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Los Angeles, October 30,
2006
As The Who begins its world tour with rave reviews and a packed
calendar of gigs in the US, the grandMA begins its work behind the
scenes controlling innovative lighting design that puts the group in
the forefront of artists performing today. A.C.T. Lighting is the
exclusive distributor of the grandMA in North America.
The tour, which has been dubbed “Uncut. Uncensored.
Unrepentant,” features “the first new Who music in
20
years,” according to lighting designer Tom Kenny.
“There
are six new songs and a mini-opera in the middle of the show. When we
went into it, Pete Townshend asked me to treat the show in a very
different light -- literally. He wanted it to look very different from
what we’ve done in the past, but we couldn’t use
haze or
smoke since Roger Daltry has a smoke allergy.”
The result is a “unique-looking show, very high tech, very
2006,” says Kenny. “There are different types of
backdrops,
reveals, screens, different formations. Very theatrical footage is
displayed on five large, moving LED screens from XI and three big
projection screens. The five LED screens are the main focus of the
lighting rig.”
The choice of the grandMA and its back up unit, supplied by PRG, was a
no-brainer for Kenny. “I’ve been around them since
Day One;
they’re everywhere I go,” he reports.
“Programmer/director Kathy Beer has been using the grandMA
for
years, as do programmers around the world. We both knew the benefits of
using the system: it’s very quick to program, very hands on.
It’s great for live design that changes by the second and
requires me to react fast to the audience and spontaneous band
changes.”
Among the equipment controlled by the grandMA are 14 B52 Syncrolites,
40 Mac 2000 washes, 22 Mac 700 spots, 32 four-way Molestrips, 10 ETC
Source 4 Lekos, 20 Coemar Parlite LED fixtures, 10 Pixeline 1044 LED
strips, 29 Atomic Strobes, and 6 Lycian M2 truss spots.
The lighting crew for the show includes crew chief Jason
“Attaboy” Stalter; lighting techs Ty Brooks, Mike
Mehmert
and Carl Horahan; and Syncrolite tech Glenn Rupert. Roy Lamb is the
production manager, Scott Williams stage manager and Aubrey Powell
video director.
“I am so pleased that Tom and Kathy have chosen the grandMA
for
the Who. Tom is a tremendous LD and has done a great job on this tour.
It is a point of pride for us to have our console involved. No other
console offers the live access that grandMA does, and both Tom
&
Kathy make good use of this to produce a modern show with an old-school
Rock & Roll feel,” commented Bob Gordon, President
and CEO of
A.C.T. Lighting.
MA Lighting is
exclusively distributed by A.C.T Lighting.
A leading importer and distributor of lighting products, A.C.T
Lighting, Inc. strives to identify future trends and cutting-edge
products, and stock, sell and support their inventory. The company
provides superior customer service and value for money to all of its
clients.
For more information call 818-707-0884.
Copyright © ACT Lighting 2009. All rights reserved.
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