World - 2011 was a big year for Swedish Pop duo Roxette as they embarked on their first world tour since 1995. Forming the backbone of LD Calle Brattberg's spirited lighting design were Philips Vari-Lite VL3000 Spot luminaires, supplied, for most of the tour, by Scandinavia's largest rental company of stage, lighting and sound equipment - Starlight.
So successful was the 2011 tour that this year Roxette will embark on yet another Round the World popfest with another 65 shows planned for 2012, and Brattberg will be with them. "The look for Roxette is fresh, sharp and vivid," explains Brattberg. "I wanted the lighting to work in synchronicity with the well-known, upbeat Roxette pop anthems. I also wanted the feel of the show to resonate with the ever faithful fans."
Lighting is indeed animated and colourful, however Brattberg has been careful to light the duo from a number of angles and, as the mood of the music changes, the Roxette set is punctuated with dramatically intimate, tightly focused looks.
"The reliability and accuracy of the VL3000 Spot's optics and zoom are ideal for achieving the diversity of moods the Roxette set demands," says Brattberg. "The ability to rotate a gobo smoothly, really slowly or zoom out to max and maintain the same focus are some of my favourite features. I've always found the luminaires to be reliable with consistently uniform output, even across a large number of fixtures."
Brattberg, who is based in Stockholm, is no stranger to the Philips Vari-Lite brand. "My first contact with Vari-Lite was in 1986 with the VL2b, and I can honestly say I have never looked back," says Brattberg. "The output and quality of projected gobos and the vibrancy of the colours remain unbeatable. They move better than any other light and are spot on accurate every time. In fact, the VL3000 spot has everything I could ever want in a spotlight."
