LOS ANGELES - One of the most anticipated country music tours of 2006, Toby Keith's Hookin' Up and Hangin' Out Tour kicked off August 11 in Cleveland with all the spectacular visual glitz fans have come to expect at this top-grossing live performer-turned-actor's shows. "A flurry of explosions and pyrotechnics" was how Country Music Television's website described the lighting effects as Keith took center stage for "Big Bull Rider," a track from his new feature film Broken Bridges.
"Toby's performances always have a big rock show feel," said Seth Jackson of Visioneering, Inc. (www.sethjackson.com ), which has done lighting and set design for Toby Keith for four years. "We use a lot of metallic surfaces on the set. And audience blinders have always been a big part of the show."
For this tour Jackson added a little extra glitter by specifying something in place of standard blinders - American DJ's new Par 36 LED Blinders, which feature RGB color mixing. Each blinder board is equipped with eight American DJ Par 36 LED par cans, each of which has 21 red, 19 green and 21 blue LEDs. Using a DMX controller, users can combine the LEDs to create millions of colors through RGB mixing, and scroll through a palette of colors.
Jackson used a total of eight Par 36 LED Blinders, which were provided by Bandit Lites (www.banditlites.com). Four of the blinders are hung from truss on the stage, beaming straight out toward the audience. The other four are mounted below the stair units and shine upward from the stage floor.
"We're using the Par 36 LED Blinders both to blind and as surface lighting," explained Jackson. "Using the LEDs in place of traditional blinders and having an LED surface adds to the eye candy. It gives us great texture and color throughout the set. There's a lot of layering of different light sources. Plus, you get the special features like color mixing and a strobing effect.
"I didn't even know there was a product like this out there until I had a conversation with Eric Loader (director of sales for ADJ's Elation Professional division)," added Jackson. "As soon as I heard about the LED blinders, I knew they'd be right for the show."
Another reason why Jackson felt the Par 36 LED Blinders were "right" was their surprisingly economical price. "You can use a large quantity and it's not going to wreck your budget."
Jackson says the production crew has been pleased with the blinders' reliable performance and durability during the 60-city tour. "I just saw the show six weeks in, and they were going rock solid, one hundred percent. Nobody's had a problem."
