Rush's Lighting Director Howard Ungerleider Talks Clockwork Angels Tour

Rush's Lighting Director Howard Ungerleider Talks Clockwork Angels Tour
Rush's long-time lighting and stage director Howard Ungerleider was recently interviewed by PLSN (Projection, Lights and Staging News) for their February 2013 issue:
“For Rush’s latest album, Clockwork Angels, science fiction writer Kevin J. Anderson expanded drummer Neil Peart’s lyrics into a novel that depicts a colorful world of Steampunk, lost cities and a protagonist caught between the forces of chaos and order. For the live concert experience, Howard Ungerleider’s lighting design, or “choreography,” dances with video elements during the three-hour show.”
Howard also reveals that he had the chance to listen to Clockwork Angels in full prior to its release in order to help him with the overall design of the show:
“Designing a new Rush tour is a process where I don’t receive a lot of information from the band until the 11th hour most of the time. This 2012-13 tour was a little bit different, because I was able to listen to the album before it was mixed. Alex (Lifeson) would play me little bits now and then in his car. With this album, Alex invited me to the studio, and I think they were thinking I’d hear a couple of songs, but the engineer let me listen to all of it, which was great!”
In addition to all the information surrounding the creation of the lighting show, Howard also talks about his relationship with the members of Rush:
“The band members are true professionals, and what’s also great is they all have a great sense of humor. Just look at the humorous videos they create and show just before they hit the stage. They are made up as characters with pot bellies, funny wigs and all. Even when we’re not on tour and we go over to Alex’s (Lifeson) house for a party, he comes out as a character, so yeah, great bunch of guys, very level-headed.”
You can check out the entire article at this LINK as well as a fantastic photo gallery of Rush in action HERE.

Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand for the news.

Comments

  1. I surprise myself whenever I have a nit to pick with Rush, but I really preferred the lighting show Howard devised for the Snakes & Arrows tour. Especially at the end of the show, the lighting "spider" over the stage did a lot more than on this latest tour. Of course, I saw show #2 last year, so maybe there were technical glitches during that show which were straightened out later...?

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    1. Actually, I believe the spider lighting was during the Time Machine tour...and I agree that it was spectacular. When it worked. Of the five shows I attended during the Time Machine tour, the Spider lighting only functioned (i.e. moved) on two of the shows. I don't know if it was mechanical difficulties or limitations of the venues.

      That said, the shows I've seen on the CA tour, with the moving and rotating screens, is something to behold. I haven't heard of any issues with it -- but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened.

      Based on what I can see from the pictures from the Bristow show (see: http://cygnus-x1.net/links/rush/concert-bristow-09.09.2012.php) it looks like everything was working 'correctly'...

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  2. You're absolutely right, it was the Time Machine tour!

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  3. Actually, the flying led screens was pretty incredible and revolutionary. The lighting effects during the wreckers was amazing too, but if you were on either side, the effect was lost.

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  4. Anonymous, you may be right. I was up closer this time around, but off to the side, and didn't really see any movement to the flying LED screens. I'll be very interested in seeing the concert video when it's finally released, so I can see what you both seem to have seen which I sadly did not.

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