White Light on Song for Frankie Valli and Gladys Knight

	Gladys Knight. Photo: Kennedy Street Ltd and Touring Entertainment Inc.

White Light recently provided its lighting services for a series of concert tours featuring two of the most iconic names in the music industry. Both Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons and Gladys Knight are currently touring the UK, with both playing the Royal Albert Hall before visiting venues in Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, and Leeds. Each tour has been organized by concert and tour promoters Kennedy Street, who approached White Light to provide the lighting, rigging, and crew in order to create an unforgettable experience for audiences across Britain.

Following their work on concerts for Jessie J, Whitesnake, Journey, and Barry Manilow, White Light has built a reputation of providing production support for a range of artists; with these latest concerts adding to the already extensive list. Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons' career spans more than 50 years and they have sold over 100 million records worldwide, including 29 Top 40 hits and seven US number ones. Similarly Gladys Knight has won seven Grammy Awards, recorded more than 40 albums and has a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Jim Colson, production manager at Kennedy Street, states: "Both Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons and Gladys Knight are absolute icons in the music industry. The fact that they are both still in such demand after so many years indicates the impact their music has made and how their already huge fan-bases continue to grow." Kennedy Street wanted to give those attending a concert the best show possible -- therefore, the company says they approached White Light for their lighting services.

White Light not only provided the lighting equipment for both tours but also the rigging and an expert team who traveled across the UK to each venue. White Light's project manager, Josh Yard, who led on the project, states: "These are always important events for us as we are working with well-known artists with enormous followings. This offered us the opportunity to not only showcase some of the impressive lighting equipment we have readily available but how our skilled team can assist with both the rigging in the warehouse and the set up on the road." Some of the equipment used included the Chroma-Q Colour Force 48 LED Batten, PAR 64s, and Robert Juliat Victor followspots. Yard adds: "Despite both shows being touring concerts, they both required very different feels. Fortunately we were able to draw on our huge stock range and ensure that we created the desired effect for each one."

The company says White Light was the first choice for Kennedy Street to support both tours. Colson comments: "We used White Light as, simply put, they were able to offer us the entire package. Knowing that they provided the equipment, rigging preparation, and were actually on hand to put everything in place at each venue filled us with great confidence and they not only managed to deliver the job on time but to the high standards we asked of them." The touring schedule for each artist saw 14 concerts take place over two weeks, meaning that efficiency was essential when travelling to each venue. Colson remarks: "As with all concert touring, time is limited which is why it is so beneficial to have a team of professionals on hand who will go into an arena, complete a brief, and help bring a show to life -- just like White Light did."

Both tours mark further examples of White Light being approached to provide the production support in concert touring. Yard comments: "Concert touring is an area in which we are a growing presence and it is something that really gets the most out of us as a company. Our recently opened audio department, along with our recent acquisition of video technology firm Shock Solutions, means we can offer concerts a whole range of options, along with our ever-expanding expertise."