Garth Brooks continues his maverick “Man Against Machine’ tour which started in
fall 2014 and has been delighting his massive and loyal fan base. The immensely
popular multi-million album selling rock / country superstar is known for his
exciting live shows and amazing connection with his audiences, as well as for taking
a very active interest in his production and stage presentation.
The pressure is on for lighting designer Dave “Gig’ Butzler to keep the lighting rig
constantly evolving to ensure that Brooks’ extended touring campaigns are
constantly fresh and interesting for his enthusiastic public. Introducing Robe BMFL
Spots to the visual equation was the latest “upgrade’.
This move has enabled him to harness the intense power, throw distances and
effects of the BMFL Spots to boost the impact of the lightshow even further,
enabling everyone involved in the show to enjoy some new sensory experiences via
the lighting.
Forty-four BMFL Spots replaced the previous hard-edged spot moving fixture of
choice, and these are being supplied by Garth Brooks’ regular lighting vendor,
Bandit Lites.
When the show changed mid-way through 2015 to include a much larger LED video
screen – a cube measuring 40 ft. wide by 20 ft. deep on all four sides – they
needed a brighter luminaire to register and hold its own … and the BMFL Spot –
which Butzler had had his eye on for some time – was an obvious choice.
The BMFL Spots are located on the upstage and downstage trusses along the cross-
pieces of 10 x chevron-shaped triangular truss pods that move into different
positions constantly throughout the show … with the balance of fixtures on the floor.
They are used for massive beam looks, for potent and memorable gobo sprays,
fans, break-ups, etc., and for sweeping out into the audience and bathing them in
good quality light plus multiple other great effects.
Key lighting and “Painting’ the crowds with gobos, colour and other effects are
integral to the show as Garth also likes the cameras to pan around the audience so
they can all see themselves on the screen and feel completely involved with the
show.
Robe products made their first appearance on Garth Brooks at the start of the “Man
Against Machine’ tour when Butzler specified 48 x LEDWash 1200s, to be his base
stage wash units. He has been extremely happy with them, and when the BMFL
Spots were added to the rig, also upped the LEDWash 1200 count to 72.
Butzler is based in Nashville, Tennessee and has worked with Garth Brooks for 25
years, helping make his live high-impact performances some of the most colourful,
memorable and popular.
