“There’s a level of authenticity in their style that forced me to develop a way of operating I’d never needed before,” notes Money. Familiar workflows simply could not withstand the complexity and variability of the material. The solution required memorization, adaptive cue design, and a hybrid execution style that blended live responsiveness with carefully structured control; a method developed specifically to support the band’s musical intent and performance style.

The laser design complement of the Dream Theater 40th Anniversary Tour is provided by the owner Laser DesignWorks Meganne Money, aka “The Beam Queen.” It includes six 24W Kvant Lasers. Control is Pangolin Beyond, triggered by an Akai Professional APC40 mkii MIDI controller

"People think lasers are light," she explains. "What they're not getting is I'm using a very dangerous and powerful tool that if I wanted to manipulate in a certain way, I could burn a hole through your shirt easily." She doesn't stop there. "I could blind you. It's not fun and games. It's dangerous and it has to be treated with the respect of any other kind of pyrotechnic special effects. It can hurt people."

The geometric framework becomes a stage for movement. Hip-hop shows get popping and bouncing patterns. Metal concerts receive the sweeping gestures and dramatic pauses of classical dance, as the metal genre draws a lot of inspiration from classical music Money associates with ballet movement. The X, Y, and Z coordinates that define each shape also define its motion, its rhythm, and its emotional impact.

Laser DesignWorks sees a future where brilliant visual effects become accessible to productions that currently cannot afford dedicated laser departments.