Bon Jovi's Rockin’ World Tour

Entering his 20th year as a rock musician, and famous for classics like “You Give Love a Bad Name”, “Wanted Dead or Alive” and “It’s My Life,” New Jersey rocker Jon Bon Jovi and his band are rocking the world under a Martin MAC 2000 rig.

In the midst of a world tour, Bon Jovi is playing venues from Australia and Europe to Japan and the US in support of the group’s latest album “Bounce”.

MAC 2000 Profile, MAC 2000 Wash main lighting elements
The stage design is dominated by three large, moving communication satellite dishes used as both props and video screens. The set design was the idea of Doug “Spike” Bryant whose inspiration for the set came from the movie “Contact”. Lighting design for the show was a collaborative effort between LD Pat Brannon and “Spike” and includes a combination of MAC 2000 Profiles and MAC 2000 Wash along with other intelligent and conventional lighting.

Pat, who has been responsible for the band’s lighting for the past 15 years, has seen some changes over the years – “both in personnel and equipment” he says jokingly. “We had never used Martin fixtures before until last year in Mexico City. At that time I was using other moving light fixtures but wanted to give the MACs a try so Ray Whitton came down. We ended up using 16 MAC 2000 Profiles on that show but the current “Bounce” tour is really the first tour with a lot of Martin fixtures – they’re the main fixtures and the main lighting element for this show.”

Massive lighting effect
Some 76 MAC 2000 Profile and 40 MAC 2000 Wash are used in the show, all supplied by Light and Sound Design (LSD)/Fourth Phase. “We use the Profiles and Wash all over the stage – back and front truss,” Pat states. “We get beam separation over the stage and audience and we also have them placed on the floor - 8 Profile and 10 Wash.” The fixtures are spread liberally among a multi-level truss structure that towers above the satellite dishes, providing color wash across the massive stage with multiple layers of beam illumination. Combined with the large satellite dishes, the lighting effect is massive, impressive and often wild, a fitting look for a modern day rock star. LED fixtures and an LED star drop are also important elements of the design.

MAC 2000 Wash power
“We’re really happy with the MAC 2000 Wash,” Pat comments. “There are a lot of places to go with them. We actually have to back down on the horsepower because they are so bright, which is a good problem to have.

“I’ve been treated perfectly by the Martin personnel. They’ve treated me and the tour very well and the support has been fantastic.”

Rehearsals began in November with a few preliminary show dates in December in Australia and in Japan in January. The US leg kicked off on February 8th. Starting May 20th the tour will be crossing the Atlantic for a series of European dates with a whole new design still based on the MAC Profile and Wash. LSD is the lighting supplier for the European leg as well. The tour returns to the US in July.