lites ,” he says . “ It doesn ’ t cost as much as a grandMA and it ’ s not the same as a Hog , but when it comes down to usability and friendly support from the company , and the user groups that are out there and the stuff that ’ s online , it is very , very quick to make a show with .”
One of the benefits for the Hotels Live gigs is that they haven ’ t moved around much , staying based at the Ramada for more than four months for the outdoors show , meaning the stage , trussing , and support structures for the screens could stay in place . “ So , we would come in to do the programming , to do video content , all of that was pre-done on Capture and Wysiwyg , and then we would experiment live with the show . Every show , we built on those experiences and made it better and better and better ,” Antonio attests . “ It was fabulous to see the setup time and the programming time that we started with to the end of the run . At the end of the run , it was a fifth of the time .”
Being a very new style of show , there was constant adapting and tweaking going on , especially during the first few concerts back in July . Early on , Antonio , Cyrynowski , and a couple of their crew took turns going up to one of the balconies to watch the show and experience it from the audience ’ s perspective . And it was during that exercise that they realized the show is made much better by taking the roof off the stage , though that did create some concern about wind and rain , as well as intense sun exposure .
“ Thankfully last summer wasn ’ t that windy or rainy [ laughs ]. But having an open show like that expanded the area immensely ,” Antonio says , noting that they also realized the need to keep the stage at about a 45-degree viewing angle from the upper balconies or else it became too uncomfortable to watch over the railing . “ That ’ s the biggest problem that we saw with the bigger hotels was that you were looking almost straight down . You had pull off at about 45 degrees from the viewing area so that you didn ’ t really notice you ’ re 120 feet in the air . But with our primary location , looking down from the tallest floor , it was like you were almost in the show and part of it .”
In the end , this is really all about having a good time with friends or family ( current Alberta Health Services restrictions mean only members of the same household can share a room / balcony ). Seeing a live show , or even just having a safe and fun reason to leave the house that doesn ’ t involve getting groceries has been hard for many people to come by lately . And throughout this winter , especially , as COVID cases shot up and enhanced restrictions came down across the country , Hotels Live managed to offer a sliver of respite by thinking outside the box .
“ In these kinds of shows , we developed an arena-type look with arena-type sound and presentation , but you are in your own box seat . It ’ s a very unique kind of situation because these fans never get to have that ... It ’ s a really fun thing , but it gives you the ability to have a great time with your family , have a great time with your friends , and bring your own food , bring your own booze , hang out , do whatever you got to do , and then close the door and go to bed – you ’ re done ! So , the factors that are kind of inherent in the project keep people safe , even beyond COVID . You know , there ’ s also very little DUIs because most people stay the night , and there ’ s nobody crashing their cars .”
Beyond that , Antonio says that this unique idea has allowed Hotels Live and Pulse Concert Works to literally save people ’ s lives in other ways , too , by giving them work and a creative outlet when there is so little going on in the industry .
In many respects , it really is remarkable what Cyrynowski , Antonio , and their colleagues have pulled off , not having had to cancel any shows despite the everchanging set of restrictions . Whatever new circumstances and obstacles have been thrown at them , they ’ ve adapted . For this , Antonio credits Cyrynowski for thinking
GEORGE ANTONIO & CHAD THOMSON AT THE DESKS
outside the box and for his determination to keep shows going despite the countless barriers . Throughout the winter , Hotels Live has been one of , if not the only concert series in Canada to feature a live , in-person audience .
“ If I can impart anything to the [ production ] industry currently , it ’ s don ’ t wait for your phone to ring . You know , go out there and start looking at unusual situations . Because the unusual seems to be what is bringing the people out to feel safe ,” Antonio offers . “ Go the extra mile , and don ’ t just have your promoter go , ‘ Oh geez , well , you ’ re going to take care of this and that ’ s all you do .’ Be really involved with the process . Rob is talking to [ Alberta Health Services ] every single day , and it could change . Like , we ’ re not in a secure situation at all . But we are playing with the AHS and we are very flexible to add whatever they need us to do to keep our projects working . So , it ’ s very different than just the typical supplier that , you know , gives the gear , gives the service , and doesn ’ t really care about what else happens . You have to care about what happens to keep the projects and arts community going , because it ’ s a consortium of ideas . Everybody is bringing different ideas to help the project move forward .”
And keep moving forward they will . For however long this pandemic lasts , Hotels Live and Pulse Concert Works will do what they have to do . And , having seen how fun this new format is for audiences , pandemic or not , they strongly believe these shows could spread across the country and be enjoyed even beyond the COVID era .
Michael Raine is the Editor-in-Chief of Professional Lighting & Production .
Spring 2021 | 21