Madonna Sticky and Sweet World Tour

Madonna and lighting designer Roy Bennett used Lightwave Prism Series lasers by Arctos for the 2008 Sticky and Sweet World Tour. Lasers were integrated with the main lighting control system and playback was achieved through multiple grandMA consoles synchronized to show time code. Content was served from individual Lightwave Laser Servers embedded in each fixture. This approach guaranteed frame-accurate playback of all lighting instruments, including lasers, at each show in every country.

Laser effects were provided for the song “Ray of Light,” and the show’s finale, “Give it to Me.” The show used five full-color lasers with a total output power of 49 Watts. All of the lasers were Lightwave Prism Series lights, which are manufactured specifically for Lightwave by Arctos in Germany. Lightwave holds exclusive distribution rights for these lasers in all of North and South America.

Unique to this tour and its lighting execution was the method of laser control. Instead of being controlled by a live operator on a dedicated PC or a proprietary control system, modern DMX media servers were utilized. DMX servers allow the lighting designer to have direct control of the laser fixtures through a lighting desk, using familiar tools. For this tour a separate grandMA was provided by Lightwave; boasting a custom laser fixture definition that allowed the programmer to communicate with the lasers just as they would any other fixtures in the show. The entire show was programmed to timecode for precision playback of the content for each performance. Once programming was complete on the grandMA network, the show was consolidated into one main and one backup console which were responsible for the show’s entire execution, including lighting, video, and lasers. This is the future of laser control and integration, and a tool that is available to our clients every day.

This tour extended through Europe, USA, Canada, Mexico, and South America in 2008.