The Joy of Christmas is a two-hour multimedia event. The show includes a variety ofelaborate sets, impressive special effects, and a talented group of actors that complement McBride throughout the performance. The concert features 18 classics, many of which can be found on McBride's White Christmas album.
Lighting design was created by Craig Pierce. Lighting director, John Lucksinger, said that the objective this tour was to set time, place and mood- primarily by basing the lighting design around the video elements. "We used yellows and purples to portray the image of stained glass windows during a set to compliment the church video element," explained Lucksinger.
Equipment used in this production includes Martin MAC 500s, Cyberlights, Lycian M2Spots, Thomas inline eight-lights and PAR 64s. The lighting rig was controlled by a Wholehog II.
Special features of this production included the incorporation of 25,000 ft. of Christmas lights and over 150 LED candles, custom-designed by Disney. The candles and one spotlight were the only lighting elements for Silent Night. Bandit dimmer technician, Andy Knighton, designed sixteen different chases for the candles throughout the song.
McBride closed the show with her own a capella rendition of O Holy Night. Lucksinger said that they opted to use the Cyberlights as a backlight and two MAC 500s from the front. He explained that although many of the songs included elaborate lighting design, in this particular song, 'less was more'. They wanted to showcase McBride's talent.
"It is an extreme honour to work with one of the most recognisable voices in all of Countryas well as an extremely entertaining performance and stage show," commented Banditvice president, Mike Golden.
Over the last decade, Martina McBride has sold over 16 million albums, garnered 20 top10 hits including nine number ones and received numerous awards.
(Chris Henry)
