michael bublé : to be loved

ON THE ROAD: Michael Bublé
MICHAEL BUBLÉ : TO BE LOVED
MICHAEL BUBLÉ’S LATEST TOURING CREATION SAW THE CANADIAN ARTIST SELL OUT VENUES IN THE UK
AND IRELAND BEFORE PERFORMING IN ARENAS ACROSS THE US. TPi’S ZOE MUTTER ATTENDED ONE OF THE
O2 ARENA SHOWS IN LONDON TO MEET THE CREW RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PRODUCTION’S SUCCESS.
For musicians that like to interact with their
fans, such as Michael Bublé, his tours need
to allow him to deliver an entertaining
performance and form a connection with the
audience. Maintaining a reputation for visual
style and crystal clear audio, the Canadian
artist’s latest tour - To Be Loved - was yet
another sellout success.
TPi caught one of 10 consecutive
performances at London’s O2 Arena, before the
show continued on to Dublin and an arena tour
of the US. Filling us in on part of the tour’s back
story was Production Manager, Dean Roney,
who started touring in 1979 as a musician
before becoming a sound engineer and later
a production manager and tour manager. “I
had toured with Bryan Adams all through the
nineties - Bryan and Michael are both managed
by Bruce Allen, and I have worked closely with
Tour Director, Randy Berswick, for more than
20 years, so it was a good fit.I started with
Michael in 2005 and did two album cycles as the
Production Manager, then left to join Solotech
as an account rep. Now I’m back.”
Whilst on tour, Roney was supported by
Production Coordinator, Nicole Erin Kuhns.
He pointed out that this most recent touring
production has differed to previous Bublé shows,
both creatively and technically. Roney elaborated
on just some of the additions in To Be Loved:
“This time around we have a larger moving LED
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screen, which works with an LED floor that flips
vertically on hydraulics. There are a lot of moving
elements including mobilators, a 70 ft wide
Austrian curtain, and the flipping stage LED.
With so many options, our big challenge was
finding time to experiment with so many looks.”
Trusted, long-term suppliers to Bublé include
Montreal-based Solotech supplying video
and audio equipment, Christie Lites providing
lighting, TAIT and FTSI delivering automation and
staging services, Pyrotek supplying pyrotechnics,
EST and Truck ‘N Roll providing trucking services
in the UK and US respectively and Senator
busses being used in the US
INCREDIBLE SOUND
For Bublé’s shows at the O2, the 16,000 nightly
capacity enjoyed hearing the performance
through a powerful Meyer Sound LEO linear
large-scale sound reinforcement system, which
was provided by Montreal-based Solotech.
“The fact that I can cover a huge arena like
this without setting up delays or tapping into
the house system is just astonishing,” said FOH
Engineer, Craig Doubet. “The furthest seat is 350
ft from the arrays, but when I turn around, I see
people way in the back dancing and partying, so
I know it’s working up there.”
The LEO system deployed was built around
main hangs of 14-each LEO-M line array
loudspeakers, with underhangs of four -each
MICA line array loudspeakers. Outfill arrays
comprised 14 MICA loudspeakers per side, 10
M’elodie line array loudspeakers supplied front
fill, and six JM-1P arrayable loudspeakers were
flown as upstage corner and front centre fills.
Low end was supplied by cardioid arrays of eight
1100-LFC low-frequency control elements per
side, plus six 700-HP subwoofers on the deck.
A Galileo Callisto loudspeaker management
system featuring three Galileo Callisto and
one Galileo 616 AES processors optimised
performance. Foldback was provided by seven
MJF-212A stage monitors and twin side fills of
six-each M’elodie loudspeakers.
“I am very impressed with the MJF-212A
monitors,” said Matt Napier, Monitor Engineer.
“Most of the acts I work with use exclusively inear monitors, but Michael likes to work without
IEM on occasion. With its high SPL, vocal clarity,
and small footprint, the MJF-212A allows me
to keep both the artist and visual departments
happy.”
The full system was designed by Doubet
in collaboration with David Brazeau, Solotech
Technical Advisor, and Louis-Philippe Maziade,
Tour Systems Tech (Leonard Cohen, Britney
Spears), who has worked for Bublé since 2008. “The system works well with the mix Craig is
creating - they’re all self-powered speakers so it’s
really fast and easy to work with,” said Maziade.
“The audio is pretty similar to the last tour apart
ON THE ROAD: Michael Bublé
Opposite: Michael Bublé played 10 consecutive sellout shows at London’s O2 Arena. Below: Solotech supplied audio and video equipment for the tour; Content for the production was created by
Treatment Studios.
from the main hang so before we had MILO
instead of LEO. This system produces such an
incredible sound and you don’t hear the echo in
the room.”
Doubet continued: “LEO’s voice quality is
exceptional, but I also like the way I can hit the
system dynamically. The band and seven singers
are augmented by an eight-piece horn section or
eight-piece string section, and the sound can go
from very soft to quite loud. But with LEO’s huge
power reserves, I can mix the system like it’s a
fine studio monitor.”
Doubet is equally impressed with the power
and control of the 1100-LFC loudspeakers. “The
whole LEO rig has a very muscular sound, and
is amazingly well controlled - the stage is dead
quiet. People come on stage and ask, ‘Is the PA
on?’ That’s because everything is going forward,
not downward. There are a lot of speakers for
this show and I have control of more than 40
zones of PA. It’s a very slick rig and works well.”
Doubet mixed behind an Avid Profile console
with its 96 inputs nearly filled to capacity.
Console plug-ins were supplemented with
Lexicon PCM92 and 480L effects units, and
two BSS DPR-901 dynamic equalisers. Monitor
Engineer Napier used a DiGiCo SD7 console,
while Bublé sang through a Neumann KMS 104
microphone, and DPA 3521 Compact Stereo
Kit - 2 4021 compact cardioid mics with magnet
mount gooseneck holders were used for piano,
strings, and horns.
After the London run, the LEO system was
scaled down slightly for five shows at Dublin’s
O2 Arena. Beginning in early September,
Solotech’s LEO system will accompany Bublé in
the US, with at least 37 shows through to the
end of November.
EMBRACING THE CHALLENGE
FOH Engineer, Doubet, had worked with Kurt
Wagner before Bublé’s tour, joining him on a
past production of k.d. lang’s. Having used the
Avid Venue since it was launched, it was an
obvious choice for Doubet’s touring work with
Bublé. “It suits me well and I can set it up easily.
It offers so many options and channels along
with sounding fantastic. You can customise
scenes and it has plenty of cool EQs and
compressors to play with,” he continued. “
Bublé doesn’t require many effects and his
channel is fairly straightforward, pointed out
Doubet, who mainly utilised Drawmer TourBuss
gates and compressors, a Focusrite Focusrite
ISA110 EQ and ISA 130 compressor, the Channel
G compressor from McDSP and a TC Electronic
DVR2 and NonLin2 plug-ins. “In a large room
you don’t need a lot of reverb so it’s more just
subtle things to send his voice out. Externally
I have an old school Lexicon 480Ls - nothing
beats it and it still sounds great,” he noted.
The FOH engineer first sat behind the console
for this tour in mid June when 10 days of
rehearsals began at LH2. Due to the number of
musicians performing alongside Bublé, Doubet
was working with around 90 inputs, plus a
dozen stereo returns. “I use a lot of scenes for
this - there’s so many channels and essentially
the whole stage is open microphones so it’s
quite a job managing what is on and off,” he
explained.
Each and every input of every track is
captured for archive or sound check purposes
using Avid Pro Tools. Doubet continued: “This
tour is more challenging than the last because
we’ve added strings and keeping noise down
was made more tricky because now we have a
moving stage that produces sound as it moves. I
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ON THE ROAD: Michael Bublé
Below: Monitor Engineer, Matt Napier; Audio Crew Chief, Louis-Philippe Maziade; RF Technician, Charles Deziel; Production Manager, Dean Roney.
need to build a scene for those moments when
the stage is moving just to limit the noise.”
But Doubet fully embraced the challenge
and enjoys every show he is a part of. “We have
a great team - it’s going to be a good year and a
half to two years. This is only the third tour in six
years and it’s not like we stop really; we take off
eight or nine months and start again.
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“The fact we’re working on this style of music
in this size of venue for such a long time is the
highlight for me. I find it just amazing you can
sell 160,000 tickets in one city in one month.”
A BIG STEP FORWARD
Matt Napier [Kylie, Madonna] opted for the
DiGiCo SD7 to create the required monitor mixes
due to its ability to cope with a large number of
performers at once. “The other night we had 33
musicians on stage - all on stereo mixes - and I
don’t think any other console could handle that
level of output. Michael is a pleasure to deal
with and knows what he wants, which is really
helpful,” he said.
“There are five people in the band, Michael,
eight horn players and then eight string players
that are introduced in the second section. You
also have additional guests and separate mixes
generated for people like backline techs or pyro
operators. There are a lot of inputs and outputs
and it’s all fully live, there’s no playback.”
Bublé’s vocal microphone was a wired
Neumann KMS-104 for the first section of the
show and then he switched to a Sennheiser SKM
5200 with a Neumann KMS104 capsule when he
moved over to the B stage, while horns were all
on DPA 4099’s, strings were on DPA 4060’s, the
Audix i5 was used for the snare drum. Neumann
KM184’s on hats, ride and overheads. Shure
Beta 52 was used for the kick, DPA 3521 for
brass group micing, Schertler GP-DYN pickups in
the piano and Applied Microphone Technology
ERT was on bongos. Radial Engineering DI’s
including PZ-DI, J48, D8 and Sennheiser SKM
5200 transmitters with Neumann KK104
capsules, Sennheiser SKM2000 transmitters with
e935 and e965 capsules were also chosen.
“The 104 works really well for him,” said
Napier. “He tends to move the mic around a lot
and sing off axis or swing the mic around so this
model is good for that. The i5’s been nice on the
snare, which I’ve not used before and we have
some DPAs on the strings, which work really well.”
Doubet commented on the 4099’s on the
brass, saying: “I started with them on the last
tour and they are amazing. There’s such clarity
and even the horn players remarked they
sounded better than other mics that have been
used in the past. The piano mics I use - DPA
3521- is a high-end stereo set of their 4021
compact cardioids and are stunning.”
All performers were on Sennheiser 2000
Series in-ear systems with Ultimate Ears UE-11
earpieces and Sennheiser EM 3732-II receivers,
in addition to six downstage Meyer Sound MJF212’s as back-up. “The last tour Michael did was
the first time he had used in-ear systems and I
don’t think he got really comfortable with them
so the first thing I needed to do when I joined
for this tour was get him settled on in-ears,”
explained Napier. “He inherently distrusts them
so it’s getting him to trust what he’s hearing.
ON THE ROAD: Michael Bublé
Below: Pyro Technicians, Keith Hellebrand and Ray Seymour; The rigging team; Video Director, Kevin Carswell; The video team; FOH Engineer, Craig Doubet; Stage Manager, Craig Finley; Lighting
Designer, Kurt Wagner.
This is the first time he’s used the Ultimate Ears
and it was my decision to switch him over, which
he seems to like. He’s now doing the full show
with them, which is a big step forward.”
The RF intensive production has kept
technician and Solotech employee, Charles
Deziel [Kylie, Britney Spears, André Rieu], busy
for the duration of his first tour with Bublé.
“The RF system is a little different to the ones
I have used in the past and as well as handling
the wireless aspect of the audio, I take care of
hanging some of the PA in the morning,” he
said. “Matt, the monitor engineer, knows a lot
about wireless too so while I’m working on the
PA, he takes care of the wireless set-up too,
before I do the frequency management. As he’s
based in the UK, he was helpful when we had to
go through the frequency licensing here.”
Deziel builds the rack and during the show
he line checks and ensures all equipment has
fully charged batteries throughout. “The RF is
fairly complex as we have just under 50 carriers.
However, the devices we have here are wide so
we have a lot of space and as long as there’s a
lot of separation you can’t go wrong,” he said.
“There’s a bit of RF noise coming from the
video screen, but it’s easy to manage. It’s not
loud, but it is there - on the scan we can see tiny
spikes so we make sure we keep between them.
We have 12 wireless belt packs, but the show
traffic on the wireless comms is light.”
BIG AMBITIONS
Having designed previous Bublé tours, Stufish
was approached to design the most recent
production. Once Stufish was engaged, the
design developed between the late Designer,
Mark Fisher - who sadly passed away in June and Associate Designer, Ric Lipson.
“The set for the previous tour had a relatively
small performance area. The band was on a
fixed rake and Michael mostly performed in a
downstage centre position. The kinetic elements
were the upstage screens and columns and there
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was also a small B stage,” said Lipson.
“This tour had an ambition to be larger.
We created a larger main stage with a kinetic
element to enhance the artist’s performance.
We also wanted to be able to make the band
disappear at times. Finally we wanted the B
stage experience to be different from before.
We wanted to get Michael closer to more of
the crowd. We didn’t want the technical control
area to be such a site line obstruction and so
we designed a B stage that incorporated the
technical control and also included around 100
seats in the B stage circle.”
Part of Bublé’s performance included sliding
across the glossy floor. In the previous show a
high shine finish was chosen to achieve this on
the raked stage. “We wanted to give Michael
more opportunity to be able to perform in this
show and have different things that he could
do.” Continued Lipson. “We wanted to be able
to have layers of video that could be closer to
Michael, and the ability to hide the band to
focus on Michael. We wanted to be able to have
big scenes with the big band or a small scene
with the quintet. We wanted the band to be able
to be upstage or downstage and so we had the
band risers on mobilators.”
When designing the arena show, Stufish
based the size of the stage, the height and the
size of the video screen on similar sized shows
they had worked on before. “In conversation
with Mark Fisher and Winky from TAIT, an idea
came around for a stage that would have a
kinetic element that would allow the stage to be
raked in different angles at various parts of the
show,” he explained. “The idea quickly formed
into the idea that part of the stage should have
what we decided to call ‘the flippers’ - 13 LED
covered flippers that would be able to ramp
from flat to vertical and travel quickly. These
were 3ft 6-inches wide and 12ft high and
would be individually controllable, thus could
be programmed in a choreography. They could
move from 0 to 90º in up to four seconds.”
The flippers could be used in various ways
during the show. They could allow Bublé to
perform on the flippers and slide around, could
be used to hide the band when they were
upstage or could be used as a background when
the band is downstage. “We also wanted to
have a moment in the show that would allow
us to lift Michael up high and so developed the
centre flipper to have a counter rake that Michael
would ride up to 12ft above stage level during
Cry Me a River,” said Lipson.
“The main stage was flanked by technical
bunkers at either end and these were raised
higher than stage level. They also allowed
Michael to get closer to the audience at the
sides and provide a more dynamic area for his
performance. The upstage video screen was
created to have different formations and to allow
Kurt to have lighting that could shine through
the gaps to create different lighting looks. The
B stage was formed as a two level ring around
the technical control area and a golden circle of
audience at the far end of the arena.”
Lipson acknowledged the stage is pretty
complex, with 58 axes of motion, 13 kinetic
video flippers, three rolling mobilator band
risers, a seven part tracking video screen and an
Austrian curtain. “The leveling of the stage is vital
for a smooth running show,” he commented.
“Cable management for the rolling band risers is
hard as the cables need to be paged around the
flippers at various parts of the show.”
The creative team set out to produce a classy,
large production that would have the ability to
change scale for each song and allow Bublé to
take the audience on a journey, from spectacular
big band looks, to an intimate jazz club feel, to a
celebratory carnival. “Working with the creative
team we achieved this,” continued Lipson.
“The team was wonderfully collaborative. We
performed an exciting 10 nights to a sold out O2
that was a testament to an amazing performer
with a show that backed him up and reaffirmed
his power as a singer and showman.”
ON THE ROAD: Michael Bublé
Below: Meyer Sound’s LEO system delivered crystal clear audio; Le Maitre products were selected by Pyrotek to produce the spectacular effects, including 10ft and 15ft Sparkbursts; TPi enjoyed
Bublé’s performance at London’s O2 Arena.
STRONG COLOUR PALETTES
Kurt Wagner’s involvement with Bublé began
eight years ago and To Be Loved is his fourth
world tour with the artist. Although Bublé has
been the Lighting Designer’s main focus during
this time, he has also worked with k.d lang and
Avril Lavigne.
“There were many concepts to start with,
but then budgets and the design was confirmed
and moved to the direction it is now, which is
the frame of the Michael Bublé set and video
elements of the show. I also wanted to have the
lighting concept provide walk-in looks and create
larger visuals for the bigger numbers, as well as
bringing the audience in as part of the show.”
The priority of the design was to make sure
Bublé was the focus, as well as creating visuals
that evolved. “We also needed to make sure the
beautiful set, created by Stufish [Ric Lipson], was
well illuminated,” said Wagner. “I was going for
a kind of new age Vegas, classy feel, with strong
colour palettes that frame Bublé at all points.”
A total of three MA Lighting grandMAs
were used to control the lighting rig from FOH.
“It’s what I’m used to and have always enjoyed
working on their consoles,” said the LD. “The
most important thing to me is that all elements
of the show work together and provide solid
spectacular visuals, frame Michael Bublé and
don’t detract attention from him.”
The base of the rig comprised Martin
Professional products - 145 MAC Vipers, 64
MAC 2000 Wash XBs, 175 Chroma-Q Color
Force 12 and 14 Atomic 3000 Strobes. “I like the
reliability of the Martin Professional products
and Christie Lites do a great job of maintaining
their stock. Vipers fill in most of the stage and
room looks, the MAC 2000’s provide stage
and video wash, the Color Force 12’s frame the
set and video as well as audience light and the
Atomic 3000 Strobes are band key lighting,”
said Wagner. “With the time factor we wanted
to make sure we had reliable units and I’m
impressed with Vipers, especially at the high
trims.”
A VERSATILE PERFORMANCE ENVIRONMENT
TAIT worked alongside Designer, Lipson of
Stufish; Production Manager, Roney and
Lighting Designer, Wagner, to create a multifaceted staging concept for Bublé’s tour. Having
sold out 10 shows at the O2 Arena within a
matter of minutes, the buzz surrounding the
highly-anticipated event, which went on to
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tour around the US and Australia, continues
to intensify. The tour features the artist’s most
technologically advanced set to date, with 58
axes of motion. The aesthetics and functionality
were designed to provide an extremely versatile
performance environment for the artist. The set
has a modernistic, refined look and the ability to
seamlessly transform into various configurations.
TAIT’s 17 by 15 metre MagDeck mainstage
features a high-gloss finish and includes a
downstage monitor shelf, a thrust with two,
black powder coated stairs, Austrian curtain and
a custom, RGB LED scenic edge trim. The LED
trim highlighted the bold, architecturally derived
lines of the main stage, providing a subtle strip
of colour along the edges of the tech bunkers,
monitor shelf and automated band risers.
A total of 13 video flippers were integrated
into the main stage to provide a complex,
moving LED display. The 1.06 metre wide by
3.65 metre high panels moved independently
from one another with wave-like fluidity, at any
angle and up to 90° in four seconds. The panels
can also come together in a fixed formation,
either lowered in static, angular position or
raised to form a subtle partition. When raised
to a stationary position, the flippers created
a uniquely intimate atmosphere, by reducing
the perspective size of the stage. The central
panel was fitted with an actuated counter rake
platform at the top, to create a performance
platform for the artist. TAIT / FTSI’s Navigator
Control System was used to map the movement
of the flippers and output data directly to the
video controller. The communication amongst
the software allowed the show’s video content
to automatically adjust depending on the
placement of the flippers.
TAIT also provided automation for a 10
metre high by 18 metre wide tracking video
screen, held by 26 metres of video track truss.
Controlled by Navigator, the video screen
could move in seven sections, which provided
a dynamic visual effect. One of the tour’s most
unique features was the B stage, which was
positioned at the opposite end of the house,
bringing the artist closer to fans seated further
away than before. At 14 metres wide and deep,
the u-shaped stage featured the scenic LED
trim and incorporates custom stairs ascending
from the 1.2 metre catwalk to the 2.4 metre
upper level. To meet the needs of the tour, the
complete system was manufactured in eight
weeks.
ATTENTION TO DETAIL
Automation expert Bianca Mauro [Jonas
Brothers, Nickelback, Britney] was recommended
to Bublé’s production team after impressing
on the 2010 / 2011 Crazy Love tour. As an
independent contractor, Mauro works exclusively
with FTSI (Fisher Technical Services) and TAIT
equipment and is in charge of programming,
operating, troubleshooting, and loading in and
out all automation-related equipment. “There are
so many moving components in the air and on
the stage - there’s the video wall that splits into
seven pieces, the three moving band risers, the
Austrian curtain that is at the beginning of the
show and the flappers, which are the 13 video
fingers on the stage that move up and down and
include the centre stage lift. This is all TAIT gear
being run by FTSI Navigator,” said Mauro.
“The video flappers are a brand new feature
and complex enough in themselves so you have
to be precise. The tolerances are very important
as is the levelling of the surrounding deck and
making sure they are exactly the way they need
to be to operate. So it’s a level of attention to
detail that is above a lot of gags on tours. In
order for all these elements to operate correctly
and perform the way they’re supposed to, every
department needs to have the same attention
to detail. I work with every department because
the equipment I operate is woven into everyone
else’s kit, so I’ll collaborate with the video team
on the video wall and flappers.”
Although the Head of Automation has
worked with other motion systems in the past,
Mauro has solely used Navigator for the last six
years. She believes the system is well suited to
the tour due to its versatility. “This interface is
dear to me and what I’m comfortable with. The
level of quality that comes of TAIT and FTSI gear
is incredible and I wouldn’t feel comfortable
using any other system. TAIT gear has tolerance
and the attention to detail that is necessary for
this tour’s package,” she commented.
Due to the size of each moving piece
involved in the tour, safety is another aspect at
the forefront of Mauro’s working day. “These
are some beasts I’m automating, but everyone
has been very attentive to the fact that the
equipment can be dangerous and they respect
them. It’s all about communication - as long as I
communicate effectively to everyone else what
is happening it runs smoothly. They are giant
pieces of steel that move very quickly, after all.”
Mauro has returned to Bublé’s touring crew
ON THE ROAD: Michael Bublé
Below: Head of Automation, Bianca Mauro; When designing the arena show, Stufish based the size of the stage, the height, and size of the video screen on similar sized shows the company had
worked on before; DiGiCo’s SD7 console was used in monitor world.
on multiple occasions in part due to the people
she works alongside, she explained: “It takes
a special kind of touring family to pull off the
cooperation to make something like this happen.
Without all the people around me I could not do
my job. Everybody and everything has to be just
right and it’s been a steep learning curve for all
departments involved.”
LARGEST SYSTEM TO DATE
Rigorous Technology was contacted by Andy
Scott at Lite Alternative, which supplied
additional lighting and rigging to production for
some of the UK / Ireland leg. “Bublé’s production
team had requested a load cell system from Lite
Alternative,” explained Rigorous Technology’s
Dave Jolly.
“We ended up sending out our largest system
to date. For rehearsals at LH2 and Sheffield
Arena they used 57 of our Kinesys LibraCELLs (a
mix of 3.25T and 4.75T), along with a LibraPRO
power supply and a LibraWATCH laptop,
allowing them to monitor and record loads on all
57 load cells simultaneously from one location.”
For the next leg of the tour they kept 12 of
the 4.75T LibraCELLs, along with the power
supply and laptop, which they used to monitor
loads on a large video screen.
Head Rigger, Lenyn Barahona (Lady Gaga,
Kiss, R.E.M.) was responsible for tour rigging
activities, working alongside Rigger, Hector
Mimoso, and with each venue’s local rigging
crew.
“Generally we have around 20 to 24 local
riggers up on the venue grid and four to six on
the ground,” he explained. “It took four hours
to rig the show today and it takes a couple of
hours for the de-rig. We carry different types of
trusses - Tyler Truss HUD Truss and Tomcat Swing
Wing trusses from Christie Lites. TAIT has has
also brought their own trusses, which are used
for the video walls and the Austrian curtain.”
A PRECISE PROCESS
Production Manager, Roney, brought in old
friend - and TPi Stage Manager of the Year
2013 - Craig [Fin] Finley, to stage manage To Be
Loved. “We started touring in the early ‘80s in
Canada, working on bands such as Barenaked
Ladies,” said Finley. “We spent quite a few years
working in theatres and arenas in North America
and then Dean moved to Michael Bublé and I
moved onto Coldplay. This year he came back to
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Bublé and we had a chance to do it together as
Coldplay was on hiatus.”
For the duration of the tour Finley needs to
keep everybody safe and micro-manage the
day, ensuring schedules are kept to by working
closely with the heads of department. “The main
challenge for this show has been the automation
including the video wall tracking and video
flippers on the stage,” said Finley. “As well, we
have mobilators, which move the entire band
and orchestra risers upstage / downstage in
various configurations. That’s a process that is
very technical and precise and there are a lot of
rehearsals necessary to manage the cues.
“Musically, Michael’s a bit different to what
I’m used to - it’s not a big rock show, but it looks
like a big rock show as well as being charming
and funny and musically fantastic. It’s a great
evening and I’m loving it. Technically, it has all
the high-tech bits - a lot of video content and
automation. It’s certainly not a small kit for the
type of artist Bublé is - we’re into 19 TransAm
trucks over here.”
A PARTY ATMOSPHERE
Pyrotek were return suppliers for the tour, having
been a part of last year’s Crazy Love. Keith
Hellebrand (Britney Spears, Bon Jovi, Metallica)
is in charge of the pyrotechnic displays, working
closely with fellow technician Ray Seymour. “We
have a really good opening sequence where we
get the show started off nice and hot to wake
everybody up. It’s a great song at the beginning
and the way the whole show starts is pretty
exciting because we create a flame effect,”
Hellebrand said. “For Cry Me A River - an encore
song - there’s a big pyro hit. That cue has been
really important and Michael was detailed about
making sure it was dead on. It’s a big hit at the
last note.”
Pyro Show President / Designer, Lorenzo
Cornacchia from Pyrotek, teamed up with
Wagner to discuss the desired pyro looks for
the songs that would complement the lighting
design. “There is also a confetti cue in All You
Need Is Love, when Michael walks back from the
B stage to the main stage,” continued Wagner.
“He wanted a party atmosphere and a festive
scene created and nothing says party like lots
of confetti. This is a little more than half way
through the show and he does about four of five
songs on the B stage. He’s always been about
the fans and wants to make sure people at the
very back enjoy the show as much as those up
front so he always goes out to the B stage and
does a couple of songs. It’s really exciting for
those people sitting at the back.”
Le Maitre products were selected by Pyrotek
to produce the spectacular effects, including
10ft and 15ft Sparkbursts, 25ft silver gerbs and
20ft and 25ft blue and green tracer comets.
Gerbs were fired from the lighting truss - a
sparkle fountain for one second producing a
quick spray, in addition to blue and green comets
being fired. All the way across the front a row
of airbursts were placed, creating a large blast
of sparks. “You get a really nice bang with it
and then the sparks too,” said Hellebrand. “For
the comets, we took the colours from Michael’s
favourite hockey team - the Vancouver Canucks.”
A classic Pyropaak II 6-way sequential firing
system was chosen by the technicians, with
the flames - which were Pyrotek’s proprietary
products - being controlled using a DMX
controller, the Jands ESP II 24-48. Hellebrand
continued: “We had some effects we were
initially going to fire up from the stage, but it is
really tight upstage with our big video wall and
the band there so we ran out of space when
it came to putting our toys on the stage, but
everything on the truss shooting down is still
a powerful look. We have curtains and there
are some challenges to stay away from that so
placement can be difficult.
“We always keep a safe distance from the
audience. We also have a lot of band members
on stage so everything is designed so it’s clear of
everyone on stage. The sides of the stage go up
a little higher and that’s where we’re shooting
down into and there’s nobody up in that area
so it’s a nice clean space to do it. There’s also
nothing really down the front by the audience.
Everywhere we go, the local authorities turn up
and we always carry out a demo so they see
what the product is.”
A PURE DELIGHT
“I’ve been with Bublé for three tours over
seven years now and it’s been a pure delight,”
enthused Kevin Carswell (Beyonce, Britney
Spears, Metallica), as we sat in video world
ahead of the London show. The video director
first joined Bublé for his Call Me Irresponsible
tour and has since formed a great working
relationship with the crew and Solotech, who
supplied the video equipment for To Be Loved.
ON THE ROAD: Michael Bublé
Below: Having designed previous tours for Bublé, Stufish was approached to design the most recent production.
“Video has definitely stepped up a notch on
this tour - it’s a 60ft by 30ft video proprietary
wall of Solotech’s called the SL-Pro 8 v3 and the
LED spacing is 8mm. It’s a beautiful product that
makes up the backdrop of the show and we’ve
been using Sam Pattinson and his brilliant staff
from Third Company for the content. The show
has an early 20th century New York gothic look
and an Empire State Building sort of motif. It’s
really beautiful. One thing that Kurt Wagner our show designer - has always done is paint a
different picture for each song and we help him
in realising that look,” he continued.
Four Barco R20+ 20K projectors and a Barco
FSN-150 switcher were used for rear projection
onto the 15ft by 20ft Da-Lite IMAG screen,
along with four Christie Roadster S+18K-J 18K
projectors with two HD video cards out the
front for the opening projection on the Austrian
curtain. The video team also worked with d3
media servers supplied by Solotech, with d3
Technician, Joss Gray, on stand by for support.
Carswell continued: “This is the first time we’ve
used the server and it’s really a strong box and
state of the art as far as media servers go. We
have a good grasp of it now and it’s a very
powerful tool, which all content is run through.”
Carswell worked alongside Crew Chief, Serge
Bergeron, d3 Media Server Operator / Wall
Technician, Sebastien Cousineau, Projectionist
/ Camera Operator, Christian Matel, LED Wall
Technician / Camera Operator, Martin Perrault,
and Wall Technician / Projectionist / Camera
Operator, Barrie Roney. “We have five manned
cameras - three long glass and two handhelds
on stage in the pit - and we’re using one truss
cam, four robotic cameras around the stage
and one POV capturing the show,” continued
Carswell.
“Michael is such an energetic act and the fans
love to see him on screen. He has a great one-onone personality with his audience and makes a
very intimate room, even if we’re playing at the O2
with 20,000 people, and video just helps with that
even more. The audience is on the screen, Michael
is on the screen and everyone is interacting.”
AN OPEN MINDED APPROACH
Third Company were a new addition to the
creative team for Bublé’s tour. The company’s
working relationship with the production
began when Winky Fairorth from Tait Towers
introduced Third Company’s Sam Pattinson to
Bublé’s management and Lighting Designer, Kurt
Wagner. “I’ve worked with Winky on the Rolling
Stones, U2, Elton John and many other tours
over the years,” said Pattinson.
“For this tour, aesthetically, we had an open
brief. The idea was to encourage an open minded
approach in the hope we’d come up with
something the existing team hadn’t done already.”
Technically, Third Company needed to focus
on the LED flippers designed by Stufish. “They
are an amazing piece of kit, which offered a
few new challenges and opportunities. Firstly,
its unusual to have an automated structure
mid stage, which needed content that
choreographed and synched with the movement
of the panels,” continued Pattinson. “And
secondly, we could put the panels in the upright
and static position, which sat right behind the
artist. It’s the closest proximity between an artist
and screen that I’ve ever worked with.”
Pattinson, the tour’s Creative Director worked
with a team of animators, each individual being
encouraged to come up with new ideas and
expand on the existing ones. Key players were
Shiv Pandya and Mark Hough - Pandya came up
with the climatic piece for Cry Me a River and
Hough designed the Art Deco architectural looks
that were a theme throughout the show.
“I wanted the screen content to have a
consistency and cohesion throughout, a look
that reflected the quality and history of Micheal’s
repertoire,” explained Pattinson. “Classic North
American Art Deco interior design and architecture
had the gravitas we needed and offered so
much variety that it worked as an overarching
theme, that we could keep referring back to and
developing as the show progressed.”
Within that structure, Third Company used
a variety of mediums, from hand drawn to 3D
animation and filmic pieces. One poignant piece
was a studio shoot of Bublé’s UK fans for the
song Home. “We shot it in our in house studio
and kept the camera rolling the whole time, which
meant we got some lovely candid moments of the
fans,” continued the Creative Director.
Third Company used a combination of
approaches to coordinate the animation with
the flipper choreography - sometimes asking the
automation team to programme a sequence,
which was filmed and content was designed to
fit; and also giving them an animation which
they would choreograph to.
“Alongside the flipper design, the main
screen was made up of seven columns,” said
Pattinson. “We had to track the movement,
mainly happening in between or at the
beginning of songs and we also needed to
balance content with IMAG on the static looks.
Again, the Art Deco theme came into play here
as it works really well in framing the IMAG. I
think the architectural looks work well on the
10mm screen too, it gave a sense of depth.”
A TOURING FAMILY
Ever since Bublé started touring in the UK
Suffolk-based catering company, Flying Saucers,
has prepared nutritious and delicious meals for
the crew and band in Europe and the UK.
“They were a little touring family then, and
now, despite having quadrupled in size, we
are all still one very happy family,” said Flying
Saucers’ Val Bowes. “They are very pleased with
the way we take care of them, and they are one
of the loveliest groups of people to work with it’s just a pleasure to be part of it.”
A typical touring menu includes dishes such
as fillet of pork with a port reduction, roasted
jersey royals and purple sprouting broccoli and
fine green beans; tagliatelle in a blue cheese and
spinach cream sauce and oriental duck breast
with noodles and stir fried vegetables. The
catering team comprised Stuart Gardner, Head
Chef, John Goodall, table tennis champ who
Michael tries to beat, Lisa Hill, Sophie Peacock
and Max Mulligan. According to Bowes, the
crew and band were easy to cater for because
they enjoyed a wide variety of types of food and
were particularly fond of the company’s baking.
TPi
Photography: Zoe Mutter
www.michaelbublé.com
www.taittowers.com, www.fishertechnical.com
www.solotech.com, www.christielites.com
www.rigorous-technology.co.uk
http://pyrotekfx.com, www.stufish.com
www.treatmentstudio.com
www.flyingsaucerscatering.com
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