Martin MAC Auras on David Byrne dates

5 October 2012

USA - "It's the first time I've used the Auras and they are spectacular!" Thus exclaimed lighting designer Susanne Sasic of Martin Professional's versatile MAC Aura LED wash light. Using a nearly all Martin rig on the David Byrne & St. Vincent Love This Giant North American tour, the LD, who also handles production design and lighting direction on the tour, has teamed the MAC Aura with Martin MAC 101 LED washes and MAC 700 series fixtures.

"I had heard about the Auras from other designers and programmers and speced them sight unseen," Sasic says, who uses them as floor fixtures set along the downstage edge of the stage as footlights, audience blinders, and to cast shadows of the performers on an upstage scrim and backdrop. "With a scant six fixtures the wide zoom creates a beautiful even field of color that fills the stage and covers all of the performers."

The Aura's ability to project authentic warm and cool shades of white is a feature Susanne found quite useful. She comments, "The white colour mixing was important as David Byrne loves white light and prefers a higher temp tungsten colour that is not readily available from other LED fixtures. The white colour mixing is miles ahead of any of other LED fixture I have used and the range of the zoom is incredible."

The Love This Giant tour features an eight piece horn section and elaborate choreography. On the road in support of the recent album release of the same name, a collaboration between the Talking Heads frontman and Annie Clark (St. Vincent), the tour kicked off on 15 September in Minneapolis and hits theatres across North America through 20 October.

Christie Lites of Vancouver is lighting vendor for the tour with Jaime Carlson of Christie serving as crew chief. Production manager is Chris Fussell and stage manager is Ryan Kell.

(Jim Evans)