In support of their long-awaited album “Us and the Night,’ multi-platinum-selling
group 3 Doors Down embarked on a world tour to bring the album to life both
sonically and visually. Leading audiovisual rental company LabeLive provided
lighting designer and director Jay Branson of TwoPairCreative LLC with Martin by
HARMAN MAC Axiom Hybrid, MAC Quantum Profile and MAC Aura fixtures. Branson
utilized the fixtures to define a unique stage aesthetic, deliver high-impact lighting
experiences and overcome rigging challenges at theatres around the globe.
Josh Berry, President of LabeLive worked closely with the 3 Doors Down lighting
team to outfit the U.S. leg of the tour. Throughout his 20-year experience with
Martin, Berry has been able to provide countless lighting teams with quality fixtures
that withstand the rigors of touring and provide quality lighting experiences every
step of the way.
Martin is known to provide quality products that allow for memorable lighting shows
day in and day out. Berry noted that the Martin fixtures have been a driving force in
his business for years and that lighting designers, including the 3 Doors Down team,
don’t have problems with the Martin products LabeLive provides. Using dependable
products during the 3 Doors Down tour was crucial as they were on the road for
most of 2016. The lighting team was able to overcome the rigors of the road and
create stunning visuals night after night with Martin fixtures.
In addition to requiring dependable fixtures, Branson also needed a lighting solution
that could help them realize their creative goals. Branson and his lighting team
worked closely with the band members and tour manager Gary Pettus to design a
lighting rig that would recreate elements of the “Us and the Night’ album cover and
bring new creative accents to the stage. The design they chose required lighting
fixtures that were small enough to easily fit into tight spaces without sacrificing
light intensity. Martin fixtures were chosen for their streamlined form, powerful
performance and reliability to ultimately create the centre piece of the stage: five
custom, built, oversized lanterns hanging in front of a forest backdrop.
The full 3 Doors Down lighting rig is comprised of MAC Axiom Hybrids in each of the
lanterns, along with 15 MAC Quantum Profiles for aerial effects (eight upstage and
seven mid-stage), and eight MAC Auras under the drum riser. During the European
leg of the tour, eight MAC Quantum Profile Wash fixtures were used for drum
lighting. Each Martin fixture provided unique functionality that contributed to the
overall success of the light show.
According to Brandon, the MAC Axiom Hybrid is small, fast fixture and can go from
a really wide zoom all the way down to a pinpoint in less than half a second. He
couldn’t be happier with their performance. Overall, Branson was impressed not
only by the MAC Axiom Hybrids but also the MAC Quantum Profiles.
Martin lights also helped Branson and his team overcome weight restriction issues
at a variety of venues. The lighter fixtures made it possible to reproduce the band’s
stage design night after night amidst rigging challenges.
