Genesis Mama (1983-84) - Top Concert Tour Design of all time
Okay, so the Abacab tour of ’81 was significant in the history of concert lighting technology, since it featured the first-ever use of automated moving lights in the initial form of what was to become the Vari-Lite VL1™. Heck, the band actually invested in its development with what was then Showco. But Genesis’ following tour, Mama, really harnessed the moving light in new ways, blowing the doors off all expectations for the visual content of a tour. Alan Owen’s lighting design incorporated a massive rig full of VL1s distributed over a pie-shaped truss—more color, more movement, more everything. This was the future of concert lighting. Tom Littrell acted as the programmer/operator.
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VIDEO: Genesis Performs “Abacab” On Mama Tour
A very ‘80s video, but let’s not forget what Genesis did for the moving light…...
Genesis Mama Tour Images
Photo by Lewis Lee
Genesis Mama Tour Credentials (Courtesy of Tom Littrell)
Check out this great shot of the crew meeting Princess Diana during the Mama Tour. Facing us and starting just to the left of Di’s left shoulder: production manager Morris Lyda (wearing glasses, in profile), sound engineer Craig Schertz, the late lighting designer Alan Owen, and then Vari-Lite programmer Tom Littrell
(Photo Courtesy of Tom Littrell)
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