Large Array of Claypaky Luminaires Hits the Road with Brantley Gilbert's The Devil Don't Sleep Tour

	Brantley Gilbert on the The Devil Don't Sleep tour.

Country music star Brantley Gilbert has launched The Devil Don't Sleep tour playing arenas in North America through early spring in the first leg. Nathan Alves and Howard Jones co-designed the show, which features Claypaky Scenius, Mythos2, Sharpy, and Stormy Strobe luminaires as well as grandMA2 light consoles.

The tour supports Gilbert's new album of the same name. Jones' company, Nashville-based DCR, is supplying all of the show's equipment; it has provided gear for Gilbert since before his first record deal. The tour marks Alves / Jones second collaboration for the artist.

The Devil Don't Sleep is a departure in design from Gilbert's recent tours. "In the past tours, we used truss structure to define a shape, like the motorcycle motif for last year's tour," Alves explains. "Now we're using digital scenery with videowalls front and center. That gives us more flexibility to take him to a new creative environment for each song."

The stage features five LED video surfaces. A 20' x 20' LED is at center with 15' x 20' LEDs flanking them. Two extreme letterboxes, measuring 20' x 6' each, are on the floor bookending the drums.

The lighting rig is the largest Gilbert has had, Alves notes. Its large complement of Claypaky fixtures consists of 36 Mythos2, 34 Scenius, eight Sharpys, and 14 Stormy Strobes. A.C.T Lighting, Inc. is the exclusive distributor of Claypaky lighting in North America.

On The Devil Don't Sleep the Mythos2 fixtures separate the LED screens and are placed downstage as effects and back lights. "They're great at doing three or four different things: acting as a beam, as a wash light, and have a good field for lighting people," says Alves. "This show is about packing as much technology as possible in a small amount of truck space, and the hybrid nature of the Mythos2 is a real help in that."

Although a large portion of DCR's inventory of Scenius and Mythos2 is devoted to the tour, Jones reports that the fixtures have "been very busy" with "significant rentals" between tour legs.

Thirty-four Scenius serve as side and back lights. "Scenius has a really great flat field for lighting humans," Alves points out. "I'm a big fan of its color range, too. Scenius is a good meat-and-potatoes light that checks all the boxes."

Eight Sharpys are positioned on the floor as effects fixtures. "They're the industry standard for beam lights," says Alves. The Stormy Strobes are placed at the end of every piece of overhead truss.

Two grandMA2 light consoles, one active and one backup, run two MA2 NPUs. They control the lights, video and motor automation, triggering DMX for six lighting pods in the rig, Jones says. Additionally, an onPC Command Wing is used to test the rig. A.C.T Lighting is also the exclusive distributor of MA Lighting products in North America.

About a week was spent in DCR's Nashville Viz Suite where Alves preprogrammed the show. "The grandMA2 is my console of choice," he declares.

The Devil Don't Sleep tour is operated by Jack Bowers and is supported by Greg Shipley, crew chief and programmer.