of the hall.’
The lighting rig ‘was a very well balanced design with a solid mix of wash, spots, beams and strobes,’ continued Mr Shortt. The eclipse lighting crew deployed 55 Atomic Strobes, 62 Clay Paky Sharpies, 27 VL 3500 Wash FX, 18 Mac Vipers and 38 Molefays all controlled by a GrandMA 2 desk.
On the effects side, Stage FX set off 10 MagicFX CO2 Jets, 10 MagicFX Flamaniacs, four MagicFX Confetti Blaster XLs, four MagicFX Stadium X-Treme Streamer Shots and nine PTX Pyro systems to accentuate the powerful moments in his tracks. ‘As was to be expected from Avicii’s last ever show in Dubai, special effects played a huge part in his performance,’ recalled Stage FX’s general manager Arran Hopkins. Adding another dimension to the show, Laser Grafix was called in to provide a laser show fit for a final goodbye to Dubai. The show called on 144W of RYGB Phaenon Laser projectors and a Pangolin Laser control system.
‘From a technical perspective, the Avicii tour walked into a show ready rig the evening they arrived. That they spent less than three hours updating lighting positions, tweaking the PA to their specific needs, and finalising the pixel maps to suit their content output is a great indicator of how comfortable they felt with the set up,’ concluded Mr Shortt.