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46 CX 15th MAY 2006 www.juliusmedia.com

ON TOURThis is the Australian tour that grew, with dates added andthen dates sold out. CX heard the word, the word was good,and we hit the road to see what a sellout road tour looks like.

ON TOUR

SHANNONNOLL

Shannon Noll has legs. His 2006 Lift tour covered16,000 kilometers in 7 weeks and was mainly sold out.If the show at Yallah Roadhouse (near Wollongong) was

any indication, this guy has legs like Jimmy Barnes and John Farnham.

Do the math. 1,000 punters or more, $35 per head, plusmerchandising. Five shows a week.

They don’t travel light, those Noll boys. They cut theirteeth on the Bachelor and Spinster Ball (B & S circuit) outwest, where men are men and some would rather fight thanfeed. The average B & S is a blooding for a musician, and forcrew alike. CX has worked at one too many. When theyoungest (Shannon) came second in Australian Idol severalyears back, many in the music biz wrote him off as justanother cover band singer.

What happened next is that he worked hard in 2004 andconverted his TV goodwill into sustained success, by takingrock music to the masses. He toured hard and worked on his voice.

He knows how to control his mouth, which is a lesson all

www.juliusmedia.com CX 15th MAY 2006 47

By JULIUS GRAFTON


ON TOUR

aspiring celebrities need to learn.That means not cursing and sayingthings that offend. His audiences areall ages, mainly woman. Parents arecontent to bring small children to seethe show.

It’s a rock show. It arrives in asemi, and runs at 100 to 108dB at thedesk. There are Vari-Lites, blinders,and blazing guitars. Rock guitarlegend Dave Leslie sees to that. Theband has 7 members, including TheBoss – Shannon Noll and his twoolder brothers.

There are 8 crew, plus Rick Szarbo, thetour manager. The Boss travels with asecurity guy, whose main job is to keeppeople out of his face when notappropriate. I made the mistake ofwearing a laminate when walking outsideat Yallah. “Can you …. are you …. is he….. will he ….. give this to him ….. we arehaving a concert and…..” or even theimmortal desperate line, the one I haven’theard for more than a decade: “I’ll doanything to meet with Shannon…..”

Oh mgosh.Inside, the laminate drew continual

attention as well, so it was bestinserted inside my shirt. One

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Ideal for: • Stadiums • Theaters and arenas • Cruise ships & tour boats • Multi-purpose facilities • Auditoriums • Paging systems • Schools & universities • Courts of law • Airports • Performing arts centers • Houses of worship

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memorable request was a mum,asking me to make everyone sitdown on the floor, so her toddlercould see. Like, as if I can (seriously)DO that. And as if they would. Maybe leave the little one at homenext time?

Clearly there is serious star actiongoing on, and it seems to sit quitewell with The Boss, who is rumoredto do more than most when it comesto visiting disabled groups andhelping out in the variouscommunities he tours through.

PUTTING IT TOGETHERThe touring show was designed to

cope with a slab of venues from tinsheds like Yallah, with a relatively lowroof, through to theatres and centerswith up to 2000 seats.

Chris McGuffin was the showdesigner, lighting director andproduction manager. He devised ashow that was ground rigged, so nomotors or flying points or height workwas required. That alleviated time,money and safety concerns.

Wild Gravity provided productionand for a ground rigged show theyhave every kind of truss a designerwants. This is because the Townsvillebased company own a TotalStructures outdoor concert roof. Thisstructure, which is scaleable from 30’x 20’ right up to a huge 80’ x 50’, isbuilt from truss.

For ground support, the tour used abunch of box truss, mainly 450mmsquare. It came in 3 metre, and 2metre lengths. There were some760mm oversized sections that were

ON TOUR


Cam Eliaz and Tom Allen at the D1 Monitor Desk.

Brian Spears Lighting Rigger, John Pendridge Head Lighting Systems, ChrisMcGuffin Prod Manager & LD .

David Vinnicombe, FOH engineer at the D1.

Doug Pringle FOH Rigger and NoelAnthony (Driver, production owner).


prerigged with Par 64 cans. These 3 metre sectionsweighed about 45kg, and like all the truss on the tour,stood upright in the truck.

“Truss doesn’t wear out on shows, it wears out intrucks. It doesn’t take much of a wear spot to derate asection,” says Noel Anthony, owner of Wild Gravity.

It’s worth noting at this point in the story that WildGravity was the provider of all production for the Lift tour.They are, as far as we know, the only company in Australiawho can provide sound, lighting and trucking as a ‘onestop’ solution – at this level.

The package is impressive.

START WITH THE TRUCKWild Gravity have a Freightliner Argosy prime mover,

well matched to a 500 horse power engine and an 18speed gearbox. This is top shelf in truck terms, and it towsa 48 foot drop deck jumbo pantech which is also as goodas it gets. Noel and I spent some quality time in the office,which is actually the Argosy cab.

There is a motorized stair that swings out from the frontwheel guard to make the climb up easier and morecomfortable. Once up there, the cab is maximum legalwidth and height, and surprisingly spacious. There are twoinner sprung mattresses, one top and one bottom, andeach sleeping position has a little window and flyscreen oneach side, that allows cross flow ventilation.

You can sit on the lower bunk and work, there are pullout tray type benches from the left or right storage unit,perfect for a laptop.

It is a beautiful truck, lacking nothing except theadditional option that Noel didn’t need, which is a 24-7 airconditioner that doesn’t need the diesel motor to run. As itwas a sunny early autumn afternoon, we turned on theengine for a little cab cooling, enjoying the distant rumbleas we talked.

Naturally it has a killer sound system, Noel put that inafter he bought it.

Noel drives the truck, sometimes aided by a co-driver.The Lift tour included West Australia, so Bronwyn Grahamcame on board to handle that leg. They had 60 hours to travel from Perth toToowoomba (near Brisbane) and managed it in 56. All legal, without breaking any laws or equipment.

I don’t know of too many production company ownerswho drive a semi, except for Greg Davies of Chameleon,who enjoys a regular interstate run in their (very) big Mack.

THE TOUR

Band

Shannon Noll VocalsDave Leslie Guitar BVLeigh Siragusa GuitarSimon Bower PianoMatt Cornell Bass BVDamien Noll Drums BVAdam Noll Acoustic/ BV

Support Act for the tour: Dan England & Mitchell Kwanten

Special Guest for a 7 shows: Lee Harding

Rick Szabo Tour Manager, NightOwl Entertainment

Max Lea Personal Security to Shannon Noll

Crew

David Vinnecombe FOHCam Elias MonitorsChris McGuffin Prod Manager & LDTony Hannuman Stage TechTom Allen Monitor RiggerDoug Pringle FOH RiggerJohn Pendridge Head Lighting Systems Brian Spears Lighting RiggerNoel Anthony Truck Driver

ON TOUR

A touring show that doesn't need overhead rigging.

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The B & S Ball is a simple thing, all aboutbeer, fighting and sex. The idea is that countryfolk jump in the ute and arrive in formal attire,usually at 10pm. Things have started at thenearest pub, in the afternoon.

I did my first one at Condobolin where theNoll boys come from in 1975. It was at theshowground. Catering was from KFC in Orange,a long drive. Kegs were tapped as fast as the bar staff could do it. The 2 bands did 6 sets.

About 3am or so, there was some circle workoutside, and some fighting inside. The guyswere, by now, in a truncated form of formalwear or better still, with waist coat ripped up theseams. The girls were drunk, oh yes they were,but we all were.

Once the winter dawn happened, all wanderedoff, through freezing knee high fog. I trippedover a couple, who were passed out andprobably half frozen. But they felt no pain.

The next night was the after party, in awoolshed 20 miles out of town, with 44 gallondrum fires outside that roasted one side of you,as the back side froze. So I spent the nightrotating like a chook on a rotisserie. We gotpower from an old generator from the gas lineconstruction site.

My last B & S was in 1990, and nothing hadchanged. We bogged the truck on the way out inthe morning. I drew a line and decided never again.

Just four amplifiers for FOH, and four for Foldback. That'sprogress!

52 CXAPRIL/MAY 2006 www.juliusmedia.com

ON TOUR

Personally I never got my articulatedlicense, but driving a heavy panaround Australia in my touring dayssent me rigid with boredom. Mindnumbingly boring. As Noel says, truckstop showers are usually festy, buthe usually managed a shower in theGreen Room at the gig, or at theapartment accommodation that thecrew and band enjoyed.

LIFE ON THE ROADThe crew of nine were well looked

after on this tour, possibly as a by-product of the quickly gatheredesteem that The Boss has generated.It reminds me of the vibe when thelate and loved Slim Dusty hit town on one of his innumerable countrytours over the fifty years he plied histrade. But Slim was quiet and refined,and these boys are rock. Yeah.

Noel says that one of the tourdates in West Australia featured thevenue providing steaks cooked toorder for the crew – and strawberrieswith chocolate dipping sauce. Whatplanet are we on?

The tour vibe was not dissimilar tomy touring days, except the crewwere more switched on and skilledthan any of my compatriots everwere. Or myself. The reassuring

18 speeds, lot's of horses, a big stereo, and two spacious bunks - each with 2 windows. Great office!

familiarity of drums, Marshals, andmicrophone stands are timeless.Then the PA and the new Vari-Litesdate this production as very current.

There was beer, and there werecigarettes. Then there were theomnipresent female fans, lots andlots of them, and some seriousknicker throwing. One crewmember was breathlesslyrecounting the festivities of theprevious night, involving a femalefan, a hotel room (more specifically,the bathroom), and certain things(two of them, and apparently muchappreciated) that the rest of thecrew were strangely circumspectabout. Maybe my presenceinhibited the conversation?

CRAZY SMALL PAMany people including your writer

were skeptical when Noel won thetour with a spec that featured theNexo Geo-S line array. This is aVERY small box, and the tour quotewas for just 16 of them.

When you walk in and see them,you say no way. I said the samething when I first saw the L-Acoustics V-Dosc in 2000 at theSydney Entertainment Centre,ready for a soundcheck by no other

than Metallica. When Lars, Kirk,Jason and James ran out and hit it,my jaw dropped. Same reactionwhen Shannon and his boys kickedoff at Yallah. It was fat and loud.Almost very loud. Sound engineerDave Vinnicombe asserts it wasaround 100 dB, and that the showcould go as hot as 107 – at the desk.

That Geo-S is deceptive. It is a little box, loaded with just

one 8” woofer and a 1” (exit throat)high frequency device. Hang 8 ofthese boxes in a vertical array, andit doesn’t look like much for 1,100people. But the relativity with the V-Dosc system in front of a Metallicacrowd of 12,000 is, well, relative. Awell designed line array willproduce massive SPL.

The flown array sits off a verticaltruss, and there are 8 subwoofersfloor stacked underneath. These are Noel’s custom made subs eachloaded with one 18” woofer.

“When the tour went out, therewas pressure to use the Nexo CD18 subs, so I added 4. After a while,I convinced the guys my subs weremore suitable”, says Noel.

If the PA is actually small, thenthe amplifier configuration is


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54 CXAPRIL/MAY 2006 www.juliusmedia.com

ON TOUR

similarly startling. There are just four amplifiers driving the16 Geo S and 16 subs. Albeit the amplifiers are CamcoVortex 6 units that deliver about 3,000 watts per channelinto 2 ohms. They weigh 7kg each.

A more conventional (read: older) PA would want 4 racksof 3 amplifiers each weighing 30kg, or a third of a tonne ofamplifiers, where this PA seems to idle along, driven by anamp rack loaded with just 28kg of hardware.

The offset in amplifier weight and bulk is matched in theair, where the little Geo-S boxes account for about 20% ofthe size and weight of a conventional (pre line array) system.

To allay some insecurity amongst some of the crew,Noel took 28 Geo-S boxes on the road, along with somespare amplifiers. The contract called for 16 Geo-S, and 16is what I heard.

DIGICO CONSOLESThere were 2 D1 consoles on the road, one at FOH and

one for monitors. These are the slightly more compactcompanion console to the D5, which is now the mostpopular ‘top end’ touring console on the planet.

Noel took a deep breath and purchased a pair ofconsoles, and has not regretted the decision.

He watched from the sidelines for a while beforedeciding on Digico.

“I had a 56 channel Midas XL200, and had a relationshipwith Bob Doyle (head of Digico and former sales head forMidas) when he worked for EV. I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”

The D1 consoles were a big part of Noel winning thecontract for supply of production. They occupy a lot lessfloor space than any conventional console and then there

is the outboard. Because good digital consoles comeloaded with limiters, gates, reverbs and third octaveequalizers, there is less need for all this stuff outboard in a rack.

There was a little tension before the tour about reliabilityof the Digico consoles, not borne from any rumors orfacts, but simply because anything new and digital has tobe assessed in terms of redundancy planning.

“There was a bit of pressure to take two processingengines on the road, but then we decided not to. There isno spare stuff”, said Noel.

If there was a learning curve for the engineers, it hadbeen dealt with early on the tour, because watching themmix the show it looked very fluid and natural. Digico’stouch screens were a little controversial at first, but it is avery sensible design feature as it means the company canadd features without messing with the hardware.

The consoles come standard with a 56 channel framethat can be expanded.

Dave Vinicombe mixed FOH for the tour.In the case of the stage monitor D1, there was no

outboard, the internal third octave equalizers did the job forthe conventional ‘wedge’ sends that needed EQ. Naturallyin-ear monitors do not need EQ in the same way wedgesdo. This tour used 6 in-ear sends and 8 wedge sends, into12 Nexo PS-15 wedges powered by 4 Lab GruppenFp6400 amplifiers.

Monitor engineer Cam Eliaz wholly relied on the D1’s equalization.

The PA was multipinned, and was ready for truck loadingbefore the backline was struck. That’s fast and easy!

LIGHTSIn lighting land, Chris McGuffin was having a good time

with 10 Vari-Lite VL2500’s and 4 VL 3000’s. “You can’tbeat the colours out of a Vari-Lite” Chris said. “The redand amber you can’t match on a Mac 2000. I’m sick ofseeing Mac 2000 gobos at shows, I used to spec Mac’s allthe time, then went looking (elsewhere).”

“The only (reliability) drama I had was a plastic clip thatshook off a gobo module, it took 5 minutes to fix. (Wewent) from Brisbane across the Nullabor and didn’t have

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ON TOUR


one fail.”Aside from the Vari-Lites, Chris had 24 Par 64 narrows, 6

Molefay 4’s, 7 Source 4 multi-pars, and 4 Source 4zooms. There were a couple of 24” horizontal rollingmirror balls, 2 Atomic strobes, 2 x 24-7 Hazers, and therig was driven on a Jands Hog 1000.

“We drew it in Vectorworks in 3D before we started,then moved it into Martin Show Designer – so we couldturn the lights on and start programming the lightshow.We did about 70 hours work”. Simon Land helped Chriswith programming.

“We ran it on Hog PC, put it on disk and dropped itinto the Hog 1000.”

“The only thing that we had to touch up (on the road)was the zoom on the Vari-lites, it goes right out to 70degrees. Then there were just positions, (to adjust) everyday. The rig went up the same every day.”

The cargo net was custom made by 24-7 ThemingConcepts in Brisbane, they also made the risers andpolished perforated mesh aluminum fascias for the risers.

Chris has a lot of respect for The Noll-ster. “I watchedhim get better, and better, and better. (I love) The way heworked the stage.”

“It’s about being professional If Dave (Leslie) who’sbeen on the road for years was standing off his mark fora guitar solo and the light went on, he would step intoit.”

Chris has just invested in a 3D program called Capture,out of Sweden. “It’s the same software they did the

Eurovision song competition on, it’s a bit more to myliking than Show Designer.”

Capping the lighting rig were some swish powerdistribution units from Power Wise, that had digital readouts of load and voltages. They sat alongside the 48channels of LSC EPRO dimmer racks.

The truss count for the tour was 8 x 3m box and 4 x2m box (all 450mm Total Structures), along with 4 x 3mpre-rig and half sections as well (760mm square) whichwere on wheels. There were 8 base plates to mount thevertical truss from.

THE TOWNSVILLE CONNECTIONAs Wild Gravity is Townsville based, Noel and I

discussed the tyranny of distance. It is 14 hours by road to Brisbane, so Noel quotes his tours freight free tothere. He argues his costs are a lot lower in Townsville,he paid $180,000 for a warehouse that would cost $2million in Sydney. That’s a big equalizer against somediesel fuel to Brisbane.

Wild Gravity do most of their work outside Townsville,and have recently opened an office in Cairns. “I figureStage Works do $5 million a year up there, it is only 300 odd k’s up the road, so I am after some of that”, Noel says.

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IN MEMORY

GERRY GEORGETTISGOES OUT IN FLAMESAND TEARSWhat makes a man snap and takeout the enemy? Was theschool of hard knocks toohard? Some survivorsgathered to talk thisthrough, after the loss of oneof the favourite sons. Gerry didsound for Cold Chisel, and tourmanaged bands like Bon Jovi. Theway he went out made headlinesaround the world.

In a tragic tale, expatriateAustralian sound engineer GerryGeorgettis took his own life on

board a United Airlines flight fromWashington to Los Angeles in earlyFebruary. The flight was diverted toDenver, after crew discovered Gerryin the lavatory, where he hadsomehow killed himself. People whoknew the 56 year old theatre managerfrom North Miami Beach were agogthat he took his life.

But the story has a massiveprelude. Because Gerry did somethingtotally out of character. One Saturdaymorning he snapped, and becamean unwilling folk hero. What he didmade him an instant celebrity. And hehated it.

Gerry was from Melbourne, one ofthe pioneers of the road from the1970's. He worked for a stellarassortment of great acts, doing soundfor Cold Chisel before migrating to theUSA. He worked on Loolapalooza, anddid shows with major internationalacts including Red Hot Chili Peppers,Pink Floyd and Bon Jovi.

He was working as a theatremanager, with nothing really untowardin his life until Saturday February 4th.

The Miami Herald picks up thestory:

In a case that drew widespreadattention in South Florida, police saythat on Saturday Georgettis was upsetwith the deal he got on a Ford Escapeat the Metro Ford dealership at 900NW Seventh Ave.

Georgettis ploughed the new carinto the showroom glass, then set thebusiness on fire, according to Miami-Dade police. He worked for the city ofNorth Miami Beach and handed in hisresignation on Monday.

''I'm shocked. I still can't believe it,''North Miami Beach Mayor RaymondMarin told The Miami Herald Thursdaymorning. ``I know him as nothing morethan an nice guy. I can't say anythingbad about him. I don't know whathappened.''

Friends and family were all shockedthat Gerry had reacted that way andthen taken his own life.

Gerry was a quiet and very strongperson. This writer recalls him actingas sole crew member for band La De

Da’s. He would drive their horrible,uncomfortable slow Toyota Dyna truckfrom Melbourne to Sydney and returnfor a couple of gigs every other week.One time when the truck broke down,I took a truck to Tarcutta to rescueGerry and the equipment. He routinelyworked alone, lugging everything onhis shoulders. It took a long time toset up all the stage gear, the PA andsome lights, all alone.

He wasn't massively built, but was asolid 5 foot 10 inches, and had aninner quality and calmness that fewcan match. Which is why his mindsnap at the Ford Dealership was justslightly out of character. He causedmore than a million dollars in damage,and made a statement.

By chance, the only time I saw himreally light up and look excited waswhen I caused a show to be cancelledat Paddington Town Hall, by blowingup the support band on stage with amisjudged pyro charge. His bandarrived just as the shell shockedaudience departed, amidst brokenglass and ambulances.

Gerry was telling them whathappened, and trying to convey the

By JULIUS GRAFTON

IN MEMORY

size of the blast, his arms windmillingas he went 'B-A-N-G', his bandmembers jaws sagging open indisbelief. Most other band crewswould have been very hostile towardsa lighting guy whose lunacy hadliterally blown their show away.

Gerry was sanguine. "Could happento anyone" he grunted, as we loadedout down those dim slippery stairs. Heloaded and stacked his truck full,locked the doors, and drove off intothe night.

Ted Gardiner co-owned theLolapalooza festival and knew Gerrywell. "He was the sane one, on theroad with 140 people. He was achampion guy", Ted says. "I spoke tohim just a few weeks ago. He wasextremely happy - his new girlfriendhad bought him a Queensland BlueHeeler. Now she is taking his bodyhome to Australia. I can't believe it".

Former Cold Chisel frontman Barneshas told News Limited newspapers hehad been friends with Gerry since hewas a teenager.

"Gerry Georgettis was one of mygreat friends," Barnes was quoted assaying.

"He was the coolest guy I everknew.

"He exposed me to great music andgreat musicians, and I would not bethe singer or the person I am nowwithout his influence."

The Cold Chisel years gave Gerrythe tools he needed to work with thebiggest and best bands in the world.

Jen Jewel Brown brilliantlyencapsulated the era: “I spent ahelluva lot of time around the king ofsound Gerry Georgettis in the 80's. Iwas the girlfriend of Don Walker ofCold Chisel for 6 and a half years, a

journalist from Rock AustraliaMagazine (RAM) and other outlets,and manager of Don's publishingcompany Burdikan.

“From my favourite perch besidethe mixing desk I got to appreciatehow this steady, caring, dry-witted and120% trustworthy man was the heartof Chisel live, delivering precision set-ups and happy, on-time crews thatChisel and their manager Rod Willisnever had to spend a moment freakingout about.

“They loved him with a passion. “Best of all, his mixes were A1 in

venue after venue in Australia, the USand Canada. Lead vocals swappingand changing everywhere, massharmonies, a range of keyboards andguitars, jazz blues like Georgia tofrenetic rockabilly like Rising Sun orfull-on rock assault like Merry-Go-Round, the singer diving into thecrowd several times a night,backstage fights, 3 hour shows, 7days a week, massive interstate hauls,stairs, 3am lugouts, no sleep, it didn'tmatter.

“It all sounded brilliant and it madeChisel - a live legend - bigger than anAllosaurus on heat.”

Michael Lippold was emotionalwhen he wrote this tribute:

“I have watched yet another personI loved and respected needlessly takehis own life.

“Once the grief subsided I wasovertaken by anger, not anger at Gerrybut anger at the fact that there seemsthere is nothing we can do to stop it.A call from my older brother hashelped put things into perspective forme; he pointed out to me that we‘roadies’ are different to the norm,somewhat like the Vietnam vets,

damaged by their experiences, somephysical, some mental, some both.

“My brother pointed out to me myconstant references to ‘civvies’ and‘civvie’ street; similar to the vets, weroadies find it hard to assimilate intonormal society after our pastexperiences. Many of us aredysfunctional, depressed, drugaddicts, anti social, homeless, poorwork prospects etc., the usual areasof help don’t seem to fit our needs,how could they understand what wedid, where we have been, where weare now? How can we speak to ourcomrades without shame, we want tocry out for help but are held back bythe shame of not being men, notcoping, not handling it, yet many of us,if not all, are in the same boat. It’stime there was a help line dedicatedto helping ourselves, a place wherethe ‘Gerry’s’ can come for nurturing, ahelp line manned by those whounderstand what they are goingthrough because they have been thereor are there themselves, manned bypeople they respect and feel they candepend on.

“On the road we knew withoutasking that we were all there for eachother, if our backs were against thewall, and they often were, you didn’thave to look sideways to make sureyour mate was there, it went withoutsaying, it was something you coulddepend on. Now more than ever weneed the same principle. It was ourworld, no-one else understood it, wewere looked down on, we played upto that of course, after all, we arehuman, just. We won’t be able toaccept help from others, it mustcome from our peers, those werespect unconditionally.


Gerry Georgettis.


IN MEMORY

Colin Skals, Irene Enery and Peter McFee. Nicky Campbell & Phil “Spy” Matthews

From left to right, Peter “Junior” Pollard, Steve Dinsdale, Rob Eastick in front,Mark Edwards, Glen Browning, John Woodhead, Jim McMillan,Merton Ciddor, Unknown, and Tony Wilde.

Rob “Fat Cat” Eastick & Harry Parsons

Rob Eastick, Meri Took, Mark Keegan. Rick Brown & Barney Deutscher

Unknown, Colin Sutherland, Andy Rayson, Barney D. in background in centre,

Meri Took, Mark Keegan, Sutherland& Parsons, with “Midnight” making aguest appearance in the background.

Photos by Mark Edwards.

“All of us know depression, badknees, bad backs, loneliness, brokenmarriages, poverty, no prospects forthe future, low self-esteem.

“At times we were nothing morethan pack mules. I defy anyone tounload ten ton of gear, carry it upseveral flights of stairs, set it up,sound check a band, do a show, packit down, back down the stairs, backinto the truck and then drive to thenext town, and not do drugs, drinktoo much, look for a supportingcrutch etc.

“I’m not talking about labourershere, I’m discussing talented soundengineers, lighting designers, stagetechnicians, people who learnt theircraft, in many cases created theircraft, perfected it.

“What was sacrificed by thesepeople? Firstly and most importantly,a normal life. A spouse, family, astable home, a stable income; some normality.”

A FITTING FAREWELLThe end of the road came on February24 in Melbourne, when his family andwhat looked like half the entire rock

music industry from the 1980’sarrived to send Gerry off. Brother Alsummed up’ “He had a ravenousappetite for life, and indulged all hissenses. He shunned the limelight. Heloved beauty, and he loved the beast.Then he went out in one big pyrodisplay”.

An interesting aspect to this story ishow the media in Miami weresensitive and sympathetic to Gerry.The Police bailed Gerry for $1500, avery low amount. There was talk thatthe deal Gerry got on his car, thattriggered his implosion, was indeedsuspect. It seems that some folkwere not surprised at what happened.But everyone who knew Gerry wasvery surprised that he was the guywho mounted such a public protest.Even if the dealership had it coming,as some suggest.

“Just afterwards he said that he feltelated”, a family friend told me. “Butthen the enormity of what he did hithim. He was looking at maybe 30years in jail”.

Gerry was bereft in the days thatfollowed, and felt that he had let hispartner Barbara, and her son David,

down. He knew he faced massivelegal bills. Gerry and Barbara had beentogether five years, and had afantastic life together. She had justbought Gerry a Blue Heeler dog.Gerry was David’s mentor, and washelping him learn lights.

Before he met Barbara, Gerry had arun in with Police in Miami when theywere called to a domestic with hisformer wife. What happened thenended in the courts when Gerry wascharged with assaulting an officer, andultimately convicted. The assault isout of character as well, andaccording to some, resulted from thatclassic American confrontationattitude that some authorities haveperfected. The kind where they shoutdirectly into your face prefaced with‘SIR’ and delivered with contempt.Evidently it inspired Gerry to respondwith a well timed haymaker, andended with a police record that wouldimpede any kind of plea bargain inrelation to the destruction of the cardealership. Plus the Ford dealer waskeen to recoup damages.

Gerry decided to fly home toMelbourne, but didn’t make it.

IN MEMORY


The Wake, wide view. The food, very nice effort by the family.


REVIEW

In an arena where products likeMartin’s MAC2000 and Vari*Lite’sVL3000 dominate the Australian

marketplace, any new 1200w fixturereally needs to offer somethingspecial in order to stand out. As weran the 1200 through its paces, itwould appear that Robe may indeedhave enough guts to compete.

At first glance, the ColorSpot1200 appears similar in size to theMac 2000. Pan and tilt locks havebeen fitted and are easy to operate,and the base’s handles for lifting thefixture are solid, covered with hand-friendly rubber and run the length ofthe fixture’s base, offering more thanenough room to get both your handscomfortably in place. At 45kg, theColorSpot is no lightweight, but theweight is comparable with otherfixtures in its class.

One of Robe’s innovations standsout the moment you look at thefixture – the LCD based menusystem which has been given theflashy title of “RNS” for RobeNavigation System. A large blue andwhite LCD screen sits on one side ofthe fixture accompanied by a largethumbwheel and two buttons formanual control and calibration. Whilethe X.Spot may have introduced thistechnology years ago, the ColorSpot’smenu system is perhaps the clearest,easiest to understand menu available on any fixture today.Information is given as real namesand sentences, and navigation issimply a matter of scrolling throughsimple options. In fact, the RNSmakes other moving light menusystems look positively archaic.

The standard dual 5pin and 3pinconnectors are present on the base,plus an Ethernet port which is ready toaccept Art-Net control protocol now.

Robe uses the Philips MSR 1200wSA discharge lamp in the ColorSpot1200 which helps to reduce the sizeof the lamp housing and reflector.Access to the lamp is simple and theshort arc version will come as awelcome change to juggling with thelonger, more fragile double ended1200w lamps found in other fixtures.The fixture is certainly bright, with animpressive output for a 1200w

fixture.The ColorSpot’s dimmer, while

smooth, visibly distorts the beamover the last 30 – 40% of dimming. Itshould be noted that although this iscommon in many other fixtures –including other 1200w units – suchdistortion really renders the unituseless for applications that don’trequire operation at maximumintensity all the time. Users can

By RICHARD NEVILLE

ROBE COLOURSPOT1200 E ATThe ColorSpot 1200 marks Robe’s entry to the highest

level of competition between moving light manufacturers

– the 1200w range.

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select one of two dimmer curvesthrough the menu system.

Using a similar colour mixingsystem to the Mac2000 where thedichroic flags move like curtains inand out of the beam, the Robeproduces a great range of coloursfrom the CMY system alone. It’s byno means the fastest CMY mixingaround, but again is comparable toother fixtures. Designers will like therange of pastel colours that the spotcan produce, and the deep bluesand reds will be a sight for soreeyes for any seasoned 1200wfixture user. The Robe also featuresa variable CTO system and a colourwheel with six replaceable coloursincluding a great deep amber filter.One nice little feature is the audiocontrol option – where the colourwheel can be told via DMX torespond to an inbuilt microphone.While this might sound a little tackyat the high end of the market, it’ssomething different that willcertainly have its uses.

The ColorSpot 1200’s two gobowheels each hold six rotating gobos,all of which are glass. Unfortunately,seven of the twelve gobos in theunit are full of brilliant dichroiccolours. This creates somespectacular looking gobos, butwould severely limit the operator’sability to modify gobo colours. Goboselection speed is good and boththe individual gobos and entire gobo wheel can be rotated atvarying speeds.

If the ColorSpot lost points withthe stock gobo selection, it makesthem up with the effects wheel,which offers three and five facetprisms and two glass effects – alinear glass breakup and anotherwhich produces a diamond-likeeffect. The effects can be bothindexed and rotated and the effectcontrol channel has sixteen pre-programmed macro effects. TheColorSpot is quite possibly the first

fixture since the Clay Paky StageZoom’s release years ago to havesuch a good range of effects tools.

The ColorSpot’s iris is smoothboth in operation and appearanceand has the usual assortment ofmacros to quickly create effects. Avariable frost system operates withenough speed to snap the effect inand out, while also providing arelatively smooth transition fromhard to soft edged beam.

Saving one of the best featuresuntil last, the ColorSpot 1200 boastsa solid 13 – 42 degree zoom whichoperates with exceptional speed,just like the focus mechanism.Output remains acceptable evenwith the wide zoom, and the speedwill give operators the chance toapply fast effects to these parameters.

Pan and tilt movement speeds aretypical of a fixture this size – notparticularly fast, but easily faster andmore responsive than the VL3000.

When it comes time to turn thefixture off and store it, Robe hasdeveloped an innovative new doubleroadcase that literally splits into twohalves, allowing side access to thefixture while still inside the case.Two small drawers are located atthe bottom of the case for spares,while the fixture is firmly heldaround the base for transport.

On the whole, the Robe ColorSpot1200 is an excellent package thathas the features to easily competewith the more established 1200wfixtures. Features such as the dualrotating gobo wheels and largezoom range give it an advantageover the MAC2000, while the fasterpan and tilt speeds, good range ofsaturated colours and price willmake the ColorSpot more attractivethan the VL3000 for certainapplications.

If you are considering buying orspecifying a 1200w fixture, it wouldbe more than worth your while toconsider the Robe – it’s solidconstruction, good range of effects,output and ease of access to themost commonly replaced parts arereason enough alone to use thismoving light. If you need any more motivation, Robe productshave a history of competitive pricing that make the fixtures evenmore appealing.

Robe is distributed in Australia byULA. Special thanks to Roger Hindof Theatricks for his assistance withthis review.www.ula.com.au

DMX addressing.


REVIEW

The VL500 is the latest offeringfrom Vari*Lite, one of theoriginal handful of moving light

companies that have been trading foraround twenty five years. This newfixture is based on – and almostidentical to – the original VL5luminaire that was released in 1994and quickly became known as one ofthe best moving washlights available.The VL5 won an Emmy award for it’sunique colour mixing system andwon the hearts of designers in allaspects of lighting for it’s huge rangeof uses. It was incredibly fast, offereda uniform tungsten beam, had agreat, fast colour mixing system andweighed very little. One only needsto look at any major internationalawards show to see how popularthese fixtures still are – there wereover a hundred used on the recentGrammy Awards, and the collectionthat remains in Australia are always indemand for television, theatre andconcert events all over the country.

The VL5 used the Vari*Litedeveloped Series 300 controlprotocol, and for a long time was partof the company’s exclusive rentalstock – therefore not available forpurchase. When the VL500 wasreleased at the UK’s PLASAexhibition late last year, everybodywas granted access to the new DMXcontrollable, improved version of thearguably most popular washlight inthe world.

The VL500, like it’s older brother,uses a patented ‘Dichro-tune’ radialcolour mixing system, where lightpasses through three sets of sixteendichroic blades which rotate into thepath of the beam to mix colours.While the fixture uses a CMYsystem, the colours it produces arenoticeably different to other washlights. With deeper blues, moreintense reds and a very pleasingyellow / amber, the VL500 offers a

By RICHARD NEVILLE

VARI*LITE VL 500For half of the lighting industry, the VL500 is a fixture that requires

no introduction, no review and no product demonstration. For the

other half trying to understand what all the fuss is about, read on…

great range of pastel colours with theadded bonus of pleasant saturatedcolours that are not garish orfluorescent in appearance. The greatrange of colours, coupled with theextremely quick colour mixing systemis almost enough reason to go anduse these lights. The new VL500 alsohas a colour option package forachieving softer pastel colours -similar to those of the VL5B - whichsees the unit fitted with a differentset of dichroic filters.

The VL500 is available in severaldifferent versions. In its most simpleform, the VL500 comes with a1000w, externally dimmable tungstenlamp while the VL500D adds anintegral IGBT dimmer to the fixture. A third variation of the unit – theVL500 80v features an 80 volt,1200w lamp powered by a separateballast. Finally, the VL500A uses a575w or 700w arc lamp with externalballast. All fixtures can also use anyof the five interchangeable lensesavailable for purchase.

There are no fans in any versionof the VL500, allowing for virtually

silent operation. Further to this, theoperation of the fixture in general isextremely quiet. The 500’s reset andhome procedures are also very quiet– certainly nothing like the hulkingcries of the VL1000.

Control of the VL500 is simple –eight or thirteen control channels, andif you have a library for a VL5 in yourconsole, you can use it without anyadjustments. An interesting note isthat Vari*Lite have not followedmarket trends of adding inbuilt macroeffects – if you want an effect out ofthis light, you still need to put in yourown work!

Technicians will appreciate theVL500 for keeping many of it’s olderqualities while adopting a fewchanges for the better. The fixture isstill incredibly light for an automatedluminaire, weighing in at only 18kg.Physically, the unit looks almostidentical to the VL5, except for aslightly elongated yoke and theintegration of the LCD screen andmenu buttons onto the arm of theunit. Vari*Lite have re-routed thelamp wiring on the new 500 to avoid

burning, and also introduced morepowerful three phase stepper motorsto drive all of the units features. Theunit’s casing has been slightlymodified to allow for easier access tothe CMY system’s motors, but thejob of replacing or cleaning filtershasn’t gotten any easier.

And yes, for anybody wanting toknow – the VL500 is just as fast as aVL5 – so operators can still lookforward to using an exceptionally fastand responsive moving light –somewhat of a luxury nowadays asmoving lights get bigger andseemingly slower with every newrelease. One interesting addition isthe introduction of ‘colourrepeatability software’ into the unit’scontrol system which allowstechnicians to adjust colour mixingparameters to compensate for anydifferences in colour across differentunits. An individual fixture can berecalibrated to mix colours to matchother fixtures – this could be a highlyuseful tool for those demandingaccuracy and consistency.

While I could carry on here formuch longer about the fixture thathas excited the worldwide lightingindustry, perhaps the bestendorsement for the product is thatits older counterpart has, for over adecade, been used, abused andexalted as a fantastic product acrossthe industry.

The VL500 and rest of theVari*Lite range is distributed by JandsElectronics in Australia.www.jands.com.au


REVIEW

“There are no fans in any version of the

VL500, allowing for virtually silent operation.

Further to this, the operation of the fixture in

general is extremely quiet. The 500’s reset and

home procedures are also very quiet.

”


REVIEW

The VL500 is the latest offeringfrom Vari*Lite, one of theoriginal handful of moving light

companies that have been trading foraround twenty five years. This newfixture is based on – and almostidentical to – the original VL5luminaire that was released in 1994and quickly became known as one ofthe best moving washlights available.The VL5 won an Emmy award for it’sunique colour mixing system andwon the hearts of designers in allaspects of lighting for it’s huge rangeof uses. It was incredibly fast, offereda uniform tungsten beam, had agreat, fast colour mixing system andweighed very little. One only needsto look at any major internationalawards show to see how popularthese fixtures still are – there wereover a hundred used on the recentGrammy Awards, and the collectionthat remains in Australia are always indemand for television, theatre andconcert events all over the country.

The VL5 used the Vari*Litedeveloped Series 300 controlprotocol, and for a long time was partof the company’s exclusive rentalstock – therefore not available forpurchase. When the VL500 wasreleased at the UK’s PLASAexhibition late last year, everybodywas granted access to the new DMXcontrollable, improved version of thearguably most popular washlight inthe world.

The VL500, like it’s older brother,uses a patented ‘Dichro-tune’ radialcolour mixing system, where lightpasses through three sets of sixteendichroic blades which rotate into thepath of the beam to mix colours.While the fixture uses a CMYsystem, the colours it produces arenoticeably different to other washlights. With deeper blues, moreintense reds and a very pleasingyellow / amber, the VL500 offers a

By RICHARD NEVILLE

VARI*LITE VL 500For half of the lighting industry, the VL500 is a fixture that requires

no introduction, no review and no product demonstration. For the

other half trying to understand what all the fuss is about, read on…

great range of pastel colours with theadded bonus of pleasant saturatedcolours that are not garish orfluorescent in appearance. The greatrange of colours, coupled with theextremely quick colour mixing systemis almost enough reason to go anduse these lights. The new VL500 alsohas a colour option package forachieving softer pastel colours -similar to those of the VL5B - whichsees the unit fitted with a differentset of dichroic filters.

The VL500 is available in severaldifferent versions. In its most simpleform, the VL500 comes with a1000w, externally dimmable tungstenlamp while the VL500D adds anintegral IGBT dimmer to the fixture. A third variation of the unit – theVL500 80v features an 80 volt,1200w lamp powered by a separateballast. Finally, the VL500A uses a575w or 700w arc lamp with externalballast. All fixtures can also use anyof the five interchangeable lensesavailable for purchase.

There are no fans in any versionof the VL500, allowing for virtually

silent operation. Further to this, theoperation of the fixture in general isextremely quiet. The 500’s reset andhome procedures are also very quiet– certainly nothing like the hulkingcries of the VL1000.

Control of the VL500 is simple –eight or thirteen control channels, andif you have a library for a VL5 in yourconsole, you can use it without anyadjustments. An interesting note isthat Vari*Lite have not followedmarket trends of adding inbuilt macroeffects – if you want an effect out ofthis light, you still need to put in yourown work!

Technicians will appreciate theVL500 for keeping many of it’s olderqualities while adopting a fewchanges for the better. The fixture isstill incredibly light for an automatedluminaire, weighing in at only 18kg.Physically, the unit looks almostidentical to the VL5, except for aslightly elongated yoke and theintegration of the LCD screen andmenu buttons onto the arm of theunit. Vari*Lite have re-routed thelamp wiring on the new 500 to avoid

burning, and also introduced morepowerful three phase stepper motorsto drive all of the units features. Theunit’s casing has been slightlymodified to allow for easier access tothe CMY system’s motors, but thejob of replacing or cleaning filtershasn’t gotten any easier.

And yes, for anybody wanting toknow – the VL500 is just as fast as aVL5 – so operators can still lookforward to using an exceptionally fastand responsive moving light –somewhat of a luxury nowadays asmoving lights get bigger andseemingly slower with every newrelease. One interesting addition isthe introduction of ‘colourrepeatability software’ into the unit’scontrol system which allowstechnicians to adjust colour mixingparameters to compensate for anydifferences in colour across differentunits. An individual fixture can berecalibrated to mix colours to matchother fixtures – this could be a highlyuseful tool for those demandingaccuracy and consistency.

While I could carry on here formuch longer about the fixture thathas excited the worldwide lightingindustry, perhaps the bestendorsement for the product is thatits older counterpart has, for over adecade, been used, abused andexalted as a fantastic product acrossthe industry.

The VL500 and rest of theVari*Lite range is distributed by JandsElectronics in Australia.www.jands.com.au


REVIEW

“There are no fans in any version of the

VL500, allowing for virtually silent operation.

Further to this, the operation of the fixture in

general is extremely quiet. The 500’s reset and

home procedures are also very quiet.

”

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