Designed from the ground up for live music, the 14,000 sq ft. venue occupies the same location that iconic Scottsdale nightclub Axis/Radius did for 16 years. Les Corieri, owner of Evening Entertainment Group, shut down the club last summer to make way for the 1,100-guest live entertainment destination.
Adrian de Pamphilis, owner of audio, visual and lighting systems company Fyxx Entertainment of Canoga Park, California, was contracted to custom-design a dynamic lighting and video system for Livewire and chose to combine Elation Platinum Series moving heads and LED lighting fixtures with high resolution LED video displays made up of 4mm pixel pitch Elation EZ4 LED panels.
For owner Les Corieri, quality of product was important as Livewire is clearly designed as a professional live music venue. Yet service was a key factor in his decision to go with Elation as well. According to Adrian, his experience with manufacturer support with Axis/Radius was subpar and at Livewire he wanted to avoid those problems.
"The deal was really sold on the service aspect," states Adrian, who stresses Elation's service advantage over Chinese manufacturers and even an East Coast based location. "That was very important. Les wanted only one vendor to deal with, a single call, local, easy and convenient. Although the quality of the Elation product is as good as the more expensive brands, they know failure will eventually happen with such a large rig and the possibility to have a product shipped overnight with no drama was priceless. Quality and service, Elation has both."
Livewire is a sleek two-story space that includes classy features like upscale bars and a VIP lounge with a décor that features dramatic design elements like a sweeping EZ4 LED screen wrapped around the venue's three-sided mezzanine.
Elation EZ4 LED panels feature in three other areas of the venue as well. A 20' x 16' EZ4 LED screen is used for backdrop visuals at the back of the stage while a 10' x 6' EZ4 LED screen fronts the DJ booth when top DJs take the stage, creating a layered video effect. In a smart example of flexible design, when not needed the LED screen can detach from the front of the DJ booth and be mounted above the dance floor on a center circle truss. The final LED video element can also be found on the circle truss where individual EZ4 panels encircle the truss as a 360 degree LED video centerpiece.
Lighting wise, a mix of Elation Platinum and Rayzor Series moving heads, both discharge and LED based, along with LED strips, blinders, panels and strobes, give acts any kind of look they could ask for. Mounted on both an upstage and downstage truss are powerful Platinum Wash 16R Pro and Platinum Spot 5R Pro moving heads while gracing a mid-truss are Platinum Beam 5R Extremes along with LED-based Platinum Wash ZFX Pro's, Platinum Spot LED IIs, Rayzor Beam 2Rs and EPAR Tri's. On a downstage truss and used to cover the audience in color and blinder effects are Cuepix Panels, Cuepix Blinders and Rayzor Q12 Zoom LED wash lights.
A barrage of colorful atmospheric haze and fog effects are provided by Antari Z-1520 RGB Foggers, Antari M-7 Multi-Position Foggers with Color, and an Antari F-7 SMAZE Arena Fog/Faze Hybrid. Adrian praises the water-based machines for their lack of oil residue, which keeps the lights cleaner and maintenance low.
(Jim Evans)
