George Wood was hesitant. As a lighting technician preparing for Grammy-winning American Christian artist TobyMac’s tour, he wasn’t sure how his first time using lasers would go. He had heard other professionals’ concerns about laser safety and setup that made him question whether he would be running around figuring out how to get things to work. That would not be an ideal scenario on an already-tight production schedule and a tour passing through a variety of venues of various capacities.
Once he received training on the X-Laser Mercury Laser Control System, however, Wood’s perspective on the project flipped entirely. The provider of the lasers for the tour, MaxTenn Lights out of Knoxville, Tennessee, showed Wood the ropes and got him not just up to speed, but competent and confident, using X-Laser Skywriter fixtures as part of a tour rig.
“Those thoughts about safety and setup definitely went through my head before using them for the first time,” Wood explained. “But the Mercury-equipped Skywriter systems made those hesitancies vanish. They’re simple to set up, test, zone and load in and out.”
Once on the road with the five Skywriter HPX M-20 (20W) lasers, Wood also got to see firsthand the creative punch and power that lasers can bring to a performance.
“TobyMac’s genre of music [contemporary Christian] can be difficult to have really good lighting for, and making a design that really draws the audience in can be tough. For this tour, we used the lasers to accomplish part of that, and the style of effect really brought a phenomenal and emotional touch,” he said.
Regarding key laser-centric moments of the set, Wood highlighted the B-stage show opening, when the lasers project straight down onto the stage and “frame” the artist. Wood saw from front of house how the X-Laser fixtures drew in the audience during that impactful moment, and the lasers provided unparalleled punch and visual contrast throughout the entire performance.
As for when the audience was not in the room, Wood explained that the X-Laser Mercury-equipped fixtures still made an impact, specifically for the lighting crew and tour team.
“The tour made stops at all sorts of arena sizes and layouts. We had to map and focus lighting every day,” Wood said. “With Mercury, the focus and zoning processes that we had to do [alongside Lighting Director Noah Wood] were simple and quick.”
“From what I saw, using Mercury-equipped systems made our show much simpler and easier to understand during load-in and operation. For someone who is hesitant or has questions about lasers, I’d say these systems are the way to go.”
With this tour in the books and bigger and brighter tours on Wood’s schedule for 2026, he’s—without hesitation—ready to deploy the X-Laser systems again and again.
Elation acquired X-Laser last fall and launched X-Laser USA, a new independent company that continues operating under the X-Laser name. X-Laser’s professional laser series are available worldwide through Elation’s global distribution network.
Photos: George Wood
About X-Laser USA
X-Laser USA (x-laser.com) is an independent company formed to carry forward the X-Laser brand following the acquisition of its assets by Elation Lighting, Inc. Based in Laurel, Maryland, X-Laser USA continues its heritage as a U.S.-based developer and manufacturer of professional laser projection systems. Known for its FDA-varianced compliance, engineering excellence, and customer-first approach, X-Laser has delivered more high-powered entertainment laser systems than any competitor in North 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 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, and the Netherlands. We invite you to take a closer look at elationlighting.com
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