Van Halen “Best of Both Worlds” Tour

Van Halen, one of hard rock´s most enduring bands, just keeps going and going...a lot like their lighting rig.

Revitalized by the return of lead vocalist Sammy Hagar, the highly anticipated reunion was deserving of a full-blown tour. Van Halen’s “Best of Both Worlds” tour started way back in April and sees the band touring through mid-November.

The show is big and bad - bad as in good that is. Laden with heavy-duty rock classics, special scenic elements like a custom rolling stage in the form of the VH logo, and visual treats like a large Reactor video housing, and oh yes, a spectacular light show, the tour is rocking arenas across North America.

Lighting designers Steve Cohen and Joel Young (who earlier in the year teamed up on the Britney Spears show), work with touring lighting director Ethan Weber to keep the band looking fresh. Not surprisingly, the design brief from the band called for powerful lighting looks, the result being a lighting lovers dream of multiple beams, strong colors and a lot of definition.

After 25 years of touring, Van Halen looks better than ever thanks to an energetic lighting design based around MAC 2000 Wash fixtures. Placed liberally throughout the rig at various levels, the M2K Wash fill the rather large area with light as the backbone of the system. The MACs illuminate a Mark Fisher designed set from six vertical towers - MAC 2000 Wash on top and MAC 2000 Profiles on bottom. Bandit Lites supplied the rig, which also includes other automated gear and conventionals.

Lighting Crew Chief: Mark “Stinky” Lepetich
Lighting Technicians: Chris Keene, Michael Stehr, Michael Cummings, Adam Macintosh, and Travis Shirley