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Harford Sound illuminates “Augusta After Dark” with Chauvet

The team at Harford Sound has set up stages in all kinds of places over the years, but none was quite like the site they worked at for “Augusta After Dark”. A signature event at this year’s Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, the evening gala took place at an upscale private estate near the Augusta National Golf Course.

As the ritzy home was never intended to host a one-hour show by a multi-Grammy winner - Dave Matthews - for 500 VIP invited guests, the question where to put the stage quickly arose. The answer: over the swimming pool. This arrangement required more than a little fancy footwork on the part of production managers Evan Kirkendall and Steve Wozniak along with their team at Harford Sound and their partners in this project - Squadra Media and Film, and Stephanie Holland.

“It was a challenge building a stage and tent structure on top of a swimming pool”, confirms Harford Sound’s lighting designer Gabe Odachowski. “What this meant in terms of lighting was that there were pretty strict restrictions with the weights we were allowed to hang off the tent. This called for multiple redesigns until we finally found a one that met the weight requirements, but still popped.”

Odachowski and L2 Oliver Nelson used a collection of 66 Chauvet Professional fixtures taken from Harford Sound’s own inventory. “We had thirty-six Storm 1 Hybrids and thirty Outcast 2X Washes in the rig, which gave us plenty of options”, says Odachowski. “We used the hybrids for soft beam sweeps and added some layered gobos for depth, while the washes helped us shift colors smoothly to match the mood of each song during the performances.”

For Dave Matthews’ acoustic performance, Odachowski went with soft stage washes and subtle color changes. “Since it was a stripped-down set, I focused on creating a warm, intimate atmosphere”, he says. “We went with slow movements and a nice wash of color and texture across the room beyond the stage. Our goal was to keep everything subtle and supportive of the music without being distractive. The same rig served double duty the following night with Sofi Tukker headlining.”

In addition to immersing the crowd inside the tent with light, Harford Sound lit a photo booth area outside the main party tent with Colorado 1 Quad fixtures. The photos taken with a display of Mini Coopers provided guests with keepsake souvenirs.

(Photos: Chauvet Professional)

www.chauvetprofessional.com

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