If you know of a WORKING LD that you feel should be recognized for his or her talent and contribution to the world of Entertainment Technology… yourself included… please forward the necessary contact info on to me, ROBERT CHAMBERS, Editor, PSW Lighting Section at robertc@prosoundweb.com. And we will make them famous…

And with no further ado… Ladies and Gentlemen it is my pleasure to introduce, Mr. John Orchard, LD for none other than the incredible… Andrea Boccelli:

What about the magical world of lighting interested you and how did you get your start?

Being at the wrong place at the right time.

I was going to NYU in the late 70’s and ended up doing lights for some friends of mine in a band called Salty Dog. Their lighting go did not make it to one of the gigs out in Long Island, Hammerheads was the venue, anyway I knew most of the songs and being in the garage band in high school, I volunteered to run the lighting desk.

At the time that consisted on 24 light switches and a few dimmers on round knobs like in your house.

After about a half of summer doing some clubs, I went to see Sue Dunham at See Factor. I walked in wearing a suit muttering something like lighting is easy and I knew all there was to know. To prove just how wrong I was about two weeks later was out on tour with Joan Jett. Bob Dallas was Production Manager and John Broderick was the LD. The rest is as they say history. School did not stand a chance against touring with a rock band in 1980.

What would you consider your first big break into the industry?

Making through the first night out on the town with the road crew and not getting fired the next day. Walking Bob See’s two dogs was the next.

What were some of the major events you’ve worked on?

My neighbor’s first home movie, it was all about the lighting.

Do you own your own gear? Are you are an independent LD or are you affiliated with a company or venue? Why?

I am currently the Director of Lighting for a company by the name of Audio Visual Innovations. We own a large variety of moving lights as well as top end audio (VDOSC) and video. AVI has an installation and engineering department and is one of the largest box projector sales companies in the US. This and the fact that we have a show service division that produces our own events has been a great challenge to bridge the gap between the AV world and Rock and Roll- Theater universes.

Is there anyone person or show that inspired you or motivated you to continue in the field?

I was fortunate to work with some of the best people in the industry at an early stage in my career. Some that stand out are : Mike Tait ( Yes 90125 )

John Broderick, Allen Branton, Mike Swinford and Jeff Ravitz. Most all of them took the time to work with me and answered any question no matter has silly or mundane.

What is your technique to ward off ‘gig-butt’?

Gold Bond , powder of the road, what are you new?

What was the most difficult gig you’ve ever done?

Every one after the age of 40

What is the best/worst Venue?

Best: Royal Albert Hall or most places that have English speaking stagehands.

Worst: Anyplace that has the smell of burning garbage in the air when you get off the plane. This is common for all third and forth world countries.

What was the biggest gig you’ve ever done?

Robert Swopes Christmas Party

What interesting technology do you use?

Anything on the cutting edge that works on the road.

ON THIS CURRENT GIG: what desk are you using? Why? What fixtures? Why? How many? Conventional vs. Intelligent? Why?

The current Bocelli tour has LSD WASHLIGHTS, LSD ICONS, HES STUDIO COLORS and a couple of hundred pars. The Icon desk drives it all and I must say Icon control I the very best on the planet.

The console can be run manually with ease and makes you look real good.

How much did cost or budget limitation play in your decision-making?

I was the Account Rep and Lighting Designer for LSD so I knew what the budget was from the start and just came up the with best package for the dollar and bang for the buck.

Is this your preference for a touring lighting gear? If you could – what would you add or change?

As I have stated before anything that works consistently out on the road is good for me. The LSD crew on all the Bocelli tours have been some of the best in the biz.

How has the technology of lighting changed, and where do you see it going?

The Icon M with the DMD device looks like the right way to me.

If we could incorporate the image from a 5k Roadstar projector into a Moving head that would do the job.

What is the key to being successful as a Lighting Director?

If bring up look that is shit- change it!

What are you goals, or what would be your dream gig?

Creating a sunset like the ones in Negril Jamaica.