Like most bands during the 2020 pandemic, Counting Crows found themselves having to continually rehash their tour dates to accommodate safety protocols. By embarking on this unprecedentedly compact tour, the band were able to perform shows that were responsive to the touring climate, playing to socially distanced audiences at both large and small venues across the United States.
Like most bands during the 2020 pandemic, Counting Crows found themselves having to continually rehash their tour dates to accommodate safety protocols. Once a tour was feasible again, the band knew that concerts would not look the way they had only a couple of years prior. They wanted to make a tour that fit into only one truck but looked like the amazing show their fans have become accustomed to. By embarking on this unprecedentedly compact tour, Counting Crows were able to perform shows that were responsive to the current climate, playing to socially distanced audiences at both large and small venues across the United States.
When Lightswitch approached this project, we saw that our main challenge was to create a tour that would fill a large venue but pack down into a single truck at the end of the night. Our lighting equipment would be sharing truck space with everything from audio gear to the contents of the band’s dressing room. Our solution was to implement collapsible photographic umbrellas, ranging in size from three to twelve feet wide. By installing the umbrellas behind and above the band and reflecting light back at the audience, we achieved a highly-customizable lighting design. The lighting fixtures, located at the end of the umbrellas, were completely controllable through our lighting console, meaning that we could shift colors and implement timed cues on a dime. By using about twenty free-standing umbrellas and hanging eight more from the lighting rig, we were able to fill each venue with as much light as a standard tour setup.
Our secondary challenge was creating a portable design that could also scale down to the smaller venues where the band intended to play. The compact nature of the umbrellas helped with this, and we also increased the design’s adaptability by incorporating only one other set piece: hanging loops of gray chiffon containing lengths of string lights. These fabric “columns” took a negligible amount of space to transport and added effective ambiance in virtually any venue.
A large part of the success of our design was thanks to our incredible touring lighting director, who was responsible for a slew of duties, including setting up the lighting rig at each venue, running the show, and then breaking down the rig at the end of the night. A unique challenge presented by this tour was the need for flexibility, and our lighting director embraced each venue’s individual lighting rig with enthusiasm.
As a team, Lightswitch accomplished this tour by adapting our design to the necessary specifications of each venue. Our rig was quick to load in and demanded very little of the venues, packed down every night to take up only twelve square feet of truck space, and most importantly filled each space with appropriate lighting. Thanks to this commitment to adaptability, Counting Crows was able to go on a successful tour that respected today’s health and budget concerns.
