Pete's Big TVs Tours World with Backstreet Boys

	Photo: Pete's Big TVs

Video equipment rental company Pete's Big TVs is supplying the complete video equipment package -- LED screens, cameras, and crew -- for the Backstreet Boys reunion tour, which celebrates 20 years of the group with all five original members. The Backstreet Boys kicked off their In A World Like This tour May 25 in China.

Production designer Bruce Rodgers of Tribe Inc. designed a video-centric show for the band. The main upstage screen is comprised of a new product that Pete's Big TVs purchased for the tour -- Liantronics PH8, which are 8mm LED screens. The screen is approximately 15' by 60' (24 panels wide by six panels high) using 144 high-resolution LED panels.

Fixed to the lighting trusses and the face of the stage platforms are 400 digiLED MC15 panels. Of those, there are 100 MC15 tiles faced on the stage risers, with 300 more MC15 tiles faced on three V-shaped lighting trusses.

For the production package, Pete's Big TVs also supplied the Ross Carbonite switcher and four Sony HDC1500 cameras.

Pete's Big TVs' VP Guy Benjamin, who traveled to China to oversee the tour kick-off, said it was the first time their company had toured there. "There were unique challenges, especially language issues regarding labor. Nobody spoke English, even in Beijing, so it tests your charades skills," Benjamin said.

It was helpful having touring production manager Jerry Gilleland on hand, Benjamin added. "I met Jerry on the Rolling Stones tour in 1989 and it was great to work with him again. Thank God for him -- he can handle anything."

Benjamin said that Pete's Big TVs was the only vendor to travel on the China tour. Local lighting and audio were picked up in each city. "We were buying the new screens -- the Liantronics PH8 -- in China so we didn't have to air freight the video over. We just air freighted the camera package and cable."

Pete's Big TVs custom-upgraded the new Liantronics PH8 LED panels to suit their quality standards. "We had the manufacturer upgrade the power supply. We use higher quality power supply to minimize the radio frequency (RF) again, like we did with the digiLED products. That's important to us, to get a more uniform performance out of them."

He adds, "The Liantronics have great processing. The LED chips they use allow for better contrast than is typically seen in a resolution in that size range. The colors and the black offer better contrast. It's a well made product and will stand up to touring."

The Liantronics PH8 panels are also larger in size -- at 768 sq. m. compared to the 500 sq. m. of their digiLED panels -- so it means fewer are needed for a larger surface area. That cuts down on time and labor.

Benjamin cites his crew of Matt Ellar, Brent Jones, Jody Lane, and Dallas Buell as "the best in the business. They handled the challenges of China brilliantly."

Pete's Big TVs resumes its role on the tour with the North American leg August 2 - September 8, then in Japan starting October 2. Lighting designer is Alex Grierson.