Extraordinary singer Josh Groban just finished his 29-city North American concert tour with the grandMA in tow for lighting control. A.C.T Lighting is the exclusive distributor of the grandMA in North America.

Groban’s tour is in support of his latest studio album, Awake, on Reprise. His two previous studio CDs have been certified five times platinum with the most recent, “Closer,” charting #1 pop. The tour kicked off in Verona, NY and wrapped April 7 in Las Vegas. European venues are scheduled to follow.

“I fell in love with the grandMA after the Paul McCartney tour a couple of years ago,” says lighting director Wally Lees. “It was the only console that could do the job. The grandMA has a lot of universes, and its NSPs are so stable. And I got great backup from MA and A.C.T. The grandMA is better than any other option.”

For his new tour Groban wanted a more industrial rock look for the lighting even though he’s not recognized as that kind of performer. He asked production designer Roy Bennett, who’s responsible for the set, video and lighting design, to be adventurous with his ideas; the result is a dynamic stage and set built by Tait Towers with video pods custom designed to Bennett’s specifications.

Wally Lees has the grandMA controlling an old-style rock lighting rig which includes 64 Vari*Lite VL3000 Spots, 56 Martin MAC 2K Washes, 24 MAC 2K Profiles, eight Syncrolite B-52s, 24 RGB Color Blasts, and 57 T-3 lamps split into 24 channels.

“Once I started using the grandMA I knew I’d never go back” to other consoles, he says. “The grandMA is user friendly and has so many capabilities. I’m very happy with it.”

Nocturne Productions provided the video equipment for Groban’s tour.

"It is a pleasure working with Roy Bennett and Wally Lees. Roy is the consummate LD today and Wally has to have the tools and talent to bring Roy’s artistic to life. The last thing that either of them needs is a console that won’t allow them to do exactly what they want. They have chosen the grandMA so they don’t have to compromise this artistic endeavor," comments A.C.T Lighting president and CEO, Bob Gordon.