LD Systems ramps up the Robe for Rodeo Houston

Lighting designer Nathan Brittain from Houston, Texas-based lighting rental specialist LD Systems oversaw a major lighting upgrade for the live concert element of this year’s Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo – AKA Rodeo Houston – which included adding over 150 Robe moving lights to the rig.

Staged at NRG Stadium, Nathan has also created production lighting for the concerts for several years, with LD Systems as the lighting vendor.

Every five years a major technical upgrade takes place ensuring all the latest and best technologies are available for the benefit of all artists. Lighting is rigged on a bespoke TAIT- designed and built stage / roof structure, and this year Nathan and LD Systems made a major investment in Robe including the addition of 62 iFORTE, 70 x TetraXs and 16 x iBOLTS. It was the first time iBOLTS had been used in the USA on a concert series.

Also, after successful testing last year, Nathan and the team changed up to be using a full RoboSpot system for remote follow spotting with 16 iFORTE LTXs running on 12 x RoboSpot BaseStations, giving fantastic 360-degree coverage from all around the stadium. These new Robe products were added to the 128 x Robe Spikies and 49 x MegaPointes which were installed on the rig in 2018.

Thirty new iFORTES were positioned in the overhead trusses and another 32 iFORTE on trusses over the audience. The TetraXs are also on the overhead rig and looked nothing short of “awesome!”

Some of the RoboSpots were run in doubled-up pairs to cover the furthest 365ft throw distances from positions on the stadium perimeter to downstage center, with single iFORTE LTXs covering the slightly shorter 300ft throw positions along the shorter sides.

The complete lighting control network was also new this year, with fiber running around the whole stadium.

Guest LDs rock up with their artists and give input beforehand, but the shows are all programmed and run by Nathan and his crew. Working alongside him as lighting systems engineer / programmer was Lance Williamson, who took care of all the perimeter lighting. Rodeo’s lighting programmer was Carson Beckman, while Dan Barrett was the RoboSpot ‘wrangler ‘and tech. They were also joined by lighting techs Fred Deci, Wade Henry and Elijah O'Day. Last but not least, LD Systems’ project manager was Rob McKinley.

www.robe.cz

Photography © LD Systems