MAGIC SOUL LIVE 2019
Magic Soul Live celebrated the genre’s greatest hits at Hammersmith’s Eventim Apollo with a host of stars and lighting from Entec...
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Magic Soul Live 2019
GOOD FOR THE SOUL Hosted by Lemar and fellow Magic Radio presenter Angie Greaves, Magic Soul Live had all the ingredients of an unforgettable party: a soul music jamboree graced with some of history’s best-loved songs, performed by such stellar artists as Motown diva Martha Reeves, Rose Royce’s Gwen Dickey, Gabrielle, Kenny Thomas, Jaki Graham, Acid Jazz pioneers the Brand New Heavies, ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ vocalist Tommy Blaize, ‘The Voice’ finalist and prolific session singer Michelle John, and Andrew Strong, star of cult movie ‘The Commitments’. Staged at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith on February 23rd with lighting designed by Dan Street of Street Light and supplied by Entec, Magic Soul Live 2019 was the second show in the now annual series produced by multiple award-winning event production agency TBI Media. For the last few years, Craig Greaves has been helming the West End company’s technical production management on a number of entecLIVE.com |
Magic Soul Live 2019
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Above L-R: Gabrielle; Martha Reeves. Below: Soundcheck status; Lemar.
broadcast shows and other live events, including Magic Soul Live, hiring the best services and ensuring delivery on budget. “It’s a one-off special for Magic FM’s digital soul channel, recorded ‘as live’ for broadcast about a fortnight later,” said Craig, who runs Maidenhead-based CSG Events. “Last February’s show at the London Palladium was a huge success with a bill that included Alexander O’Neal, Heather Small, Mica Paris and Andrew Roachford. It sold out so easily that we knew a larger venue would be needed this time. With its 3,500+ capacity, the Apollo is one of the largest seated theatres in Eu-
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rope and an ideal platform for a stepped-up production in 2019. “I was very pleased that TBI appointed Dan Street as lighting designer; he was a great choice. After Dan prepared his design in WYSIWYG, I looked it over from a practical standpoint and then liaised with Adam Stevenson at Entec to get the best possible package for our money.” Craig explained that Entec won the lighting supply contract following a recommendation by the Apollo’s management. He said: “Moving into a new venue can
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Magic Soul Live 2019
Above L-R: Jaki Graham; Kenny Thomas. Below: The Brand New Heavies in rehearsal; soundcheck from stage left.
sometimes be daunting but Entec have made a very simple and painless process. Their intimate experience of the Apollo over many years means they have a reliable understanding of the best load-in methods and how to use time efficiently. “When you only have four hours to load in the production, as we’ve had, that counts for an awful lot. There’s no window for delays or snags – you have to know that all the kit is prepped correctly and ready to go. Fortunately, Entec’s crew on this, Lee Stennett and Andy Emmerson, give the impression they are working at home, such is their familiarity with the building, and the
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company’s suggestion of hiring local crew from Stage Miracles has been a real benefit to everybody.” Lee reported that an intense period followed the 8am ‘get-in’, with R. Jameson Transport tipping a single 45’ truck. “Almost everything was in the air by 10.30; it’s just been a case of finessing since then,” he commented in the middle of the afternoon. “Dan’s had his nose to the grindstone and not taken a minute’s break since we arrived but he’s coped brilliantly. He really knows his craft as well being a very amiable guy.”
Magic Soul Live 2019
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Above: Lemar and Angie Greaves opened the show.
BOLD & COLOURFUL After a busy rehearsal schedule starting early afternoon and finishing just before doors were open to the public, Dan was able to discuss his work on this year’s event. In heavy demand as a designer and programmer across television, events and theatre, with regular clients including the Royal Albert Hall and the BBC, he first worked with TBI Media on a live orchestral performance marking the release of Disney’s new version of ‘Beauty & The Beast’ at the Odeon in Leicester Square. Having been invited to light Magic Soul Live last year, Dan was delighted to return for its follow-up. He said: “We used the extensive house rig at the Palladium, but staging the event at the Apollo meant designing something to ensure a wide pool of options for over 25 live musical numbers across the evening. “It was a pleasure to work directly with the team at Entec. Having access to their varied stock of rental 6
equipment, coupled with their extensive knowledge of the Apollo, made the process from design to delivery extremely smooth and worry free.” Notably, Dan was not handed a specific design brief, however, the very nature of the music suggested a bold and colourful approach. “As with any event there are budget restrictions to consider and with a full complement of musicians and performers, every inch of the stage was being used. I was keen to ensure I had enough equipment to hand. “Being a musician myself, aside from the visual looks, I always like to include the band and backing vocalists in each piece, rather than let them fade into the overall picture. I like the challenge of creating something that looks bigger than it actually is. I trimmed the rig quite low – we’re using the house fly bars rather than multiple trusses, and staggering the lighting has helped create an angular, slightly 3D look.”
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Magic Soul Live 2019
Above L-R: Craig Greaves; Dan Street; Lee Stennett.
While Dan rolled out generic stylings with 28 2-Lite Moles, 10 Claypaky Sharpy fixtures were used for some creative beam work on the floor and 28 Martin MAC Aura XBs provided an arsenal of wash sources. Entec’s package also included 14 MAC Viper Profiles. “The Viper is always a solid choice and I work with them regularly.” informed Dan. “It’s a great workhorse with a varied selection of gobos and animation and you know it’ll always give you excellent results. BLAZING A TRAIL Looking for additional eye candy to open the second half, Dan employed Entec’s recently purchased stock of the Showtech Vintage entecLIVE.com |
Blaze ’55, a retro-styled product that combines a tungsten lamp with an RGB LED background effect, with strobe function and colour macros. “The ’55 is a great looking piece of kit… an alternative to the Robe Patt 2013,” said Lee, Entec’s senior lighting technician. “The ‘filament bulb in a big reflector’ is a classic that suits this old school kind of soul gig. What’s unique about the Vintage Blaze, however, is the strip of RGB LED tape around the outside, so you can light the reflector itself in different colours as well as having the incandescent bulb in the middle.”
“This is my first time with the Vintage Blaze and I’m impressed. The LED back engine has an even dimmer curve and gives access to a good range of solid colours.” DAN STREET
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Above L-R: ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ singer Tommy Blaize; Andrew Strong, star of ‘The Commitments’; Dan Street at the grandMA2 light desk.
Dan commented: “I booked four Vintage Blazes to add some shape to Gabrielle’s set. Adding them in along the edge of the stage risers was enough to pull some eye candy to a different part of the rig. This is my first time with the Vintage Blaze and I’m impressed – the LED back engine has an even dimmer curve and gives access to a good range of solid colours. They’re also lightweight and easy to carry.” To control the rig, Dan piloted two grandMA2 light consoles. He explained his choice: “I started using the MA platform some years ago at the Royal Albert Hall, where I am employed regularly on a wide range of shows. The physical capabilities and software are so
solid and flexible for this kind of show where you sometimes don’t know what’s coming next, so at this level it’s become the standard for me. Having a varied work base, I also use other consoles, making my choices according to the specifics of each show.” Along with the obligatory haze, 50cm mirror balls, RJ Victor followspots, risers and rigging kit also included in the Entec package, the company supplied a classic pea light star cloth. “Having chatted with TBI and Craig, we decided that a star cloth was a great choice to keep the backdrop simple, but effective.” said Dan. “Running it in multichannel mode gave the opportunity to add some subtle ripples in the background. Soul music and star cloths… has there ever been a better match?!” The LD’s ‘wing man’ was Laurence Russell who Dan trained alongside at The Guildhall School of Music & Drama, studying Stage Management & Technical Theatre where Dan earned a First Class BA (Hons) degree. He summarised: “Designing this show at such an iconic venue has been a thrill and everyone at Entec, from Adam in the office to Lee and Andy here on the gig, has been brilliant to work with.” Photography: Rakiya Shehu/Magic Soul Live & Mark Cunningham
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Magic Soul Live 2019