When it came to creating a high impact floor package for one of the most important rock bands of all time, Queen, industry renowned lighting designer Rob Sinclair turned to the high output beam of the Clay Paky Sharpy.
Sinclair created a powerful lighting spectacle to equal the band’s legendary status for their Queen and Adam Lambert world tour. Using 23 x Clay Paky Sharpys provided by US hire outfit Upstaging, Sinclair created a dynamic floor package that matched the high-energy showmanship of the band.
“The lighting design on this tour had to start big and get even bigger,’ explains Sinclair. “It needed to do justice to Queen’s extensive and wonderful production heritage. I needed lights that could deliver huge looks and which had the capacity and versatility to make those looks go even bigger.’
The gold painted set, designed by UK show architects Stufish, featured a 30-foot square of WinVision 9 LED screens by VER and a giant automated “Q’ whose tail flipped down to create the show’s B-Stage.
“The show is very high and very wide,’ continues Sinclair. “It looks very imposing and there is a lot of light on stage. To really push this look to its extreme I created a ground package whose light would beam upwards and meet that coming from above. I chose the Clay Paky Sharpys for this because their beam just cut through all the other light onstage to create a clear layer. You get the effect of a much larger light inside an exceptionally compact fixture.’
The Clay Paky Sharpy has so far featured in a range of Sinclair’s designs including his rigs for Miley Cyrus, Peter Gabriel and Bloc Party. The low power source and lightness in weight make the Sharpy in particularly a great touring product, says Sinclair.
The Queen and Adam Lambert tour features the two original members of Queen, Brian May and Roger Taylor, who play alongside American singer Adam Lambert who rose to fame on the 2009 series of American Idol. The tour is currently completing its North-American leg before moving over to Australia and Asia.