Cosmo Wilson

Last updated
Cosmo Wilson
Cosmo lights.jpg
Wilson in 2006
Born
Charles B. Wilson

(1961-02-18) February 18, 1961 (age 63)
Orlando, Florida, U.S.
Known for Stage lighting

Charles B. "Cosmo" Wilson (born February 18, 1961) is an American concert lighting designer and director for rock bands, active since 1986. [1]

Contents

He has worked with over 40 acts including AC/DC, Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Foreigner, INXS, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Meat Loaf, Mötley Crüe, The Rolling Stones, Ronnie James Dio, David Lee Roth, Scorpions, [2] and Rod Stewart. He was a touring road crew member from 1986 and toured with The Cure, Genesis, Barbara Mandrell, INXS, Crowded House, and various other acts before becoming a director and designer.

He worked on the Rolling Stones "Steel Wheels" 1989 tour as lighting crew chief before moving up to lighting director in February 1990, where he spent the next 7 months touring Japan and Europe with both "Urban Jungle" and "Steel Wheels" shows. He has worked with AC/DC since 1990, directing over 700 shows since then, including 1991's "Monsters of Rock" stadium tour, which finished in Moscow on September 28, 1991 at Tushino airfield, where it was estimated that there were over 1.6 million fans in attendance, and was described as the first free outdoor Western rock concert in Soviet history. [3]

Wilson also toured with AC/DC in 1996 on their Ballbreaker World Tour, in 2001–2002 on their Stiff Upper Lip World Tour, and in 2008–2010 on their Black Ice World Tour, [4] [5] which lasted from October 2008 through June 2010, and played 168 shows in 29 countries with over 5 million fans in attendance, and at the time, was the second highest-grossing tour in history. [6] He also toured with AC/DC in 2015–2016 on their Rock or Bust World Tour.

In April 1992, working alongside Designer Patrick Woodroffe, he directed and operated the lighting for The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness , which celebrated the life and legacy of Freddie Mercury and raise money for AIDS research. The tribute concert, which took place at Wembley Stadium for an audience of 72,000, featured a wide variety of guests including Robert Plant (of Led Zeppelin), Roger Daltrey (of The Who), Extreme, Elton John, Metallica, David Bowie, Annie Lennox, Tony Iommi (of Black Sabbath), Guns N' Roses, Elizabeth Taylor, George Michael, Def Leppard, Seal and Liza Minnelli. It was broadcast live to 76 countries and had an estimated viewing audience of 1 billion people. [7]

In 2002, he traveled with the Scorpions, working together with the German lighting designer Lars Wulff, on the most extensive rock & roll tour of the old Soviet Union ever undertaken at the time. They played 20 cities over the course of 6 weeks on a tour stretching from Ekaterinburg in the West to Vladivostok in the East. [8] [9]

He also has credit for several live concert films, the Rolling Stones Steel Wheels At the Max (1991) IMAX movie, The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness (1992), Emerson, Lake & Palmer's Welcome Back (1992), Black Sabbath's The Last Supper (1999), five films for AC/DC - Live at Donington (1991), No Bull (1996), Stiff Upper Lip Live (2001), Live at the Circus Krone (2003), and Live at River Plate (2009), Dio's Holy Diver Live DVD (2006), Scorpions' Live At Wacken Open Air 2006 (2007), Foreigner's Alive & Rockin (2007), and Aerosmith's Aerosmith Rocks Donington (2015).

He has worked extensively with lighting designer Patrick Woodroffe since 1989 as co-designer, lighting director, and programmer on several of Woodroffe's shows, including AC/DC, Black Sabbath and the Rolling Stones. Prior to becoming a lighting designer, Cosmo worked as a backline technician for such bands as Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Mink DeVille, D.L. Byron and Falcon Eddy, and musicians such as Ricky Byrd, Willy DeVille, Joan Jett, Thommy Price, Robert Sarzo and Johnny Thunders.

Cosmo received a Parnelli Award for Lighting Director of the Year 2015, [10] a Tour Link Top Dog Award for Lighting Director of the Year for AC/DC in 2016 [11] and Aerosmith in 2017, [12] and the "Live Production Summit Pinnacle Awards" for both Lighting Director of the Year and Lighting Designer of the Year in 2020 and again in 2023.

In 2022, he was selected to be a Jury member for the LIT Design Awards. [13] [14]


Work

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Sabbath</span> English heavy metal band

Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped define the genre with their first three albums Black Sabbath, Paranoid, and Master of Reality (1971). Following Osbourne's departure in 1979, the band underwent multiple line-up changes, with Iommi being the only constant member throughout its history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen (band)</span> British rock band

Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1970 by Freddie Mercury, Brian May, and Roger Taylor, later joined by John Deacon (bass). Their earliest works were influenced by progressive rock, hard rock, and heavy metal, but the band gradually ventured into more conventional and radio-friendly works by incorporating further styles, such as arena rock and pop rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AC/DC</span> Australian rock band

AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. It was founded by brothers Malcolm Young on rhythm guitar and Angus Young on lead guitar. Their current line-up comprises Angus, bass guitarist Cliff Williams, drummer Phil Rudd, lead vocalist Brian Johnson and rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, nephew of Angus and Malcolm. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and heavy metal, but the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formative influence on the new wave of British heavy metal bands, such as Def Leppard and Saxon. AC/DC were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Use Your Illusion Tour</span> 1991–93 concert tour by Guns N Roses

The Use Your Illusion Tour was a concert tour by American rock band Guns N' Roses which ran from January 20, 1991, to July 17, 1993. It was not only the band's longest tour, but one of the longest concert tours in rock history, consisting of 192 shows in 27 countries. It was also a source of much infamy for the band, due to riots, late starts, cancellations and outspoken rantings by Axl Rose.

<i>Technical Ecstasy</i> 1976 studio album by Black Sabbath

Technical Ecstasy is the seventh studio album by English rock band Black Sabbath, produced by guitarist Tony Iommi and released in October 1976 by Vertigo Records. The album received mixed reviews from critics but was a commercial success, peaking at number 13 on the UK Albums Chart and number 51 on the US Billboard 200 Album chart, later being certified Gold by the RIAA in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monsters of Rock</span> Former heavy metal music festival

Monsters of Rock is a hard rock and heavy metal music festival. It was originally held annually in Castle Donington, England, from 1980 to 1996, taking place every year except 1989 and 1993. It later branched into other locations such as the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Sweden, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the United States, and Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Show Must Go On (Queen song)</span> 1991 single by Queen

"The Show Must Go On" is a song by British rock band Queen, featured as the twelfth and final track on their 1991 album, Innuendo. It is credited to Queen, but was primarily written by guitarist Brian May. The song chronicles the effort of frontman Freddie Mercury continuing to perform despite approaching the end of his life, although his diagnosis with HIV/AIDS had not yet been made public in spite of ongoing media speculation that he was seriously ill. When the band recorded the song in 1990, Mercury's condition had deteriorated to the point that May had concerns as to whether he was physically capable of singing it. May recalls; "I said, 'Fred, I don't know if this is going to be possible to sing.' And he went, 'I'll do it, darling'—vodka down—and went in and killed it, completely lacerated that vocal".

Day on the Green was a recurring concert in Oakland, California, presented by promoter Bill Graham and his company Bill Graham Presents. Held at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, these events began in 1973 and continued into the early 1990s. The last Day on the Green overseen by Graham took place the same month as his death in a helicopter crash in 1991. There was a series of Day on the Green shows the following year in the wake of Graham's death and there were other shows in 1994-97 at the Oakland Coliseum Stadium - namely U2, Pink Floyd, and the Rolling Stones.

David Victor Mark Mallet is a British director of music videos and concert films. He was one of the most prolific directors of music videos in the 1980s.

<i>Front of House</i> (magazine)

Front of House or FOH magazine is a magazine for live audio professionals and manufacturers of pro audio equipment, published by Timeless Communications, Corp. of Nevada. FOH comes in digital and print format and is available free of charge to qualified professionals, enthusiasts, and students of event audio. The magazine provides information on digital and live sound consoles, amplifiers, processors, microphones, speakers, trade shows, major concert/production tours, theatre, installations and industry news.

Reinhold Mack is a German record producer and engineer. He is best known for his collaborations with Electric Light Orchestra, Queen, Sparks, and Chinaski (CZ).

Edward Herbert Beresford "Chip" Monck is an American Tony Award nominated lighting designer, most famously serving as the master of ceremonies at the 1969 Woodstock Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crazy Tour</span> 1979 concert tour by Queen

Crazy Tour was the seventh concert tour by the British rock band Queen during November and December 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Warner (lighting designer)</span> Musical artist

Scott Warner is a U.S.-based lighting designer who has recently designed for Icona Pop, Train, The Pussycat Dolls, Jimmy Eat World, Everclear, David Cook, and Gavin Degraw. Warner started his career is the late 1980s with the Pittsburgh-based bands, The Affordable Floors and The Cynics. His first national client was the shock rock group GWAR.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Showco</span>

Showco was a sound equipment provider of touring sound reinforcement equipment and services to the concert touring industry. It was based in Dallas, Texas, United States. In 2000, Showco was acquired by Clair Global.

Patrick Woodroffe is a lighting designer and director working in the worlds of music, dance, fashion, art and architecture.

LMG, LLC is an American provider of video, audio, LED, and lighting support. The company was founded in 1984 by Les Goldberg. LMG is divided into four brands: LMG, Systems Innovation by LMG, LMG Touring & Entertainment and LMG Venues. It is a subsidiary of Entertainment Technology Partners.

The Classic Rock Roll of Honour was an annual awards program that ran from 2005 to 2016. The awards were founded by Classic Rock magazine. Winners of the awards were chosen by the awards team and voted on by readers of the magazine. Winners are announced at an annual awards show and featured in the magazine.

Tim Routledge is a British lighting designer, creative designer, and lighting director who works in television, music concerts, outdoor events, award shows, and variety shows.

The Technical Ecstasy Tour was a concert tour by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath. It began on 22 October 1976 and ended on 22 April 1977.

References

  1. ↑ Cosmo Wilson - Lighting Designer Avolites Designer Gallery
  2. ↑ Scorpions/Whitesnake/Dokken North American Tour 2003 cosmo.com
  3. ↑ AC/DC Moscow 1991 ACDC.com
  4. ↑ Cunningham, Mark (2009-03-01). "AC/DC: BLACK ICE IN EUROPE". Total Production International Magazine. tpimagazine.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-03. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
  5. ↑ "Clay Paky lights the AC/DC tour". Total Production International Magazine. tpimagazine.com. 2009-02-10. Archived from the original on 2011-10-05. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
  6. ↑ "AC/DC's 'Black Ice Tour' Is Second-Highest-Grossing Concert Tour In History". Blabbermouth.net. July 26, 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-07-29. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
  7. ↑ People Magazine May 4, 1992 For Freddie
  8. ↑ The Scorpions Germany's Top Metal Export Lead Multi-ActAssault tpimagazine.com
  9. ↑ The Scorpions tour Russia- September - November, 2002 cosmo.com
  10. ↑
  11. ↑
  12. ↑
  13. ↑ PLSN Magazine Stellar Lighting Designers Join the Jury Panel of LIT Lighting Design Awards
  14. ↑ Cosmo Wilson LIT Design Awards Jury
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.