USA - Fans got an unexpected surprise near the end of Bassrush Arizona’s closing slot. Headliners Black Tiger Sex Machine shocked everyone when they tore off their glowing tiger masks and performed the final 10 minutes of their show bare-faced.
Matching the sounds with an equally dynamic visual background was a distinctive lighting design by Luis Torres of HiLite Designs powered by 164 Chauvet Professional fixtures supplied by Hardwired Productions.
Torres used this power-packed rig to immerse the entire venue in intensely bright light. At times this light was made of monochromatic washes accented by splashes of white and amber. During other passages during the one-day festival the immersive light was created by video displays, geometric patterns, and laser beams that hurled their way over the entire dancefloor.
“The venue here really enhanced the design,” said Torres. “Tall, trim and very adequate load capacity rigging allowed us to hang production throughout the crowd, and over our stage. The venue gave us a lot of opportunities to create big impressions.”
Torres flew six pods loaded with fixtures across the upstage deck. This not only made the 168ft-wide stage appear wider, it also engaged fans with intense crowd lighting. There were four strobes in each pod, and eight on the video truss, while the remaining units were spread out throughout the floor on house trusses.
The strobing firepower in Torres’ rig came from his 36 Strike Array 2 and 18 Strike Array 4 fixtures. Also in the mix were 68 Color Strike M and 42 Maverick MK3 Wash fixtures. All of the wash units were spread out over the crowd, creating immersive venue-wide washes and also moving to the bounce of bass drops.
The end-to-end lighting was instrumental in connecting the crowd to the performers. “I wanted everyone to feel a part of this,” said Torres, who added he also tried to make the entire show “feel like a party.”