Oscar Gallardo takes Tour Hog on the road with The Alan Parsons Project

Lighting director and Hog programmer Oscar Gallardo joined progressive rock group The Alan Parsons Project for a series of Spanish dates this summer, using ETC’s Tour Hog console to program and operate the show across a range of venues and festival stages.

A seasoned Hog user, Gallardo was brought onto the production by lighting designer Martin Thomas. Having worked extensively with Hog throughout his career, he selected Tour Hog for the Spanish dates.

"I'm an official Hog trainer and with Hog I can program faster and achieve better results in less time," says Gallardo. "Martin is also a Hog master, so we agreed that I would program the show on Tour Hog."

With each date featuring different venue layouts and fixture packages, Gallardo relied on Tour Hog’s features to adapt the show quickly.

“We’ve been playing different festivals and venues, so we’ve had to adapt the show to significantly different spaces and equipment packages,” he says. “With so many universes available, along with cloning capabilities and change-type functionality, adapting a show is much easier. If the fixtures I need are already in the console, I can make the changes quickly and be ready to go.”

Several of the venues presented their own technical considerations. At the Roman Theatre of Mérida, Gallardo had to balance the lighting design with the scale and significance of the historic site, while outdoor working conditions, where daytime temperatures exceeded 40°C, meant much of the programming and technical preparation took place overnight.

"Performing at the Roman Theatre of Mérida is a very difficult space because of its status as a historical monument," he says. "Whatever you do, you can't ignore the monument's grandeur."

At Starlite in Marbella, a tight turnaround left limited time for programming on site, requiring Gallardo to complete portions of the work away from the stage using visualization tools.

"I ended up having to adjust positions and finish the programming with the visualizer in the dressing room," he recalls.

The ability to adapt quickly proved particularly valuable while learning a new production and accommodating changing venue requirements throughout the tour.

"I was still getting to know how Alan Parsons works, so I had to learn the show almost in real time," says Gallardo. "Luckily, I'm an improvisation specialist."

Alongside the technical demands of the tour, Gallardo worked closely with Parsons on a number of creative aspects of the production, including musical introductions and solos. "He has very clear ideas," says Gallardo. "He's a great artist." During the Spanish run, the pair spent time reviewing the show and discussing Parsons' creative vision. Following the Barcelona performance, Parsons personally thanked Gallardo for his contribution to the production. "It was great to receive that feedback," he says. "I hope we'll have the opportunity to work together again soon."

Photos: Tabitha Parsons Photography