A gig of epic proportions saw a quarter of a million Vasco Rossi fans pack into Modena
Park for Italian superstar Vasco’s 2017 homecoming concert.

Lighting designer Giovanni Pinna, known for the imagination and flair of his work,
wanted to make an impact for this incredible show and utilised 550 Robes as the
backbone of his rig – making approximately two-thirds of the total fixture count – with
200 x Spiiders; 50 x BMFL blades and spots; 200 x LEDWash 1200s and 600s; and
100 x LEDBeam 100s.

The show was also broadcast live by national TV network RAI, streamed live to
selected Space cinemas around the country, recorded for a DVD release and enjoyed
live by fans.

Giovanni started work on this project in September 2016, with set designer Claudio
Santucci, set builders Gioforma, video screens and content director Marco Piva and
live camera director Pepe Romano from Except – who also directed for the DVD shoot
and the telecast – together with laser designer Ross Marshall.

“With something this huge, you need to make big statements – there are a lot of
people at the back of the field that have to be included in the action and the emotion.
The essence was keeping it simple and very high impact,” stated Giovanni.

The set back wall comprised 45 scenic panels overlaid with a semi-transparent graphic
image. One could see the scaffolding skeleton behind for additional depth, but as
darkness fell, the panels became more solid. In front of these, Giovanni added a
matrix of silver scaffolding pipes and a matrix of lights spreading across the whole
expanse which was a vital source of back light.

Downstage, over 800m2 of 8mm LED screens were divided into five sections, one
central 18m wide by 15m high slab and four 9 x 15m sections which tracked 125m up
and down into several different positions throughout the show.

The main sections of the overhead lighting rig were rigged on trusses making up the
six “towers’ that supported the LED screens at the back and included four 10m x 10m
lighting pods – two above the centre section and two above the two outer towers.
These four lighting pods all moved in and out on a Cyberhoist system.

Two hundred Robe Spiiders were the main wash fixture. Ninety were attached to the
back wall scaffolding matrix, 80 were positioned on the deck of the three-tiered stage,
with 30 on the moving lighting pods.

“I love their brightness and zoom and the nice tight, definite beam,’ he stated
enthusiastically, “They are the perfect wash and beam lights for a show like this and a
great fixture that fitted the aesthetic of the Modena Park show”.

He used them in standard mode due to the scale of the show and found the macros
very useful for applying specific effects. They were also important as band lights
especially those downstage on the floor, sneaking in attractive and useful low level
“glows’ for the cameras.

Lighting the audience and having a good house lighting system was vital – for the
cameras, broadcast and recording and also for safety. Giovanni wanted the house
lighting completely integrated into the show. Therefore, 20 of the 30 x PA delay
towers were rigged with 160 x LEDWash 1200s and 40 x LEDWash 600s, all supplied,
together with the rest of the lighting rig, by Rome-based lighting rental company,
BOTW.

The BMFL Blades were all concentrated in one “power line’ of 42 x fixtures on the floor,
their mega bright beams burning into the intense night sky, and also to colour and
texture the 45 x set panels. Eight BMFL Spots were rigged on the two offstage moving
pods to assist the nine followspots in producing key lights, augmenting the drum and
keyboard riser positions in particular.

One hundred LEDBeam 100s were divided into ten strings of eight mounted on stands
zig-zagging behind the band and were used throughout the show on the centre stage
camera shots. “They are fantastic. You can fit them in anywhere and take advantage
of their excellent output – ideal for close work – and the great quality of the light,”
Giovanni declared.

He ran the show – a total of 58 DMX universes and around 23,000 channels of lighting
– from a grandMA2 full-size console. The d3 media server was run by Nicholas Di
Fonzo; lasers were supplied by ER from the UK with PRG Belgium delivering video.
The staging was done in conjunction with StageCo and LED screen automation via
engineering experts WIcreations, whose Italian partners IK Project dealt with the
heavy duty automation requirements.