On September 20, 2016, AC/DC wrapped up the final show of their iconic Rock or Bust tour at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center. The band never appeared on the concert stage again… that is until they kicked off their Power Up tour on May 17th in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
For fans who packed the Veltins-Arena, it was well worth the 2,796-day wait! This much was readily apparent, the moment the arena lights went down and nine massive, raked video screens roared to life with a fiercely intense intro video. By the time the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Famers walked onto the stage, the sellout crowd was ready to embark on a super charged musical journey through the 24-song set.
This was exactly the kind of atmosphere that Patrick Woodroffe and Terry Cook of Woodroffe Bassett Design hoped to engender when they worked on the production design for this widely anticipated tour.
“We wanted the stage lighting and video to work together and feel as one,” said Cook, who is the lighting designer for the tour, whilst Woodroffe serves as its creative director. “We knew from the start that we would have screens that opened to allow the look of the show to grow. The show concept was to start with a video intro, something the AC/DC fans love and want. We want to make it feel personal to them, so we localize the video at each venue. When the show starts, our first camera shots are of the fans, as this tour is all about the music and the fans. As the show continues, we want the stage to grow, which why the video screens split and open – and realign for one big picture.”
Each of the production’s screens measures 9m by 4.8m. The upstage screen splits into three and the downstage IMAG screens into two. Lights fill the 2.7m gap between the screen sections. The upstage gap aligns with two overhead trusses so two lines of lights are visible when the upstage screen splits. This aligns with the three overhead lighting pods that have the same overall dimensions, creating symmetry.
Run by LD Cosmo Wilson, the light works hand-in-hand with the impressive video presence. Key to the lighting rig is a collection of 210 CHAUVET Professional fixtures supplied by Neg Earth. (The video was supplied by Screen Works, while pyro was provided by Innovative Pyrotechnic, and stage structure by Stage Co.)
The color palette created with the lights was selected to coordinate with the video. “The color choices created by Cosmo and myself were made to bring video and lighting together,” said Cook. “We see video as often acting like light in this show, so we treat it with the look color. We have video frames around the stage pods that often are controlled by the lighting system, so it reacts as one and we can match the color, the look and the mood. Cosmo does a great job with colors. I think my favorite moment in the show has to be ‘Rosie.’ This is a Magenta / Cyan song and it’s so much fun to watch Cosmo run live.
“This is a live show for lighting and video, so both Fraser Walker, our screens director, and Cosmo have to be in sync to make it work,” continued Cook. “The video screens themselves have a number of elements displayed on them. This was overseen by Creative Director Patrick Woodroffe. We have a few logos that match album covers of the past. We have a number of custom videos that tie the reason behind the song to the live show. Of course, we use them for IMAG and treat the video with notch, the show is beautifully captured on camera by Jhonny Hays.”
Like all such spectacular creations this show is the work of many hands, notes Cook as he makes it a point to include lighting/Video programmers Joe Bay-and Michael Hankowsky (Earlybird), production director Dale Skjerseth, technical designer Wonder Works, Scenic Constructor Tait Towers, stage designer STUFISH, and lighting design drafter Aiden Bromley in his list of collaborators.
Helping to weave together this multi-faceted visual panorama and connect the band to the crowd are 78 of CHAUVET Professional’s Color STRIKE M motorized wash-strobes, 108 STRIKE 1 blinders, and 24 STRIKE 4 units.
“We are using the Color STRIKE Ms on the front and IMAG trusses,” said Cook. “They are wonderful for color hits and big strobe moments. We also have them on the ladders at FOH and between the screens. Having the tilt function on a vertical position like this is very useful.
“The 108 STRIKE 1s are arranged in an end-to-end run, top rigged on the front truss, “ continued Cook. “The design I wanted was all about large, faced fixtures. AC/DC is a big and bold band –and the Strike 1 has an old par can feel about them, so they really are a statement look when we turn them on.”
Lastly, noted Cook, are the Strike 4 units on the audience tower, “They get the far corners of the venue to make sure we really can light up the audience,” he said, adding that there is a cue in the show called “let there be light.” That is when the rig is turn up all the way… 100-percent!
Cooke explains that this is a point in the show that “Angus loves,” as he enjoys seeing the crowd and venue in the moment. As fans are letting him and the entire band know every night, it is a moment that they love too.
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