Katy Perry recently kicked off “Witness: The Tour’ in support of her eponymous fifth
album, her third number-one album on the US Billboard 200. Claypaky Scenius
Unicos and Scenius Profiles are prominent in the tour’s lighting rig having been
selected by the show’s producer and lighting designer, Baz Halpin of Silent House.
The multi award-winning Perry is one of the best-selling music artists of all time
chalking up sales of 100 million records globally. “Witness: The Tour’ runs from
September 2017 to August 2018; it began in North America and will move to Europe
and Australia/New Zealand next spring and summer, respectively.
The tour marks the first time Halpin is using Claypaky’s Scenius range. The stage
design is dominated by a 130-foot eye-shaped LED screen, and Halpin was given the
brief to “create big, strong, powerful looks that would complement and work with the
shape and power of the screen.’
To that end, he’s deploying 80 Scenius Unico and 50 Scenius Profile fixtures supplied
by Upstaging. “Their power and versatility made them the perfect choice to stand up
to the intense light coming from the LED screen,’ says Halpin. “As we had 130-foot
lighting trusses with a single fixture type on each we needed a fixture that would be
versatile enough to create a multitude of different looks.’
Halpin calls the Scenius fixtures “the work horse of the rig,’ which function “in all
positions as aerial effects, key lights and follow spots. They have been incredibly
reliable and resilient.’
He also has Claypaky Mythos on the upstage circle ring as aerial effect fixtures
upstage of the bi-parting LED screen doors.
Working with Halpin on tour are associate lighting designer/programmer Eric
Marchwinski and programmer/board operator Drew Gnagey.
Francesco Romagnoli, Claypaky area manager for north and latin America, added,
“Baz is a great designer, and we’re always pleased to see him us our fixtures. We
have also been a mainstay on Katy Perry tours and are proud to once again be such a
large part of her rig this tour.’
