It’s a familiar story around our industry – a lack of operating and touring time over the last two years resulting in a lack of confidence and ‘match fitness’.
It was a nervous time for Sean ‘Motley’ Hackett as he returned to working with his long-time client KISS and to add to the stress, the first nine shows were all in South America.
“I had lots of technical problems!” admitted Motley. “MA networks going nuts, follow spots losing power, things not blacking out and local LX crew hiding. But I loved the mayhem it was great fun.”
After two sold-out shows in Santiago, Chile, a crowd of 45,000 at an Argentinian outdoors gig sang the guitar solo of Detriot Rock City like a sold-out Man United crowd. Then Motley lost spot power twice and the network to the floor package locked on.
Then it was Brazil’s turn and Motley had Robe BMFL wash beams with handles on the back for FOH spots.
“I was not sure if they were going to be bright enough and if I was getting screwed,” he said. “But I was able to change colours at the drop of a hat and the blackouts have never been tighter. Photographer Ross Halifin was on tour with us and he is always pushing me for colour and the video iMag wants white.
“So I played Ross’s game and it turned it into the most fun I have had for years. The colour was rich and the lights were bright. I could change colour at the drop of a hat while not having to tap slowly through a translator. A lot was done manually by pressing pallets or even manually winding in the CMY. I grouped them two per band member, put them on three faders and a translator explained their home position at FOH before the show.”
Motley says he tried things he wouldn’t normally dare try, some worked a dream and others were crap never to be seen again! But he adds that they ended up with a better show with more spot colour than ever before.
The highlife for Motley was 65,000 in Sao Paulo with no support band. His friend Ciao, who had toured with him in Brazil in 2012 and 2015 with KISS, was now the boss of the production company LPL Professional Lighting.
“I begged for more audience mole in a silly email,” remarked Motley. “The invoice arrived for the extra lights, distro, crew cost and transport but it had a ‘100% Motley Discount’! When I arrived at the soccer stadium the day before, he had surrounded three sides of the FOH tower with 4-lites.
I got Gene Simmons approval signature on the invoice and it’s now framed on his office wall.
“He came down that evening before sunset and we had a great conversation of mutual friendship and respect. I was blown away that on the other side of the planet I could be highly regarded as an LD. His guys, and the two guys from Christie Lights USA, got the rig working and I got to play with my big toy until 2am.”
Motley says there is something surreal about being in an empty football stadium getting a show ready when the city is sleeping. The next night the place went off it was almost a religious experience.
The following day was another stadium show for 25,000 in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil then off to Peru and Colombia before heading to USA for two weeks of shows. Sadly after Brazil, Motley had to go back to gels.
Because of storms in Florida the day after the last USA show, Motley’s flight home from LA was cancelled and Qantas could not rebook him for four days.
“So 28 hours after my original flight time, I flew 14 hours to Dubai, had a seven-hour layover and then flew another 14 hours to Brisbane,” he said. “That was the quickest way to get me home.
“So I get home Monday night and on Saturday I got on an Emirates flight back to Dubai and spent another nine hours in the airport. Thank God for the deal with Qantas and my Platinum status that they let people keep during the pandemic and gets me into the first-class lounge.
“Then I got on a flight to Dusseldorf and was picked up by my friend, a massive KISS fan who I have met through the band, and went to a Dortmund hotel near his home.”
Motley is currently touring through Europe with KISS and recently played the famous Download Festival at Donington Park Iron Maiden playing the day after.
The show went great with no technical problems but being the UK summer it was sunset at 9:35pm and as the band was on at 8:50pm it’s hard to get the full impact,” he said. “There were 60,000 and it went down a storm with lots of fist-pumping the air in sync. They definitely know how to entertain and the last show in the UK was awesome.”
The tour arrives in Australia in August and the tour end date keeps moving.
“So I am living my heavy metal dream and having a great time,” he added. “I forgot how much I love it. It’s exhausting but I have not felt this alive for years.”
Photos: @RossHalfin
