39 years of German engineering descended on the West Coast of the United States as Kapt’n Sascha Konietzko, Lucia Cifarelli, Andy Selway, and Andee Blacksugar delivered the gospel of the Ultra Heavy Beat to sold out theaters. This tour marked the 10 year anniversary of R90 Lighting’s collaborative efforts with the almost 4-decade strong industrial powerhouse known as KMFDM and we couldn’t have been more thrilled to have been invited back in support of such an influential and iconic musical act.
A band that delivers the degree of energy and ferocity that KMFDM is known for obviously requires a lighting package that has the ability to both assault the senses while also allowing for brooding atmospherics during the less in-your-face melodic sections of the set list. Lighting designer James McKenna needed to come up with a design that delivered a visual throat-punch while also being able to pack down and fit into a bus trailer. With the enormous costs of touring these days, it also needed to be friendly on the wallet. What emerged as the final design was an assortment of old staples mixed with a new generation of lighting fixtures that, when paired, demonstrated that age is irrelevant if it does the job right.
The rig was comprised of (30) Blizzard Lighting Hotbox 5, (8) Omnisistem 2-Lite LED Blinder, (6) Chauvet Professional Color STRIKE M, (4) Robe Pointe, (10) Showtec Sunstrip Active, (4) Mega-Lite Bright Stripe, (4) Martin MAC Aura, (4) Elation Professional SixBar 1000IP, (6) Chauvet DJ Geyser P7, and (2) HazeBase FAB hazer. At the helm of this mayhem machine was the ChamSys MQ500. There was a bittersweet element to it for us as a lighting company, as it also marked the retirement for the trusty Sunstrips from our inventory due to lamp unavailability. We wanted to retire them with honor and feel that this was the perfect show to achieve that with. Farewell, old friend!
Not content with settling for the limitations of 2022’s East Coast only tour, KMFDM set off to remind the citizens of the West Coast why they remain one of the best live performances after nearly 40 years of touring. It was truly an honor to once again be apart of this wonderful touring family.
