Going through photos from some of the world ’ s major summer music festivals – from Lollapalooza in Chicago to the Montreux Jazz Festival to Belgium ’ s Rock Werchter and beyond – it ’ s pretty easy to tell which depict Jack White ’ s headlining sets .
On his latest world tour supporting his third solo LP , Boarding House Reach , the idiosyncratic rock icon , his band , and the stages they grace from night to night are bathed exclusively in blue light . Many of the instruments and accessories with them on that stage are blue , too . Even the accompanying video displayed on the three massive LED screens comprising the set – some custom content , some IMAG reproduction – get the treatment .
Ultimately , it makes for a strong visual statement from an artist whose career could almost ( but not quite ) be as aptly defined by optics and imagery as the music they support .
That said , it also presents a significant challenge for the lighting and video team tasked with designing and operating a dynamic and engaging live show while being limited to one wedge of the colour spectrum – and that ’ s on top of White ’ s widely-known penchant for extended jams and on-the-spot song choices .
Matthieu Larivée is the creative director of Montreal visual design firm Lüz Studio , which took on the lighting , video , and set design for the Boarding House Reach Tour . Lüz had previously worked with White ’ s management company and was subsequently invited to submit a design proposal for the trek .
“ The brief was … very brief ,” Larivée says with a chuckle . At its core , though , was that blue would be the visual anchor for the entire show and whichever elements were proposed as part of it .
“ I ’ ve seen Jack in the past , and know he likes to create an experience that puts you in a certain mood where you ’ re not distracted by anything else and kind of immersed in the music and what the artists are doing onstage ,” Larivée offers . “ At first , that might seem like an obstacle , but in fact , we ’ ve found it works really well in bringing people into his world .”
Lüz Studio ’ s winning production , lighting , and video design was based around three large rotatable video walls with moving lights mounted to their rear sides , giving operators the option of using video or a more elaborate lighting system as the main visual component from song-to-song . It actually marks the first time that video has been a significant part of the production for a Jack White solo tour .
“ That was big for us because we could create a depth of field with that visual content ,” Larivée says . “ It also gives us more creative options to match the energy of any given song or part of the show , making it a very interactive show in a way .”
Otherwise , the set is fairly simple – and intentionally so , as it keeps the band close together and ensures everyone onstage and in the audience is focused on the music .
The overall design took shape as Larivée and his team went through several rounds of meetings , concept drawings , and renderings with White ’ s camp .
It was shortly after Accurate Staging had started fabricating the set that Michelle Sarrat was appointed as the lighting director for the run . White ’ s previous LD , Emmanuelle “ Gigi ” Pedron , was unavailable for the Boarding House Reach dates due to prior commitments and , along with other lighting pros , had recommended Sarrat for the gig .
“[ Matt and his team ] had everything pretty much dialed in , and at least a very strong idea of where and how they wanted to use lighting ,” Sarrat explains . “ I came in and helped weigh the pros and cons of different fixture types and we came up with solutions that worked within our physical space , weight , budget , and technical function .”
The fact that Lüz Studio oversaw the production , lighting , and video design , as well as the video content creation , went a long way in creating a seamless experience for the lighting and video directors and their audience .
“ It ’ s great because the tour doesn ’ t have a set setlist , so we never really know what ’ s going to happen ,” Larivée offers . “ So by controlling all of the visual elements ourselves , we can ensure everything switches seamlessly from lighting to video cues as they perform and have a good idea of what the results will be .”
Though the songs , their order , and even their arrangements can change on a dime from show to show , there are some staples for which cue lists were developed – particularly some of the tracks from the new album that are performed relatively close to their recorded versions .
“ But there are a lot of buttons and manual hits as well ,” Sarrat notes , “ because he can and does jump around in the songs , or play half of one and merge into another . He definitely keeps us on our toes .”
She has a busking system for the rest of the show built around her console of choice , the MA Lighting grandMA2 , which lets her keep it loose and follow White and the band down whichever rabbit hole they decide to explore .
“ I think my experiences working as a house LD at a venue and coming up with a busking system that could do looks on the fly has helped me in a big way [ for this run ],” Sarrat says . “ Often , a band would come through that I ’ d never heard before , and I only had the soundcheck to figure out what their vibe was . That was a really good exercise in recognizing song structures and anticipating where a tune might be going .”
Part of the challenge – and some of the fun – stems from the fact that it ’ s not just one person that needs to be hyper-alert throughout the show and react to on-the-fly decisions ; Sarrat and video operator Rob McShane work in close collaboration to deliver a seamless look for each number .
“ So let ’ s say he ’ s playing ‘ Lazaretto ,’ which we haven ’ t programmed ,” Larivée offers as an example . “ Michelle has to talk to the video team to decide their approach , and who ’ s going to take the majority of that work .”
They had plenty of opportunity to get into a groove during production rehearsals at Upstaging ’ s Chicago facility . As Larivée explains , “ I was just putting on different songs that might come up in the set and seeing what they ’ d do . It wasn ’ t too stressful since they couldn ’ t really do it ‘ wrong ’; we were just experimenting and figuring out what might work and what wouldn ’ t .”
Versatility was especially critical when
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