Elton John kicked off his flamboyant “Red Piano” tour in the UK at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena, with Lighting Designer Kevin "Stick" Bye operating the show using a grandMA console. Tim Routledge of grandPA - a new programming, training and control supply house dedicated to the MA Lighting platform - was brought in to assist Bye in programming the desk during the very short rehearsal period at Lite Structures' facility in Wakefield.
The “Red Piano” tour is carrying two grandMA full-size consoles - one live and one for backup - and four MA NSPs, with the whole control system run on PRG's new fibre optic looms. Stick has used grandMA consoles for some years. On this tour they started with his show files from a one-off of his hugely successful Vegas extravaganza, which was staged last year at London's O2 Arena.
"We only had two days to put the show together, and refine and modify the existing show file along with creating new looks and cues," explains Routledge, "And this is when the pure speed of the grandMA really helped". The two consoles were networked together during rehearsals, allowing “Stick” to continue to modify and refine his existing presets, leaving Routledge free to create and programme the new effects that “Stick” wanted.
PRG's control systems engineer Gordon Torrington is overseeing all the FOH elements of the tour, which visits Europe before returning to the UK in December. All lighting kit is being supplied to the tour by PRG
A.C.T Lighting is the exclusive North American distributor for the grandMA. A.C.T Lighting can be reached at 818-707-0884 or www.actlighting.com.
Photo: Copyright – Louise Stickland
Further information: www.malighting.com , Tel.: +49 5251 688865-10
Company Profile
Company Profile
MA Lighting International, based in Paderborn, Germany, is the dedicated sales, support and service entity for the renowned grandMA control systems, digital dimming systems, networking tools and media servers of MA Lighting Technology, based near Wuerzburg (GER). The product range offers cutting-edge solutions for control and dimming, including the award-winning grandMA consoles, the popular Light- & Scancommander and reliable digital dimmer racks and packs. With its media server, grandMA video, MA bridges the lighting and video worlds.
Today, MA Lighting is respected for its technical knowledge and has achieved a unique international reputation for its operational philosophy. The company offers 25 years experience and strictly follows a professional user-centric approach, getting as close as possible to the market via its own international offices and support centres in the UK, North America, Latin America, the Middle East/India and Asia Pacific – supported by a world-wide distribution and service network.