TRAVIS SCOTT
touring crew, who are well versed in his performance, constantly react to
him on stage,” Dore said. “His touring crew know what they’re doing and are
well tuned in to his style of performance.”
For the entire crew, time was the biggest challenge. “Having custom LED
cubes and carousel on Kinesys was really time consuming; although not
detrimental to the show, having had some pre-production time before we
arrived would have been preferable. However, we understand in some cases
this is not possible and the team are prepared to work to whatever restraints
may be in place to ensure the show runs without a hitch”, commented Dore.
The video team included Arkadiusz Wegrzyn, Jack Gibson, Lee Hunter
and John Richardson, as well as Media Ser ver Operator, Christian Dickinson,
and Camera Director, Tom Robinson. Show communication was achieved
by 25 Riedel Communications Bolero wireless comms packs. Dore summed
up: “All the crew were unbelievable and put in a serious shift to get it done. It
was a great show with fantastic energy and all the hard work was well worth
it!”ASTROTHUNDER
A rush of adrenaline accompanied by theatrical SFX; Travis Scott’s shows
violently opposes lethargy – there is ferocious energy throughout. Keeping
pace was BPM SFX Project Manager, Matthew Heap, who has witnessed the
evolution of the rapper’s UK live shows from academy-sized venues to sold-
out London dates at Wireless Festival and the O2 Arena.
He commented: “We wanted to upscale the Wireless Festival date
for this show and put in my ideas for pyro and airbursts in-action.”
Heap explained that 40 Airbursts with Concussion and 90 Units of stage
pyro created a series of “big looks” throughout proceedings. “It’s not a
standard setup but it’s one that the artist is used to, with the addition of
pyrotechnics.”
Te n CO^2 jets lined the main stage, while a further eight covered the
B-stage. Bringing the heat, 10 GFlames were located on the main stage,
along with a pair of Low Fog Generators to create atmosphere. While seven12W RGB OPS Laser Projectors and a trio of 20W RGB OPS Laser Projectors
were integrated on the show, particularly on the automated carousel.
“These are all trademarks of a Travis Scott show,” Heap began.
“However, on this run we increased our SFX arsenal with the addition of
extra pyro and more things to the B-stage, such as CO2 jets, to create an
extra ‘wow factor’ to the performance.”
With special effects in abundance, health and safety was paramount.
“We only really fire the effects on the main stage when he is either up on the
carousel or on the thrust. Often artists can get too excitable when they’re
performing and enter the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said. “It’s
our job to anticipate movement, especially when guests enter the fray; it’s
integral to be mindful of multiple people on-stage. However, the nature of a
one-off show meant that time was at a premium. Heap said: “It takes a lot of
time and thought to achieve this kind of show safely.”
Blake Harward joined Heath in the SFX crew, while the laser team
comprised Toby McKnight and Dan Wilce. “It was a great show to be a part
of,” Heap said. “I loved working for the team, and I look forward to working
with them again. Overall, it looked great and the audience loved it. I don’t
think the hype will disappear any time soon, especially with the likes of Ed
Sheeran coming out as a special guest.”SICKO MODE
Bridging the gap of the so-called ‘Soundcloud rap’ scene and arena touring,
Travis Scott’s latest live offering has laid down the gauntlet and firmly set a
benchmark for his contemporaries. What is more, if the enthusiasm of the
artist’s visual team is anything to go by, this just the beginning...
TPi
Photos: @felix.aaa
http://www.travisscott.com
http://www.prg.uk
http://www.ct-group.com
http://www.bpm-sfx.com