PARIS – Like a massive west wind that gains strength as it travels over time and distance, Matmatah continues to shake the very foundations of venues after three decades of touring. This is true even of a glass and steel behemoth like the Accor Arena. From the very moment that the band from Brest took to the stage this fall and rang out the first notes of “Il fait beau sur la France,” they rocked the impressive structure from its floor to its ceiling, as the sellout crowd jumped to their iconic rhythmic sound.
Setting the stage for Matmatah’s ebullient 30th anniversary performance was beautifully balanced lighting design by Jean-Marie “Jim” Guillerm, who has been working with the band since 2017. Collaborating with Vincent Haffemayer, Guillerm seamlessly blended video and light to create engaging rock looks that supported his client’s music while speaking directly to fans.
“The project was born in 2023 when we were looking to create something that marked the band’s 30th anniversary,” said Guillerm. “Our goal was to create a one-off, around the anniversary date, without being flashy. The band gave us a great deal of freedom with only two simple requests: First, integrate a video screen, and second remain in the spirit of a pure rock concert, without gimmicks — no SFX or light-up bracelets.”
Remaining true to his client’s wishes, Guillerm and his collaborators came up with a design that focused on the texture and substance of light that interplayed with the band’s music, as well as the imagery displayed on the video screen. To capture and hold the audience’s attention during throughout the two-hour and forty-minute 25-song set, Guillerm conjured up a continuous flow of ever-changing looks, varying color washes, and artfully moving from bold color sweeps to tightly focused lighting.
Helping this achieve this was a collection of CHAUVET Professional COLORado PXL Curve 12 motorized battens and Color STRIKE M wash-strobes, which like the rest of the rig was supplied by DUSHOW.
The versatile battens played an important role in making the concert’s sweeping production come to life, being used for everything from gentle footbaths to quick bold color sweeps. “It is a very responsive projector,” Guillerm said of the COLORado PXL Curve. “It goes as fast as it needs to when asked. It creates wave effects, thanks to the independent LED heads. We used it with open zoom for flat color, as well as for backlighting that licks the perforated video screen.”
Like the lighting that accompanied it, the video component of the show unfolded over time to captivate attention. In Phase One, the unlit screen was decorated by 14 PXL Curves at the base, with louvered ladders behind. Phase Two was highlighted by real images captured live. Phase Three featured abstract media and music excerpts–created especially for the tour by a graphic designer Smode.
In addition to the 14 PXL battens below the blow-through screen, other units were positioned along the downstage deck for foot lights, while still other outlined the walk-out proscenium stage. “We treated the proscenium as a separate space,” said Guillerm. “The proscenium was sculpted using PXL Curves to create more intimate moments, almost as if they were rehearsals.”
“Vincent Haffemayer made the excellent suggestion that we line the proscenium with the PXLs” continued Guillerm. “Collaboration was a great part of this project. We had wonderful collaboration between Vincent, Morgan Production, and Thomas Floury who handled the console and live monitoring — he adjusted certain levels or positions.”
The other CHAUVET Professional projectors in the rig, the Color STRIKE M units, were installed every two meters across the performance area to ensure that the entire audience was lighted per the request of Morgan Productions. “They wanted the audience on screen and to offer shots with texture and color during the production,” explained Guillerm. “They have excellent power and aperture… so no hot spots or ‘pizza’ effect.”
The TV producers wanted to have the faces of the audience visible in many shots, noted Guillerm. And when those faces were revealed what did they show? Well… the pure joy of being swept up in a transcendent 30-year musical journey is an answer that comes to mind!
COLORado PXL Curve 12
