Clay Paky Alpha Beam 300 fixtures are preparing to take Europe by storm with one of the most successful rock ‘n’ roll bands of all time. For over 30 years, AC/DC has been selling out tours worldwide and they show no signs of slowing down. Their current Black Ice World Tour, which began in late October in North America, supports their platinum selling Black Ice album, and the press has been raving about their incredible live performance. The European leg begins February 18 in Oslo and continues through the end of June, with dates constantly being added as the demand for tickets continues to increase.
The band’s high voltage rock ‘n’ roll could only be matched by an outrageous stage and lighting rig. Upstaging, Inc. supplied all lighting for the tour, which includes 48 Clay Paky Alpha Beam 300 fixtures, in addition to providing their Chicago facility to erect the entire rig in house for pre-programming. Lighting design was done by Patrick Woodroffe and Dave Hill. The design places the Alpha Beam 300s all over the stage, with 12 across the front of the stage, 12 on the backline and another 24 on the upstage truss.
Lighting Director and Co-designer Cosmo Wilson remarked, “We actually started out with 24 Alpha Beams, but were so blown away that we doubled them and now have 48. What is most impressive is the brightness. Also, I am a big ACL guy, and these are stunning for that purpose, the fact that I can make the beams tighter and smaller is excellent. I love that I can have gobos in a wash light! The speed of movement, color change and gobos is incredible – particularly the shutter speed”.
“I also like the fact that they look unlike any other light in the rig, so they really stand out and cut through everything else. And, since they are only 300 watts, they are not a power pig, so I can have even more. Add to that the fact that they are so lightweight, I can dot them all over the place. We have had them out now for over 4 months and my lighting crew seems to be extremely pleased with their hardiness. This is one of the most impressive lights that I have used in a long time, and I plan on using them frequently in the future”.
Francesco Romagnoli, Clay Paky Sales Manager for the American market, adds that “in the past few months Clay Paky and PRG Distribution have jointly invested considerable effort in promoting the products, and their work is producing excellent results. Clay Paky is one of the most in-demand and reliable brands, and is being chosen by many important rental companies and for some of the main worldwide tours. We’re proud to be out with AC/DC as this tour is the perfect show-case for launching our impressive new Beams”.
Tim Brennan, Vice President of PRG Las Vegas, adds, “I have attended the show twice as a punter, and it was tremendous to see the impact the Clay Paky 300 Beams had on the show. It is always super to see a product that PRG Distribution represents help a great artist like Patrick Woodroffe to paint his picture, as well as to assist a fine shop like Upstaging put out this package. Kudos to both Mr. Woodroffe and Upstaging.”