Martin raises the roof on James Arthur arena tour
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James Arthur has scored numerous chart-toppers and awards since winning the ninth season of The X Factor in 2012. In support of his new album Back From The Edge, Arthur recently embarked on his first ever UK arena tour. Tour manager JP Firmin and creative director Meggan McKenzie from UK creative production company The Live Dept. hired Straun to join their team, and together created a fresh and exciting lighting design for the tour. Straun partnered with McKenzie, tour lighting director Dan Williams and lighting supplier Christie Lites to create a dynamic visual experience for the tour, powered by a robust selection of Martin fixtures.
“Meggan and I worked on one of James Arthur’s earlier tours, but we really had to scale up the visual production for his first arena tour,” said Straun. “James’s new direction is less pop-oriented - he wants his concerts to feel like a classic rock and roll show. The goal was designing a dynamic show that takes the audience on a ride from beginning to end. The Martin-based rig definitely helped us match his high-energy performances with immersive visuals.”
McKenzie’s set design eschews traditional video walls, instead featuring vintage television sets and arcade cabinets that are integrated with the band’s backline. The back wall of the set features an arched soft ladder wall of lights made up of 80 strobes, lasers and MAC Axiom Hybrid fixtures. In addition, Straun deployed an impressive Martin-based lighting rig to engage arena audiences, including MAC Viper Performance, MAC Viper AirFX, MAC Axiom Hybrid and Atomic 3000 LED fixtures.
“We were proud to be involved with James Arthur’s recent tour,” said Andrew Strachan, account representative, Christie Lites. “The MAC Axiom Hybrid, MAC Viper Performance, and MAC Viper AirFX are extremely powerful and versatile fixtures, and they enabled Michael to achieve a wide range of looks with a minimal footprint.”
(Jim Evans)
