Rapper 21 Savage recently completed his 22-city “Numb The Pain” tour, which featured the CHAUVET Professional Rogue RH1 Hybrid as the main lighting fixture for his stage.
Lighting designer and technician for JDI Productions, Megan Alksninis, selected the fixture as the best fit for the tour.
“Looking at Savage’s style and stage presence, I decided I needed something versatile for this tour, which is why I selected the Rogue RH1,” said Alksninis. “The RH1 is a hybrid, which gave me the flexibility to switch from a beam to wash look seamlessly. My overall look can be summed up as ‘the brighter the better. I use my RH1 hybrids to their full potential and make sharp beams for Savage’s intense songs. However, Savage is a multifaceted artist, and when he switches to a soft tone I transfer to the many gobo and prism options that the RH1 Hybrids provide.”
The most vivid manifestation of Alksninis’ design occurs during 21 Savage’s performance of his current hit “Rockstar.”
“This is the most notable song on the tour,” said Alksninis. “Savage collaborated with Post Malone on the song. In its beginning, the song fades in slowly, so I found that the best looks can be achieved by using the Rouge RH1 Hybrids used for washes and gobos. Then as the song builds in intensity, the lighting gets bolder with bright beams.”
Throughout most of his show, 21 Savage doesn’t stray very far from his favored downstage center position. Alksninis factored this into her lighting design.
“Savage is surprisingly mellow in terms of not moving far from downstage center,” she said. “So, I had to walk the line between not being distractive with the lighting, while still being vibrant enough to engage the crowd. I did this in part by positioning the RH1’s to create big static positions throughout the show.”
Alksninis positioned her four Rogue RH1 Hybrids on custom built lighting carts at a height of 6-feet. This was ideal, she says for back and side lighting her client and for large crowd sweeps.
