USA - The Dave Mathews Band is playing its 25th anniversary tour in the US and Canada this summer. The lengthy annual DMB summer tours have actually acquired legendary status and are known for improvised renditions of their regular songs as much as for their stunning visual shows which have been designed by Fenton Williams since the early 1990s.

Fenton and his Charlottesville-based design company Filament Productions are still responsible for the production design and this year he and co-lighting designer Aaron Stinebrink specified Robe BMFL Spots and PATT 2013 fixtures.

Aaron also works for Theatrical Media Services (TMS) based in Omaha, Nebraska, the tour's lighting vendor and he's been involved with Fenton and DMB in various lighting capacities since 2003, the last four years as joint LD and lead programmer.

The design process between the two men is always "a lot of

Canada - From 6-8 October, Montreal will host its first festival dedicated to video mapping. With the support of numerous internationally acclaimed creative studios from Montreal, the first edition of MAPP_MTL will emerge at the convergence points of Montreal's renowned Mile End and Mile-Ex neighbourhoods, proposing circuits of both exterior and interior installations, exploring as an open laboratory - -a vision of the future of video mapping.

Thien Vu Dang, the co-founder and artistic director of MAPP_MTL, explains, "Mapping is a fascinating medium that uses video projection to reinvent spaces. It's a form of art that is gaining more and more notoriety, but still has plenty of untapped potential.

"The festival brings life to a number of structures throughout Mile End and allows the public to reclaim their neighbourhoods, see the environment through new eyes and completely

Crucial Opportunities - Policymakers in the UK and China are being called upon to exploit possibilities for cultural collaboration, as part of a report claiming "crucial opportunities" exist for both countries. The report, published by the Department for International Trade and cultural organisation BOP Consulting, claims that the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote has moved collaborations with non-European countries such as China further up the UK's agenda.

However, fostering short-term or profit-led relationships are unlikely to succeed, the report argues, highlighting the emphasis should be on building a long-term, sustained collaboration between the two nations. Recent projects to build collaborations between the UK and China have included a Chinese-language production of War Horse, produced by the National Theatre of China in collaboration with the UK's National Theat

USA - High-profile lighting designers, Rob Sinclair and Chris Reade have been nominated in the 2016 Parnelli Awards Lighting Designer of the Year category, for their Peter Gabriel and Dierks Bentley concert tour designs utilizing show lighting and media control by Jands Vista.

Longtime Vista user, Rob Sinclair's show design for Peter Gabriel was part of the Rock Paper Scissors summer co-headline concert tour in North America with Sting. It featured both artists on stage for the whole performance, alternating between and sharing singing duties on each other's songs.

Rob designed and programmed the lighting for songs written by Peter Gabriel - with the occasional song being performed by Sting. He commented, "The Vista showed strength as a team player. Working closely with Danny Nolan, Sting's LD, we alternated songs and consoles. What could have been a control nightmare was

USA - Rock band O.A.R. recently wrapped their summer tour with a lighting package provided by Bandit Lites. The tour coincided with the band's 20th anniversary complete with a double compilation album entitled XX released 5 August.

Tour manager and lighting designer Chris Wrightsman evoked the double 'X' symbol within the look of the show creating a truss design of two interlocked X's. VL 2500s and MAC 2000s spread throughout the rig, providing maximum coverage and tight shots, and coupled with ACL floor bars placed upstage of the riser line, four cell mole lights in front of the riser line and four restored old time fresnels for side glow, the result was a production that was unique and memorable.

"We wanted to create a great "big arena" concert experience in smaller venues, specific to OAR, and emphasize on the band's history," Wrightsman explained.

Bandit als

UK - Event technical production solution specialist PR Live supplied large format projection - using a combination of their new d3 server and six Christie 20K high powered projectors - which was applied to the side of a large house as the finale for an exclusive private party in the UK.

PR Live's Dave Gillett led the team, designed the projection system and applied his experience in the specialist area of projection mapping which caught guests' attention as they exited a big marquee that was erected in the garden for the event.

PR Live also commissioned the custom video content for the four-minute looped show, created by artist Jack Beccegato, which was mapped to the 30m wide by 8.5m high side for the house.

The projection surface involved a number of bay windows, decorative brickwork and a raised surfaces at different depths, all of which had to be taken into consider

France - In July, Paris hosted the Japan Expo, a full-scale video game show dedicated to the Japanese culture.

Square Enix, a Japanese video game company best known for developing role-playing video games such as Final Fantasy was one of the major exhibitors. For the audiovisual design of the booth, Square Enix contracted NEXXT France, a young French company that provides audiovisual services through innovative solutions. In the middle of the 550m² booth, NEXXT France put a 30m² LED wall and two LCD side screens above the main stage which was intended for host conferences and signing sessions.

Marc Gloria, CEO of NEXXT France, explains the concept of the booth, "The LED screen was the main element of the booth. No one could miss it. Our client wanted visitors to test games and watch live demos on a large display."

To feed the screens, Marc Gloria chose the Eikos², a

USA - Many of baseball's legends have experienced butterflies in their stomachs the first time they entered the colossus that is Yankee Stadium. Apparently so too do country music superstars. "I'm nervous as hell," Garth Brooks, the best-selling solo album artist in the history of the US, said at a press conference before his two-night performance at the fabled ballpark.

Brooks needn't have worried. From the moment he began his set with Ain't Goin' Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up), he captivated the New York crowd with the raw power, enthusiasm and heartfelt country passion of his performance. Keeping pace with Brooks as he led the sell-out crowd through singalongs and romped around a massive circular runway, was a high octane lightshow created by Robert Peterson of Real World Lighting with a stage rig supplied by Bandit Lites that included Rogue RH1 Hybrids from Chauvet Pr

USA - Ben Rector's career is a textbook case of what the new music industry landscape looks like: a sea of independent musicians touring and working hard to break through public consciousness when up against major label-backed artists. The Tulsa-born, Nashville-based Rector has put out seven albums on his own indie label, Aptly Named Recordings, selling over 450,000 albums and four million singles in nearly a decade - a considerable accomplishment for an indie artist.

Jake Hartsfield, Rector's FOH engineer and production manager, has added a new tool in Rector's road ki,t helping him perform in that crowded field that is the music business: a compact pair of DiGiCo SD9 digital consoles, used for FOH and monitors. The DiGiCo SD9s give Rector and Hartsfield the power and performance to help stand out on the road, plus the economic effectiveness to stay out there profitably.

Canada - CBC's Studio 42 at Maison Radio-Canada in Montréal is to Canadian television what a legendary room like Studio 8H in Rockefeller Centre is to US broadcasting history. Coincidentally first opened 42 years ago, the flagship studio has been used for countless awards ceremonies, talk shows, concerts and other live-event programmes over its four-plus decades.

Earlier this year, Le Studio, as it's known to millions of Canadians, underwent a significant technical upgrade. Included in that was a new L-Acoustics ARCS WiFo, sound system for Studio 42's audience seating, which Radio-Canada systems designer Michel Desjardins first heard at AES 2015 in New York City.

Designed by Radio-Canada's technical service team and installed by Solotech, the new sound system comprises one L-Acoustics ARCS Focus enclosure plus one ARCS Wide flown under two SB18 subwoofers per side,

UK - You Say You Want a Revolution? Records and Rebels 1966 - 1970 is a brand-new exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum that explores the era-defining significance and impact of the late 1960s. The era is relived though photography, posters, music, film, fashion and artefacts in this immersive exhibition which draws connections on the way we live today. Having a long-lasting relationship with the V & A Museum, White Light was called upon to provide the creative and production support for the exhibition's launch.

Bethan Garland, senior museum events manager at the V & A Museum, comments, "This is one of this year's biggest exhibitions so we wanted to make sure it received the launch it deserved. This meant capturing the spirit of the exhibition whilst remaining sensitive to the building."

Richard Stirzaker, WL's creative producer, comments, "We were approached

UK - Live audio specialist tube UK enjoyed the sun and the great vibes at the 2016 Ramsbottom Festival for which the company designed and supplied d&b sound systems for the main and second stages.

The boutique, family-friendly three-day event is staged in the picturesque Lancashire town of Ramsbottom which runs alongside the River Irwell nestled in an attractive Pennine valley. The event features a vibrant mix of music, food and artistic / creative engagements, and this year the main stage headliners were Public Service Broadcasting, former Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes and Fun Lovin' Criminals.

tube - along with Manchester based lighting company dbn - has been involved in the Ramsbottom Festival since it started in 2011, when they were asked on-board by production manager Roy Fernley.

This year for the first time tube also supplied a PA the second Smaller Spaces sta

USA - The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is a Smithsonian Institution museum. Located on the National Mall, it has close to 37,000 objects in its collection related to such subjects as community, family, the arts, religion, civil rights, slavery, and segregation.

The museum opened 24 September 2016 in a ceremony led by U.S. President Barack Obama. As part of the grand opening festivities, the Freedom Sounds show - a concert featuring The Roots, Public Enemy, and Living Colour - took place before a huge audience. To provide sound reinforcement, loudspeakers from the Aero Series 2 and Road Series catalogues of Valencia, Spain-based D.A.S. Audio were placed into service.

Audio & Light of Greensboro, NC, a full service A/V design, installation, and production company, was contracted to handle sound services for the event. Company president Jim

Poland - Allen & Heath's Qu-Pac digital rack mixer has been installed in the new COS sports complex, constructed as a training centre for Poland's Olympic athletes.

Situated in Zakopane, the centre comprises a 46m x 28m hall, 15m climbing wall, running track, gym, judo training room, wrestling training room and fitness hall. The venue was recently opened by the Minister of Sport & Tourism, and top Polish athletes, cross country skier, Justyna Kowalczyk and ski jumper, Kamil Stoch.

Zakopane-based installer, Future Tech, installed the sound reinforcement system, which manages sources such as, microphones for announcements and coaches' commentaries, and music playlists.

"Qu-Pac is at the heart of the sound system," explains Marcin S?odyczka, owner of Future Tech. "The great thing about this compact mixer is it provides independent control of seven zones, and EQ and dynami

Norway, The Concert Hall in Oslo has installed the largest console to leave the Audient factory. Delivered in September, the 48 channel ASP8024-HE Heritage Edition comes with all the trimmings, including patchbay, Dual Layer Control (DLC) and producers' desk. With nine bays, it's officially the largest Heritage Edition ever made.

"We were looking for an analogue console that doesn't lie," says production manager, Jan Olsen Skare, explaining their decision. "Obviously the room has to 'help' the music, but we wanted the console to have a true dynamic and good preamps." When introduced to the Audient brand by Norwegian distributor, Prolyd, he wasn't disappointed. "The mic pres are so quiet and respond amazingly. The EQs are just wonderful and very accurate; I've never heard anything sound this good."

Launched earlier this year, Heritage Edition is billed as the 'definitive ve

UK - Setsquare Staging worked with Star Events and Bright Bricks to build a fully functional scale model of Tower Bridge, clad in a record 5,805, 846 pieces of Lego, for the Land Rover Discovery 5 launch at Packington Hall, near the manufacturer's Solihull plant.

Delivered by creative agency Imagination, the event was designed around the seven seat Discovery's family and adventure priorities, action man Bear Grylls descending from a helicopter to place the final brick on the structure.

Twelve months in the planning, the Tower Bridge model had to lift and support two Land Rover Discoveries while Ben Ainslie, the most successful sailor in Olympic history, drove his team underneath, pulling a Lego replica of their Land Rover BAR racing boat.

John O'Gorman, director of Setsquare Staging, comments, "Our relationship with Imagination has been getting stronger over the years

UK - A Jands Vista console was at the heart of Fall Out Boy's headline performances at the recent Reading and Leeds Festival main stages.

The Chicago band have spent the past decade working their way up the festivals' bill, and their strikingly visual performances on the consecutive nights, created by production designer Robb Jibson, garnered rave reviews in the media.

Robb, who also helms Chicago-based So Midwest Inc which provided the Vista control package, has been touring extensively with the band, and the Leeds and Reading shows were the culmination of the 18-month American Beauty/American Psycho album cycle. The custom setup, which has accompanied him throughout, consists of a Vista S3 control surface run on OSX via two Mac Minis with stacking dongles, providing an active/backup system with the footprint of just one desk and a total of 16 cores of i7 processin

USA - Lighting designer Zach Bunner admits that some of his LD brethren might think that designing an arena tour for a two-time Grammy winner "without a rig full of beams and profile fixtures" would limit the looks of a show.

However, Bunner proved otherwise by creating an intimate and immersive club-like feeling at venues from The Forum in Los Angeles to Madison Square Garden with a rig that relied heavily on the Rogue R2 Wash and STRIKE 4 multi formatted fixture from Chauvet Professional.

Bunner of Showtime Sound worked his magic on the just-concluded Louis C.K. summer tour. The comedian-actor-director, who has won six Emmys and a Peabody Award in addition to his pair of Grammys, wanted a lightshow that engendered the feeling of a comedy club or small theater, despite his tour's outsized venues. Aerial washing from the Rogue R2s was instrumental in creating this environm

UK - Creative technical production expert Hawthorn is continuing to expand its video department and increase its presence in the dry hire sector with a recent investment in d3 server technology.

Due to an increasing demand for projection mapping and large-scale content, Hawthorn has added four d3 4x4pro media servers to its already extensive hire inventory, representing an investment of £200,000.

The d3 4

USA - In its continuing support of arts education, ETC is once again giving six students who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the fields of lighting design and stage technology an exclusive opportunity for professional development.

As recipients of ETC's annual LDI Student Sponsorship, the students will enjoy an all-expenses-paid trip to the LDI tradeshow, a full conference pass to experience the newest technology and benefit from LDI seminars and trainings, and the chance to network with professionals throughout the industry at special events.

ETC will match the Student Sponsorship recipients with industry luminaries who serve as mentors - giving advice, inspiration and support to the students as they embark on their careers. The 2016 ETC LDI students are:

Ben Clark - Currently a graduate student studying technical design and production at the Yale School

The Netherlands - The latest in Talpa Media's string of hit TV talent shows is about to hit the screens this autumn when The Next Boy / Girl Band is broadcast by SBS6.

The imaginative stage set has been lit by Light-H-Art designer Bas de Vries and his assistant, programmer Joost Wijgers.

Having collaborated on a number of similar TV talent shows for Talpa in the past, including The Voice, Dance Dance Dance and It Takes Two, the two men this time turned to 12 of GLP's GT-1 hybrid Spot / Beam to dominate the set, which has been built at the giant Studio 24 on the Media Park in Hilversum.

"We got to test a GT-1 when we were recording Dance Dance Dance and thought it would be a great fit for The Next Boy / Girl Band," admits Joost.

The show itself is recorded in front of a live audience. The main elements of the scenography are

Belgium - Held in the aptly-named Belgian town of Boom, Tomorrowland is one of the biggest electronic music festivals on the planet. The 2016 event attracted 60,000 people on each of three days in July, with almost 600 cabinets of L-Acoustics loudspeakers specified for no less than eight areas, including the huge Main Stage.

The system is owned by Phlippo Productions, an L-Acoustics partner for the past four years, who also supplied eight technicians for the build. Design for the audio systems was by Noizboyz, a group of freelance audio technicians who specialise in live sound for electronic dance music (EDM). They have specified L-Acoustics systems for Tomorrowland since they first became involved with the festival in 2011.

"Back then we started with a V-DOSC / SB218 rig. With the arrival of K1 we changed it to K1 / SB28 and this year we upgraded the main systems to KS28

USA - With over four million records sold in the US, a Grammy nomination, and songs on soundtracks for hits like Game of Thrones to their credit, heavy metal masters Killswitch Engage have achieved much. Seventeen years after their founding, the band from Westfield, Massachusetts continue to push the musical envelope out a little further with each passing show.

This passion for defying comfortable expectations is shared by the band's lighting designer Freddy Thompson of JDI Productions. Working on the group's current tour in support of their album Incarnate, Thompson tore up his old playbook and rewrote the rules to come up with a lightshow that matches his client's evermore ferocious sound with an explosive mix of fresh new looks. Key to helping him accomplish this feat is a collection of eight Rogue R1 FX-B fixtures from Chauvet Professional that he added to th

Belgium - Founded in 1985 by youth organization, the Young Humanists of Leopoldsburg, Pukkelpop started life as a small, local music event before evolving into the huge three-day outdoor festival that it is today. This year, the festival organisers asked Total-e event support specialists to supply audio, lighting and room control for their extensive VIP/Press area. Total-e immediately suggested a Liviau S from Apex.

Held just outside the city of Hasselt in Belgium, the Pukkelpop now attracts some 180,000 festival-goers over the three days. A festival with a distinctly alternative flavour, the event is not just about music - the Baraque Futur space hosts a variety of lectures and discussions all focused around the theme of sustainability - although if it's music you're looking for, with ten stages to choose from, visitors won't be disappointed.

The VIP area for such a major

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