DENVER — The crew for Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet tour is hitting the road once again with lighting control by grandMA. It’s “our board of choice,” said lighting programmer Troy Eckerman. Also used on Madonna’s tour last year, the console is being used to control some additions to the touring rig, including Martin’s Stagebar 54 LED luminaires. The main objective with this year’s show design is to keep the artist firmly in the limelight, a strategy that seems to work for both the star and her fans. “Ninety percent is all about keylighting for her,” Eckerman said. “We’re presenting a very big picture — very high trim and a very white stage,” he added, with an out-in-front B stage to bring the artist closer to the audience and video screens and archive tape completing the set’s look.
Designer Roy Bennett, director Mac Mosier and programmer Cory FitzGerald and Eckerman all had a hand in the show’s overall look and feel. “We’re using two consoles on line,” said Eckerman, “used in the multiuser to program. And Syncrolite large format lighting systems are playing a key role in this year’s tour.”
All equipment was supplied by PRG.
“Madonna’s lit so properly on every performance for this tour that they can take any of our shows and turn it into a DVD or TV show,” said Eckerman. The one thing he likes best about the grandMA? “It’s always stable,” he said.
“The grandMA is ideally suited to provide the level of show control that they demand,” said Bob Gordon, A.C.T Lighting CEO and president, referring to the Madonna tour crew, who he calls a “Who’s Who” of concert lighting. A.C.T Lighting is the exclusive distributor of the grandMA in North America.
For more information, please visit www.actlighting.com.
