Globally renowned singer-songwriter The Weeknd has become the first major touring artist in North America to use GLP’s mighty MAD MAXX CW searchlights – on his long running After Hours til Dawn world tour, which is set to run until August 2026.
The artist’s long-term LD, Jason Baeri, had been an early adopter of the powerful fat-beam LED fixture, with its massive 750mm beam diameter, when he specified a pair of heads for the Canadian artist’s grand walk-on at this year’s Grammy Awards back in February. “But this time, the deployment was very different,” he states. “For the Grammys we just needed something that had an awesome amount of power behind it, without having to deploy 20 different fixtures – like one big ‘Fat Light of God’. The MAD MAXX was the most effective tool for the Grammys, whereas this time we are taking advantage of the considerable throw, and the nature of this being a giant sky-tracking object.”
The MAD MAXX CW houses 19 × 90W white light LEDs (delivering up to 68,000 lm). And while it is in the spirit of the classic 3K and 7K xenon arc-sourced searchlights of old, the MAD MAXX carries many advantages, as Baeri points out. “There was a hole left by that generation of space cannons, and this has now been filled by MAD MAXX. It was always tough touring with [the older fixtures] because they required so much infrastructure. But these can run pretty much through the whole show without needing a break. Also, while it’s one of the most potent effect lights you will come across, you still need to justify it in terms of truck space and crew. So to have something like this that doesn’t require its own special power and separate team is a really big deal.” Furthermore, being designated ‘No Laser’, it doesn’t require a separate operator license or permissions.
Recently reclassified with an IP66 rating, Jason knew he would need all of MAD MAXX CW’s muscularity, delivered by 12 heads firing up from the stage front, simply to compete with all the other heavy-duty ordnance built into the scenography – including a massive 150ft × 60ft videowall. The fat beams themselves criss-cross against a composite city skyline backdrop that has been resonating with the fans. “We put them at the base of the skyline to emulate big skytrackers. Their scale, next to that of the scenery, changes them into something huge, making the city feel like it’s alive. Their throw covers the full length of a stadium which is really excellent.”
The new IP66 classification is an important feature. “The fixtures have held up well, including a few torrential downpours,” he says. “We didn’t lose any to the weather.”
Rather than using the color wheel, Jason Baeri has opted largely for the fixture’s intense white light, to cut through the space. He and programmer Manny Conde are running the MAD MAXX CWs in three segment mode (center pixel plus inner and outer rings): “The three-ring mode worked great and delivers everything that we intended without the need for the additional channels in this instance.”
The MAD MAXX CWs were supplied by Solotech, with Rob Kennedy as the account manager. “Solotech are family,” reasons Baeri. “Rob and the whole team are solutions providers from another age.”
Thus the combination of visual impact and ease of management has again proven a winning formula while maintaining engagement with the audience. “The MAD MAXX is definitely doing what was intended,” says the lighting designer in summary. “It’s an important statement piece as a tool, designed for power, that cuts right through all the other stuff that’s going on. It is an incredible fixture and I will certainly be using it again.”
Photo credit: Steve Jennings
