Avolites integrates lighting and video on Coldplay

Coldplay’s lighting designer Nick Whitehouse and show designer Bryan Leitch specified a Diamond 4 Vision console to control all lighting, video and visual effects for the current Coldplay “Twisted Logic” world tour, which is now in full swing on its summer UK and European outdoor leg.
Lighting equipment for the tour is being supplied by leading rental company Siyan in partnership with Dutch company Flashlight. Siyan ordered the two brand new consoles for the occasion from Avolites.
Whitehouse, who is also out operating the tour, said: “The D4 is my console of choice now – I use it for all my work.” Whitehouse cut his lighting teeth on Avolites Pearls, which he loves. He describes the D4 as “a massive step forward for integrated lighting and video control ... but retaining all Avo’s trademark hands-on features”.
The D4 is fully loaded with 8 universes of DMX, including large quantities of moving and generic lights. Assorted video sources are also being run through the desk triggered via the new Radical Lighting NG1 high definition digital media server.
Avolites worked closely with Whitehouse and Leach prior to the tour starting, and made some special software customisations specific to their show. They also supplied software developer Oliver Waits for the duration of the rehearsal period to ensure everything ran smoothly.
The bulk of the lighting rig is hung on twelve ‘randomly’ positioned two metre trusses, rigged all over the roof, each containing three SGM Giotto 400 CYM spots and an Atomic strobe. The four upstage from most of these are on a vertical plane and on vari-speed Cyberhoists that move them into several different positions to make fingers, fans and other patterns.
The rest of the flown rig includes 12 Vari*Lite 3000s on TV-style Pantograph moving arms, supplied by Desisti, DMX controlled and also running through the D4. On the front of each Pantograph is a 2-lite Molefey unit.
Leitch and Whitehouse decided to go for something a bit different, and after much searching, discovered three antique Mole Richardson 10K fresnels abandoned in the dark recesses of one of AC Lighting’s equipment dumps. They had these reconditioned internally and brought back to life. Their classic exteriors give the stage a filmic feel, and they’re also mounted on Pantographs, and are lowered in to light the forestage, emitting a fabulous, rich tungsten glow.
There’s a series of Mole Richardson 5K fresnels on the floor to match the overhead fresnel look, used to produce all-enveloping low level colour washes.
The floor is a ‘forest’ of lights in its own right! Lighting the back cloth and the band are seven V*L3000 washes. A foot in front of them are another 8 V*L3000 spots for beam looks from the floor, plus another 7 Atomic strobes with colour changers utilised for strobing through the band. 8 B5/2 Syncrolites are used across the 50m wide stage for large beam looks into the stadium.
(CD)