Lite Alternative and lighting designer Paul Normandale are getting quite familiar with the Martin MAC 700 Profile having specified it for three recent high profile tours. “I’m getting a good run of MAC 700 shows out,” says LD Paul Normandale who has incorporated the popular 700-watt profile in lighting designs for David Gray, Tracy Chapman and James Blunt. “The MAC 700’s seem very bright,” he comments, “and the color mixing means they can lay alongside the 2K washes and spots.” Also, for an artist like Tracy Chapman, who is notorious for demanding that her lighting fixtures be silent, the MAC 700s have fit in perfectly.

For David Gray, Lite Alternative also provided MAC 2000 Profile and Wash fixtures, as well as MAC 300 washlights. Upstaging is handling David Gray’s U.S. leg. For James Blunt, they provided MAC 2000 Profiles and MAC 250 Washes in addition to the MAC 700’s. The MAC 2000’s were chosen for their reliability, brightness, and great colors and as far as the lighting team was concerned, their workhorse reputation lived up to its name. “They just worked and worked on a demanding tour where we played a huge variety of venue sizes,” said lighting operator Glen Johnson.

Glen also spoke animatedly about the MAC 250 Washes. “They are great units, which we are keeping on the design, even for the arena leg. Nice beam spread with a smooth dimmer curve. We didn’t swap a single unit or have any issues.., bomb proof springs to mind on the 250 Washes!”

Paul Normandale added, “The MAC 250 Washes are small and punchy. We found them reliable and surprisingly bright.” Both James Blunt and David Gray will continue their tours in North America in 2006.

Paul has also designed the lighting for the current Depeche Mode world tour using 19 MAC 2000 Wash, 15 MAC 2000 Profile, 6 MAC 250 Entour, 2 MAC 250 Wash and 13 Atomic Strobes. Supply is by Lite Alternative with the U.S. leg handled by Upstaging.

David Gray 
Crew: Jonny Gallagher; Andy Pollard

Tracy Chapman 
Lighting Director: Glen Johnson 
Crew: Jonny Gallagher

James Blunt 
Lighting Director: Glen Johnson 
Crew: Jonny Gallagher : Andy Pollard

Depeche Mode
Lighting Director: Fraser Elisha
Set and Visual Designer: Anton Corbijn