I worked a show a while ago that a Perfect Circle was headlining, and I spoke at length with the lighting director. I don't remember his name, but he had worked with Maynard in tool as well as APC. This was during the Thirteenth Step tour, Year of the Rabbit was the opener. I voiced the question: Why keep him in the dark? The band was using almost the same stage setup, Maynard was upstage left on a riser next to Freese's kit.
The answer I got was interesting, and I remember seeing an interview where he spoke about it, so I think it's the truth.
Apparently Maynard has an eye issue which manifests itself in a sensitivity to bright lights and flashes. It got so bad that it came close to ending his ability to perform live. When the lights get flashing and really going, it causes an almost vertigo-ish reaction that can lead to his passing out. And that would be bad.
But I remembered watching the show and seeing some really awesome moving, flashing lights, which would seem to counter what the lighting guy had just told me about. He saw my puzzled look and explained further how it works.
Maynard had a signal to tell the lighting guy if it was too much, and if it was ok to hit it. His microphone stand. If it got to be too much, Maynard would move his mic stand to the front corner of his riser, and once the feelings passed, he should remove it, to signal all systems go.
That, and he wears sunglasses, which helps.
This essentially meant that the lighting designer had to have two shows written before the tour started, that could be blended back and forth, so he could disk back the intensity of what was hitting Maynard's eyes while still keeping up the consistency of the light show for the audience. (Spoiler, concert lights are not improvised at the show, sorry... I guess some people didn't know that. Weeks and weeks of planning and programming involved there).
I thought that was damn interesting.
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