The music of metalcore powerhouse Falling in Reverse can be described as dark, brooding and intense, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t also provoke thoughts of bright colors on the part of a lighting designer. Dan Michie, who lit the Las Vegas based quartet on their recently concluded Live From The Unknown tour, enthusiastically reflected his client’s menacing sound with a broad palette of vivid colors.
“There’s nothing wrong with using a wide range of colors,” said Michie. “Typically I’ll stick to three main colors per song, but I’m not strict about it. Some songs I’ll listen to and see different colors in my head for the verses than I do for the choruses. One of my favorite looks is to run a rainbow effect on the washes or any kind of RGB/CMY fixture and cut through that with white spots or beams. Falling In Reverse is also a fun band and I felt that the rainbow look fit some of their songs really well.”
Michie worked his color rendering magic to perfection on the tour, as evidenced in his lighting for their 2022 hit “Zombified,” which had the center of the stage bathed in bright red, with intense yellows flanking it on either side. “When I think of zombies the first color that pops in my head is red, for blood and guts and general zombie violence,” he said. “I wanted this song to feel dark and mostly have the band silhouetted, like creepy zombies coming out from the shadows. Then I used yellow to make the red pop.”
After Michie unleashed his colorful panorama for the the band’s show in Los Angeles, he and they had to fly back to Philadelphia for a performance at the Filmore to make up for a show that was canceled earlier. Because the trip back east was taken on short notice, Michie wasn’t able to transport his touring rig back with him.
Initially, he was concerned about getting new fixtures in Philadelphia to match his preprogrammed colorful looks for the entire 15 song set. He didn’t have to worry though. Thanks to help from Victor Zeiser and Steve Kosiba of Squeek Lights, along with some high-output CHAUVET Professional Rogue R1 BeamWash fixtures, he was able to recreate his show precisely in all its evocative power.
Taken from Squeek Lights’ own inventory, the RGBW moving hybrid fixtures were hung three apiece from six upstage towers. An additional four Rogue R1 BeamWashes were arranged along the downstage risers, two on each side.
The 18 units on the towers were used to cover the stage in the bold colors that were so crucial to Michie’s design concept, while the units on the risers highlighted band members.
“Initially, I planned on relying on Rogues on the towers mostly for color,” he said. “But these things were so versatile, I was able to use them for a lot of different effects. They really lit up and filled out the room beautifully. The pan and tilt were also really fast ,so they were able to snap to different positions super quick which was great. I was skeptical about using these initially, but I was super happy that I did, they really helped add a lot of different looks and effects to the light show!”
The Six Rogue R1 BeamWashes on the risers helped with lighting the artists on stage, particularly the drummer and the drum kit. “I like to light up band members when they’re playing solos or doing something that makes them stand out,” said Michie. “The lighting shifts the focus of attention to them. I’m also a massive fan of silhouetted looks.”
On the subject of lighting band members, one of Michie’s favorite looks during the show was when he accented the lead guitarist, Max Georgiev during the solo in “Born To Lead.”
“I loved the programming I did for this song,” said Michie. “They played it the very first show of the tour and it looked great, but they soon cut it from the set. Then they brought it back for our Filmore show!”
It was one of the best surprises Michie got in the City of Brotherly Love. The other was how his was able to recreate the colors of his original show, and then some, with his new lighting rig.
Photo: © Sean Varga