Celebrated lighting designer Sean Burke is taking Europe by storm with dramatic Vari-Lite powered lighting on Jennifer Lopez's world tour.
Burke - who has designed lighting for many of the world's biggest stars including Seal, Miley Cyrus, The Cranberries - has created an energetic and dramatic design using a battery of VL3500 Wash FX and VL3000 Spot luminaires supplied by US Vari-Lite dealer Upstaging.
"The lighting workhorses for this show are definitely the wash lights," says Burke. "I've been using the VL3500 Wash fixtures for a while now and I really like them. They're extremely flexible fixtures and do something that no other lights on the market can do."
Aside from Lopez's band and dancers, the huge stage measuring 62' wide x 48' deep is filled with a backdrop of powerful LED video screens.
"The VL3500 Wash fixtures are the perfect weapon to combat high-powered video walls, but now when I add in the FX unit I get two bangs for my buck," continues Burke. "I have the ability to use gobo patterns in addition to a really wide wash that's incredibly bright and can zoom down into a pencil beam. It's an incredible fixture."
Burke also required a powerful spot luminaire to complement the VL3500 Wash FX, and that's where the VL3000 Spots step in.
"The VL3000 Spots are extremely versatile fixtures. The bright beams go from narrow to wide with consistently smooth operation and are the perfect complement to the VL3500 Wash FX. Plus, it makes it easier on the crew when all the lights in the rig are consistent. Given that the VL3500 Wash FX and VL3000 Spot do everything I required for this show, there was no need to mix them up with other fixtures."
Lopez's world tour began in Panama in July, and travelled through South America before landing in Europe at the end of September. The European dates, which visit almost every major country including Spain, Italy, Germany, France, and the UK run until the end of November, then transferring to South East Asia and finishing in Australia in December.
David March, director of European Sales for Philips Vari-Lite says, "Thanks to Sean for specifying Vari-Lite to be part of his awesome looking show design which is so well supported by Upstaging of course. Again, we hear from so many top LD's such as Sean, that the VL3500 Wash FX delivers 100% on shows of this size partnered along with the VL3000 Spot, this winning combination continues to define the standard for concert lighting designs across the World."
