Willis Underhill Makes Diamond Rio Magic At Val Aire Ballroom with All-CHAUVET Professional Rig

	"For me, the biggest part of my work is having all of my color palettes match perfectly every time. Chauvet does a really great job of ensuring their color mixing stays consistent across all their fixtures," says Underhill.

History resonates off the walls of the Val Air Ballroom. A long list of legends like Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, and Tommy Dorsey have performed on the theatre's stage since it opened on June 6, 1939, and, aside from the few times it was closed for renovations, the venue has been a local icon ever since.

The Val Air does indeed have a proud past, but when it comes to the performance quality of its stage, its eyes are fixed firmly on the future. In keeping with this commitment, the theatre upgraded its lighting about three years ago to an all CHAUVET Professional rig that features six Maverick Force S Spots, 24 Rogue R2X Washes, four Color STRIKE M motorized strobe-washes, and four STRIKE Array 2 blinders.

Willis Underhill took full advantage of this rig August 8 when his client, multi-platinum Grammy winners, Diamond Rio performed at the Val Air Ballroom. Combining the venue's house rig with his own floor package's eight Maverick Force X Spots, 12 Rogue R2X Washes, four STRIKE Array 2s, and four STRIKE Bolts, he created an all-embracive lightshow that flowed seamlessly from strobe and blinder looks for the more intense songs to softer monochromatic washes and backlighting for the more mellow moments.

"I found out the venue had a full Chauvet house rig when I advanced the show a month before it happened," recalls Underhill. "That definitely helped my confidence and comfort level! For me, the biggest part of my work is having all of my color palettes match perfectly every time. Chauvet does a really great job of ensuring their color mixing stays consistent across all their fixtures."

As is his practice, Underhill took great pains to ensure that the looks in the 75-minute Val Air show varied throughout the set. "There are things I do to give a different twist to my looks every night," he says. "One way is by using twenty-five to thirty different position palettes and the same for color palettes. For position palettes, I look at the stage, the room, and how the lighting plot is put together. Then I look for ways to create depth on stage, fill the space, and complement the architecture of the building."

At Val Air, Underhill created a different look on some ballads by using his Maverick Force X Spots to create delicate mid-air effects, pulling the audience into the mood of the music. Another special addition to the show involved his Rogue R2X Washes. "I really love their zone control," he says of the fixture. "I relied on this feature to create a twinkling star effect during the song 'I Believe.'"