Future’s Nobody Safe tour had unique challenges. We needed a design to work at Coachella and on tour, for an artist who was stepping up his game to a new level. It also needed to coincide with his newly released music and for two consecutive weeks. With a design prompt of creating a mind-altering, fast-paced and raw experience for the crowd, we got to work. Screens and content dominated the tour, with angled screens on the ground and in the air framing a massive rear wall. The content told Future’s story through the beauty and dysfunction he shows us in love, drugs and the game. When the show came together, Future was touring with a show that displayed his grittiness, tenderness and unapologetic contradictions. The tour was a 34-arena show with special guests Migos, Tory Lanez, and Kodak Black with Young Thug and ASAP Ferg. We’ve been on the road for decades, but there’s no rush quite like a show.
Bon Jovi: Because We Can
Long-time friend of Nimblist, Bon Jovi hit six continents delivering 102 shows and taking the band to both new and familiar locations worldwide. This iconic show featured 40 independently driven, hex-shaped columns rising up from the floor and descending from the grid creating an ever-changing configuration of video surfaces and scenic elements. The overall design moved around band members like a kinetic sculpture. No two songs were on the same set or shared the same light plot giving audiences an amazing experience and the high energy show Bon Jovi is known for.
We partnered with TAIT to execute a 30-meter inflatable 1959 Buick Electra which spanned the length of the main stage for the stadium shows. The massive car included a grill section housing 60 custom video frames and custom light poles for four impressions. Four scenic car headlight surrounds were also manufactured by TAIT to be situated beneath the Buick’s cohesive and unique design.
“Over the years we’ve used the same designer. Some of our stages, he’s hit home runs, and some others he’s hit singles. This one? I think he hit a grand slam. I think this is Spike Brant’s greatest hit. It’s beautiful. My hat is off to Spike Brant. He did a great job.” – Jon Bon Jovi
Kevin Hart: What Now?
Kevin Hart came home to Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Stadium to film his stand-up comedy movie, Kevin Hart: What Now? This performance put him in the record books as the first comedian to ever sell out an entire stadium by himself. As the tour designers, we needed to transition the arena version of his stand-up into an immersive audience experience for the stadium which would close out the tour. Our team designed and created an elaborate rigging plan to support a perimeter of audience backlights. We also handled all graphic and video content design in addition to serving as lighting and technical coordinators. The stadium broadcast was estimated to have 50,000 people watching. This was a tremendous production and our team was honored to journey thru that process highlighting and accentuating Hart’s humor. The movie was released nationwide in October 2016.
Pearl Jam: Live at Wrigley Field
Our challenge was to capture of the close out of the 2016 tour with a concert on historic Wrigley Field. With our longtime collaborator and friend, Kille Knobel, who served as lighting designer for this tour, we came in to provide production design. The overall look and feel of the design was sophisticated but natural and approachable fitting the band’s style. The primary scenic piece was an articulated scrap-metal bird which could be raised, lowered and angled on a TAIT-developed hoist that when combined with other visual elements gave a vintage vibe to the design. The band was touring both the US and Canada doing arena, festival and stadium shows to sold-out crowds. The DVD has yet to be released.