Flying platforms, a large red set designed by Bruce Rodgers, automation, LED tape, and a large lighting rig were all part and parcel of the Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show, lit with precision and a dollop of dazzle by lighting designer Al Gurdon. Starring Rihanna, the show was broadcast live from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on February 12, 2023. The lighting has a double vocation: illuminating the concert for the fans in the stadium and the 113 million viewers at home.
“I think the flying platforms were the most obvious challenge, with them in almost continuous movement, with people standing on them,” says Gurdon, when asked about the biggest challenge this year. “What we had going for us, though, was more robust wireless systems to give us reasonable confidence of success in controlling the onboard lighting, and Tait’s Navigator system which fed us with real-time information about the position of the platforms in 3D space. Zactrack Lighting Technologies very kindly donated their time, equipment, and personnel to provide us with an interface between Tait’s system and ours, and it worked like a charm. We were able to assign any light from the rig to any of the platforms and the Zactrack system would ensure that all relevant parameters were adjusted to maintain a consistent size, shape and intensity as the platform moved. Very impressive and invaluable technology with a real purpose.”
To light the underside of the platforms, they were loaded with Pixmob LED product, which was controlled through the MA Lighting grandMA3 full-size lighting desk. The upper perimeters of the platforms had wirelessly controlled LED tape acting as footlights. “Aesthetically, my basic approach was to treat the set as architecture, and use the lighting to support that, and to light the action of the show,” explains Gurdon. “I generally don’t approach a project with a ‘light-show’ in mind. I am not a fan of mixing up colors, and this was very compatible with the aesthetic of Rihanna’s camp as well. All of my lighting was basically functional, in that it was used to light people and set, or accenting. Strobes were used for accenting and the rest was really there to light dancers on stage and above it, and the mass cast on the field.”
To say it takes a village is an understatement: “I have such a great team for this show, with Ben Green pulling it all together, and as always, doing an amazing job, Eric Marchwinski as lead programmer, with Mark Humphrey assisting, Harry Forster handling everything to do with follow spots, and Allen Sisul in charge of a hugely talented team of lighting electricians. I really feel that between them all they make it very easy for me. We all have a shorthand, and I have total faith that they are looking after my interests, and those of the show,” Gurdon notes.
“Jesse Blevins was Rihanna’s LD, and we had a very cordial and collaborative relationship. As is always the case, in my experience of this show, the act’s LD generally acts as a conduit between ourselves and the artist’s camp, rather than as another separate creative opinion,” says Gurdon. “Jesse and I were very much on the same page anyway, so it was a very easy and useful arrangement.”
And his collaboration with production designer Bruce Rogers? “It is always great, and we have a lot of respect for each other’s role.”
Check out the light plots here.
Lighting Equipment:
Lighting vendor: PRG in partnership with PRG Forum
146 Vari-lite VL3600 Profile
72 Robe Robin 1200
35 Vari-lite VL2600
325 GLP X4
76 TMB Solaris Flare
3 MA Lighting grandMA3 Full Size
1 MA Lighting grandMA3 Lite
6 Strong Gladiator IV
6 Britebox Flame LT3000
6 PRG Best Boy Ground Control Long Throw
4 MDG The One
8 Reel EFX Diffusion DF-50
8 Reel EFX Fans
2 zactrack PRO servers (taking and and translating positioning data for all of the moving platforms so that the lighting fixtures could correctly be programmed to hit them while they were in motion...)
PixMob Equipment:
4,200 PixMob Nova
12 PixMob IR Transmitters
7 PixMob Kore Receiver
Lighting Team:
Designer: Al Gurdon
Lighting Directors: Harry Forster, Ben Green
Lighting Director/Programmers: Eric Marchwinski, Mark Humphrey
System Tech: Jonathan D Martin
Media Server Programmer: Jason Rudolph
Media Server Tech: Tim Nauss
Gaffer: Alen Sisul
Best Boys: Dennis Sisul, Chris Latsch, John Cox, Damon Isaacks, Ron Murphy
Best Boys / Followspots: Adam Hagin, Daisy Toledo, Mike Smallman, Ron Murphy
PRG Chief Tech: Robb Minnotte
PRG Lead Techs: Matt Genezcko, Janos Bode, Meg Flanagan
Zactrack Tech, Aria Grosvenor
Pre-Vis Tech: Nick Couaette
22 Degrees Project Manager: Marie Turner
PRG Account Managers: Tony Ward, Patrick Osuna
Stadium Lighting Integration: Michael Dodge
Cable Path Specialist: Larry Ganson
Fiber/Stadium Cable Management: Nathan Wilson, Larry Ganson
Local 336 Heads: Steve Hyatt, Kelly Beaton
Field Team: Ernesto Alvarez, Selene Curtis, Terry Ekes, Bernardo Felix, Jeremy Friedman, Matthew Hall, Christopher Kidd, Corey Mathews, David Miller, Stephen Sizemore, Caleb Smith, Rupert Ramsay, James Rosario, Mike Mungavin, Jeremy Sarkissian
Spot Operators: David Acevedo, Adam Bernau, Michael Brown, Brandon Daniel, James Faulkner, Tracy Johnson, Aki Jones, Abdul Kassim, Jim Miller, Carmin Ortiz, Vincent Russo, Robert Sciorillo, Tara Shingola, Precious Schuler, Chris Sims, Bruce Wiberg
Pixmob Executive Producer: Sophie Blondeau
Pixmob Nova Programmer: Samantha Torres
Pixmob Technician: Felix Torres
Pixmob Special Projects Manager: Liz Hart
Pixmob Special Projects Coordinator: Nikki Sude
All Access LED Tape Specialist: Talus Jarvis
Pre-Vis by Earlybird Visual
Scenery by All Access & TAIT
Power by Aggrekko
More Live Design Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show Stories Here