Lighting

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02 July 2025

Germany - At the beginning of 2025, Patrick Rabus was tasked with handling the production design for a tour by Tim Kamrad, a young pop artist who is increasingly attracting attention with his electronic sounds and strong stage presence.

For almost the first month, Kamrad toured medium-sized venues in Germany. “The venues were deliberately kept intimate, but Tim’s presence has grown considerably since then – not least thanks to [his appearance as judge on German TV series] The Voice of Germany,” explains Rabus. “It wasn’t about appearing bigger than we are, but rather about shaping the stage in a way that does justice to his artistic ambitions and increased awareness – with depth, dramatic precision and moments of surprise.”

A key element of the design was a custom-made frame, accentuated with LED strips, that visually marked

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02 July 2025

USA - Christian radio station WJTL returned to Cherry Crest Adventure Farm near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on 17 May for WJTL Fest – ‘a day filled with inspiring music, fun activities, and uplifting moments’. Stray Production Services brought its new Paragon LED profile luminaires for the event, and Stray’s Jon Boyer handled the lighting design.

“Because the event is outside on a mobile stage, during the day, and without haze, I needed a fixture punchy enough to make an impact but also diverse enough that I could create an artistic show,” Boyer stated. “It proved an ideal event for our new Paragon fixtures.”

As Stray’s outdoor event roster continues to grow, the company invested in the multi-award-winning Paragon M earlier this spring, choosing it as the new workhorse fixture for indoor and outdoor productions.

“Som

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02 July 2025

Europe - ETC has announced the new RigPOV camera accessory option, compatible with multiple automated luminaires from ETC. The RigPOV camera attaches directly to a fixture, streaming live video from the rig to Eos v3.3 and other third-party control solutions.

Automated lighting product manager Matt Stoner says, “With RigPOV, users get a new point of view from their rig. This view of the stage helps inform the design process, while reducing the need to operate heavy machinery in the rafters or constantly run up and down stairs to see the stage from the balcony.”

RigPOV uses NDI technology for reliable video streaming and low latency. Compatibility with Eos v3.3 as well as third-party manufacturers makes RigPOV an ideal tool for programming as well as remote followspot operation.

Customers can now place a fixture order for High End Systems

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02 July 2025

USA - Phoenix Fan Fusion three-day event drew a record-setting crowd of over 130,000 fans who filled the Phoenix Convention Centre to the rafters. John Garberson and his 30-person team at Creative BackStage set up the lighting, sound, and video for two general session rooms and 30 breakout rooms.

“Set up took three days, but we were able to strike the event in five hours, thanks to our awesome team, which included Matthew Breg, L1/ board op; Tyler Coan L2; Michael Morse L2; and Maxine Kichler rigging,” said Garberson. “There was a lot of coordination involved in doing this quickly and efficiently.”

In keeping with this mission, Garberson took steps to save time throughout the set-up process. For example, he decided it was cheaper and faster to bring in a self-climbing roof system, rather than fly the production for the big rooms. He explained

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01 July 2025

Czech Republic - The Rock For People music festival celebrated its 30th anniversary in style with an impressive five-day event, an all-star lineup and an expanded capacity of 50,000 which saw a fully sold-out audience flock to the Park 360 site in Hradec Králové – a former military airfield dating back to the 1930s – approximately 100k east of Prague.

Technical production – lighting, audio, video, rigging – for the main KB and Tesco stages, plus the Europa 2 tent, as well as a number of smaller stages, was supplied by leading Czech rental company T Servis, which included over 300 Robe moving lights, around 75% of the total moving lights they brought to site.

Headliners included Slipknot, Linkin Park and Guns N’ Roses – the latter playing an extra show on day five – together with other rousing and standout performances by favo

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01 July 2025

South Africa - Lighting designer Oliver Hauser first saw Joseph in 2017, and he recalls leaving the theatre humming its melodies long after the final curtain. The spirited score and choreography, intertwined with themes of hope and forgiveness, struck a chord.

Eight years later, he had the opportunity to light the 57-year-old musical himself, collaborating with Pieter Toerien and LAMTA on a fresh production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - directed by Anton Luitingh and Duane Alexander at Theatre on the Bay, Camps Bay, running until 13 July 2025.

“The sheer joy of working with such a fantastic cast and production team was what made it for me,” says Oliver Hauser from HLDesign, who jumped at the opportunity when Niall Griffin, responsible for the set and costumes, reached out

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30 June 2025

UK - With less than a month to go, the Fete stalls, Manor House and karting teams are all sold out, and Backup Tech’s Fabulous Village Fete is shaping up to truly live up to its name.

The Parish Council judges (LSi’s Claire Beeson, Stewart Hume from TPi, Chris Barratt from AAA, ABTT’s Elysia Moore and PLASA’s Peter Heath) are sharpening their pencils and refining their taste buds to pick the Best Fete Stall, Best Dressed Fete’r, Best Fete Stall Game, the Cake Off and Veg Off, plus winners will be declared for the Catching Flies (fly fishing) and Pheasant Shooting competitions.

There’s also the chance to enter the DJ Off, which is being held in memory of DJ Adam Fabulous and will be judged by DJ Asad, who will also be taking to the decks to entertain Fete-goers throughout the afternoon. Taking us into the early evening will be Fab Cab’s

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30 June 2025

USA - Speaking Rock Entertainment Centre has raised the bar for outdoor live entertainment in El Paso, Texas by installing a cutting-edge Elation lighting rig for its new outdoor stage. A cornerstone of the community’s live entertainment scene, the venue now features a 100% Elation lighting system designed to meet the demands of high-profile touring acts and large audiences.

Owned and operated by the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo (Tigua Indians), Speaking Rock is renowned for offering free live music performances, even for big-name artists like Cypress Hill, Incubus, and Rieleros del Norte, where crowds exceeded 20,000. With a commitment to community access and premier performances, Speaking Rock is a cultural hub for music, entertainment, and celebration in the American Southwest.

Speaking Rock previously held events using its own non-IP-rated lighting bu

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30 June 2025

Canada - Claypaky lighting, including Arolla Profile HPs, A.leda B-EYE K20s and Mini-Bs, comprised the bulk of the fixtures illuminating Gala Dynastie 2025 at Montreal’s Théâtre Maisonneuve at Place des Arts. Omnison in Montreal supplied the luminaires to lighting designer Steve Wary of SW Design Lumière for the televised awards ceremony, which celebrated black excellence across Quebec's arts, media and cultural sectors.

“Gala Dynastie has been held every year for the past nine years, and the production has grown and the resources have evolved over that time,” notes Wary. “The creative aspect is very important to this event. Beyond the more conventional moments of an awards ceremony, there is always a big introductory show interspersed with several performances by artists. A live band is also present on stage throughout the eveni

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30 June 2025

The Netherlands - Cpunt (CPoint) is a multi-purpose venue with several performance spaces in Hoofddorp right at the beating cultural heart of Haarlemmermeer in the Netherlands, just outside Amsterdam. Complete with two concert halls, a theatre, a flexible studio space and a library, it buzzes with a lively entertainment programme including theatre, music, art and various related workshops.

Lighting for the main of the two ‘popodium’ music spaces has recently been upgraded presenting an opportunity to get new moving lights onboard, which saw the addition of more Robe fixtures, a popular combination of eight LEDBeam 350s, 18 x Paintes and eight TetraX moving lights, all delivered by Robe’s Benelux distributor, Controllux.

Cpunt’s chief LX, Myron de Jong, has been working at the venue on and off for around 15 years, starting as a volunteer when

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27 June 2025

USA - It is one of the most distinctive stage backdrops on the outdoor touring circuit in North America. A trio of 300m year old monoliths called Ship Rock, Creation Rock and Stage Rock tower over the stages at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, reflecting red because of the iron oxides inside them, and making this venue a very special place.

Designers regularly make sure to incorporate this distinctive geological feature into their light shows whenever their clients appear here.

Fans who turned out to catch the show by EDM titans ATLiens at Red Rocks on Saturday 17 May couldn’t see the famous rock formation during their performance due to the size (36ft trim) of the stage. Instead of gazing at the familiar prehistoric background, they got to be immersed in a fantastical galactic experience, as a big video wall, along with intense variations in light, lasers,

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27 June 2025

Singapore - Stage 4 AV, a busy rental and technical production supplier working primarily in the high-end corporate, social and lifestyle sectors, has recently invested in Astera QuikSpot wireless LED spotlights, with the purchase of 24 fixtures from Singapore distributor, Total Solution Marketing.

These were added to the company’s general lighting rental inventory because they were “the right product for our markets,” explains S. Ramesh, Stage 4 AV’s managing director, who is also responsible for equipment procurement and key client management.

Ramesh specifically wanted luminaires that looked neat and elegant and could be used effectively for tasks like illuminating tables at a gala dinner event and in scenarios where they could be deployed quickly and accurately and run without any light spillage.

QuikSpot was specifically devised

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27 June 2025

Germany - The Beatsteaks, one of Germany’s most successful punk rock bands, have been out on their Please tour, in support of the album of the same name, since spring 2024. This tour has continued in 2025.

Lighting designer Joanna Ossolinska, who has worked with the band for several years, developed a completely new lighting concept for the tour – with some deliberate references to previous tours. The characteristic line of light and the Viennese curtain as a backdrop have long been part of the Beatsteaks’ DNA and needed to be retained.

The goal was to create a flexible setup that would accommodate both the highly variable set list and the logistical requirements. At the same time, it was important to capture the band’s signature style.

“The Beatsteaks have always preferred a stage design without traditional spotlights, gob

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27 June 2025

UK - Tribute band Queen Extravaganza’s latest tour celebrated the 50th anniversary of Queen’s seminal Bohemian Rhapsody. Providing an appropriately lavish setting for this celebratory tour was a production created by Rick Lipson of Stu Fish, who designed the set, and lighting designer Rob Sinclair.

Ensuring that the concert production continued to deliver dynamic and colourful looks on a consistent basis as the tour made its way from one sold-out venue to the next was Jason Hyne, who ran the one-track time-coded show (with some cue stacks), on his own ChamSys MagicQ MQ250M Stadium Console. The flexibility of that console was invaluable in helping him scale the show to different venues.

“We worked at a lot of different sized venues on the tour, which is always a challenge, but it keeps it interesting when you need to make the show fit i

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27 June 2025

Europe - The newest addition to Elation’s Fuze series, the Fuze PFX, brings all the power and versatility of a multi-purpose automated fixture - now in a compact footprint. Designed to deliver serious output and feature-rich flexibility in a smaller package, the Fuze PFX is designed for both production and installation environments where space and performance matter.

For applications that demand a high-output, multifunctional light, the Fuze PFX combines the precision of a profile fixture with the creative potential of an effects light. It delivers over 15,000 lumens of output and can handle everything from tight beams and precise framing to expansive washes.

Despite its feature-packed design and powerful 400W white LED engine, the Fuze PFX maintains a compact and lightweight form factor, making it an ideal choice for venues where rigging space is

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26 June 2025

Canada - Vertus Group, a division of Jonas Software, has acquired CAST Group of Companies.

CAST is an Emmy award-winning developer of software and hardware solutions for the entertainment, special events, and meetings industries. Its flagship products include the industry-leading WYSIWYG lighting design and pre-visualisation suite, and the real-time tracking platform, BlackTrax. These tools have earned the trust of top professionals around the world to design and execute complex productions with precision and impact.

“After more than 30 years of building, growing, inventing, and leading CAST, it was time to pass on the torch,” said Gilray Densham, founder of CAST. “We found the perfect home in Vertus Group. They will continue our legacy and drive the company forward through innovation, the very thing that makes CAST an industry leader.”

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26 June 2025

UK - The ABTT Theatre Show 2025 attracted increased visitor numbers, record-breaking engagement and international draw.

There were over 3,200 people on the show floor this year, making the ABTT Theatre Show at Alexandra Palace busier than ever. With a 15.6% increase in unique attendees, a 16% increase in revisits on Day 2, this year’s event confirmed its growing importance as a central hub for live performance professionals.

The show welcomed over 200 global brands, featured a vigorous seminar programme, and hosted hands-on workshops led by renowned industry figures – all aimed at advancing careers, showcasing innovation and facilitating powerful new connections. 

ABTT CEO Liz Sillett commented: “My first ABTT Theatre Show as CEO was a whirlwind of excitement and brilliance. The buzz was incredible, coming from such a talented and insp

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25 June 2025

Germany - The Ehrlich Brothers have been delighting a wide audience with their spectacular live shows for over a decade. Their new production, Diamonds, premiered in mid-November in Dortmund’s Westfalenhalle before visiting the largest arenas in Germany, where they have been presenting the best of their most popular illusions. With the help of lighting and stage technology, the successful magician duo is once again setting standards in the live entertainment world.

Thomas Gerdon (Gerdon Design) is once again responsible for the production design. He and his team have been accompanying the Ehrlich Brothers on their tours since 2019. For the Diamonds tour, Gerdon developed a new concept that intensifies the essence of magic through light. “If you have seen illusions before, it is all the more important to present them visually in a new an

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25 June 2025

Saudi Arabia - Luminex kicked off the festival season at the inaugural edition of A Thousand and One, Riyadh’s newest large-scale music festival.

Across five distinct stages, Qafilah, Sahaab, Bizar Bazar, Bustan, and Qasr, the festival hosted both world-class DJs and rising stars. Colour Sound Experiment provided complete lighting, video, and control solutions for all stages, backed by robust and intelligent networking infrastructure.

Each stage relies on a dependable network backbone built around Luminex GigaCore switches. Every stage has multiple racks: FOH, stage left, stage right – all connected via GigaCore switches’ ISL ports. Using Luminex’s RLinkX feature, the team created a redundant ring network with ultra-fast recovery, ensuring automatic fallback in case of link failure.

Each stage was routed to a dedicated backup

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25 June 2025

USA - “I just tried to play something that felt like home,” the legendary flat picking guitarist Doc Watson told the Country Music Hall of Fame when looking back on his career. The seven-time Grammy Award winner likely would have been very pleased to see what was happening this year at the 37th annual MerleFest, the Americana music festival honouring his memory.

The music played at the festival – which is named after Doc’s late son and fellow musician Merle Watson – was warm, witty, inviting, and heartfelt, the kind of sound that makes anyone feel right at home, especially when it’s played in North Carolina’s beautiful hill country.

Enhancing this atmosphere at the festival’s famed Doc and Merle Watson main stage and two other sites at the four-day event were inviting, richly textured and colourful lightshows designed by Nehe

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25 June 2025

Europe - Ultimo Sharpy is the next in Claypaky’s established series, a compact IP66-rated beam moving head, purpose-built for the most demanding environments, productions, and expectations. It carries the legacy of the original Sharpy into a new era – faster, brighter and tougher than ever before.

With its power-to-size ratio, advanced optics, and fast, true CMY colour mixing, it delivers impressive mid-air effects, infinite motion, and absolute precision. Whether on the biggest stage, under the harshest conditions, or inside a tightly cued broadcast, Ultimo Sharpy performs with effortless brilliance.

At the heart of Ultimo Sharpy lies a new 250W ultra-high performance short-arc lamp, designed for maximum output and sustainability. Delivering 100,000 lux at 20m (over 9,300 fc at 65ft), it packs the punch of much larger fixtures – all while keep

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24 June 2025

Spain - The popular Circlassica show returned to Madrid for the 2024-2025 season staged in the IFEMA Madrid big white tent, with a new edition, Circlassica, la historia mundial continúa (Circlassica, the world story continues), produced by Productores de Sonrisas and lit by Juanjo Llorens who once again sprinkled some of his illuminative magic on the action.

Juanjo has a penchant for spectacularly lighting high-octane, high-impact circus-style performance shows and this was no exception, so he reached into the toolbox for Robe moving lights, using 40 × LEDBeam 150s, 22 × Spiiders, 20 × MegaPointes, 16 × LEDBeam 350 and 14 × Esprites.

These were all picked for their multifunctionality. “I took advantage of numerous features on all these fixture types,” explained Juanjo, “power, different types of looks and lenses

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24 June 2025

USA - Hip-hop artist Ja Rule is touring North America with an electrifying visual show that uses Elation’s Proteus Rayzor Blade as a multi-dimensional lighting effect. In the capable hands of Shepherd Lowrey of Cactus Creative Studio, the powerful linear LED fixture supports an entertaining show that combines raw energy and futuristic flair with reflective appreciation.

SLX Productions provides lighting, scenic fabrication and design engineering for the tour, with Lowrey serving as production designer, creative producer and lighting designer. Lowrey also created much of the show’s content. He and SLX principal Ariel Afar have collaborated on past high-profile projects, including a Jon Batiste performance at Coachella 2024 in which Afar introduced Lowrey to the Proteus Rayzor Blade. Since then, the fixture has been a staple of his designs.

“The

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23 June 2025

USA - The Alamodome has been a cultural landmark in San Antonio since opening its doors in 1993. Designed as a versatile community hub, it has hosted a vast array of local, regional, and international events for more than three decades. Now, thanks to a visionary lighting project, the venue is entering a new era.

The new lighting installation was a collaborative effort between Mega-Lite and ISI City Smart Lights, combining expertise and innovation to bring the Alamodome’s exterior to life.

Lighting artists and designers Eduardo Orozco Sr. and Eduardo Orozco Jr. led the design, selecting the advanced Outshine Q500, an IP-rated fixture featuring 48 powerful LEDs, 16-bit dimming, and smooth colour transitions for stunning visual effects. 60 units were strategically placed around the building’s perimeter, creating a vibrant 50ft wash that dramaticall