Over 320 CHAUVET Professional Fixtures From 4Wall Light Two Fire Aid Benefit Venues
April 11, 2025
Jelly Roll, Katy Perry, Billie Eilish, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Mayer, Gracie Abrams, Pink and more...the stars came out in force for Live Nation's Fire Aid benefit concert. But behind the scenes there was also an array of talent that made this very worthy event (it raised over $100 million for those affected by the LA area fires) come to life.
Lighting designer Allen Branton, and Production designer Patrick Dierson led a team of professionals that created powerful, and often deeply moving looks, at two venues (Kia Forum and Intuit Dome) that connected not only to the live audiences, but also to the 50 million who watched on various livestreams.
Although the shows looked seamless with the crisp coordination of lighting and video, well-timed rapid pan and tilt effects, and harmonious color combinations, pulling them together with very short notice for a stunningly wide variety of artists was far from simple -- especially since all of this took place in two different venues.
'We had about one week on the design, then the bits had to ship to LA for the last round of prep for install," says Branton. "Challenges? Yes, we had plenty, the biggest being lack of time and lack of information."
But, in an industry that thrives on creative collaboration, these challenges were met with flying colors. "The take away from this story is that people were able to come together, so quickly to pull off this monster show for a great cause," says Felix Peralta, one of the event's prime lighting directors. "This was truly a gargantuan effort on all fronts, from the vendors to the people making it all happen on the ground."
In addition to Peralta the team that pulled it all together includes other veteran lighting directors: Kevin Lawson, Tom Beck, Darren Langer, Mark Butts and Chris Fernandez, as well as vendors 4Wall Entertainment, Rock-It Cargo, KISH Rigging, Firehouse Productions, Darmah (video content), and Pix Mob, in addition to Brad Hafer, Liberty Bock, Joel Gallen, Rick Austin Emily Wolfe, and Gary Lanvy, plus the entire onsite crew.
Key to helping this large and diverse team make their magic was a collection of 322 CHAUVET Professional fixtures from 4Wall Entertainment. Included in this mix were 210 Maverick MK3 Washes, 100 Color STRIKE M motorized wash-strobes, and 12 Rogue R2X Washes. These fixtures were divided evenly between the two venues.
Versatility, along with output, were the deciding factors for fixture selection. "We came up with a simple, task-driven lighting design that could easily adapt to all the different types of musical acts at both venues," says Peralta. "So, it helped to have fixtures that could fill multiple roles."
Even though the two venues had almost identical rigs, each show had its own distinct look. The designers accomplished this by playing on the distinct architectural characteristics of the two spaces, such as the star light system built into the ceiling at The Kia Forum and the epic "halo" video screens of the Intuit Dome.