Melodrama, without Drama

Courtesy of Lighting & Sound America, view the full PDF article here.

A highly creative team brings technical innovations to Lorde’s latest tour

The genesis of Lorde’s Melodrama Tour began in 2017, at the Coachella Valley Music and  Arts Festival. “It was her first show back after several years; she was keen to make an impact and was not quite sure how it was going to go,” admits Richard Young, the tour’s production director. He contacted production designers Es Devlin and Rob Sinclair; Devlin came up with a concept that included a tank. “It was within Ella’s [the singer’s given name] wheelhouse in terms of look and feel,” Young says. “The Coachella show was built with the concept of having a Perspex tank that was going to act as a terrarium or a place to focus the action.” The tank also filled the large Coachella stage, giving Lorde a presence, Young notes: “Realistically, Ella is not an artist who uses tons of dancers, pyro, or set pieces. The idea of containing everything within this 20′-wide Perspex box was appealing.” The tank, as it is known, was a hit with fans and garnered great reviews.

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