The Hollywood film score legend returns to the touring circuit with a production that sees the deployment of the world's largest modular synthesiser, an elaborate stage design, and a tight-knit crew travel worldwide once again...

Words: Alicia Pollitt

Photos: Susan Teressa and TPi

Naming a tour The Next Level, the expectation for a great production was already set, yet when it comes to decorated Hollywood composer, Hans Zimmer, whose shows are already equal parts epic and cinematic, TPi wondered what more could be in store for audiencesThe Next Level. TPi met the team behind the tour at The O2 in London to uncover what pushed this live show up a level.

Production Manager, Jim Baggott and Tour Director, Michael Weiss, took care of the 150-strong touring party and the 20-truck production. The suppliers included Neg Earth Lights (Lighting, Rigging and Automation), Britannia Row Productions—part of Clair Global (audio), BBM Clair (video), All Access Staging & Productions (staging), Beat The Street (bussing), Trucking Service, NorthHouse (content), Eat Your Hearts Out (catering) and Lightswitch (lighting and concept design).

"The joint effort between Michael and I has been about curating the whole experience of the spectacle of a Hans Zimmer show," Baggott commented, having been part of the camp since 2014. "We have been out on the road for a while, but this show in particular is the full experience; we have 20 band members on stage, a 16-piece Kenyan choir, plus a 10-cabinet synthesiser as the focal point of the show."

Baggott shared the changes made to ensure this tour was The Next Level: "This show is multi-layered, both conceptually and physically," Baggott saidThe Next Level. "We are now reaching higher on the stage than we ever have previously, and we have quite a significant lighting and automation rig. However, despite this, we have been able to keep our wings quite open to be able to have a 220° audience."

Baggott closed by giving an overview of this latest venture: "I have done my fair share of tours, but this tour has an especially good atmosphere," he commented. "Some of our suppliers and touring crew are new, but everyone has really come together to work hard and put on a great show."

A TIME OF QUIET BETWEEN THE STORMS

Sound Designer and FOH Engineer, Colin Pink, and System Designer and Engineer, Tom Jacobs, were tasked with sonically recreating the scores for some of the biggest films of all time and steering away from Hans Zimmer's classic orchestral hits to a more electronic-focused display. An L-Acoustics K1 system stands as the main PA, with L2 loudspeakers for centre and side hangs.

"L-Acoustics is a preference of us both," Jacobs said. "The system has been so adaptable for the different-sized venues we have played on this tour—for example, we were able to use L2 for our main rig in Dublin and it worked perfectly."

For Pink, though it may be a downside for some engineers, he described the L-Acoustics system as "revealing". He elaborated: "Everything you do shows up so clearly, and I think that is what makes it such a brilliant tool," he explained. "For me, it also feels as if there is an infinite amount of headroom, and that helps keep the show dynamic and lively."

The FOH Engineer works from a DiGiCo Quantum 852, after upgrading from a Quantum 7 console, which Pink said was to take advantage of its new features for the over 300 input channels The Next Level requiredThe Next Level. "DiGiCo makes great consoles; this show is massive by any standards and the workflow the console offers me has simplified it as much as possible," Pink said. "I am also running the theatre option because I use a crosspoint delay matrix so that I can time align all of our front fills and side hangs to different areas of the stage individually, which is a technique mainly used in theatre, but we're using it here."

Pink noted the amount of percussion, which he said is one of the things that makes the show "big and exciting". He added: "For the first few rows of the audience, the acoustic noise from the stage is bigger than that of the PA. So, helping to get the sound imaging from a timing point of view is invaluable in maintaining clarity."

For microphones, Pink deployed a range of brands including sE Electronics RNT tube, sE8, RNR1, Shure SM57, Beta52A, KSM9, KSM11, and DPA Microphones 4061 CORE microphones. He also used Neumann MCM and Shure headsets for the choir.

With TPi catching up with the crew on the penultimate day of the first leg of the tour, the meticulous refinement didn't end. "Hans is incredibly collaborative and will let me take his music and do what I feel. Because the music isn't written for this format, he is very open to changing things," Pink explained. "He is also very good at driving things forward. He'll check things and let us know if anything changes within the ensemble," he added. "He's really good at getting the most out of people; you always feel really valued working with him, and that inspires you to make things as good as you can."

With a show run-time of three hours and 15 minutes, Jacobs and Pink's shared favourite moments of the show tend to fluctuate. "The dynamic range of the show makes it entirely bigger than the sum of its parts; we go from beautiful quieter parts to some rocky moments, and each is beautiful in their own way," commented Jacobs.

Accompanying Pink and Jacobs in the audio department was Monitor Engineer, Maurizio 'Mo' Gennari, who also worked from a DiGiCo Quantum 852 and liked the challenge of The Next Level, naming the tour as "one of the most complex he has ever worked on."The Next Level

"I'm looking after 36 mixes, with 18 effects and helping me look after that is a Shure Axient Digital wireless microphone system," he described. "It is configured to make it so much easier for us, which helps our RF Technician, Daniel Melcher, who is incredible."

Mo introduced a Fourier Audio transform.engine specifically for Zimmer's Ultimate Ears UE 18+ PRO in-ear mix, which is accompanied by a Shure PSM 1000 monitoring system.

"Generally, Hans is the only musician on stage who has a full mix, which makes sense as he is the composer, but through rehearsals, I worked with each band member to perfect a mix that works for them," Mo added. "We have a lot of snapshots running within each song, but I'm able to change the mix at different moments—when we have our soloists, everybody wants to hear more of it."

Clair Global's Philipp Kaetel commented on the vendor's involvement: "We are honoured to be trusted by industry legends Michael Weiss and Jim Baggott. We take pride in being able to deliver John Featherstone's creative vision for all things visual, and Colin Pink and Tom Jacobs' creative vision for all things audible. The collaborative spirit and mentality have, from day one, been what makes this tour a beacon project for us, and I cannot thank our team members enough for their commitment to excellence on this tour."

A centrepiece on the stage was the imposing 10-cabinet modular synthesiser from SynTesla, named GIORGIO III. The creation of the synth-juggernaut had been a collaboration between Zimmer and Pierre Jean 'PJ' Tardiveau to curate the desired sound.

At the time of writing, GIORGIO III stands as the largest modular synthesiser in the world—an impressive feat considering the system also had to be modified to be durable for touring. "We have a complete electrical system that can switch automatically from European voltage to American," PJ said. "We have some very specific power filters to ensure that there is always a very clean current."

From idea to fruition, the process for the synthesiser consisted of just a 10-month timeline, which PJ originally thought impossible, calling himself and the team "crazy" for even taking on the feat. "When I see what we were able to achieve, I am so proud," stated PJ. "It was really easy to work with Hans and not only is he probably the best score composer in the world, but one of the best humans too."

TIME (CODE)

TPi spoke to father-daughter duo John and Hailey Featherstone of Lightswitch who, fittingly for the composer's The Next Level tour, have reconfigured their design to fit the higher level of the tourThe Next Level.

"The most interesting thing about this project was coming back so quickly on what was a very successful and well-received tour and having the opportunity to really think about the sacred things we wanted to keep for this run," John said. "We wanted to reinvent the design, without just doing it differently for the sake of doing so."

As the show went on the road without an orchestra, the dynamics changed organically, and it was up to the Featherstones as well as co-Lighting Designer and Lightswitch collaborator, Chris Herman to tackle this, as Hailey told TPi: "We lost the orchestra and gained a giant 10-cabinet synthesiser. Hans also changed his approach to the arrangements and the introduction of new instruments has changed it in a foundationally different way," Hailey said, going on to comment on GIORGIO III and how due to its customisability and size, the Lightswitch team were given an intimate collaborative role with the SynTesla team.

"We worked with the team, and mainly PJ, who built the modules in the cabinets; they knew it was important and that it was a showpiece as well as a functional musical instrument," Hailey said. "The great thing with modular synthesisers is that they are just interesting-looking anyway, but it was up to us to help mould the lighting gently in a way that was visually captivating."

John went on to discuss the dynamic shift that occurred when the camp pivoted from using an orchestra. "What really struck me was that there has been a role flip from the last tour where the music was narrative, and the lighting was more in-your-face like that of a rock show. Whereas Hans has changed the musical direction this time around, and with it taking a more electronic and frankly percussive tone, we're making the lighting design more narrative and theatrical to accompany a fiercer arrangement," he explained.

With collaboration being a dominant theme within the touring ranks, Hailey wanted Hans and the other musicians on stage to view the lighting design as an additional member of the ensemble. "It was a big takeaway from the last tour when the performers saw lighting as an additional member, and that really influenced how we went about the design this time, which was all guns blazing," Hailey laughed. "We were able to sit back into the role and the collaboration of what we've been allowed to do within this production, and with Hans, to uplift the core of his message."

Joining the camp for The Next Level was Zach Boebel, Lighting Director and RoboSpot OperatorThe Next Level. "This is my first tour in this role, and it has been a great experience. Everyone is super motivated and wants to make the show better," Boebel said. "It's cliché to say that the camp feels like a family, but this one truly does."

Helping the Lightswitch team achieve their vision was a rig made up of ACME Lighting Tornados, GLP JDC1s, Martin Professional MAC Ones and VDO Sceptron 10s, as well as a large Robe deployment of iFORTES, iFORTE LTXs, iFORTE LTX FS', MegaPointes, iESPRITE LTLs and Robin Tetra2s with atmospherics from MDG, including ATMe and the ONE.

"I couldn't possibly pick a favourite fixture; it's like picking a favourite kid," John remarked. "They all stand as my favourites for different moments. For example, the iESPRITE LTLs we really lean into demonstrably fabulous ways during GladiatorGladiator. We have a rough arc of where we want the show to go, and each fixture is pivotal in achieving this."

Boebel and Hailey control the rig on the road with an MA Lighting grandMA3 and Boebel has enjoyed the process of learning the software: "It has been an interesting journey of figuring out how we can best use the system to help us. I know this has been the first tour that Hailey and John have used the system in its entirety and it has been an engaging learning experience."

For the team, the support from Neg Earth Lights has been "invaluable", John enthused: "I know it's a cliché, but we really try to live and breathe how much we appreciate the people that support us. There is a huge team from Neg Earth Lights who never get to be out on the road, and put their entire hearts and souls into this project, and we're really grateful."

For Neg Earth Lights, the feeling is mutual, with Project Manager, Alex Griffiths, on hand to help the camp: "Supporting Hans Zimmer live has been a real highlight for us at Neg Earth. The project involved close collaboration between our in-house engineering team, the Lightswitch design team, show management, and our touring crew to refine load data, safety factors, and installation methods from prep through rehearsals. It's always rewarding when complex engineering becomes invisible to the audience, and that's exactly what this show achieves: a technically demanding system performing consistently and safely every night on an international tour," he commented.

"It's a technically ambitious production, and we were proud to deliver the full lighting, rigging, and automation package, with a major focus on the custom-engineered POD structures that run on automation throughout the show. To achieve the required movement, accuracy, and repeatability, we designed and manufactured bespoke components including reinforced end frames and fixture support systems, all engineered, load-tested, and integrated to work seamlessly with the automation control."

ELYSIUM

Supporting the lighting design was an additional video package from BBM Clair, which supplied ROE Visual Emerald 8.9 Video Panels, a Ross Video Carbonite Ultra switcher and an array of Sony cameras, which were positioned at different prime points for Video Director, Rob McShane, to steer the envisioned narrative.

"I'm using all the outputs on the Ross Video switcher for the 13 camera positions I have around the venue," McShane explained. "Two of them are manned, one out in the house, a guy on stage, a camera in the pit on a track that runs back and forth all night long; that's my hero camera—it gives me these really beautiful rockstar shots."

McShane also deployed a further three robotic cameras on stage, and seven POV cameras which covered multiple surfaces. He explained: "There are so many levels of the stage and show. I want to try and capture a combination of spotlighting the soloists when it is their moment while also showcasing the grandness of the show."

With a video team of just five people, the challenge in the lead-up to the tour was to ensure that the show, in the sum of all its parts, was presented as well as possible. Helping this along was a PIXERA FOUR media server system, which helped showcase the content from NorthHouse.

TPi caught up with NorthHouse founder, Tom Bairstow, to delve into The Next LevelThe Next Level. "We got introduced into the camp for the Queen's Jubilee, where we projection-mapped some beautiful archival footage of nature onto Buckingham Palace," Bairstow commented. "We then worked with the team on a project in Dubai where we created this epic scene from Interstellar and our relationship has just built from there."Interstellar

Bairstow and the NorthHouse team were then enlisted to curate big picture visuals and worked closely with the designers of the show to bring synergy between the lighting and video design. "John then came up with the idea of having a semi-transparent screen, which meant that we could play around with marrying up video and lighting," Bairstow explained. "We then built a Previs in Unreal Engine, which is our software of choice, and played around with how it could look, and it gave some amazing results."

With the majority of Hans Zimmer's music synonymous with films such as Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean and Inception, for the content creator of a tour that performs these scores could be daunting, but for Bairstow and team, it was nothing but inspiringGladiatorPirates of the CaribbeanInception.

"The best thing about designing visuals for someone like Hans is the soundscape it creates. On top of the abstract atmosphere the music has already created, the majority of audience members have probably seen the films behind them, so this helped us be inspired by the art that was already out there and construct something that was not just recreating scenes from the film," he elucidated. "We utilised the colour palettes that were inspired by the films, to portray the emotion of the pieces," he added.

For Bairstow, the shared language between Zimmer and the NorthHouse team was what made The Next Level extra special to work onThe Next Level. "He is very, very trusting, even looking at the musicians around him, he puts his entire trust in ensuring we can pull off his vision," Bairstow said. "We're grateful that he put his faith in us to pull his vision together, and it was great."

As the first leg of the tour wrapped up at Manchester's Co-op Live, The Next Level certainly isn't facing its curtain call yet, with the tour kicking back off in Amsterdam and traversing Europe throughout MarchThe Next Level. If Hans Zimmer's meticulous nature of perfecting his live shows is anything to go by, TPi is excited to see what lies next, but for now, Production Manager, Baggott puts it best: "This show is pure large-scale entertainment that appeals to everybody, and the team that has come together to make it work have made a real effort to make it what it is."