USA - The ascent of bluegrass guitarist Billy Strings from van-and-trailer gigs to A-level arena touring is a testament to his mastery of traditional styles as well as his expansion of the genre into new realms of rock-influenced extended improvisations. On the current leg of his 2023 amphitheatre and arena tour, Strings is enveloping his growing legions of jam-band fans through a robust system based on Meyer Sound Panther large-format linear line array loudspeakers. As with all recent tours, the system supplier on this outing is Nashville, Tennessee-based Major Tom US. The regular tour schedule took a pause at the end of September for the third annual Billy Strings Renewal Festival in the mountain valley of Buena Vista, Colorado. Here, with the timely arrival of custom cabling and infrastructure from EMG, the tour’s complement of Panther loudspeakers became one of
Italy - It may not have rivalled the 200,000 or so spectators who used to watch chariot races there in ancient times, but the 70,000 fans who turned out at Rome’s Circus Maximus for Imagine Dragons’ show recently constituted a pretty good-sized crowd. Making the only Italian stop on their Mercury World Tour, the Grammy- winning band from Las Vegas, didn’t disappoint. Reflecting the mood of music and the stage ebullient persona of the band was a lively and upbeat light and video show by the Milan design studio Blearred that featured 100 Chauvet Professional Color Strike M motorised strobes from Zalight with service from Agora. The Color Strike M fixtures were arranged on the upper frame of the three LED walls, as well as being aligned across the entire width of the stage deck and fixed to the trusses of the delay towers. From these positions, the multi-for
USA - Floridian rockers Tedeschi Trucks’ summer 2023 tour staging was dominated by soaring horizontal LED battens which displayed pixels of video content, driven by Hippotizer Karst+ MK2 media servers. The battens were interspersed with LED fixtures to create a dazzling series of audience blinders, colour and sweeping effects to set the scene for the band’s brand of American blues rock. The lighting design and programming was delivered to the tour by Infinitus Vox, headed by Tony Caporale, who used a Hippotizer Karst+ MK2’s NDI feed to his Depence R3 pre-viz software. This meant that during pre-production, he could view all of the lighting and video design together, before controlling the Media Server via a grandMA3 console. “Since pixel mapping was the main focus here, the Karst+ MK2 was the right Hippotizer for the job,” says Caporale. “It offers flexibi
Japan - Ryōgoku Kokugikan, also known as Ryōgoku Sumo Hall or Kokugikan Arena, is the only building dedicated to Sumo, Japan’s national sport, and has been home to many historic initiatives. The origins of sumo began some 2000 years ago but in its modern form it only took hold around 300 years ago. Once established in Japan, it passed down from generation to generation. Such is its status, there is no-one in Japan who has not heard of the Tokyo-based Ryōgoku Kokugikan. Sumo wrestlers practice here daily, dreaming of winning the Gift Cup, and since sumo is Japan’s national sport, His Majesty The Emperor sometimes comes to watch, and has seats reserved for him. But Ryōgoku Kokugikan also hosts various other events during periods when sumo is not being held, including wrestling, concerts and corporate events. Sumio Akashio, sound engineer at the Ryōgo
South Africa - Ayrton has announced a new distribution partner for South Africa - Planetworld. Planetworld will be closely supported by current distributor, Bespoke Entertainment Solutions to ensure Ayrton’s current and prospective customers receive the very best in products, service and support. Planetworld, already a well-established company in the consumer audio market, and familiar to the entertainment industry through its distribution of leading audio brands, recently launched its new Pro Division. The Planetworld Pro Team - formally Wild and Marr - is responsible for supplying both technical design and equipment into the pro AV systems and live entertainment markets. Ayrton will become the second major LED brand to strengthen its product portfolio, complementing its Leyard LED screen representation. “The entire team at Planetworld and I are beyond exci
The Netherlands - The Essential Festival in Oost-Maarland became a centre of music and light on 16 September, thanks to Matrix Event Support. The festival, which featured a line-up of renowned dance DJs, regional artists and singers, was set against the picturesque backdrop of the river Meuse. Using Showtec and Infinity fixtures, Matrix Event Support brought the magic to life with their spectacular lighting designs that illuminated both the Main Stage and the Hard Dance Stage. Commissioned by Heijnens Audio - Light - Vision, Matrix Event Support left festival-goers in awe with their mesmerising lighting design at the festival. The Main Stage, a focal point of the event, was bathed in a vivid spectrum of colours with 50 Showtec Spectral M800 Q4 Tour RGBW LED spots. Sixteen Showtec DWE Audience Blinders and five Showtec Stage Blinder 4 DMX audience blinders were strateg
Europe/USA - Hailed as an ‘atypical pop star’ for her genre-bending musical styles, Rosalia Vila Tobella, known as Rosalía, is a Spanish artist who wears multiple creative hats, including as a singer/songwriter, producer, actress and musician. With an impressive tally of 11 number-one singles in her home country, 12 Latin Grammy Awards, plus a host of other prestigious accolades throughout her music career, Rosalía is widely considered one of the most successful and influential Spanish vocalists of all time. FOH engineer Ricky Ashford, who has been working with the singer for almost two years, has relied on a DiGiCo Quantum 338 and Quantum 225 digital mixing console for her latest Motomami world tour, which took in 68 dates at stadiums and arenas in Europe, Latin America, and North America, with Rosalía’s presence also gracing stages at world-renowned events
UK - Located in the heart of Manchester and opened in late 2022, Exhibition is a high-end late-night venue. The interior is classic ‘Manchester industrial chic’, with clever lighting, bar and comfortable seating, delivering a contemporary leisure space with a ambience. The restaurant floor features three award-winning independent kitchens. The venue also features a centrally-located DJ booth and music plays a big part in delivering the experiential ambitions of Exhibition. Locally-based Neuron Audio Visual designed, installed and commissioned a distributed audio system using Outline Vegas. Sixteen Outline Vegas 10 full-range loudspeakers are distributed around the main space with another four in the restrooms. A single Outline Movie S218 subwoofer provides the low-frequency energy, chosen because its shallow depth allowed placement in a specific space - the low fre
South Africa - St Mary's School Waverley, located in Johannesburg, recently marked the return of the Battle of the Bands competition hosted in the school’s 540-seater theatre, The Edge. The event, which has a history spanning more than a decade, was put on hold during the COVID pandemic from 2020 to 2022. This year the primary objective was to rekindle the competition and to offer young talents a platform equipped with lighting and audio to showcase their musical skills. Sasha Ehlers is the head of culturals at St Mary’s and the technical manager at The Edge and has enjoyed being part of the Battle of the Bands, taking over as technical director for the festival in 2018. What she appreciates most about the competition is the inspiration she gets by helping young people gain confidence, find their “tribe”, and experience the joy of live performances. This
India - The Prolights EclPanel TWC series shone in a recent television commercial featuring the Indian cricket player, M S Dhoni, thanks to the lighting services provided by Light Craft & Sound Pvt. The lighting setup included over 150 projectors, including the EclPanel TWC and EclPanel TWCXL by Prolights. This dynamic configuration provided a vivid and dominant light source, transforming the television set into a truly enchanting environment. In the context of this installation, 50 EclPanel TWC fixtures were mounted on a truss and covered with snapbags to ensure even light diffusion. The entire structure was then lifted above the set using pulley systems, creating a surprisingly bright and captivating atmosphere. Additionally, eight EclPanel TWC XL soft lights were arranged in a linear structure to replicate a vibrant and radiant daytime atmosphere. Sa
Slovenia - Ljubljana University’s Academy of Music faculty has consolidated itself in one ‘new’ central location in the city instead of occupying two different premises as the result of a complete renovation project at the Kazina Palace building. Dating to 1837, historically it was a meeting place and social hub for Ljubljana’s high society, occupying a commanding position on the north-eastern corner of Congress Square, right at the heart of the Slovenian capital’s downtown. The academy’s main rehearsal and performance room - Betetova Hall - has been fitted with a new lighting rig including Robe T1 Profile and LEDBeam 350 moving lights, together with T11 Profiles and ParFect 150s. All of these were delivered to the project by Ljubljana-based MK Light Sound. The fixtures were chosen for their relative quietness as well as the quality of light, as it i
Australia - Now or Never is the name of a new festival created by the city of Melbourne. This inaugural event - recently held across the city, including several events at the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne - saw Gig Control Australia transform the heritage-listed building, designing a spectacular sound, lighting and video infrastructure. The creative company once again partnered with Novatech Creative Event Technology, which was contracted to take care of technical supply for the five separate events held over four days. This was to ensure continuity and close integration, due to the challenging nature of the venue itself. Aside from the entrance, the visual highlight was the main zone, where a 16m-high LED structure backed the main stage. This was brought to life by 39 GLP JDC1 hybrid strobes, set in one continuous vertical 16m line to create a ‘spine’ beh
USA - The Kalahari Resort in the Pocono mountains bills itself as “220,000sq.ft filled with wet, wild, fun”. The massive complex does indeed offer some distinctive amenities, such as the world’s first virtual reality water slide. On the weekend of 23-24 September, it was also the site of The Way, a Salvation Army young adult retreat. In addition to enjoying the usual attractions at the resort during their recreation periods, the retreat attendees, who hailed from every East Coast state, as well as Puerto Rico, enjoyed high-energy performances by Unbound, a contemporary worship band. Reflecting the ebullient personality and sound of the band was an eight-universe lighting and video show designed and created by Eagle Production Co. that Moshe Baskin ran on his ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M Stadium console. Baskin busked his show, which he designed in Vectorworks and
UK - Located in Northampton, Audio Works is a dedicated rehearsal facility catering for every kind of artist, from absolute beginner to seasoned professional. With three soundproofed rehearsal rooms and a wide range of leading brand back-line and drum-kits available for clients’ use, this popular facility has gone from strength to strength since it opened in 2010. A little over two years ago, Audio Works was taken over by new owners who, while retaining the key features that had been essential in creating the studio’s great reputation, wished to refresh and add a new dimension to the business. Having redecorated and re-lit the rehearsal spaces and added a fully-equipped daytime meeting space to their offer, the Audio Works team also took the decision to upgrade their audio systems. Director at Audio Works, Andy Labrum, invested in an HH Electronics solution, choosi
USA - Over the summer, YouTube personality and professional boxer Jake Paul defeated mixed martial artist Nate Diaz in a fiercely contested cruiserweight professional crossover boxing match billed as Ready 4 War. Fought in front of a sell-out crowd at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, TX, the match went a full 10 rounds before Paul was announced the victor based on a unanimous judge’s decision. To build tension and excitement within the arena, more than 50 ADJ beam moving head fixtures were deployed across multiple trusses, while the intense aerial effects they created were enhanced by four of ADJ’s touring grade Entourage haze generators. Produced by Jake Paul's company, Most Valuable Promotions, and Nate Diaz's company, Real Fight Inc., Ready 4 War featured a full undercard of matches showcasing both male and female fighters in a variety of we
Denmark - Motor Stage Automation (MSA) is a company that loves challenges. So Christian Vigsø and his team were delighted to be asked to design a bespoke flying runway solution for a recent massive show by popular Danish hip hop phenom Suspekt, for their only live appearance this year - at Parken stadium in Copenhagen. In the process, MSA devised a new modular quick assembly touring product - M:CAT - which is now available exclusively from MSA, a fresh and innovative Danish enterprise working internationally and specialising in the art of designing and delivering stage and show automation and movement elements. Christian was initially approached by Suspekt’s lighting designer and set designer Johnny Thinggaard and their production manager and show director Jonas Friis, who wanted a flying 45m walkway to enable the band to traverse between the Main and B stages thro
China - Rock legend Xu Wei restarted his pandemic-interrupted Endless Light Tour with a large-scale Adamson PA design consisting of 172 speaker cabinets at Chongqing Huaxi Culture and Sports Centre. Supporting his latest album, the final leg of the tour required a flexible system design to match various-sized venues across eight Chinese cities. Real Music Acoustics & Lighting Technology chose Adamson for all loudspeakers including stage monitors, main arrays, side-fills and front-fills. The main left and right line arrays each consisted of eighteen E15 and three E12 for down-fill . Main side-fills used arrays of 15 E12. All venues were large enough to require extensive front-fills. Front of house system engineer Kaiji Liu says: “For the front-fill, we use eighteen Adamson S10. These 10” line array cabinets are divided into six groups to cover the front
Spain - Quevedo's DQE Donde quiero estar tour has transformed into a visually stunning spectacle, thanks to the inclusion of 30 Ayrton Cobra. Designed by Oscar Marchena, the tour encompasses two formats: a traditional setup and a 360º experience, allowing the lighting fixtures to shine at their fullest potential on stage. The internationally renowned Spanish artist has already left his mark on significant venues in Spain such as the Wizink Center and the Gran Canaria Arena and is ready to continue dazzling audiences at prominent locations across the country. Oscar Marchena, the lighting designer behind this tour, has crafted a show focused on astonishing audiences, blending light and colour seamlessly. To achieve this, he devised two different lighting formats, opting for lighting equipment that could offer versatility and a wide range of effects for each moment.
UK - Staged at the conclusion of its recent On Tour event at Production Park in Wakefield, this year’s expanded format Production Futures Breakthrough Awards proved to be a major success. The Awards recognise and mark the achievements of young talent within the production industries, with a mission to inspire the next generation. Designed in cooperation with Awards sponsors, the 2023 edition based the ‘prize’ around ‘opportunity and access’ in contrast to the customary ‘glass trophy recognition. More than 200 people from countries including Germany, USA, Dubai and the Netherlands in attendance to witness 18 winners receive their awards in 20 categories. Chief executive Hannah Eakins was thrilled with the response to the updated format: “It was hands-down the best thing we could have done. We loved the new concept because the recipients got so much m
UK - The growing international popularity of AV Stumpfl’s real-time media server platform, Pixera, has led to the Austrian family business’s opening an additional office in London, which will be exclusively dedicated to Pixera. The vibrant creative scene in London in particular played an important part in the Austrian company’s decision to bolster the Pixera presence in the UK. Pixera executive director Harry Gladow comments on the new development: “Our local roots in Austria are very strong, but we have always had a global mindset with regards to our vision for the worldwide Pixera community. Opening a new office in such a creative entertainment hotspot makes absolute sense now that our user community has grown so much that we need the local presence to support our organic growth strategy in the UK.” The Pixera office in Uxbridge, London, will be run b
USA - As of 1 November, Robe North America (RNA) is the exclusive distributor for Avolites in the United States of America. The Davie, Florida-headquartered company will provide full sales, service (including warranty related), training, and technical support following Robe sro’s recent acquisition of the console and media server manufacturer. Avolites USA product manager Brad White and product specialist Kade Behm, already well-known industry wide, will work alongside the Robe North America teams taking care of all things Avo-related. Lorienn Cochenour, CEO, Robe Lighting, Inc. commented: “We are very excited to welcome Brad and Kade to Robe North America, where their energy, enthusiasm, years of industry experience and excellent knowledge of Avolites products will be a strong foundation - as one of the most globally recognised lighting and visual control
UK - SLX has announced the students selected to participate in its 2023/24 Lighting Programme. After a highly competitive selection process, the team is proud to introduce five exceptional university students representing various institutions across the UK. The talented individuals have earned their place on SLX’s Lighting Programme and will shortly begin to expand networks, gain hands-on experience, and expand knowledge within the field of lighting. The students comprising the 2023/24 Lighting Programme cohort are: Tom Barge (Bristol Old Vic Theatre School), Nancy Straham (Bristol Old Vic Theatre School), Sophie Schmidt (Guildford School of Acting), Jamie Burke (The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) and James Callis (Guildhall School of Music and Drama). During the programme, the selected students will have the opportunity to work alongside SLX's experienced
India - Elation has announced that VMT (Vardhaman Megatech) has been appointed as the exclusive distributor for Elation and Obsidian Control Systems products in India, effective immediately. VMT is a leading professional audio and lighting distribution company with a strong distribution network and rich history that goes back to 1958 (parent company Vardhaman was established in 1807.) Based in Mumbai, the family-run business serves a diverse range of customers through retail, installation and distribution divisions, the latter working closely with a network of B2B dealers, retailers, and large touring companies across the country. VMT director of sales, Jeff Mandot, expressed satisfaction in adding the Elation and Obsidian brands to their large catalogue of leading AV brands. “We chose to partner with Elation because of their reputation as a leading manufacturer of
Belgium - At a ceremony at the Brussels Expo Paleis 10, two women, Rika Coppens, CEO of House of HR, and Diane Govaerts of Ziegler, were named Manager Van Het Jaar (Manager of the Year) by Roularta Media Group’s Trends magazine, the largest circulation business weekly in Belgium, and Trends Tendence the Wallonia version of the publication. Rika Coppensand Diane Govaerts were both praised for their forward-thinking creativity and their ability to maintain high standards of excellence. Contributing to the success of the event was D-Dream, which provided technical support and creative vision for the evening’s activities. “We’ve been working together with Roularta Media Group for several years,” said D-Dream managing director Elke Scheirs. “This year, we were again chosen to supply all audiovisual support for the execution of the awards.”
