Hannah Montana - Mobile Production Pro

lightingcQ & AcMatisyahu Hits the Road with 311Opening Act Gets Headline Level ProductionClay Paky’s Alpha Spot HPE1200 fixtures gave a headlinerlook to Matisyahu’s recentroad trip where the Hasidicreggae rapper appeared in supportof Omaha alternative rockerband 311.Known for blending traditional Jewishthemes with reggae and rock sounds,Matisyahu is most recognizable for beinga member of Chabad-Lubavitch,a chassidic group of Judaism. As such,Matisyahu stands out for wearing thetraditional clothing of Hasidic Jewsand not performing on the Sabbath.Since 2004, he has released two studioalbums as well as one livealbum, two remix CDs andone DVD featuring a liveconcert, and a number ofinterviews. Through his shortcareer, Matisyahu has teamedup with some of the biggestnames in reggae productionincluding Bill Laswell and duoSly & Robbie. Since his debut,Matisyahu has received positivereviews from both rock and reggaeoutlets. Most recently, he wasnamed “Top Reggae Artist” of2006 by Billboard.Recently, Omaha alt-rockers 311 announcedan extensive 42-date U.S.tour, tapping Matisyahu to open mostdates. The team began touring togetherin St. Louis on June 28. Fromthere, the tandem weaves throughoutthe country, logging numerous performancesin the Southwestern, Midwestern,and Northeastern regions of theU.S. Finally, the tour will wrap withassorted West Coast dates in cities suchas San Diego, Santa Barbara, and SaltLake City.“A lighting packageis generally the last thing a supportband is allowed to bring along,” noteslighting director and operator, MarcJanowitz. “But for Matisyahu it wasan edict. Still, the support slot posedsome interesting challenges: We weretrying to bring headline-level productionto a stage that belonged to somebodyelse. And there was very littletime to set up; we had to get lightingon fast and off fast.”Janowitz retained some of 311’s overheadrig but supplemented itwith a “pretty sizeable package”consisting of 10 strobeson the floor and eight ClayPaky Alpha Spot HPE1200s on four rolling sidetowers which illuminatedthe band on the floor andon risers upstage.“We needed a fixturethat could cut throughdiminishing daylightwhich is often the challengeof playing outdoorvenues in summer,” he notes. “I alsoneeded something diverse. I’ve employedthe Alpha Spots before so Iknew they could be used for a profilesharp-edge texture then simply byadding the integral frost it would be awash-like fixture. Its linear zoom, from10-40 degrees, would also provide agood spread with a short throw.”12 Tour Guide Journal