In tribute to the great Tina Turner, 1939-2023, the Queen of Rock'n'Soul, these photos from Stufish show off the designs for some of Tina's tours, while these links take us on a walk down memory lane to a series of articles on Live Design Online, covering her shows over the years.
Wild For Tina by Catherine McHugh (1997)
"That LD LeRoy Bennett and set designer Mark Fisher designed the show in tandem is immediately evident from the first look at the intricate set and the fully integrated lighting system. A backdrop of giant eyelids fills the space between the stage and lighting grid. On each side of the stage are six curved aluminum standards with 2'-diameter cup-shaped objects on top. Nicknamed "the hairdryers," Bennett sketched them and Fisher fleshed them out to fit in with the rest of the set. Each unit houses an LSD BOB (bucket of bulbs) light, which the company custom-made for Bennett several years ago."
Preaching to the Converted: Tina Turner Roars Back on Tour by Ellen Lampert-Gréaux (2000)
"Designed by British architect/set designer Mark Fisher, whose credits range from the Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson, and Pink Floyd to the Millennium Dome in London, Turner's set is an encompassing environment that adds extra punch to the power of her performance. "She wanted something that was modern, cool, sleek," says Fisher. "Several conversations took place over sketchbooks before we were clear about what she meant by this."
Fisher says the end result is "hugely complicated and one of the largest arena shows to ever go out and tour back-to-back," adding, "It has been described as a stadium tour in an arena."
Better Than The Rest by Marian Sandberg (2008)
Sets designed by Mark Fisher of Stufish: "To recall previous tours, set elements include a steel claw reused from the 1999 24/7 tour and a huge iris from 1999 to represent GoldenEye, for which Turner recorded the theme song. A cage that evokes imagery from Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome is new but is meant as a throwback to the 1985 film in which Turner co-starred opposite Mel Gibson. Tait Towers built the stage and set pieces, including those used from previous tours. Nick Evans from Stufish worked in AutoCAD to produce the detailed technical design drawings that included all set, lighting, audio, and video elements, as well as the integration of the rigging. Adrian Mudd at Stufish worked in Lightwave to render the show design animations for presentation to Turner."
Tina Turner's Live In Concert Tour won a 2009 Live Design Excellence Award, sponsored by Claypaky. Lighting by Baz Halpin. "The show was a retrospective of her whole career, supported by spectacular production, a top class accompanying band, original choreography, and extraordinary lighting equipment."