31.03.2016 | Elation ACL 360 Matrix™ Adds Design Possibilities to Luis Miguel Tour

Lighting designer Dave Maxwell has been involved in Luis Miguel shows since 2008 and for a string of recent sold out dates at Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City used 60 Elation ACL 360 Matrix™ moving panel LED effect lights to complement the Latin American music icon’s show.

Luis Miguel continues to draw huge crowds at his live shows no matter if he’s touring Central and South America, Spain or the U.S. From familiar pop numbers to his renowned baleros and romantic ballads, the Mexican singer has been wooing fans for more than 25 years.

On his current 2016 tour, Maxwell serves as show designer, handling all creative and visual aspects of the show including set design, content, video and lighting. Lighting and video vendor for the shows was Serpro Productiones, one of the biggest rental houses in northern Mexico. Elation’s Mexican partner ADIMSA sold the Elation fixtures to Serpro and provided them with support on the tour.

“I had been using some other LED panels and was offered the chance to switch to the ACL 360 Matrix by Serpro for a run of shows at the Auditorio in Mexico City and very much liked them,” Maxwell comments. “Typically I use them in rather large groups, where I feel they are most effective. I like the soft subtle changes in intensity and cool fades that are achievable. And in large groups, when you add some soft movement, it really complements the balero songs of Luis Miguel’s set. Plus the 360-degree nature of the movement allows for really complex positions with abstract results.”

The versatile 5 x 5 LED panel moving head’s continuous 360° rotation, dense 4-degree beam from each lens and individual pixel control make a variety of unique effects possible from eye-candy looks to energetic chases to more subtle looks. In keeping with his sentiment that the ACL 360 Matrix is more effective in large groups, Maxwell had the fixtures placed to front a back wall from horizontal trusses staggered to form a sort of complex wall going high. “They have held up absolutely great, are solid and very reliable,” he says. “I really do like them.”

Maxwell, who has also worked as Eric Clapton’s show designer since 1997, acknowledges Renato Betancourt, Emmanuel Gonzales, Rolando Munoz, and Donald Alexander for their work on the Luis Miguel tour.