Chameleon Touring Group Delivers Dazzling Lighting for Keith Urban’s “High and Alive” World Tour

Keith Urban’s High and Alive World Tour has been lighting up arenas across Australia with the kind of energy and visual brilliance that only an artist of his calibre can command. Hailed by Rolling Stone as one of the few “gotta-see-’em-live-to-get-it greats,” Urban’s flawless live performance is complemented by a lighting design every bit as refined and dynamic, courtesy of acclaimed lighting designer Rob Sinclair (Kylie, Post Malone, My Chemical Romance) and touring lighting director Benjamin Silverstein. And playing an equally integral role were renowned lighting specialists Chameleon Touring Group, who seamlessly integrated state-of-the-art technologies from globally leading brands; the likes of which included Martin Professional, Ayrton, Elation, ROBE, ACME, Chauvet, Robert Juliat, Claypaky, MA Lighting International, Disguise, and TAIT (Kinesys).

“Keith loves big, chunky looks, and when speaking with Rob, I think part of the intention was to recreate an old-school par can rig but with modern gear,” explained Ben. “Rob has knocked it out of the park because it really feels like the pods are banks of par cans.”

Those pods have quickly become a focal point of discussion among concert lighting aficionados. The four air pods are loaded with Martin MAC Aura PXLs, with 24 units in each, while the four side pods each feature 12 units of the MAC Aura XBs. Video pods are also incorporated into the design, doubling as light sources controlled through the console into disguise D3, enabling Ben to treat them as RGB fixtures. These pods are fully automated via the Kinesys system from TAIT, shifting position throughout the show to either blend into the scenic design or spotlight the performers in captivating, kinetic displays.

“There’s a lot of really cool stuff with video and lighting morphing into one,” remarked Ben. “In some songs, when we’re controlling the video through the lighting console, we add effects or filters or masks over it from the D3. You wouldn’t always realise it was just like a lighting thing.”

The pods’ versatility allows the lighting to become the dominant design element, transforming the stage’s scale and visual energy through dynamic positioning and automation. “The MAC PXLs have been an excellent fixture to use,” said Ben. “They’re just so punchy. We use Elation Fuzes in the US, but with the MAC Aura PXL, they really cut through in a different and very satisfying way. We run lots of phasers (effects) through them—colour sweeps, hits, modern-day par can stuff!” The MAC Aura XBs in the side pods add further dimension with rich phaser effects, colour transitions, and intensity control.

Upstage, 18 units of the Ayrton Dominos deliver backwash, punch, and powerful fills, while 31 units of the Elation Proteus Maximus units cover front, upstage, and floor positions for side lighting. “I don’t use them above 20%-30% throughout the show because they’re so bright,” noted Ben. “They’re great; however, the backline guys don’t love it!” 13 units of the Proteus Maximus fixtures on the front truss were repurposed as followspots—originally used with a Follow Me tracking system in the US but seamlessly adapted in Australia to RoboSpot technology from ROBE.

“One of the coolest things that Chameleon did was successfully make a RoboSpot system work like a Follow Me system, which is the first time I’ve ever experienced RoboSpots being able to do that,” commented Ben. “Chameleon said there was an update relatively recently where you can use the PSN data, and I believe PSN from the RoboSpot station is output into the MA3 console, where they do the calibration, and then we have markers set. Now I can assign any light on our front truss to different markers, just like in Follow Me. It made coming from the States to here seamless, and there was no programming challenge. Chameleon solved it, and it’s a huge benefit.”

Along the main riser step, ACME Pixel Lines add distinctive eye-candy effects, while 35 units of the Chauvet Color STRIKE M fixtures provide powerful strobes and sweeping wash effects. “They provide a lot of great strobe hits, big wash looks, and you can get a lot of really great punchy stuff through them or just set a really nice, soupy wash upstage, and it just fills the space in a great way,” said Ben. Eight units of the Robert Juliat Dalis 862S units were positioned on the thrust areas, while six units of the Claypaky Sharpy fixtures—two on each side of the stage and two at FOH—brought mirrorball moments to life with dazzling precision.

Ben ran the show on a grandMA3 full-size console from MA Lighting International operating in Mode 3, with programming by Joe Watrach, whom Ben praised for his exceptional work. “The Australian tour has been incredible,” Ben shared. “Maybe because Keith is from here, there is a certain element of different excitement, and you feel that energy. The Chameleon crew has been absolutely incredible. They went above and beyond, making my life easy. Everybody on this tour has been great, with an amazing crew in every department. Shout out to the team at Big Picture as well. They were all phenomenal. We’re feeling it everywhere, just how lucky we are right now.”

He added, “The Chameleon crew are so good, and they’re just top-notch, with an incredible work ethic and positive attitude.”

From its bold fixture design to its seamless integration of light and video, High and Alive is a masterclass in concert lighting — and with Chameleon Touring Group behind the Australian leg, Keith Urban’s farewell to home audiences is nothing short of electrifying.