Zeppelin Unledded brought the magic of the Jimmy Page & Robert Plant ‘No Quarter’ live album back to the Australian stage. In 1996, Page & Plant toured Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne, an experience Australia hasn’t witnessed for 30 years. Audiences of the Zeppelin Unledded 2024 tour consisted of ’70s Led Zeppelin fans, through to a whole new generation, who are yet to embrace this unforgettable 21st-century musical and visual experience.
Featuring a Middle Eastern trio and string ensemble, the band performed an unforgettable Zeppelin Collection; from rare gems and hypnotic jams to thunderous Bonzo beats.
This musical journey is not just a tribute; it’s a captivating experience that transcends time and showcases the enduring brilliance of Led Zeppelin’s legacy.
Lighting designer Dan Evans was approached by James Ryan (Ampersand Management) whilst they were working on the Rolling Thunder Vietnam tour. It was no surprise that he was asked to recreate the Led Zeppelin No Quarter tour with a Middle Eastern vibe.
Dan decided to create a look that resembled the inside of a Bedouin Tent so he set out to source a heap of parachute material and a bunch of lanterns.
“Trying to find the right lanterns was difficult,” he said. “Also, I enlisted the help of my amazing wife and mother-in-law who spent 11 hours sewing up all the top holes in 36 parachutes!”
Dan toured a small floor package from Above and Beyond, adding that Jez and the team were amazingly helpful in wiring up lanterns and building racks.
The touring rig included four Ayrton Perseos to provide texture on the draping and rear beams as well as great looks silhouetting the band members. Added to that were eight TourPro Stik8 run in full pixel mode which were used to uplight the lower half of draping. Eight Elation Paladin LED Brick did the rest of the colour wash around different features of the parachutes.
These fixtures were accompanied by the house mover package that was typically 8x spots and 8x washes to pick up band and create texture over the stage.
Dan toured his MA Lighting MA3 command wing package and each song had its specific colour pallet and look on stage.
“The parachutes picked up light/colour extremely well and I used complimenting colour pallets between the Paladins and the Stik8s,” he said. “I used the punchy floor Perseos to highlight key moments in the music with aerial textures and patterns on the backdrop.”
The 36 parachutes sewn together in groups of 4/6 made up a drooping proscenium, four sets of legs and a bowl-shaped backdrop. Dan had six flown and two floor lanterns connected to a 12c dimmer to give a candle effect and rockier chases in tracks like Communication Breakdown and Immigrant Song.
Dan is currently designing a pretty cool stage design for the Reminisce Festival at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. attached is a render of the design. Goes in this week.
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