NETHERLANDS – Armin van Buuren once again showed the universe that he is one of the most talented, innovative and creative musicians on the planet with five blockbuster “This Is Me” gigs at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam .
The equally stunning lighting was designed by his longtime LD Marc Heinz, who installed over 300 Robe mobile lights on the rig.
Delayed twice due to Covid, the show unleashed all the energy and imagination expected from an Armin gig, and with a dynamic and talented lineup of dancers, guest singers and musicians, the show was entirely the sight and sound event Armin is known for , from “Trance State” to “Only Amin”, he rocked the world in his unique and personal way.
Marc put these massive Robes: 161 Pointes, 84 MegaPointes, 90 Spiiders, and 9 BMFL WashBeams with the RoboSpot system in his specs because he knew they would provide “all the basic functions needed: Brightness, great color and effects” to make an impact for these important shows.
He and his assistant LD Jordy Veenstra worked closely with the Twofiftyk/Eyesupply team led by Creative Director Sander Reneman and Performance Director Sophie Reneman, who presented the dramatic sets and visual concepts that defined the performance space.At its heart is a dynamic 20 x 14 meter box center that forms an elegant A-shaped DJ booth containing Armin’s deck and performance technology.
At the center of the landscape design, above the box are four large mobile LED screens that can fly in and out.This “Pandora’s Box” – as the crew calls it – architecturally transforms spaces throughout the show, revealing many surprises in the process!
It draws the visual focus to Armin’s workspace, where he unfolds his story, on-screen content aids and context, and live camera feeds directed by JW Schram.
With four separate flying screens, he immediately knew that, during the development of the 50+ motion cues for the set, his lighting design had to consider which lights could or could not be used, in relation to which specific parts of the screen went in and out!
“Our challenge is to determine what, where, when and how we can use our role on the device to ensure the show is memorable for the audience,” he explained.
Known for his work in theatre and opera, Marc has developed a special cross-lit aesthetic that blends the drama and intensity of both disciplines with the unbridled energy of electronic dance atmospheres.
The heart of the lighting is located on nine automated lighting trusses between four moving screens.As the three-and-a-half-hour show continued to develop, screens flew in and out and pitched.
Four points are attached to the nine trusses along with a few other fixtures.Pointes were chosen because they are small, lightweight and adaptable, making them ideal for these locations, and because “they’re ultimately a versatile effect light,” says Marc.They allow him to create striking color and beam effects around the box area directly above the artist.
The balance of Pointes are distributed on the front and sides of the stage, with some below the stage.
80 Spiiders along with 72 MegaPointes are arranged in 10 rows of 8 fixtures on the ladder upstream of the box, separated by rectangles in similar locations.All of these installations offer a range of exciting effects and are sometimes blasted through translucent screens for completely different looks.
The successful combination of these two installations provides countless dramatic looks of power and luminous energy to the stage and the artist and beyond, beaming at the crowd behind the stage, and bringing “an infinite number of additional possibilities to Pandora’s Box,” Mark noted.
Located on one of the static trusses below the stage, the BMFL’s primary function is to provide key light for the guest performers, as a promise to the live music industry and people, as the line-up continues to change in the run-up to these performances, with large-scale Post covid blast!
The two BMFL WashBeams on the front (bottom) motion truss are controlled via the RoboSpot remote follow system.
The rig also has plenty of strobe lights and LED strips, some LED wash and contour moving lights, all controlled via two grandMA3 consoles programmed by Michael Severeens, a long-time Armin lighting collaborator who returns Come to the FOH team to run and program the main show Consolation.
The second console is responsible for all broadcast lighting, follow-spots and special functions on the sides and rear, operated by Jeroen van Geffen.
Marc and his FOH team WYG performed for two weeks at the Twofiftyk studio in Eindhoven before moving to a suite in Ziggo Dime during the show and programming where they visualized in Depence2 and optimization.
Some parts of the light show are time-coded, while others are improvised, although the audience is forced to tell the difference!Mark commented that he was “always a pleasure” to work with all these “really talented people”.He particularly likes Twofiftyk’s approach to creating live art: “They work right out of the box every time, giving us all a chance to think for ourselves and produce some very creative and creative solutions.”
He usually enjoys participating in Armin’s shows, which blend elements of multiple visual and sound genres and are constantly entertaining and thought-provoking.
“He’s very smart and very down to earth,” Marc said when asked what it was like to work with one of the world’s number one DJs.There’s always a great vibe around the production, which is great for encouraging the level of achievement involved in these performances!”
Armin’s ‘This Is Me’ technical production package was provided by ALDA Events (Joey Wijnen) and Twofiftyk (Jordy van Straten), with Margus Spekkers as stage manager making sure everything was smooth and coordinated on and off stage.
During very busy times, lighting equipment is sourced from several different rental companies.Flashlight Ampco Rental provided the motion control system and the lasers were supplied by Laser Image and operated by Stefan Ünal.
Post time: Jul-11-2022