Pierre E. Roy and Marc-Antoine Pelletier Set the Mood for Francis Degrandpre with CHAUVET Professional

	"We wanted to have a show that works even if we don't use any video," Pelletier says. "That's why we created a wall of light behind the band to fill that empty space and make the stage look huge." Photo: Blacky Patsy

Canadian singer Francis Degrandpre's current tour features a design by Pierre E. Roy and Marc-Antoine Pelletier. "The show was built to be an "in your face" experience," Pelletier says. "With Pierre's design, we wanted to reflect the high energy of New Country music mixed with hard rock moments.

"There are a lot of dynamic moments and a lot of contrasts during the songs," Pelletier says. "Sometimes it goes from an energized guitar or drum solo to a really slow moment with just the vocal. To reflect that contrast, I play a lot with the beams going off the stage in the crowd and side lighting to create a more dramatic look. I also use the strobe effect right before a slower moment to accentuate the contrast. On this tour, we try to recreate a country music show, but with design elements of a hard rock/metal show."

Although the production's dynamic lighting exudes energy, it plays out against a mellow backdrop that reflects the down-home character of Degrandpre's New Country music. The show takes place around a symbolic fireplace, and the design aims to convey that mood.

"Pierre and I wanted to create a feeling of heat and comfort," Pelletier says. "That is why we used a lot of amber and CTO. We also use blue and white to create a contrast on some songs. The really high-energy moments with hard-rock songs are most of the time only with different tones of white. The use of white gives more punch to the beams and creates high contrast moments with the darkness of the stage."

This mood setting is accomplished without a giant video wall. The only video element is a diamond-shaped projection screen that displays custom content. "We wanted to have a show that works even if we don't use any video," Pelletier says. "That's why we created a wall of light behind the band to fill that empty space and make the stage look huge."

Providing much of that light is a collection of 14 CHAUVET Professional Maverick Force X Spots and 12 COLORado 2 Solos. The Spot fixtures are divided, with eight on top, used for downlighting, an all-important role given the relative lack of video.

"With downlighting, you can craft aerial effects easily," Pelletier says. "In some moments during the show, I like to see only the silhouettes of the artists. This creates dramatic moments that accentuate the show and what the song is about."

The six Maverick Force X Spots on the floor are used for the back lighting that adds an extra dimension to the stage. The COLORado washes create further depth, along with specials with their side lighting. The singer's tour ends this month before starting up again in January.