A Celebration of American Renewal

It was one of the largest concerts in US history. The inauguration of Barack Obama started early on Sunday January 18, 2009 as thousands flocked to Washington, DC to attend “We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration” at Lincoln Memorial, an outdoor party marking a changing of the times. Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce Knowles, Bono and Sheryl Crowe were only a few of the acts chosen to entertain the crowd who withstood brutally cold temperatures to be a part of the celebration. Performers, audience and special guests were all witnesses to the wave of change that the US has been riding since the November 4th election.

As President Obama is a self-professed enthusiast of President Abraham Lincoln, there could be no better backdrop for the festivities than the Lincoln Memorial, located on Washington’s National Mall. It is this very site that hosted the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in front of an estimated 250,000 people. Along this same strip of ground, almost 50 years later, hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life gathered to celebrate, to sing, and to hear from the man who is now their new President.

It took the work of many to prepare the space, illuminate the stage, and make the statue of Lincoln come to life. Award-winning Lighting Designer Bob Dickinson and the teams at C3 Presents and Christie Lights welcomed the opportunity and looked to Martin Professional, Inc. to help make it happen within a very short advance time schedule.

The Challenges
Determining a way to provide a bright enough light source that would create the right effect (in daylight) and not damage the Lincoln statue posed one of the more unusual challenges of the event. “The National Park Services team was very concerned with the effect of heat being discharged onto the statue,” said Robert Roth of Christie Lights. “We had to guarantee to not cause damage or alter the monument - even in the slightest way. After some study and testing, the MAC 2K passed and was approved for use.”

Another challenge facing the Production team was the lighting of the crowd itself. Despite the fact that the event ended in the late afternoon, an energetic crowd as large as this one was not expected to disperse quickly. For those who planned to stay and continue the festivities after dark, there was a safety and security mandate which became paramount.

“Our surveys concluded that without the proper lighting after hours it would become extremely dark in many areas of the Mall” said Roth. “As a remedy we erected 27 StageCo towers along the 1.9 miles between the Lincoln and Washington monuments. We deployed 100 additional MAC 2000 XB’s with the sole purpose of raising the base level of illumination across this huge open area. This helped animate the crowd while creating a safe and comfortable outdoor atmosphere.”

Built to Last
Roth speaks to the MAC’s ability to withstand long hours of illumination and wear and tear. “The lights stayed on consistently for over 72 hours without fail,” said Roth. “That’s a testament to the ruggedness of the fixture. Martin passed with flying colors.” Temperatures dropped as low as 5-10 degrees F, and there were virtually no failures of any type in the moving light rig. Built to last, the MAC 2000 XB Wash is tried, tested and true - a perfect choice for this inaugural launch event – or for any similar festival.

Martin’s MAC 2000 Wash XB™
Aside from displaying the same proven qualities of the MAC 2000™, Martin’s MAC 2000 XB Wash™ boasts a 40% increase in brightness. Outfitted with a 1500 W lamp, this MAC XB wash light allows for an extremely bright output of over 60,000 lumens, depending on the lens used. The fixture is equipped with mechanical dimming, motorized zoom and CMY color mixing.

The television and press photos of this event tell the story better than any words can do. Martin Professional and Christie Lites are proud to have been able to contribute to the legacy of images of this special moment in US history.