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The 2018 current Legacy of The Beast European tour by heavy rock icons Iron Maiden is making spectacular use of the stadium-scale power and distinctive looks of the Vari-Lite VL6000 BEAM luminaire.
Lighting designer Robert Coleman chose modern lighting fixtures to replicate where possible the ‘classic’ look of an Iron Maiden rock show. The Legacy of The Beast production features three sections, starting with War, then changing to a cathedral interior, and finally Hell - and the broad reflector face and punchy output of the VL6000 BEAM fitted the bill perfectly.
He says, “I needed a fat beam light to sit on the stage set, mainly to create a searchlight effect. As it would be very visible, it was important that the fixture looked good itself. There are other lights I could have used but didn’t like the look of physically.”
He adds, “The searchlight effect worked perfectly for the War section of the show, but it has also been great for lighting the cathedral arches. They have a nice architectural quality to them.”
With 16 of the VL6000 BEAM fixtures flown up in the rig, and another six on the stage set, Coleman is making full use of the VL6000 BEAM’s heavy duty output and distinctive looks. He says, “They are incredibly powerful – they’ve been hitting the back wall of the stadiums. And the beam doesn’t look like any of the others in the rig, so it’s nice to have something else to go to: it adds another gear to the show.”
In performance, Coleman praises the VL6000 BEAM’s color reproduction and effects capability. “I had some reservations about using a non-CMY fixture,” he says, “but the combined colors from the color wheels have been stunning. I have particularly enjoyed the strobe, especially when blasting the audience.”
