David Byrne’s ‘Who Is The Sky?’ tour

As attendees entered Sydney’s TikTok Entertainment Centre, gentle birdsong played from the stage, setting a tranquil mood—an intriguing prelude to the vibrant spectacle that awaited them.
 

It would be difficult to find a current production more ambitious than David Byrne’s ‘Who Is The Sky?’ tour. Byrne is recognised as an innovator and an insightful commentator on contemporary life. His artistic expertise has been comprehensively integrated into this new show.
 

The stage is wide open, with no amplifiers, microphones, or typical live performance equipment to fill the space. This allows all 14 people on stage to perform more like a marching band. With nothing tied down, everyone is in perpetual motion.
 

It is a concept first explored by Byrne on his American Utopia tour, but this time, an LED floor was added, making the environment even more immersive. One minute, everyone is in an empty department store, then a lush forest, in Byrne’s apartment, in the ocean or contemporary America.
 

“David didn't want to go backwards but wanted to explore what would happen if each song in the show had a sense of place,” explained Rob Sinclair, Show/Lighting Designer. “We talked a little about what had and hadn't worked, but we were also aware that we were creating something new. David always wanted the space to be a curved volume, and he is very involved from the first sketch to the last cue. David is so aware of production and is also a great collaborator. He's always willing to hear your point of view.”
 

Sinclair says that the initial concept for the show was pretty much as you see it now, with the only challenges being the usual: money, space, and time.
 

Key to Sinclair’s design is the use of BlackTrax; with up to 14 people on stage, all moving and wearing identical suits, you can't possibly even consider lighting the show with regular spotlights. BlackTrax was the only choice, and Sinclair notes that it's been a real joy to integrate it with video on this show.
 

“I think one of the things about light is that you can never master it,” says Sinclair. “I learn new things from light every day. A video wall is just a light. It sheds into the scene and affects how you see things. It would be foolish to look at it any other way.”
 

The contrast between the minimalistic stage and the impressive visual presentation creates a powerful sensory impact. Additionally, the audio quality is exceptionally clear.

There is significant technology integration in the show, much of which goes unnoticed by the audience. This subtlety demonstrates that the technology is functioning effectively without causing distraction.
 

Each show requires tremendous effort from the crew to ensure everything runs smoothly, and their commitment is outstanding.

Thorough preparation was key to this tour, and with a history in theatre lighting, Lighting Director Aaron Veness is particularly suited for a concert that leans heavily towards theatre.

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Pre-viz was done in New York early in the process and, according to Veness, was much more detailed and precise than a typical rock-and-roll performance.

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“We're very much looking at the choreography and video content with lighting there to support it and highlight certain elements,” he added. “Almost every day, David would come into pre-viz, and we'd review in what direction we thought songs would be going.”

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Joe Watrach programmed the bulk of the lighting, whilst Veness kept track of choreography notes and which BlackTrax fixtures to consider throughout the process. They then moved to Rock Lititz for full rehearsals.

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“This show has been more preparation and a lot more fine-tuning of key light levels and colours,” he elaborated. “Deciding that actually in this song we're going to have three cues rather than doing all the hits and the stabs because it doesn't need it.”

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At first glance, the lighting appears quite minimal for such a large space. Four straight trusses housed 15x Martin MAC Viper XIP, 13x Prolight ECLPanel TWC, and 18x Chauvet Strike M, whilst 34x Ayrton Rivale Profiles were located around the top of the video screen, and two more sat on the floor for cross-light. However, many of the show’s intricacies come from balancing the lighting to support the show rather than make it an element of it.

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The Rivales were used for back and top light, the MAC Viper XIP keylight, and the Strike Ms were used mainly in the latter part of the show to provide a few rock and roll stabs and flashes.

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It is fair to say that the lighting is often about what's not lit as much as what is. The show Rob has created is split into four sections, and the first two focus on negative space, with light or shapes of light on top of the video, allowing people to enter and exit to add texture to what would otherwise be a flat video wall.

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The performance of Psycho Killer has everyone talking. It’s also Veness’ favourite number, which is amusing, as it has the fewest lights in it. With the assistance of BlackTrax, the 14 people on stage are almost entirely lit from beneath by circles of ‘light’ from the video floor, mimicking spotlights. That doesn’t mean Veness sits back and has a cup of tea; he also triggers all the videos from the grandMA3 console.

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No time code is used by Veness; all video and lighting cues are triggered from the lighting desk to keep everything in sync.

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“It's a bit weird because I have cues that don't do any lighting, just video,” remarked Veness. “It took a little bit of getting used to, but I think I'm on the right track. Having BlackTrax has opened up a whole new world of possibilities. It gives me the ability to light anyone at any time, which, again, opens a world of options when you've got 14 people on stage. We can also track them with video.”