Grant Kwiecinski, also known as GRiZ, first became popular in 2011 with the release of his debut album, End Of The World Party. His fourth studio album, Say It Loud, landed at the top of iTunes Electronic charts and has been called brilliant by Billboard. Leading up to Christmas, the Detroit native returns to his hometown and participates in a series of fundraisers with proceeds benefiting local non-profits. The twelve-day fundraiser leads up to a highly anticipated, sold out holiday celebration concert, GRiZMAS II. LMG Touring provided lighting and LED support.
GRiZ’s inspiration for the set was to create a completely new experience to ensure that fans would get a show never seen before. The asymmetrical design included 90 LED Tiles and 60 LightSlices. “Grant (GRiZ) loves the asymmetrical design, as it is not the norm. He is tired of the typical designs with a big video wall and a bunch of light,” Production Manager and Lighting Designer, Ian Davis explains. “He wants his audience to enjoy new and creative things…a work of art, not just a concert.”
The GRiZMAS II show features LMG’s 18MM LED tiles and 12MM LED LightSlices. “The 18MM video “V’s” added a lot of depth to the stage and provided a unique experience no matter where the audience was standing,” Davis explains. “One of the primary fixtures to creating the overall look of the design was the LightSlice, which is actually a two pixel wide video tile. The ability to hang these any way you can think of really made this design possible.”
To achieve the dynamic look for GRIZMAS II, LMG Touring provided a variety of light fixtures. “The Sharpys are fast moving and pack a serious punch that can stand up next to the video on the rig. The vipers, are also a fast fixture with a great gobo engine able to add the texture to the rig that we were looking for,” said Davis. “The Mac Auras were laid out in a grid above Grant (GRIZ) allowing us to create a tunnel of light and really highlight GRIZ appropriately throughout the show. The GrandMA console was the key to putting this rig into action…the speed that you can create these looks is vital asset to every show that we create.”
To minimize the load in and load out time LMG built six custom carts for GRIZ. “One of the biggest challenges of this design was figuring out how we were going to hang everything,” Davis explains. “With the help of LMG’s set carts which they had pre-fabricated, the LightSlices were able to be rigged in the shop before arriving to the venue, which was a life saver at load in.”
“LMG’s touring team played a huge role in transitioning this design from concept to reality,” said Davis. “Their custom products are incredible and their desire to make designs like this come to life is undeniable. We cannot thank them enough for their help on this one.”
“Ian and team are always asking about our new production and take full advantage of our inventory in their designs,” Jimmy Russo, LMG’s Touring Account Executive, recaps. “They are really good at taking a basic product, warping it, and pushing the boundaries making a massive and incredible look.”
For more information contact [email protected] or visit www.lmg.net
