Jands Vista T2 for Sara Bareilles Tour

US Lighting designer Tony Fransen continues his long association with the Jands Vista lighting and media control system by recently going on the road with a Vista T2 console to run lighting for the Sara Bareilles US tour.

On the road since May, the tour is a mix of Bareilles' own headline performances as well as some opening shows for country duo Sugarland.

Fransen' s touring package gives Bareilles her own individual stage aesthetics utilizing his distinctive "boutique" style. Taking advantage of whatever extra lighting is available in each venue to supplement his design, he uses the Vista's fixture swap and cloning features to swiftly integrate units into his show.

"It's extremely powerful, the software is rock solid, and it is definitely the best control platform on the market" he says.

Bareilles' floor package consists of Philips Vari*Lite VL2500s, about 40 Martin Professional MAC 101 LED washes, and a selection of other products, including PixelRange PixelLine 1044 battens, Micro W LED bricks, plus a splattering of generics. The slick, moody low-level set contains a further 320 MR16 birdies.

The Vista T2 and touring packages are being supplied by rental company TLS, in conjunction with Deluxe Productions. Huntsville, Alabama headquartered TLS has several Jands Vista consoles in its hire inventory, and being based nearby, Tony works closely with their Nashville, Tennessee office.

Fransen uses his iPad as a complete remote for the console, making focussing simple and allowing him to run cues to check his show from anywhere in the venue. "It allows me to be really efficient with my time", he explains.

"I love the way the timeline shows me information", he says. "I can literally just stretch the times out and line them up, all while seeing what I am doing, rather than looking at a bunch of numbers" he explains, adding that you "simply cannot beat" that way of working.

Speaking of Jands' North American distributors, A.C. Lighting Inc., Fransen adds, "A.C. Lighting Inc offer incredible support, they are on hand to help at any time, and are always a good springboard for bouncing new ideas as well as a brilliant team of people."

. This leg of the Sara Bareilles tour ran until the end of October, and continued with a series of festival shows in December, where Fransen once again took a Vista T2.

Fransen currently has four other designs on the road, all of which have been programmed on and are using Jands Vista consoles - including Stephen Curtis Chapman and two Women of Faith tours.