Gurdas Maan plays The Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
Canada - Punjabi music star Gurdas Maan is guided by a simple theory when pursuing his art. People, he says, listen to songs “from their hearts, not just their ears”. Appreciating this, he makes it his mission to touch the emotional core of his audience, leaving them feeling better about their lives and the world around them.
This spirit was evident as soon as Maan took the stage at The Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium on 22 September with his trademark tambourine in hand, and dressed in traditional Indian costume. His audience erupted with an outpouring of affection, and he proceeded to treat them to stirring performances of his classic songs like Sajna Ve Sajna and Heer while also weaving in inspirational stories and sharing heartfelt emotions.
Underscoring the deeply moving tone of the evening was an immersive Roosevelt Dsouza lightshow that featured 40 Rogue R2 Wash fixtures from Chauvet Professional.
“There are many different moods that run through this show,” says Dsouza. “Gurdas Maan is a performer par excellence, as well as a legend. His music is different from the other artists I have worked with. It’s more Punjabi folk music. Through his music he talks about the qualities of being a good human being, and also a lot about the upliftment of the girl child. Colour washing is very important to reflecting the deep emotional quality of this show.”
Arranged on six overhead electrics, the Rogue R2 Wash fixtures provided a broad colour palette that Dsouza used to convey different moods on stage. “I have a few colour palettes that I use for all my shows, with Congo blue being my favourite,” he says. “The colour rendering of the Rogue fixtures is very realistic. They played off excellently against the large cyc that we had, and they worked well with the gobo patterns created with our spots.”
Adding depth to the colour washing were the streaks and specs of white light that Dsouza often mixed in with his rainbow of hues. “Mixing in some white with colours expands your range of looks,” he remarks. “I also relied on the Rogues’ effects to add depth to my show. The blend of colours and effects created interesting visuals.”
(Jim Evans)

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