German power metal legends Helloween brought their monumental 40th Anniversary Tour to North America this spring, performing a month-long theater run from April 7 in Dallas through May 2 in Las Vegas. Supporting the band’s visually driven production, lighting designer Martin Müller turned to Elation’s Paragon M to deliver the punch and looks needed to complement the show’s extensive video content while keeping the iconic musicians firmly in the spotlight.
Visual Support with a Bang
Supplied by full-service production company Toucan Productions, the Paragon M fixtures played a key role in adapting Helloween’s European arena production to a scaled-down North American theater tour.
“Since the entire show is built around the video content, the lighting design was created to support the visuals as much as possible while still being able to generate big looks with enough punch for their style of music,” Müller explained. “The musicians need to be seen. People are coming to see legends of metal perform, so it’s a more traditional approach when it comes to lighting.”
The Paragon M was added to the production after Toucan Productions suggested the fixture as an alternative during the planning stage. Although the team initially proposed the smaller Paragon S, Müller determined it wasn't the right fit. When the Paragon M was added to the list, he found it offered everything he was looking for.
Positioned atop the stage set, the fixtures created visual focus points at mid-stage, adding another layer of depth and movement while ensuring performers remained distinct against the large LED wall.
“The Paragons created dynamics through movement, intensity bumps, gobo rotation and other effects,” Müller said. “They added another visual layer on stage so that the musicians, even when standing on top of the set, didn’t get blurred into the video wall.”
Creativity and Reliability
Throughout the tour, the fixtures delivered creative impact alongside reliable performance. “They worked out excellently,” Müller commented. “I like the size-to-weight-to-output ratio, the gobo package, and the color mixing. I also appreciate the way the fixture is built and the look of the housing, which is especially important for fixtures that are placed on the set. Within this range of moving lights, the Paragon doesn’t need to hide. During the time I worked with it, it proved to be a reliable fixture with plenty of punch. It was fun to work with.”
Reliability was equally important for Helloween’s longtime North American Tour and Production Manager Frank Trzaskowski, who praised both the fixtures and the support behind them.
“The Elation fixtures added massive punch to the elaborate stage and lighting setup,” Trzaskowski said. “In fact, they impressed me so much that I’ve added them to Extreme’s summer tour floor package. Most importantly, reliability is a huge factor. We carried spare fixtures, and I’m happy to say we never had to touch them. Kudos to our friends at Toucan Productions for providing exceptionally well-maintained gear and unbeatable service.”
Toucan Productions
The award-winning Paragon family is Elation’s flagship automated lighting series. Delivering up to 37,000 lumens, the Paragon M features a full effects package, along with interchangeable lenses and Elation’s TruTone variable CRI system (73–93), allowing designers to move seamlessly between high-quality key lighting and dynamic effects.
Toucan Productions, which added the Paragon series to its rental inventory in 2025, has seen strong demand for the fixture across a wide range of productions. “The Paragon is a great fit for customers looking for a flexible and affordable profile fixture,” said Chauncy Harris, CEO of Toucan Productions. “It’s a versatile solution for a variety of production needs. From a rental perspective, it’s built very well and will hold up in virtually any environment. The value it delivers in terms of features is exceptional, and it’s remarkable how much this fixture can do in such a compact form factor.”
Forty years of history, countless classics, and their latest album, “Giants & Monsters,” prove that Helloween remain one of heavy metal’s most creative and influential forces. Following the North American run, the band continues celebrating its 40th anniversary with appearances at major European festivals this summer before the tour heads to Latin America.
About Elation
At Elation, we collaborate with leading professionals in the lighting industry to help bring extraordinary experiences to life. As a designer and manufacturer of a wide range of high-performance entertainment lighting products, we’re proud to be a trusted partner to top lighting professionals and production/rental houses around the world. Our commitment to quality, innovation, and creative solutions has made us a go-to resource in the industry. We also offer an advanced line of lighting control products through Obsidian Control Systems, and a full range of dependable specialty effects called Magmatic. Elation serves clients worldwide through offices in Los Angeles, Mexico City, Canada, and the Netherlands. We invite you to take a closer look at elationlighting.com
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