Professional Lighting & Production - Spring 2020 | Page 21

About Trivium
Formed in 1999 in Orlando, FL,
Grammy-nominated metal outfit
Trivium has released eight studio
records. Their ninth, What the Dead
Men Say, is scheduled to drop in
April 2020. On the heels of that re-
lease, Trivium will join Megadeth and
Lamb of God on “The Metal Tour of
the Year” throughout the summer of
2020.
“They’ve flawlessly executed everything we’ve asked of
them in the past, and being that I wouldn’t be onsite to im-
plement this design with Boris, we definitely wanted to make
sure we were working with a company who could take the
reins and take ownership on the project. I can’t thank them
enough for their commitment to excellence in seeing this
through from start to finish.”
That degree of involvement and level of trust is particular-
ly important in situations like this where the designer would
never physically be onsite. “When that’s the case, you really
need to make sure, as a designer, that your Is are dotted and
your Ts are crossed. If something goes wrong and you’re in
the room, you get a chance to speak your mind and correct
it – sometimes before anyone notices there’s an issue. Luckily,
there were no last-minute surprises. TDA did a great job
at the shop beforehand by mocking up one of the double
stacks and making sure everything fit perfectly. The one issue
we did run into is that the Axioms sat a little low in the truss,
but some higher-profile mounting clamps were added and
we were all set.”
Ultimately, the efficacy of the design and rig was borne out
by Zunderwork’s enthusiasm and assessment of the hybrid
package. “I think his first reaction was, ‘That many floor lights
are definitely going to turn some heads,’” Herkimer recalls
with a chuckle. “Based on that alone I had a good feeling
he’d have fun with this rig. After seeing some photos and
videos from the first few shows with some seriously tight
lighting cues and dynamic lighting looks, I was at ease with
my design being in his hands, and when we crossed paths at
the Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium, he assured me that
he was having a good time with it.”
To Herkimer, that’s high praise indeed. “Having another
LD enjoy something you put together for them is quite pos-
sibly one of the best feelings you can get from designing. Of
course, we’re in this business to do the best work possible for
the artists we’re working for, but getting a good reaction from
a colleague can be equally as satisfying – or sometimes even
more so.”
Herk’s History
Mike Herkimer got his start as a stagehand at Toron-
to’s multi-venue Kool Haus/Guvernment complex.
Although he initially imagined himself working on the
recording side of the music business, a passion for
lighting and his eventual appointment as a lighting
director for the Kool Haus/Guvernment ultimately
led to his work as a designer, director, programmer,
and operator. In addition to individual touring artists,
Herkimer has worked on events such as the Digital
Dreams Music Festival, Wayhome Music and Arts
Festival, and on high-profile broadcasts including Fox
Sports’ coverage of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World
Cup and NFL Network’s Super Bowl XLIX Media
coverage.
Kevin Young is a Toronto-based musician and freelance writer.
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