On Friday, July 10, Grateful Dead tribute band Scarlet Begonias performed the iconic group’s classic hits at the Columbia County Amphitheater. John Berret of Quest Sound & Productions lit the show with an all CHAUVET Professional rig that featured 20 Rogue and COLORado fixtures.
The concert’s organizers set up tables 10-feet apart from one another, allowing only fans who came together to occupy each restricted zone. Distancing did not seem to bother the mask-wearing fans, as they enjoyed the music together at this drive-in-show-minus-the cars.
Berret did his part to convey the “spirit of The Dead,” by busking a free-flowing light show. “You can’t really do a totally programmed time-coded show with these guys,” he said. “The set list isn’t written in stone, so you can’t be sure what they’re going to play next. Plus, songs are played differently, so you have to be able to get the feel of what’s happening and change with the flow. There are lots of dynamics in the music which need to be complimented with dynamics in the light show.”
Yellow and magenta colors created with the rig’s four Rogue R1 Beam, four R2 Spot, four Rogue R1 FX-B, and eight COLORado 1-Tri IP fixtures, evoking psychedelic imagery, dominated the design. “It felt good painting the stage and the air with a bright coordinated color scheme,” said Berret, who used his ChamSys PC Wing with an Extra Wing to run the two-universe show.
The Rogue R1 Beam and R2 Spot were stacked in alternate patterns on upstage cases, being used for specials, backlighting and aerial effects. Spaced evenly across the downstage deck, and creating a wall of light between the band and the crowd, were the Rogue R1 FX-B units, while the COLORado Tri 1-IP were flown on downstage truss.
“From a lighting standpoint, this was business as usual,” said Berret. “We wanted to create an immersive display that engaged people and heightened their enjoyment of the music.”
Setting up the show, however, was anything but business as usual. “We set up with only two people, both of us wearing facemasks all the time and never working side-by-side,” said Berret. “It took way longer doing things this way, but this is the reality of set ups today. Overall, our company has been extremely fortunate during these times. While we’re not doing the business we traditionally do, we are booked every week with drive-in shows and installs.”
