The band launched the 40-city North American tour 30 September and, after playing to packed houses, added at least 28 more dates in a second leg, which will begin in January 2015. On With the Show marks the first full-member tour for Fleetwood Mac since 1997.
"Designing for Fleetwood Mac is always a challenge since you're dealing with five different personalities," said Guthrie. He began by giving them "the biggest, cleanest, most open stage set up I could, so every single seat in the house gets a clear view of the stage. I made sure to remove clutter so everyone can see the band members."
Guthrie opted for a grandMA2 full-size console to run all the lights, media servers - even a heater for drummer Mick Fleetwood. "The whole show is cue-to-cue, no timecode," he reports. "The grandMA2 is a nice stable and familiar work surface. It's great to have something you can trust. While this is a straightforward show, it's still important to have a system you can rely on. The grandMA2's networking capabilities are also awesome; they enabled me and lighting director Chris Lose, who is touring with the band, to program simultaneously."
Lose adds: "Simultaneously programming with Arlo on the grandMA2 is very easy. His vision was made very clear when he could dial up a look he wanted on his desk and then I could implement his looks into the show in a way that worked with the cue stack."
PRG supplied the Clay Paky fixtures and the grandMA2 for the tour.
(Jim Evans)
