As part of their European journey, Swedish metal band Opeth opted for a single show at Wembley Arena for their UK audience. Magnus Boyd has been lighting the band for the last eighteen months. The show at Wembley was a part of the “Sorceress” World Tour. The first portion started in the US with twenty shows and continued in Europe – all the time accompanied by 1 x grandMA2 light and 2 x MA NPU (Network Processing Unit). Photo: © Siyan Lighting.
“During the tour, we have done special extended sets (at Radio City and Belasco in LA) featuring songs from the ‘Deliverance’ and ‘Damnation’ albums before the third at Wembley”, explained Boyd. “The final extended set will be at the Sydney Opera House in February. These are impressive spaces that really deserve a large production; the design didn’t change much, we just doubled what we would normally have in the rig.”
Boyd hooked up with High Wycombe based rental company Siyan Limited to deliver his touring and Wembley show lighting requirements which is an overwhelmingly Claypaky and MA affair. Both exclusively distributed in the UK by Ambersphere Solutions.
“Magnus was looking for a supplier who stocked Claypaky fixtures and MA control systems,” opened Tom Grant, project manager. “He and I had some initial conversations by email about his requirements and we went from there”. Boyd’s final spec comprised of Claypaky A.leda B-EYE K20, Mythos, Sharpy, Alpha Wash 700 and Stormy CC, along with a grandMA2 light and two MA NPU (Network Processing Unit).
On the control side Boyd has been a regular MA user for the last fifteen years. Siyan provided a grandMA2 light with a pair of MA NPU. “The grandMA2 light gives me everything I needed for this run despite being designed/pre-programmed on an MA onPC command wing and a grandMA2 full-size in Oslo. In regards to the MA NPU, the MA solution for networking is pretty much all I need. They make it easy to incorporate house rigs to my design and offer a stable network for my touring package. In addition, networking with other consoles for programming/backup is a dream with them in the package.”
For the Wembley show, Siyan supplied the crew in addition to the extra lighting: crew chief Matt Morris along with Dan Everitt and Mark Baruch. Boyd is full of praise, “All the gear was in mint condition and Tom was very on the ball as project manager; if we needed anything it was sorted instantly. From concept to plan to build and finally tour, they have been there every step of the way supplying information, ideas and support. Altogether a very enjoyable experience indeed.”
