Maxxyz Fun for Billy Joel LD Steve Cohen

Billy is back. Singer/songwriter and pianist, and indeed one of America's leading music icons, Billy Joel, is back on the road. Lighting designer Steve Cohen, who has been with Joel since the beginning of his career – that’s 20 world tours! – is again bringing his experience and knowledge of Joel’s timeless music to the tour. After a successful three month leg of U.S. dates Joel kicks off a European tour in June.

The show includes 55 MAC 2000 Washes (located on vertical truss elements) along with other automateds and conventionals. The lighting package supplied by Steve Cohen Productions sub-contracted from PRG is controlled from a Martin Maxxyz console with two Maxxyz Wings.

Maxxyz experience
Steve is more than aptly familiar with the Maxxyz, having used it on various artists’ tours over the past few years. “In fact, I’m one of the first generation users of Maxxyz,” he explains. “I used the early beta software versions when we put this console out on the road. I was intimately involved in the development of the console both through Joel Young and using my own console. I’ve used it consistently on my projects since it came out.

“When you get involved in a piece of hardware in its infancy and you can affect the design and development of a piece of equipment, you continually use it because you have a vested interest in making it succeed. From a designers point of view I’m able to get visual results in the lighting system exactly the way I want. But what was amazing was that any time I had any questions or any requirements for the board to do certain things I would get rewritten code in six hours. The response from Martin was fantastic.”

Maxxyz Wing – lighting on the fly
Steve’s 30+ years with Joel and his extensive knowledge of the singer’s vast library of songs is a great advantage. He comments, “The biggest change for me on this tour with the Maxxyz is that I get a chance to use the Maxxyz Wing and since a great many songs are done on the fly the Wing and its response ended up being a big benefit. The reason we use it is that Billy does 20-25 songs every night and then there are another 10 or so that are pulled out of his catalogue of songs that aren’t programmed. The aim is to do a different show each night. Basically what we did was set certain parameters in the Wing – colors, focuses, sequences and special effects – and run it old school. I like to do lighting on the fly. It really keeps the fun in it.”

Lighting programmer Mark Foffano
Lighting programmer for Billy Joel is Mark Foffano who also handles the main Maxxyz console. Mark, who also possesses a good deal of experience on Maxxyz, programmed 50 songs for the tour, any 25 of which can appear on the play list on any given night.

“Billy has a staple of songs that we do every night and then he does the old ones out of the archives that Steve punts so the set list constantly changes,” Mark says. “We have two Maxxyz and two Wings. The Wings are laid out so that the top left module is colors; bottom left is intensities with swaps and solos. The top right is effects like strobes, ballys and chases, and the bottom right is positions. We have the three pages of colors and positions set up, each with the same focus and color info but timing values changed. This allows Steve to use the correct timing for the song he is punting, instead of the whole lighting rig always slamming in and out of cues in zero time. It gives him the ability to make a punt song seam completely programmed and fluid instead of having to ruff edge.

“The Maxxyz software seems very fluid to me. It’s a nice way to operate and I love the timing features. I love the fact that you don’t have to open complex windows to input your timing or effects values. The biggest thing for me is the attention you get from the support staff as well as the software writers. If there is something not implemented in the software that you need for a show, I can just call them. It’s nice to talk to someone who has an open ear to the way we need things to run out here, not how they want us to run them.”