When Entec Sound & Light was asked to provide technical services for Afrobeats legend Wizkid at the near 63,000-cap. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, it found itself making one of the first deployments of the new weatherproof impression X5 IP Bar from GLP in a concert setting.
The Nigerian Made In Lagos star became the first African artist to headline a concert at London’s largest club stadium. But it was his LD, Shepherd Lowrey, who had specified GLP battens.
Expecting to see the older impression X4 Bar 20s, he discovered Entec had gone a step further and lined up the next-generation impression X5 IP Bars: “What a pleasant surprise when I arrived to a rig full of X5 IP Bars… like stomping the gas pedal of a Porsche 911!” Referring to it as “the spice”, he adds: “It provides that little sizzle of excitement.”
Entec project manager Patch Cleaver had been confident he could source these from dry hire giants Impact Production Services (IPS). Taking up the story, Cleaver states: “We hired 60, and we were able to make up the difference with [GLP impression] X4 Bar 20, bringing the total to 150 X4 Bar 20s and X5 IP Bars.”
Lowrey’s rider also included quantities of GLP’s JDC1 hybrid strobe and JDC Line 1000, which, like the impression X4 Bar 20s, came straight from Entec’s inventory. They provided 42 of the former and 80 of the latter.
The IP65-rated, linear LED batten features 18 powerful 40 W RGBL LEDs, a wide zoom range, and the new GLP iQ.Gamut color calibration algorithm that creates perfect white spectrums with excellent color rendering.
The new impression X5 IP Bars have been popular in the few short months they have been on the market, making an appearance at Glastonbury Festival.
It had been Glastonbury, where Entec’s sound department had been in action on the Other Stage. As Patch Cleaver explains: “Wizkid was appearing on the Other Stage and that was our first dealings with the artist. Joe Sanchez [from LA-based tour and event production company EIGHTEENTWENTYSIX] then approached us to quote on the show at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.”
With time on their side, they were able to do a full prep. It was then a case of getting the flown sections up as quickly as possible and then concentrating on the hundreds of floor fixtures. “But we had a few days to load it all in, as well as being able to provide a full pre-viz suite, so Shepherd and Avi [Rana, board operator] did not lose any time on programming while the show was being built,” says Cleaver.
“Most of the equipment we owned ourselves, but there were a few looks they wanted to get in place themselves, including the GLP impression X5 IP Bars. All the X5 IP Bars and X4 Bar 20 were mounted around the entire edge of the stage, while the JDC1s were on the front edge, and the JDC Lines featured in the set and balcony were used to uplight the dancers.” The impression X4 Bar 20 still remains a firm favorite with Entec Live’s customers, he says.
Cleaver says that what had impressed most about having so many GLP pieces in the rig was the color consistency: “They all looked the same and it was good to use fixtures from a single brand that got the look that Shepherd was after.” These were all expertly choreographed by show director, Avi Rana.
Reviewing the performance of the X5 IP Bars, Entec Live’s project manager says: “It’s great to have a fixture that doesn’t need to be covered up, particularly with the weather we’ve been having. The products that were all IP rated went into areas where they could survive the weather conditions and anything that wasn’t was confined to the stage. It produced some really vibrant block colors and looked great when bordering the stage.”
Shepherd Lowrey is equally unequivocal: “My biggest takeaway with the fixture is that I’ve finally found something that can deliver a retina assault but can also tilt and zoom.
“It’s so quick and easy to make a great look with the X5 IP Bar. With outdoor stadiums and festivals, you never know what you’re gonna get – one gust of wind and your whole look is gone. But not anymore with the X5 IP Bar. They sit pretty no matter what. In a design era of minimalism, the impression X5 IP Bar is so easy to create neat, tidy, minimal looks with huge impact.”
Finally, he expressed his gratitude to the “great team” accompanying him on this WizKid run: “Avi, my assistant designer, GCB, our stage manager, as well as Simon [Barrett from GLP UK] and Patch from Entec, who were precious to me. Without such a great team, shows like these would simply not be possible.”
Photo credit: Joe Okpako
