THE KILLERS:WONDERFUL WONDERFUL TOUR

TPi’s Stew Hume travels to London’s O2 Arena to catch the closingnight of the band’s UK tour, and uncover the inner workings of this deeply

personal album & touring cycle...

PRODUCTION PROFILE

22

Although they began life thousands of miles west in ‘Sin City’, the Las Vegas 4-piece have been warmly embraced by the UK since their debut in 2003. Songs such as Mr. Brightside and Somebody Told Me are part of Britain’s musical zeitgeist, and it’s always an event when The Killers travel to our shores. The Wonderful Wonderful tour was no exception. In recent years, charismatic frontman Brandon Flowers has struck out on his own with a solo career, re-joining his bandmates in 2017 to release their latest album. Received well by fans and critics alike, Wonderful Wonderful promised an insight into Flowers’ personal life - a theme that would naturally echo throughout the live tour. Reprising the role of Production Manager is Michael Oberg, a position he’s held since 2008. “The first time I worked with the band was in 2004 while I was a promoter rep in Australia,” stated Oberg, as the band were about to hit the stage for their second night in London. “Then, 4 years later, I was brought into the official touring party as Production Manager and have been here ever since. Our design team began working on the look of this tour in February 2017, then in May I began looking at costings and logistics.” For the tour, Oberg selected a list of long-term suppliers including Capital Sound, Neg Earth Lights, Big Picture, Pyrotek Special Effects, All Access Staging & Productions, Lightwave International, Perry Scenic Creative, ACASS-SYSTEMS, Bittersweet Catering, Phoenix Bussing and Fly By Nite. “It’s been a great run so far, although I had forgotten how cold some of the UK venues are to work in,” laughed Oberg, as the tour’s sold out November gigs took place across a freezing Britain.

DESIGNDiscussing this vision was Lighting Designer, Steven Douglas, who has sat behind The Killers’ console for the last 13 years, after meeting them by chance at their first gig in Dublin. Douglas was covering for an in-house LD - a one-time favour for a mate, he reminisced, adding: “Long story short, they gave me a call a few days later asking me to finish the tour with them. I’ve never looked back. Talk about right place at the right time!” For Wonderful Wonderful the band were keen to bring new elements into the live show. Although still maintaining the band’s Vegas roots with elements such as giant neon arrow prop that could have been pulled straight from the strip, this tour also offered an intimate edge that The Killers have not explored as much in the past. “This album was a very personal release for Brandon,” stated Douglas. “Some of the songs are discussing his wife’s struggles with PTSD. From a very early stage in the process we knew we wanted the design to help tell these stories and work

on a ‘show narrative’ rather then just a bright light show.” This meant using more video than the band had used before. “It’s an element we have used a few times in the past, but because the content of this latest album was so personal to Brandon, we were keen to use specifically shot footage to tell the stories within the songs.” Douglas even scaled back his lightshow so the video content really shone. “We have done the ‘big light show’ for a few years now and it’s been great to work with a different medium,” commented the LD. Essential to this new look was Fireplay - Artistic Directors and Creative Producers for the tour. Douglas had collaborated with the company several times in the past, although this was their first Killers collaboration. “They were able to really take a lot of parts of the design out of my hands, leaving me to focus on the lighting show,” commented Douglas. Max Duval, Fireplay’s Chief Marketing Officer, discussed the company’s role in the production. “The band were looking to explore and build a bigger show then they would typically take out,” commented Duval. “They wanted a design that spoke to their music and experiences as a band over the last decade to showcase how they had grown and developed into who they are today.” The company pulled together a crack team to ensure a cohesive vision within the show design. This included Fireplay’s William Baker who took the role of Creative and Artistic Director leading the rest of the team to ensure a consistent vision from the design, video content and IMAG integration with Creative Producer Nick Whitehouse liaising with the band and management, and working with external vendors and fabricators ensuring everything was achieved within the proposed budget. The Fireplay team also included Production Designer, Josh Zangen, who focussed on all aspects of stage and scenery design. With video being such an integral part of the show, Baker, after developing concepts and treatments for each song, brought in Blink TV to create the custom content. “Working with Steven on Wonderful Wonderful has been fantastic,” concluded Duval. “We always love collaborating with him but his long-standing relationship with the band meant his help and guidance was invaluable. His lighting design fits the overall concept perfectly and lifts the show to a whole new level.” The stage itself consists of a large upstage video wall, made up of a ROE 12mm LED screen. A ROE 8mm product then makes up a pyramid shaped screen, placed in front on the upstage wall. In addition, there was a third automated triangle screen, affectionately referred to as the ‘flying-v’. Big Picture, an Australian screen provider, supplied all the video elements for the UK tour. “Big Picture have been my preferred video

THE KILLERS

Above: Lighting Designer, Steven Douglas; Media Server Operator, Dan Gentile; Video Director, David Horscroft.Douglas collaborated with Fireplay to come up with the visual content for the tour.

24

supplier in Australia for over 25 years,” commented Oberg. “We have a strong relationship and it was great to bring them out on this run to the UK and Europe.” The video team, Video Crew Chief, Dustin King, Video Director, David Horscroft and Media Server Operator, Dan Gentile kept the department running smoothly. For content control, a disguise 4x2 Pro media server was chosen. “We essentially have 3 different surfaces we’re able to send content to with the upstage wall, the pyramid and the flying-v,” stated Gentile. “Overall the resolution is around 2,500 pixels wide by 1,100 pixels high with over 1,000GB of content,” he said, joking that his laptop has been very unhappy with him lately due to the sheer size of this show. This is actually the first tour in which Gentile had worked solely as a disguise Server Operator, despite using the products for several years [under the company’s former name, d3 Technologies]. “I started off in lighting but, while working on smaller tours, became a ‘jack-of-all-trades’ lending a hand to some server operator work. I have to admit, I have now been converted and much prefer working with video. disguise’s product is great and their support is amazing. I really like working with the system as it allows you to have a really personal touch in how you interact with the software. There a a multitude of was to do one job which allows you to develop your on style of operating.” Alongside the disguise 4x2 Pro, Gentile also used Notch plug-ins to render several effects. “This was a fairly last minute addition to my set-up but I’ve been really impressed with the effects I’ve been able to active with it,” said Gentile Working alongside him, is Video Director, David Horscroft, who joined the conversation. “I have known Michael Oberg, our Production Manager, for several years - although this is my first time with the band,” began Horscroft. “I’m a big fan of their music so it was and easy job to say yes to. As far as I’m aware, this is actually the first time the band has had a dedicated video director - so it’s a first for both of us.” For the tour, Horscroft mainly took care of the IMAG screens flanking the stage, although at certain point

IMAG elements would also be incorporated into the LED screens. For control, the Director used a Grass Valley Kayak with a 2ME video switcher. Horscroft described his approach to directing the IMAG screens: “My first goal when given the position was to capture everything happening musically from all sections of the band. However, because Brandon is such a charismatic front man, I also needed to capture as many of those special moments as possible. I want to ensure that the person in the furthest seat doesn’t miss a thing.” To conclude, Horscroft described the services Big Picture had provided for the tour. “They are such a dedicated company,” he enthused. “Both the equipment and the crew they have provided to us have all been great, making the tour run effortlessly.”

LIGHTING For the lighting design, Neg Earth provided Douglas with his sizable rig. It comprises 92 GLP impression X4 Bar 20’s (24 around the video screen and 68 in the pods), 33 JDC1’s, 54 Claypaky Scenius Unicos, 12 Sharpys and 12 Martin by Harman MAC Aura XBs. For control, the trusty MA Lighting grandMA2 desk provided the brain power. The LD explained his desire to move away from the traditional wash light, adding: “Just as with the video content, I wanted the lighting show to be more intimate and a simple wash would have been too overbearing.” This goal ended up leading Douglas to deploy the GLP impression X4 Bar 20’s. “They are a fantastic fixture to use and I’ve really enjoyed the looks they have created.” On this tour gave Douglas a chance to experiment with some equipment. “I was really keen to give the Unicos a run on the tour and I have to say they have been fantastic as both a followspot and lighting for the stage scenery. The same goes for the new GLP JDC1 strobes, which have been working well.” Neg Earth’s Julian Lavender discussed the company’s involvement with the band’s latest production. “Before we loaded into rehearsals, the main challenge we had to face was integrating the pre-existing custom

THE KILLERS

Over 100 tonnes of tissue paper were used each night for the 2 confetti blasts during the UK tour, supplied by Pyrotek Special Effects.

26

truss pods that had been used earlier in the year, into our system and develop the 2 mother grids to deal with the Kinesys automation system,” commented Lavender, adding: “I believe this is the biggest show we have ever put together for The Killers and it’s as been truly awe-inspiring. Beautifully lit with extremely well-executed programming and impeccable timing from Steven!” Along with a selection of fixtures, Neg Earth also provided the tour with a 6 strong lighting crew led by Crew Chief, Damo Coad. For followspot operation, Douglas utilised the Follow-Me system. “Since I first heard about the system, and the idea that it could be used on any fixture, I have been really intrigued by Follow-Me,” stated the LD. “I have been using it for a couple of weeks now and it’s showing itself to be a great bit of kit with some exciting possibilities.” Douglas used the operating system to control the Claypaky Scenius Unicos. In total, 5 Unicos were used for Flowers with 2 more Scenius used for guitarist Ted Sablay and bassist Jake Blanton. Douglas also used the Follow-Me system on several laser looks within his design. “We have 10 Phenom Moving Head Lasers, which have been provided by our laser supplier Lightwave. I can’t say for certain but I’m fairly sure this must be the first time laser followspots have ever been toured! It has produced a really great look for us.” Lightwave also provided the tour with 7 full-colour, 35W lasers on top of the 10 Phenom Moving Head Lasers. “All the fixtures are audience scanning diffracted. This means when they zoom past a certain point, the dimmers switch off so you know for certain they are within the legal limits of safety clearances.”

STAGINGAdding to the visual elements of the tour was Perry Scenic Creative, which produced a large 3D water tower and a pair 3D arrow stage props. Jon Perry from Perry Scenic, discussed the company’s involvement with the project. “We have worked with The Killers for several years at this point, in particular with Michael Oberg, Production Manager and Steven Douglas, Lighting and Production Designer. They are fabulous people to work with.” Perry outlined some of the issues facing the design team for the tour. “The main challenge was to produce something that met their aesthetic and technical requirements that was also ‘tourable’. The pieces were being air freighted all over the world and so needed to be durable.” On top of the impressive stage pieces, the company also fabricated lettering that would be stuck to the water tower to spell out the name of the night’s host city. This included a specially designed Manchester sign featuring a heart to pay homage to the terror attack earlier this year. For the rolling stage and set construction, the production used All Access alongside ACCASS-SYSTEMS, which created the custom video triangles. “The production team knew what they wanted aesthetically,”

explained ACASS-SYSTEMS’ CEO, Aaron Cass. “Our designers collaborated on the design and then ACASS-SYSTEMS ultimately manufactured several elements for the tour, especially the magnificent custom flying video pyramid. We manufactured the entire LED package, which includes a total of 4,000sq ft of LED.” The eventual package was made of lightweight aluminium so that the touring crew could pack them, roll them onto a truck, and make load-ins a breeze. “We were honoured to have partnered with Fireplay, and the entire Killers team,” concluded Cass. “When you get the right group together and grooving on an idea, anything is possible. The tour was phenomenal and worked seamlessly.”

OVERHEADHandling the 50+ tonne rig was Head Rigger Rob Gardiner and Rigging Assistant, James Wright. “We went with Neg Earth as our rigging supplier for this tour with all local riggers being supplied by Knight Rigging Services,” began Gardiner. “The load itself is fairly standard for an arena show this size with about 101 points. Our biggest challenge came from the weight up stage due to the video walls. Throughout the tour we had to pay special attention to certain venue’s roof capacities but thankfully we have not had to remove any staging elements - although it has lead to some longer days in planning rigging plots,” he laughed. For the automation of the flying-v, Neg provided the production with a Kinesys Liftket motor, which was operated by Neg Earth’s Steve Kellaway. “For the tour we have also been using Kinesys LibraCELLs which we have placed on the back of the flying-v,” stated Gardiner. “Our justification came from the movements and the nature of the object we are dealing with, as sometimes our sight is obscured. The LibraCELLs just gives us the real time information without needing a visual cue to make sure everything is safe.”

PYROTECHNICSPyrotek Special Effects completed the show’s visual feast. Special Effects Operator, Keith Maxwell, was overseeing 2 main effects - a pyro waterfall and 2 confetti blasts. Maxwell, who is also the man behind Iron Maiden’s special effects department, discussed the products used for the Wonderful Wonderful tour. “For the waterfall, we use over 201 Gerbs which are being launched by a Pyrodigital controller. It’s set off during the band’s song When You Were Young.” Maxwell continuedA to discuss his confetti set up, which included 20 MagicFX Stadiums shots and over 100 tonnes of tissue paper each night. “It’s certainly not light on confetti,” laughed Maxwell. “We have 2 main blasts during each show for the songs The Man and All These Things That I’ve Done. We had to advance the huge shipment prior to the tour and have all the confetti shipped to the UK.” He went on to explain his relationship with Pyrotek Special Effects. “I have been freelancing with them for over 16 years at this point, they are a really energetic and helpful organisation. If you ever have an issue, or

THE KILLERS

28

Capital Sound supplied the production with a complete Martin Audio MLA PA package; Monitor Engineer, Marty Beath; FOH Engineer, Kenny Kaiser.

THE KILLERS

question, there‘s always some on the other end of the phone, which is very important when you’re on tour.” Pyrotek Special Effects’ Nigel Deslippe looked after Maxwell throughout the tour and gave his thoughts on Wonderful Wonderful: “Although the show only had a couple of cues they are really big looks. The 201 waterfall effect, for example, spans the entire stage and wings, which looks really impressive.” Deslippe also commented on some of the small details in the pyro package, such as the second confetti blast’s colours being based on the country’s flag the band played to each evening, a little nod to the eagle eyed in the audience.

FOH AUDIO It is very fitting that a band who have always worn their UK influence on their sleeve have once again chosen a British PA and sound console for this latest tour. FOH Engineer, Kenny Kaiser, has been responsible for bringing the band’s album sound into the live forum for half a decade. “I first started with the band on their Battle Born cycle in 2012,” began Kaiser. “After a few changes to the crew line-up, I was given the chance to take the hot seat, having been working for their US sound vendor. I clearly did something right!” In recent years, The Killers have developed a more mature, genre-spanning sound but as Kaiser enthused, “It is still, and always will be, a rock show.” Capital Sound supplied the complete Martin Audio PA package. The main hang consisted of 17 boxes of MLA, with 2 MLD’s for down fill (per side). For the side hangs, there are a further 12 MLA plus an MLD for down fill (per side). For flown subs, there are 5 MLX per side, flown at a 45° angle between the main and side hangs, with 21 MLX ground subs placed in a configuration of 7 x 3 array stacks in the pit, with the bottom enclosure reversed. Finally, for fills there were 6 DD12 cabinets. “I’m a massive fan of the Martin Audio PA,” Kaiser declared. “We have used it ever since I’ve been with the band and it’s been solid throughout. It’s a great box to replicate what you’re trying to achieve, especially with its punchy low end.” He continued: “For the O2 shows, we have added a few more boxes for coverage. This is the biggest show we have done for the UK tour, so we’ve added a secondary side hang to give even coverage to the seats which are closer to the stage.” The second side hang consisted of 10 MLA Compact elements per side. Capital Sound’s history with the band started back in 2004 during the

NME Tour when they supplied a Martin W8LC ground stacked PA system. “The Killers are a great band who provide great entertainment in their shows and that’s key for our industry and selling tickets,” commented Operations and Development Director, Paul Timmins. “Since the NME tour we have supplied the band’s audio in Europe, building a strong relationship with the crew. High points along the way have included their Wembley Stadium show in the summer of 2013 and the more recent BST Hyde Park show in 2017.” Throughout this working relationship, the PA of choice has always been Martin Audio. “The systems suit the band for sure,” commented Timmins. “The Wonderful Wonderful tour has seen the band hit another level in terms of their production values. They’re loyal and expect the best service. They work on the basis that we get on with the job, making decisions and designing the best package that sounds awesome - while going in and out of venues safely and swiftly.” The FOH Engineer went on to discuss the collaboration with Capital Sound. “This is another long-term relationship that has existed since I started working with the band,” recalled Kaiser. “All the guys have been fantastic but I have to give special mention to my FOH Tech Toby Donovan. He is one of the best system engineers I have ever worked with!” For control, Kaiser again opted for Solid State Logic’s SSL500 console, having used the desk “since day one.” The Engineer added: “I really enjoy the workflow and it’s been really easy to wrap my head around. I feel like a lot of people in recent years have been caught in a ‘videogame’ mind set and surround themselves in multiple screens. Personally, I like to push a fader up and see it do what I need it to do.” On top of using the SSL’s on board effects, Kaiser uses several outboard effects including 2 M7 Baricasti (one for Brandon’s vocals, the other for the snare) along with an Empirical Labs FATSO.

MONITORINGFollowing Kaiser’s lead, the band’s Monitor Engineer, Marty Beath, also opted for an SSL L500 to mix on. Beath originally worked as Monitor Tech on the Battle Born tour, while also taking sole responsibility of the band’s broadcast mix, explaining: “Whether it’s for TV or radio it’s impossible for a crew unfamiliar with the band to get the best mix from the guys.” Back when he was handling broadcast responsibilities, Beath mixed on a different desk, however, making the jump to Monitor Engineer, both he and Kaiser decided to shift to the SSL. “It all came down to minimising our overall footprint especially when we were rolling into festival season. Both

Above: Head Rigger Rob Gardiner; Special Effects Operator, Keith Maxwell.

THE KILLERS

29

of us now share stage rack which has dramatically reduced the size of audio world,” said Beath. Although originally unfamiliar with SSL, Beath explained how he found his feet with the system. “Firstly, the SSL is a great-sounding console. I’ll admit I had a bit of a learning curve in the beginning, but thankfully we had time in rehearsals when I could get to grips with it and I now have a workflow that I’m very comfortable with.” For the musicians on stage, the audio team provided two options. The core band used JH Audio Roxanne moulds with Shure PSM1000’s for transmission. Meanwhile Brandon Flowers opted to work off stage wedges and side fills. “Every wedge on stage is for Brandon,” said Beath. “He really likes to have a loud stage so I’ve given him 6 wedges in the central performance area, with 2 behind on 4 upfront. Then when he goes to either side of the stage I can take care of him with the sidefills.” This massive on-stage sound also created an interesting challenge out front for Kaiser. “My biggest challenge is stage volume,” commented the FOH Engineer. “Along with Brandon’s microphone, there are 7 other vocal mics around the stage. I had to be quite creative so the mics didn’t pick up a lot of the stage sound without simply gating them. I’m not a fan of gating as you always end up missing certain nuances and you get a compressed sound. I’ve made use of SSL’s Automixer which I use on Brandon’s voice and also for the backing singers. It has been incredibly useful.” A Shure Beta 58A was used for Flowers’ lead vocals, a microphone that has also been used on each of the band’s records. “What you are hearing is Brandon through that mic. Through the years it’s what he’s been comfortable with on stage,” stated Kaiser. “It might not be everyone’s first choice in an arena setting, but the way I look at it, you wouldn’t give a guitarist who uses a Les Paul a Fender Stratocaster and expect them to play the same.”

TRANSPORT & TEA BREAKSGetting the band, crew and production itself from A to B through the European run were Fly By Nite and Phoenix Bussing. “In total, Fly By Nite provided us with 18 trucks and our Account Manager Dave Coumbe took great care of us,” commented Oberg. Phoenix Bussing provided 3 band busses and 4 crew. “We have been working with The Killers since 2005 during the Hot Fuss tour,” commented Phoenix’s Andy Gray. “2 out of the 3 band busses had our custom star rooms with a double bed at the back of the bus for extra comfort for the musicians. This tour was an easy one to plan as it

THE KILLERS

30

was all for UK arenas, which we know inside out. It was great to be working with The Killers gang again, and really nice to see so many familiar faces still involved with their production and management teams. It makes tours a lot easier to deal with when they come back around.” All freighting was handled by Sound Moves. Last but not least, the production brought in Bittersweet Catering. Managing Director, Paul Hastings, discussed the company’s involvement. “We have worked with the band for almost 5 years - and even on Brandon’s solo tour. We had 4 people on the road for the UK shows: our Lead Chef Mark Wilkinson was assisted by Jerome Virton, Lulu Foster-Young and Joe Sroczynski. It was a very busy tour for them, probably the largest we have ever worked on, with many of the gigs being back-to-back shows with early load-ins and a week of production days at Fly By Nite and Birmingham’s Genting Arena ahead of the show days, where we were catering for over 100 people each day. We love these guys so it is a genuine honour and pleasure to have been working with them again.” With yet another successful UK invasion, both band and crew flew back state side to prepare for the American leg of the Wonderful Wonderful tour, due to take them through the first part of 2018.TPiPhotos: Ralph Larmannwww.thekillersmusic.comwww.fireplay.comwww.capital-sound.co.ukwww.bigpicture.comwww.negearth.comwww.perryscenic.comwww.lasershows.netwww.allaccessinc.comwww.acass-systems.comwww.pyrotekfx.comwww.phoenix-bussing.co.ukwww.flybynite.co.ukwww.bittersweetcatering.co.ukwww.soundmoves.com