ChamSys in the mix for Erasure US dates
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Weaving the complex set together, while supporting the full scope of Erasure’s music, is balanced Matt Waterfield-designed lightshow run on a ChamSys MagicQ MQ80 with a MagicQ Extra Wing.
Waterfield is drawing on the output of some 230 fixtures supplied by Christie Lites in his show for the tour, which is in support of Erasure’s 17th studio album. “I have been designing for Erasure since 2017,” he says. “I was introduced to them by their FOH engineer. Initially, I did a floor package for a few shows. That went well, so they asked me to design the show for their current tour. They gave me a lot of freedom.
“Their only input was to make it neon, giving it an Amsterdam red-light district kind of look. They wanted this show to be more held back than their usual performances, less rave, more theatrical, but still with its full-on moments.”
A ChamSys user for over 10 years, Waterfield selected a MagicQ MQ80 with an extra wing as his main console and a MagicQ MQ70 as his backup. “I started with a Maxi Wing and touch screen, which was then replaced with the MQ70, and later the MQ80,” he says. “Through every step of my career, the ChamSys products have been user-friendly, intuitive and reliable, making it easy for me to run my shows without worrying about my desk. They’ve just always been there as dependable and versatile tools.”
On the 10-universe World Be Gone tour, Waterfield is flying most of his fixtures on mid-stage and upstage truss, using them for downlighting and specials. Profile fixtures line the upstage deck and are often used to backlight the dancers in the side portals. Moving with crisp precision, the lightshow reflects the varying moods of the music with vivid and dramatic colour changes.
(Jim Evans)
