
Steve Stemac lights metal rockers Lamb of God with Elation posted: 02/07/2019
Heavy metal rockers Lamb of God have been on four tours over the past year as support for thrash metal band Slayer's long-running farewell tour, the latest leg in May beneath a rig of Elation lights. Lighting design was by Steve Cowboy Stemac with lighting supply and support by Gemini.
Stemac started with Lamb of God in May, 2018, as lighting director, inheriting a stage set-up designed by tour manager Brian Griffin. After earning the band's, and Griffin's, trust over the following legs of the tour, the designer began to evolve the show, a process that eventually led to fixture changes. For the latest leg, a 16-date trek across the southern U.S. states and up the east coast, Stemac chose to reinforce the band's signature sound and stage presence using Elation DARTZ 360 LED beam/spot fixtures and Elation ACL 360 Bars .
A balance
Lamb of God likes a lot of backlighting with not too many revealing hues, Stemac says of the type of lighting required for the Grammy-nominated veteran rockers. After respecting their parameters, he says he simply approached it as a fan, asking himself, What do I think would look right for this song?
As direct support for Slayer, and following death metal act Amon Amarth, who Stemac says had a formidable lighting package, the LD strove for differentiating the show from theirs as much as possible, while still keeping it appropriate for Lamb of Gods music. On top of that, I had to keep an eye out for Randy as hes a terrific frontman and I didnt want him drowned in shadows, he said. The band consists of vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, bassist John Campbell, and drummer Chris Adler.
In addition, as the run played amphitheaters and arenas, the designer says he also wanted to create enough of a spectacle for the people in the very back. So for this particular run, I worked on balancing all those factors to, hopefully, the fans responding cool!'
The showcase position
The design called for fixtures with a linear beam across the top threshold of the set in what the LD calls the showcase position. On the first run, we used Elation Chorus Line 8s, and although I really like the Chorus Line series and used them on other tours, I knew we could add some lateral movement, so swapped them for ACL 360 Bars, which has continuous 360-degree pan and tilt rotation.
Fourteen ACL 360 Bars worked from across a backline and there were times when the designer says he made them sweat. He comments, The ACL 360s were the heart of the eye candy, so I had them in extended mode, and as the show progressed I became more detail-oriented with them, even down to the individual LEDs. I created big fanned looks, aim-for-the-sky looks, and mystique-behind-the-band looks as well, almost like a wash.
DARTZ punctuation
Stemac placed eight DARTZ 360s in the setup, four in the corner points of the set piece, and four in the middle by the drum kit for maximum swing and center focus, also to maximize cross beam looks. The DARTZ, also in extended mode, were the punctuation, with the first half of the show in pencil beam lines and the second half running through every prism look they can give. In one of those prism looks, in the song 512 where guitarist Mark Morton goes into a blistering solo, through a heavy red wash I backlit him with the DARTZ in their rapidly rotating 8-facet prism mode, the LD says. With their positions coming from different parts of stage left, it really accented Mark and the solo.
In another impactful moment, during the last song of the set, Redneck, a frantic riff after the second chorus kicks off a double-tempo middle-eight verse. I took that as the last moment to really thrash: the ACL 360s are popping up and down, with chases across their individually colored LEDs, and the DARTZ are zipping back and forth with a move-in-black in between. It was my moment to spur those little robots into a workout, and the look wouldnt have worked without those fixtures. Stemac adds that he utilized the high speed of both fixture types heavily.
Gemini
Dallas-based Gemini served as lighting vendor for the run, a production house that has emerged as perhaps the top provider of entertainment technology for metal tours in the US. I cant say enough about Jason Cain and Gemini and their support, Stemac said. This has been the fourth time Ive worked with them, and each time gets better. They are so attentive -- without being intrusive, and genuinely care about the gig being artistically successful. They are so good to work with, including the tour personnel.
About Elation Professional
Elation designs and manufactures a comprehensive range of innovative lighting and video products known for their excellent efficiency and outstanding performance. As a company in expansion with a presence in a growing variety of market segments, chances are you've experienced Elation lighting at a concert, special event, TV, theater, late night venue, House of Worship, theme park, cruise ship, exhibition, architectural space or elsewhere.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
17/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
16/01/2026
From Berlin to London: Amazon delivers NBA Europe games for an international aud...
16/01/2026
How Vizrt, TriCaster Helped Harvard Athletics Embrace Vertical Video and More to...
16/01/2026
SVG GameDay, Ep. 1: PMY Group's Mike BonnerThe longtime industry veteran provides insight into his approach to producing live eventsBy Kristian Hern ndez, S...
16/01/2026
Attacking the Pin: Inside the PGA TOUR's Replay Remodel With Hawk-Eye Innova...
16/01/2026
Back to Unrivaled: TNT Sports Reconnects With Mediapro for the League's Soph...
16/01/2026
FloSports Orchestrates Mega Weekend Spotlighted by Chili Bowl Nationals, UCA & U...
16/01/2026
Eleven Projects to Be Developed at Annual January Screenwriters Lab; Nine Projec...
16/01/2026
The start of a new year brings fresh possibilities. Whether you're diving in with big goals or simply setting new intentions, audiobooks can bring inspirati...
16/01/2026
In 2025 we launched the Spotify Partner Program to give creators more ways to tu...
16/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
16/01/2026
Marshall Electronics is showcasing its VMV-402-3GSH Seamless 4X Switch at ISE 2026 (Booth 4N900). Designed for presentation systems, control rooms and remote pr...
16/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
16/01/2026
Graduate Spotlight: Nadia Castagna The educator, who grew up in Rochester, New York, shares how she went from Berklee to collaborating on meaningful programs ...
16/01/2026
Back to All News
Culinary Class Wars' Returns for Season 3, Raising the St...
15/01/2026
Milano Cortina 2026: OBS CEO Yiannis Exarchos Previews Production InnovationsFirst Person View drones, AI-based tech target greater fan engagement, efficiencyBy...
15/01/2026
Clever with cameras: Bringing the drama of the 2026 ISU European Figure Skating ...
15/01/2026
No stranger to ice: Host broadcaster Sunset Vine on pressure and planning for th...
15/01/2026
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Leah Gill, Associate Athletic Director, Digital Media, ...
15/01/2026
National Sports Broadcaster Perspectives: What to Expect in Production in 2026Leaders from ESPN, FOX Sports, Netflix, and Warner Bros. Discovery share their pro...
15/01/2026
From Berlin to London: Amazon delivers NBA Europe games for an international aud...
15/01/2026
LOS ANGELES, CA, January 15, 2026 - The nonprofit Sundance Institute today announced the appointment of David Linde as Chief Executive Officer. Linde will assum...
15/01/2026
The SGL Carbon site in Bonn has a long tradition of training. For many years, young talent has been successfully trained here, regularly achieving excellent exa...
15/01/2026
The JEC Composites Innovation Awards annually honor the most innovative and ambi...
15/01/2026
X-energy Reactor Company, LLC ( X-energy ) and SGL Carbon LLC ( SGL ) have signed a 10-year framework agreement to provide graphite for the deployment of X-ener...
15/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
15/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
15/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
15/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
15/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
15/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
15/01/2026
Telos Alliance To Showcase Broadcast Audio and Intercom Innovations at ISE 2026
Search
Cleveland, Ohio (January 15, 2025) - Telos Alliance , trusted global...
15/01/2026
RT is tonight announcing that Mari Hurley has decided to leave her role as RT 's Chief Financial Officer to take up a new position outside RT . Mari will r...
15/01/2026
15 Jan 2026
VEON's Kyivstar Reaches 3.0 million Customers with Starlink Dir...
15/01/2026
Views to free streaming service U grew by 15%, average monthly active users by 23% and registrations by 18%
UKTV's channels achieved record viewing share, ...
15/01/2026
Thursday 15 January 2026
Sky Sports to show Final Stage of inaugural FIFA Women's Champions Cup
Sky and FIFA have agreed an exclusive new partnership whi...
15/01/2026
Thursday 15 January 2026
The official trailer for the second season of Seth Mac...
15/01/2026
Wuppertal January 15, 2026
Riedel RefCam Takes Center Court in German Basketba...
15/01/2026
Back to All News
Nah Yung-suk Presents Take a Hike!' - A Snowy Reality Adv...
15/01/2026
Back to All News
Firebreak Premieres on Netflix February 20
Entertainment
15 January 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
DOWNLOAD THE FIRST LOOK IMA...
15/01/2026
Back to All News
The Variety, Voices, and Vision Shaping What's Next on Net...
15/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix and Sony Pictures Entertainment Enter New Pay-1 Deal W...
15/01/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) today announced the nominees for th...
15/01/2026
Award-winning production solutions bridge traditional and next-generation workflows
FOR-A MixBoard
FOR-A IMPULSE
viztrick AiDi
MFR-3100EX...
15/01/2026
Arvato Systems Named Launch Partner for AWS European Sovereign Cloud
As a launch partner for the AWS European Sovereign Cloud, Arvato Systems enables customer...
15/01/2026
NVIDIA kicked off the year at CES, where the crowd buzzed about the latest gaming announcements - including the native GeForce NOW app for Linux and Amazon Fire...