Following the commercial success of their debut album Hopes and Fears, a successful 2004 UK tour, and BRIT awards for Best Album and Best British Breakthrough Act, Keane toured Europe and US the US throughout early 2005. The band will also support U2 for a series of shows when U2 returns to Europe later this year.
For Keane’s tour, lighting designer Paul Normandale’s design impresses despite a relatively small MAC moving light rig. The entire package is Martin and consists of 10 MAC 500 profile spots (MAC 550s for the UK shows), three MAC 2000 Profile, seven MAC 2000 Wash and four Atomic Colors, plus some conventionals picked up locally for each show. Normandale worked with lighting director Rob Sinclair and lighting technician Mick Stowe
"At the outset Keane wanted a show that was both large scale and diverse visually, hence the use of integral video and lighting plus moving set elements," comments Normandale. "This attention to the visual excitement of the band has extended through the scale of the production as it rises across territories. Martin lamp choices scale from MAC 550s and MAC 600 to MAC 2000 spots and washes, Martin Atomics and scrollers."
Keane played to packed houses all across Europe (with a load in that reportedly took less than three hours), performing a selection that included current hits along with new material from their forthcoming album. UK-based Lite Alternative supplied lighting for the European dates.
The band then embarked on a US tour at the end of April, followed by appearances at various international festivals throughout the summer. The US shows feature a larger rig with 2000s replacing the 500s to accommodate larger venues with Upstaging supplying lighting.
