311's Unity Tour Calls for Clay Paky Alpha Beam 1500sAlternative rock band 311 is playing 40 amphitheater shows on its Unity tour with Slightly Stoopid this summer, and Clay Paky Alpha Beam 1500 automated fixtures are along for the ride. Lighting designer Joe Paradise has 14 Alpha Beam 1500s on the show, which he spreads out 60' wide. Eight are placed in a line on the floor and three are suspended on each side on double-hung trusses, which trim at about 14'. "They can go up and get really big stuff on the audience as well as deliver some cross-stage throws," he says. Paradise notes that the look of the show changes with the eclectic array of tunes in the band's set list. "There are lots of saturated colors with the Alpha Beams cutting through in complimentary colors. Kind of an old-school ACL look but with a lot more punch from the Clay Pakys." The Alpha Beam 1500 is one of the most powerful luminaire belonging to the special category of fully-automated ACL fixtures. They generate a solid, super-concentrated parallel beam for very long-throw projections, which built-in devices shape and animate with colors and movement for fantastic mid-air effects. With the new 1500W lamp, the Alpha Beam 1500 can also become a spotlight for long-distance focused projections, and perform as a good narrow-angle washlight. "The lights are incredibly bright and the beam is really great," says Paradise. "The color and beam angle and shape are consistent light to light. You can focus them in full daylight, too. And for their size, the Alpha Beams have very fast pan and tilt." Steven "Creech" Anderson of Premiere Global Production provided the Alpha Beam 1500s. "There was not a substitution comparable to the Clay Paky fixture and we were amazed with the output and intensity of the beam. There is not a fixture in the system that has the power this fixture has," he says. "The Alpha Beams are awesome," Paradise concludes. "I love them. I turn them on every day, and they work -- I haven't had to have a spare. They really are amazing and so bright. That's why I got them." A.C.T Lighting is the distributor for Clay Paky in North America. Francesco Romagnoli, Clay Paky area manager for North and Latin America, adds, "Joe has been a long time supporter of ours and we're proud that he's using our lights for this tour. I can see that they contribute greatly to the overall look of the shows." 
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