Lighting Designer Steven Douglas is using grandMA lighting control for the first time on the current Killers “Day & Age” world tour, which has just completed it’s first US, UK and European legs. He had two grandMA full-size consoles – one in tracking backup – and four MA NSPs running over Ethernet, controlling 9 real DMX universes and 111 virtual universes for all the video content, stored on 3 Vixen media servers run via Arkaos, also triggered from the grandMA.
Design wise, Douglas went for a complete departure from the last Killers tour, which had been classically theatrical in style. This time the stage and lighting have a contemporary look, a juxtaposition of circles and rectangular shapes and a massive 268 panel ColorWeb screen which spectacularly defines the space.
It’s the first full tour on which he’s specified a grandMA, although he’s used it on numerous festivals, which gave him a good idea of the power and flexibility. “I was always impressed by its customisability, and for this, I needed a dynamic, reliable desk and it seemed absolutely the right time to start using the grandMA”.
He had a single day’s training on the console in New York before going straight into production rehearsals, where he “Picked it up really quickly”.
The console is controlling 57 x moving lights – a mix of Vari*Lites and Martins, 18 x Atomic Colours, 11 x 8-lite Moles, 27 x i-Pix BB4s and BB7s and 63 x Jarags. There’s a selection of set practicals including coloured neon tubing fronting the risers and festoon draped across the backline, that are also run through the desk, plus other ‘miscellaneous’ items of hardware like 11 bubble machines.
In the UK and Europe, all lighting equipment was supplied by Siyan, with Toronto-based Christie Lites doing the same for the North American leg.
Photos: Copyright – Louise Stickland
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