Kings of Chaos rock with Gearhouse & Robe BMFLs

Lighting Designer Willie Bothma was honoured to once again light the Kings of Chaos on their latest tour to Sun City and at GrandWest’s Grand Arena in Cape Town. The full technical was supplied by Gearhouse Group’s Cape Town branch and supported by Gavin Taylor, Sean Caie and the team at the Grand Arena.

Kings of Chaos featured special guest Steven Tyler alongside Billy Gibbons, Matt Sorum, Gilby Clarke, Duff McKagan, Robin Zander and Nuno Bettencourt and was brought to South Africa by Andrew Mac of AMP Events.

“It was a great show to do,” said Bothma from Gearhouse who also lit the performance in 2013. “The only request was that the band should be seen all times and this was done. At the end of the day it’s about the band and that is why people come to the show.”

The rig and design were the same at both venues. The main challenge was setting up the LED screens which hung off back truss. It took some time and only once they were perfectly lined up could the crew bring in the truss tower and other gear.

That said, Bothma worked alongside an amazing team including colleague Charl Smit, Branch Manager at Gearhouse South Africa in Cape Town.

Bothma programmed on a grandMA2 Light. “My favourite parts were those moments when I got it right, when certain elements happened exactly when they were supposed to happen, on time and in time with the music.” And there were a bunch of them.

Included in the Robe rig were four BMFL. “It was the second time I had worked them,” he commented. “I think it’s a great fixture and I used them mainly as backlight, texture on the stage and to pick up certain elements. They were the only fixtures I had where I could put in a gobo and not lose intensity. They were quick and fast. ”

“I want to thank my crew and also the Kings of Chaos,” said Bothma. “After last year they had no hesitation in asking me to do it again. Thank you also to the people who support me at work and also my family.”