Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You - Mobile Production Pro

mize the effects we have 10 fraction mirrors
on stage facing out towards the audience,
and 10 straight bounce mirrors to hit those,
which is how we can get a spectacular laser
show at key times,” explains Wright.
My attention is drawn away from our conversation
by the bass-like hum from the compressors,
and I cannot hold back my excitement
any longer as the infamous inflatables,
rise phoenix-like, or should that be pig-like,
from the venue floor. Supplied by Air Artists
Ltd, the same company that supply the original
Pink Floyd and Roger Waters tours, the
venue is soon filled with a rather large angry
looking pig, the sadistic school teacher from
The Wall and the biggest pink kangaroo I
have ever witnessed sober.
lasers: Lawrence Wright
live nation rep: Mike Roberts
“The inflatables are an iconic part of the
Floyd legacy,” says veteran Tour Manager
Kevin Hopgood. “What kind of tribute
band would we be if we didn’t have them?
Pink Floyd was about more than just the
music, it was an event, with so many different
elements coming together, and that is
the challenge every night for this tour. The
people who come to see us are die hard
Floyd fans, they know every note, lighting
change, visual shot and laser angle so well
that they will soon pick something up if we
do it wrong,” he adds with a laugh.
With an air of unease walking past the
ominous looking pig whose eyes follow you
around the room, I head off to meet Tom
Mumby, who is responsible for the projectors
and video images throughout the performance.
“The key is to get a good image that fills
the screen, which as it’s a circle, can cause
a few issues,” Mumby says. “All the video is
run through a Hippotizer, controlled by Phil
White. The film sequences are all originals
but are shot in the same Floyd style, and in
some cases have been filmed in the same
catering crew: John Goodall, Dexy Murphy,
Simon Collard
locations. All the sequences are put together
as one giant piece of timecode, and then
run via MIDI, triggering at the beginning
of each track. For the projectors we layer
two Christie 10K’s which are not only light
in weight, but have a great output. The
problem with the different size venues has
been the lenses, and getting the focus right
so we can get a clear image on the screen.
With the five meter screen we have a four
meter projection. On a few of these shows
we have had to hang the projector in some
non-conventional ways that health and safety
would question, but at the end of the day we
always make it work.”
With most of the production now in place,
truck drivers: Jerry Fearn, Graham Butler,
Ronald Redekar
mobile production monthly 19