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Marc-Antoine Pelletier creates party vibe for Smash Mouth with Chauvet

Though frontman Steve Harwell passed away two years ago, American rock band Smash Mouth is still following its own happily quirky path, something they’ve been doing since the release of their debut album “Fush Yu Mang” in 1997.

The quintet from San Jose headlined at the three-day Musique Fest Premier Tech on the banks of the St. Lawrence River in Québec, Canada. Supporting the festival’s fun-in-the-sun mood was a lighting design by Marc-Antoine Pelletier that engaged the big crowd with some intense audience lighting and colorful crossing beam effects.

Pelletier and his tech director Pascal Giard achieved this with help from a collection of Chauvet Professional Rogue fixtures supplied by Les Productions Giard. Directing most of the lighting over the crowd, they revved up the excitement level by making it seem as if light was bursting out of the stage.

“I wanted the show to look massive, despite the limited space we had”, explains Pelletier. “I also aimed to bring in a rock-and-roll aesthetic by using the mix of straight and crossed looks. Since there was no video in the setup, I wanted lighting to be a core part of the stage design and really fill the space.”

Pelletier’s choice of colors was another big contributor to the festive mood. “I tried to reflect Smash Mouth’s Californian vibe”, he says. “Some of their songs have this relaxed, sunset feel, and I wanted the colors to represent that. It also ties into the band’s brand, which is a bit extravagant and indie-rock. For the big hits like ‘Believer’ and ‘All Star’, we switched to a monochrome look to give those moments even more impact.”

Colorizing the stage with Pelletier’s mix were twelve Rogue R2X Washes, which were flown on the four “fingers” of the lighting rig. In addition to colorizing the stage, the R2X fixtures were key to creating aerial effects. “They were central to the eye candy moments that were a big part of this design”, notes Pelletier.

Complementing the dynamic overhead looks created with the R2X units was the colorful output of the Rogue R1 Washes in the rig. “I used the R1s mainly for key lighting, to bring out facial shadows and create more dramatic moments throughout the set”, details Pelletier.

For him, one of the best moments of the show was when the band performed “All Star” for its encore. “Since it was the final song, it was the perfect chance to go all out with a full-on lighting show”, he says, adding that he also loved the monochrome looks during the show “for their dramatic feels on stage”. “The show was basically like a big party”, he concludes.

(Photos: Chauvet Professional)

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