Six of the overhead trusses moved on a Cyberhoist system enabling Featherstone to integrate several 'automation lighting' cues into the show, whereby the trussing hardware moved while the lights onboard remained static and on. He is a huge fan of this fixture and the MegaPointe has been a 'spectacular workhorse' for many Lightswitch projects, be it a tour or a slick corporate show, and when it comes to needing huge adaptability, Featherstone declares that he doesn't 'know a fixture that does it better than the MegaPointe.'įor the Zimmer tour, MegaPointes were deployed all over the rig, along the top trusses and populating the three left-and-right side stage verticals, with a few on the downstage edges of the floor. He wasn't shy with the MegaPointes, adding 172 to the lighting plot! 'Robe makes really elegant luminaires, there is a very organic way about the way they look and move, and the colors are outstanding,' he comments. In creative terms, Featherstone's underlying quest was for the lighting to be 'musical' and that also brought him back to Robe fixtures. 'With this much energy and diversity onstage - from Wonder Woman to The Lion King - I knew I needed THE most versatile lighting fixtures, ones that could morph and change constantly throughout the set,' enthuses Featherstone, 'and Robe's MegaPointe was my go-to multipurpose fixture!'

Zimmer had arranged twelve vibrant new suites of his greatest hits to be played throughout the three-hour performance, using over 300 instruments in total with some numbers accompanied by an 8-member dance / chorus troupe choreographed by Barry Lather. It was the breadth, richness and detail of the music that inspired the team as a starting point for the lighting design. 'I was really fortunate to have such a fabulous team working with me, they really embrace collaboration and making this job great and rewarding!' he notes. The lighting team was rounded out with John's daughter Hailey Featherstone as lighting director and Chris Herman as programmer. 'Hans is a master at putting collaborators together,' states Featherstone, and in this case, hand-picked a team of experienced practitioners known for their flair and style, all of whom brought their own dynamics from different disciplines to the Zimmer-sphere. Featherstone and his team pushed for an all Robe moving light rig for the tour which started production rehearsals in Berlin with 250 Robe fixtures onboard ahead of the first European leg, with lighting equipment supplied by German rental specialist, Satis & Fy.įeatherstone explains how the design process originally started back in 2019 / 2020 with Zimmer curating his creative 'dream team' which included renowned Broadway set and scenic designer Derek McLane, video designer Peter Nigrini, choreographer Barry Lather, and of course, himself. Delayed due to the pandemic, but worth every moment of waiting, as the artist and a host of talented musicians - his 19-piece band and an orchestra - delighted fans all over Europe with outstanding performances.Īn eye-popping lighting design was delivered by John Featherstone from lighting and visual design studio Lightswitch. Iconic multi award-winning composer, producer and 'rock star of film music' Hans Zimmer hit the road this spring on a much-anticipated tour.

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