American heavy rock band Tesla has cultivated a loyal fan base over the last 30
years, playing an unpretentious, blue-collar style of music that hard rock audiences
love. For an ongoing tour that started in January, band lighting designer and
creative director Ignacio “Iggy’ Rosenberg is using an Elation rig to complement the
band’s big rock sound and surprising (to some) long list of hits.
“The main thing was they were venturing into having more of a production for the
first time in years, so we were trying to be cautious about spending too much, but
also giving them as much of a show as we could,’ commented Iggy, who has been
working with the band for the past three years. “This was a great tour to
understand the concept of providing something that was inexpensive, but not
cheap.’
Working from a short production timeline, Iggy chose Platinum FLX™ hybrid moving
heads, ACL 360 Matrix™ LED moving head panels and Protron 3K Color™ strobes to
light the show, along with other gear. “They’re a straight up rock band, so much of
the lighting tends to follow the drive of their songs,’ he says. “That being said, the
more they saw and liked, the more freedom they gave me to keep pushing things.
They’re a fantastic group of guys and definitely know what they don’t like or don’t
want to see.’
What the band does like are the high impact looks from Platinum FLX hybrid movers
that Iggy has located about seven feet off the ground on amp carts. “They really
have been a surprise since I had never seen them before,’ the LD says of the
20,000-lumen multi-functional fixture that can operate as a beam, spot or wash
light. “I think they are incredible lights. I am really happy with the light quality
coming out of them and they have a really crisp beam and flat field of light.’
Teamed with the Platinum FLX fixtures on the amp carts are Protron Color LED
strobes, which have a varying role in the show. “I pick the moments when I want
impact,’ Iggy says. “I don’t want to abuse the audience the full show and exhaust
them so they live in a pocket at 25% most of the show as a set piece. They just
glow with some colour to fill in the negative space and tie in the flown rig with the
floor lights. But then they pop up at full intensity as blinders and strobe every now
and then.’
Located behind a rather expansive drum kit on riser boxes along with some of the
Protron strobes are Elation ACL 360 Matrix LED moving head panels, which the LD
says he uses more as a set piece than lighting. “We couldn’t pixel-map them
because of the fast turnaround, but it’s in the books for the future,’ he explains.
“They produce these nice fat beams and fill out a lot of the space in between.’
Supplying the Elation gear for Tesla’s shows is production services company Sure
Sound & Lighting of Grand Island, Nebraska, whose Larry Suhr and Jeremy Wann
the LD thanks “for putting up with my endless demands.’ Tesla will be playing dates
across North America through the rest of the year.
