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Lucie celebrates 40 with Robe

Czech rock band Lucie celebrated their 40th anniversary with sold out concerts in four major cities around the Czech Republic - one in Brno, one in Ostrava, two in Prague, finishing up at the Logspeed CZ Arena in Plzen. Technical production was coordinated and managed by Smart Production, headed by Josef “Pepa” Zenisek.

The band’s lighting designer is Lukas Patzenhauer, and on his rig were twenty-four iBolts, forty-eight WTF strobe/wash lights and five BMFL WashBeams running on a 5-way RoboSpot system. Patzenhauer has been lighting the band for twelve years, and for this tour design, he worked closely with stage designer Michal Dvorak to create a big, bold and spectacular lighting aesthetic whilst also focusing on the dynamics of the music. Lighting equipment was supplied by Ostrava-based High Lite Touring, and it was the first time that Patzenhauer had the chance to use either iBolts or WTFs. 

Some iBolts were positioned on the floor - four below the stage revealed by moving grills above, and five a side along the upstage/downstage edges at deck level for side lighting. The remaining eight were rigged on a circular truss above the revolving B stage - also circular - in the centre of the arena. The fixtures were used extensively throughout the show for a variety of scenes and effects, including big rock looks to highlight dramatic moments and punctuations in the set.

The WTFs were positioned on three automated upstage lighting pods, arranged in a 3x3 matrix pattern, so nine per pod, with the remaining fifteen along the front edge of the most downstage of the mid trusses, pointing out into the arena for max impact. Patzenhauer used the WTF for strobing, blinding, pixel mapping and washing.

The stage design featured five separate slabs of LED screen. Four stage lift platforms - custom-built by Gradior - at the front elevated four of the band up and outwards towards the audience. On the B stage, connected to the main stage via a runway, were five industrial robot arms of two different sizes - normally found in the automotive industry.

The smaller robots were on the downstage edge of the B stage, with the larger ones on the upstage edge. They held two different types of objects - either circular mirrors or “diamond” deco pieces comprising a half sphere covered with cut mirrors. These were placed to create show-stopping effects in conjunction with being zapped by the iBolts on the truss above. The robot arms were used during six songs in the set.

The five BMFL WashBeams were on the front truss, where they could hit the band at acute angles without any unsightly light spillage on the stage. From both a creative and production perspective, this saves on having spot chairs and people on the truss, which is much safer and a more comfortable working environment for the operators.

Patzenhauer programmed the show himself using an Avolites D7 console. He had started his programming/operating/designing career using Avolites twenty-five years ago, and says he was very pleased to be reunited with the brand on this tour. He also purchased his own T3 Wing recently. According to Patzenhauer, Lucie’s 40th anniversary gigs were preceded by approximately one year of preparation.

(Photos: Marko Polasek)

www.robe.cz

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