The Dave Matthews Band is playing its 25th anniversary tour in the U.S. and Canada
this summer. The lengthy annual DMB summer tours have actually acquired
legendary status and are known for improvised renditions of their regular songs as
much as for their stunning visual shows which have been designed by Fenton
Williams since the early 1990s.

Williams and his Charlottesville-based design company Filament Productions are still
responsible for the production design and this year he and co-lighting designer
Aaron Stinebrink specified Robe BMFL Spots and PATT 2013 fixtures.

The design process between the two men is always “a lot of fun’ claims Stinebrink,
explaining that it all starts with a few conversations to discuss interesting ideas to
be explored, from which Williams produces some initial drawings which bounce
back and forth between them. Various elements are added and some that won’t
work are cut, all the time keeping in mind the wide range of venues on the itinerary
… and the need for adaptability!

For this tour, Williams really wanted a balance between lighting and video and was
keen to avoid a “conventional’ large upstage video wall … so instead there are five
downstage high res LED screens slightly angled back like a digital scoreboard, with
three lengths of “ribbon board’ video cladding the fronts of three curved trusses
surrounding the band.

Ten of the 28 x BMFLs are on the top two trusses behind the band, with another 10
on the floor and the remaining eight split into two groups of four, positioned
upstage right and left.

The six PATT 2013s are built into custom pods which are lowered in on Pantographs
at strategic moments of the show – to great effect – a move that also changes the
architecture of the entire performance space, so it has big impact.

Stinebrink loves the BMFL animation wheel and the dual prism is another favourite,
along with “the overall quality of the light output, which is absolutely second to
none.’

Talking about Robe generally, he feels that the brand has “rocketed to the top with
the past years’ fixture releases and the quality and durability are consistent across
the various Robe products.’

The overall look and feel of the show’s lighting is intimate and personal, capturing
the spirit of the DMB performance oeuvre really well. The ceiling height is around
26 ft. with the downstage video wall in place which really draws all eyes in to focus
on the band.

For Stinebrink, the best part of working with DMB is the family atmosphere. The
show is both challenging and rewarding to light and the chance of working with
some of his good friends … makes the experience all the better!

Lighting crew chief from TMS is Pete Franks and the techs are Bob Chaise, Jerry
Kaiser, Josh Albright and Josh Light. Josh Light is also programming and operating
the desk for the tour. TMS president Mark Huber is the account handler.