Professional Lighting & Production - Spring 2020 | Page 18

PL&P
P
18 PL
HEAVY
ON
HYBRIDS
A Versatile
& Adaptable Lighting
Design for Trivium
By Kevin Young.
Photos by Annie Atlasman, @annienyhc.
L
ighting designer
Mike Herkimer –
better known around
the business simply
as “Herk” – has
worked with a variety
of artists who are known for
their high-energy live shows –
Billy Talent, Rise Against, Walk
Off the Earth, Disturbed, and
Protest the Hero, to name just
a few. Whether the act he’s
working with requires a lean-
but-punchy floor package or a
multi-truck, arena-filling spec-
tacle, Herkimer brings a wealth
of experience to the table in
creating designs that accen-
tuate that “take no prisoners”
performance ethic of some of
his higher-profile clients.
Recently, Herkimer brought
his talents to bear on creating
a hybrid-heavy lighting rig
for Orlando, FL-based metal
outfit Trivium’s 2019 European
festival run, which included
appearances at Belgium’s
Graspop Metal Meeting,
Rock Am Ring/Rock Im Park
in Germany, and the U.K.’s
Download Festival. Conse-
quently, Herkimer was tasked
with designing a show and
rig that would be unique and
impactful while allowing for
quick changeovers on multi-
band bills.
Recalling his initial discus-
sions with the band and its
team, Herkimer explains that
they wanted an impressive
set piece and powerful rig,
but one that could be up and
running on stage in no more
than 20 minutes, and cleared
from the stage in roughly 10.
“The stage was designed with
festivals in mind,” Herkimer
reinforces. “Changeover times
vary depending on the festival,
but regardless, we wanted to
make sure those times were
achievable in order to make
sure no gear was being left in
the truck.”
While Herkimer says he
had a fairly open palette
when it came to the design,
it did have to reflect Trivium’s
evolving staging needs, which