I want those light bars!
March 26, 2017 8:13 AM Subscribe
In 2008, Boys Like Girls opened for Avril Lavigne, and had 10 large vertical light bars on stage.
I can't find anyone who sells these light bars. Were they custom? I would like to own a couple.
Do you mean those exact light bars or something similar? How much are you prepared to pay? Are you doing stage production or just want something to make the house look spiffy?
Really bright LEDs that were ruggedized enough for touring were not cheap back then and still aren't. I can't recognize what they are from that video - there were commercial options at that time or it might have been bespoke.
posted by Candleman at 9:49 AM on March 26, 2017
Really bright LEDs that were ruggedized enough for touring were not cheap back then and still aren't. I can't recognize what they are from that video - there were commercial options at that time or it might have been bespoke.
posted by Candleman at 9:49 AM on March 26, 2017
Response by poster: I know of the DMX standard and how to use it. I knew Amazon had a lot of DMX light bars for sale. But none of them appear to be ~5' high, designed to stand, and rugged-ized for touring.
I'm sorry I wasn't clearer in the OP. I'm definitely asking if some company sells lighting just like the items on stage with Boys like Girls (and I assume it's very expensive), or if touring bands regularly custom-build such equipment.
posted by Techbear at 9:57 AM on March 26, 2017
I'm sorry I wasn't clearer in the OP. I'm definitely asking if some company sells lighting just like the items on stage with Boys like Girls (and I assume it's very expensive), or if touring bands regularly custom-build such equipment.
posted by Techbear at 9:57 AM on March 26, 2017
I actually saw something very similar at guitar center the other day...and for not very much...a few hundred $...(LEDs have made a lot of stuff cheaper)...i think it comes with 5 or 6 bars, with a variety of mounts...fan, row, and freestanding like you're looking for...I'm pretty sure you only had to plug one in and the others responded via Bluetooth or other radio...at least 4 ft high and nice and bright...I'd check their website...that might just be 2 sets synchronized..
posted by sexyrobot at 10:15 AM on March 26, 2017
posted by sexyrobot at 10:15 AM on March 26, 2017
Oh...also they seemed really sturdy for the price...heavy polycarbonate tubes, sturdy endcaps...at least 30-40 super bright color-changing LEDs...fully programmable i believe...
posted by sexyrobot at 10:24 AM on March 26, 2017
posted by sexyrobot at 10:24 AM on March 26, 2017
I'm definitely asking if some company sells lighting just like the items on stage with Boys like Girls (and I assume it's very expensive), or if touring bands regularly custom-build such equipment.
Again, from the video it's hard to tell. It might be something as simple as a vertical truss on a floor plate with fairly standard light fixtures attached to it with a diffuser over them or it could have been something fancier. If you look here, you'll see some 3 and a half foot lights that might be used for the purpose in the current day and how different diffusers look on them.
I suspect that someone makes an off the shelf product that will fit your needs but am not familiar enough with the field to tell you what. If you call a company like Full Compass, they might be able to help find you the best option. Part of it will depend on things like the size and nature of the venue - if you need really bright lights, they need much better cooling than the cheaper stuff that you'll find at Guitar Center. But if you're dealing with smaller venues, those may be fine.
posted by Candleman at 12:15 PM on March 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Again, from the video it's hard to tell. It might be something as simple as a vertical truss on a floor plate with fairly standard light fixtures attached to it with a diffuser over them or it could have been something fancier. If you look here, you'll see some 3 and a half foot lights that might be used for the purpose in the current day and how different diffusers look on them.
I suspect that someone makes an off the shelf product that will fit your needs but am not familiar enough with the field to tell you what. If you call a company like Full Compass, they might be able to help find you the best option. Part of it will depend on things like the size and nature of the venue - if you need really bright lights, they need much better cooling than the cheaper stuff that you'll find at Guitar Center. But if you're dealing with smaller venues, those may be fine.
posted by Candleman at 12:15 PM on March 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Marq lighting rezotube pack was what i saw on guitarcenter.com $450 for complete setup
posted by sexyrobot at 12:44 PM on March 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by sexyrobot at 12:44 PM on March 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
"Light bar" is definitely the term you want to use looking for these - if you include "dmx" in the search it gets rid of all the results of stuff meant to be mounted on pickup trucks or emergency vehicles.
On the cheaper end you're going to find stuff from Chauvet or American DJ, cheap to midprice would be Blizzard or Elation, pricier (probably) is going to be Robe, High End (who don't seem to have any LED bars at the moment), or the Martin stuff Candleman linked to above.
rugged-ized for touring.
While it's generally true that more expensive lights do tend to be tougher, a huge part of "ruggedized for touring" is having serious road cases to store and transport the lights in (cases that can sometimes cost as much as the lights) which depending on the specific light fixture may be bought premade or custom ordered or something in between, like a generic case gets specialized foam cutouts; plus you carry at least a couple of extras for when one goes down; plus every professional light tech I know or have met is at least half "repair tech/McGyver" because even the expensive lights are persnickety beasts that may require poking with a screwdriver or replacing a control module at any time; plus most touring acts (at least most touring acts regularly playing venues 1000-capacity and up) actually rent their lights from companies that specialize in this which rental often includes some "on-the-road" service, where if a crucial part of your lighting rig dies the rental company (or the manufacturer) will ship a replacement to the next venue on your trip.
Which is just to say that even if you spend like $2000 on a "professional" LED light bar, you can't just chuck the thing into the back of a pickup and expect it to work next week.
if some company sells lighting just like the items on stage with Boys like Girls (and I assume it's very expensive), or if touring bands regularly custom-build such equipment.
Yes. As in, it's very common for tour LD's (lighting designers) to start with an off-the-shelf product and then figure out clever ways to modify it, mount it, or physically set it up for a unique look - black pipe sees a lot of use in the touring light world. The actual work might be done by the LD themselves, or the band crew, or by the rental company they're getting the lights from.
It's hard to get a clear picture of what's going on from the video, but just off the top of my head you could get something very similar by buying one of the commercially available LED bars that are 40" or longer, mount a couple of half-cheeseborough clamps to the "feet" that are already attached to the lights, then it's a piece of cake to clamp the light to a pipe and drape upright that slips onto a pipe and drape base & pin, maybe throw a sandbag on the base for extra stability, and there you go just wire it up and start programming your DMX controller.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:00 PM on March 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
On the cheaper end you're going to find stuff from Chauvet or American DJ, cheap to midprice would be Blizzard or Elation, pricier (probably) is going to be Robe, High End (who don't seem to have any LED bars at the moment), or the Martin stuff Candleman linked to above.
rugged-ized for touring.
While it's generally true that more expensive lights do tend to be tougher, a huge part of "ruggedized for touring" is having serious road cases to store and transport the lights in (cases that can sometimes cost as much as the lights) which depending on the specific light fixture may be bought premade or custom ordered or something in between, like a generic case gets specialized foam cutouts; plus you carry at least a couple of extras for when one goes down; plus every professional light tech I know or have met is at least half "repair tech/McGyver" because even the expensive lights are persnickety beasts that may require poking with a screwdriver or replacing a control module at any time; plus most touring acts (at least most touring acts regularly playing venues 1000-capacity and up) actually rent their lights from companies that specialize in this which rental often includes some "on-the-road" service, where if a crucial part of your lighting rig dies the rental company (or the manufacturer) will ship a replacement to the next venue on your trip.
Which is just to say that even if you spend like $2000 on a "professional" LED light bar, you can't just chuck the thing into the back of a pickup and expect it to work next week.
if some company sells lighting just like the items on stage with Boys like Girls (and I assume it's very expensive), or if touring bands regularly custom-build such equipment.
Yes. As in, it's very common for tour LD's (lighting designers) to start with an off-the-shelf product and then figure out clever ways to modify it, mount it, or physically set it up for a unique look - black pipe sees a lot of use in the touring light world. The actual work might be done by the LD themselves, or the band crew, or by the rental company they're getting the lights from.
It's hard to get a clear picture of what's going on from the video, but just off the top of my head you could get something very similar by buying one of the commercially available LED bars that are 40" or longer, mount a couple of half-cheeseborough clamps to the "feet" that are already attached to the lights, then it's a piece of cake to clamp the light to a pipe and drape upright that slips onto a pipe and drape base & pin, maybe throw a sandbag on the base for extra stability, and there you go just wire it up and start programming your DMX controller.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:00 PM on March 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
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Controlling and synchronizing them is a bit harder, and requires some specialized software and hardware controllers- but not too difficult.
posted by ejfox at 8:35 AM on March 26, 2017 [1 favorite]