At this year’s Elgin Ribfest in Chicago, local band 7th Heaven received the spotlight on the Bud Light Stage thanks to eight Rogue R2 Beams from CHAUVET Professional and a ChamSys MagicQ MQ40 console.
Zach Scott, the lighting designer for the group, created the lightshow and special effects for the evening.
“We perform at a lot of outdoor summer festivals in the upper Midwest, and the surest way to engage the crowd at these events is with intense aerials,” said Scott. “I like the output that I get from the Rogues (133,200 lux at 15 meters). Plus, their prism helps me create a lot of different beam looks to keep the show interesting, their colors are realistic and their pan/tilt movement is super fast.”
While the Rogues added to the aerial aspect of the show, the ChamSys MagicQ MQ40 helped Scott to alter the lighting looks onstage during the festival.
“I have been using the MQ40 for two years, and to my mind, nothing does morphing and cloning better or faster,” he said. “When it comes to fast changeovers and minimal programming time to clone and morph into rigs, I wouldn’t choose any other desk. The interface is extremely user friendly and I can get to anything that I need in a matter of seconds usually.”
In addition, 24 CHAUVET Professional COLORado 1 Tri Tours and eight overhead spot fixtures colorized the stage and provided top and back lighting.
“Once the sun goes down, the stage becomes a focal point throughout the park,” said Scott. “We want the stage to reflect the upbeat mood of the event. The Rogue Beams really project vivid colors, and his has to be matched on the stage itself. People come to an event like this for more than the great food and music, they want a whole experience – and the visuals on stage should be part of it.”
