UK - Availing himself of lighting tools that would have been unimaginable in the 1980’s, Ollie Wilkinson, on behalf of Arranpaul Audio, created a continuous flow of evocative and colourful looks reminiscent of the big hair neon era for the recent Music In the Park festival in Leyland. “It was wonderful to be able to evoke ‘80s retro looks with modern LED technology,” he said. “We supported each band visually in a way that reflected the essence of their music.”
Helping Wilkinson create these looks were 22 Maverick MK2 Spot, and 16 Rogue R2 Wash fixtures from Chauvet Professional. Using various monochromatic palettes, he was able to award each band with their own distinctive ‘80s shimmer.
“Because I knew the music of each band so well, it was very enjoyable to come up with various unique looks for all of them on stage,” commented Wilkinson. “T

Italy - Vasco Rossi returned to live performance action this year with his Vasco Live 2022 stadium tour which played 11 venues around Italy all of which were completely sold out.
The production was run to strict Covid guidelines with a goal of keeping the environment safe and ensuring that the show could go on, as the latest variants of the virus demonstrated that they are still capable of causing havoc, the consequences of which no large tour wants to deal with.
Lighting designer Giovanni Pinna chose nearly 300 Robe moving lights to be the heart, soul, and backbone of the rig, with MegaPointes, Spiiders and LEDBeam 150s.
A 71m-wide stage and over 1000sq.m of video in Gio Forma studio’s set concept offered up a fresh new variation of the epic high-impact widescreen aesthetic that Vasco loves for presenting his live work.
Giovanni based the structural e

UK - On stand B34 at this year’s PLASA Show, TechLED’s will showcase the latest must-have effects lighting ranges from Abstract Lighting alongside the innovative Desk Dough product that enables a projector to act as an intelligent lighting fixture. TechLED specialises in the supply of robust and reliable effects lighting products for the price-conscious installer or rental company.
The TechLED stand will platform the attention-grabbing Candi Blox unit from Abstract. Candi Blox delivers one of the most sought after looks of the moment via a five-by-five array of high performance, mix-at-source, multi-chip LEDs. Configured as a central array of 25 LEDs with an edge halo effect surround featuring a further 20 LEDs, Abstract’s Candi Blox is a 200mm x 192mm ‘square’, IP-20-rated, RBGW LED lighting system. Precision manufactured in the UK, the Blox is robust as well as e

USA – Like some ancient deity of the underworld, Quintillian Speakers are shrouded in mystery. Even readers engrossed in the Vaxis 2 story, from which they sprang, know little about this ancient race of beings, other than that they are made of energy, and can turn up anywhere - even at this summer’s Coheed and Cambria tour across North America.
The band’s frontman Claudio Sanchez conjured up these ‘enigmatic entities’ as part of The Amory Wars, an ongoing series of science fiction comic books and novels he created. His vision is brought to life on the group’s current tour, not just through its thematic music, but also by a commanding 27ft tall inflatable rendition of a Quintillian Speaker.
Animating this impressive figure on the tour, and endowing it with a distinct persona, while also reflecting its power to transmit energy, is a bold and colourful

Europe - It’s less than 10 months until Showlight 2023 and preparations are gathering pace for this premier networking event. This will be the first in-person Showlight for six years and excitement is building rapidly as plans are made and diaries blocked out.
Exhibitor stand bookings are underway with many confirmations already in place. The first exhibitors will be announced in the coming weeks. Those who wish to exhibit should contact John Allen at the soonest opportunity as places are limited and allocated on a first come, first served basis. Don’t miss your chance to be an integral part of Showlight 2023!
There are plenty of opportunities to become a Showlight sponsor – whether you choose to exhibit or not. Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsorships exist alongside specific sponsorship for aspects such as hospitality, transport, welcome drinks, speakers or student

USA - When Coldplay performed a sold-out show in Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena last October, lighting designer Sooner Routhier of Sooner Rae Creative used 64 Claypaky Xtylos luminaires that dazzled the audience. The fixtures were the centrepiece of her design for the show that ringed a massive circular truss mounted over the stage.
The stand-alone concert, presented by Amazon Music and live streamed worldwide on Amazon, was part of a global promotional tour of single shows in support of the band’s ninth studio album, Music of the Spheres.
For the ambitious Seattle show, Routhier and her team “essentially created a full-size arena production for a 20-plus-camera, global live broadcast with three days on site and five days of previs,” she points out. “It really does come down to the team; it’s a massive collaborative effort to get something like that

UK - CPL co-ordinated and delivered staging, sound, video, lighting and other associated BTS (behind the scenes) infrastructure to Tropic Fest, a two-day festival style event staged in the grounds of the historic Chillington Hall in Staffordshire.
CPL was working for production company Pandora Events and their end client, Tropic Skincare with a team led by Lee Gruszeckyj. They asked Star Events onboard to supply the 15m orbit stage on which all the performance action took place.
The sound, lighting and video production design was based on the requirements of several artist riders from a lively line-up that included acts like Rob da Bank, Our Girl G, Queenz, Mr Motivator, Air Guitar Band, Magic of Marley, Twinnie, the Strictly Come Dancing Band with headliners Gok Wan, Bjorn Again and the Ministry of Sound Disco. This mixed line up meant that flexibility was essential

USA - Rental house Main Light has added Elation Professional’s new Fuze MAX Spot LED moving head to its growing inventory of lighting products. The full-colour-spectrum automated LED Spot fixture is currently in stock and available to rent across all Main Light locations.
“The Fuze MAX series of fixtures helps fill a gap that has existed in the LED engine fixture types,” stated Randy Mullican, CEO at Main Light. “The customer feedback has been extremely positive in the short time the fixtures have been on the market.” Dave Pretz, Main Light national asset manager, adds, “The high CRI on the Fuze MAX series makes it a great fixture for on-camera applications which need high quality lighting, and the price point provides a cost-effective option to add to our rental inventory.”
First seen at the USITT show in March and shipping since April, the Fuze MAX Spot

Columbia - Reggaeton superstar Maluma sold out Medellin’s Atanasio Girardot stadium for a homecoming show that was as spectacular as it was popular, complete with lightshow created by Alain Corthout using over 200 Robe moving lights.
Alain is already working on the artist’s ongoing US & Latin American tour with runs until November 2022, so for this special concert complete with a 22-camera shoot streaming via Amazon Music, he substantially upscaled set and lighting. It was also the first time that Maluma has staged such a big show in his lively and significant hometown.
Amplifying the touring set and lighting, Alain specified 125 x Robe MegaPointes, 80 x Spiider wash beams, 32 x Tetra2 LED battens, 28 x ColorStrobes and eight BMFL WashBeams for the in-the-round show.
A massive ground supported roof / stage system with 23m of trim height was installed i

Europe - Following on from its successful range of LED bars introduced last year, Claypaky has now expanded the Tambora family further and introduces Tambora Flash. It is able to act simultaneously as a strobe, wash and blinder, specifically designed with a modular approach for use in a linear array, to offer new creative opportunities to lighting designers.
The strobe section is based on two strips of powerful white LEDs and a large beam angle aperture, capable of bringing a real impact of light into the show.
The blinder and the wash functions are obtained thanks to four large central RGBWW LED reflectors of 100W each, individually controllable in each function through the Advanced Layers Management. The presence of Warm White LEDs allows the typical "warm" effect typical of blinders. However, the blinder effect can also be obtained by using coloured LEDs, for a more

UK - London’s 02 Intercontinental Hotel recently hosted the World Procurement Awards. Organisers of the event, which celebrates the achievements of companies and individuals involved in the procurement supply chain, wanted to endow it with a “rock vibe” to reflect the bold convention-challenging attitude that drives that industry. Helping to convey this mood was a dynamic production and lighting design by Pytch that emulated the look and feel of rock shows throughout the venue.
The design team created one of the largest scale of productions the 02 has ever seen. This required a complex rigging system, incorporating a large mother grid and a kinesys based motor system to accommodate unique angled automated diamond LED wall. There were also over 400 panels of LED for the stage set. The size and scope of the production meant that load in and load out were challenging, wit

The Netherlands - The Nederlands Blazers Ensemble Nieuwjaarsconcert - performed on-stage before an audience and broadcasted by NPO 2 on New Year’s Day - is a pivotal event in the Dutch cultural calendar, ringing in the New Year for countless viewers. The 2022 edition marked the concert’s 50th iteration, which paid tribute to legendary singers Nina Simone and Maria Callas. To create immersive and riveting visuals suitable for such a milestone, veteran lighting designer Henk-Jan van Beek and the Light-H-Art team selected the Martin MAC Ultra Performance as the lighting fixture of choice.
“I had already seen and played with the MAC Ultra Performance, and so I knew it was something I wanted to have,” said van Beek. “It’s since become my de-facto workhorse - it’s easy to set up, zooming into an iris effect is fast and elegant. Because it’s so bright, the fixture

UK - Sennheiser has been an essential part of Ed Sheeran’s touring inventory since the start of his career, with his long-time production company, Major Tom, providing Sennheiser’s flagship Digital 9000 system for him in recent years. Now on a tour that takes in some of the biggest venues in the world, including London’s Wembley Stadium, the Stade De France in Paris, the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, New Zealand’s Eden Park and Sydney’s Accor Stadium, and with a show that has expanded significantly from his ‘one man and a guitar days’, a switch has been made to Sennheiser’s Digital 6000.
“Digital 6000 delivers the same sonic excellence, but with added flexibility,” says RF engineer Dave White. “The 9000 Series served us incredibly well, but with large shows on multiple nights with a band and the addition of guest artists, we needed some extra flexibility

USA - There are many reasons why Dustin L. Derry always embraces the opportunity to light dance performances. High on this list is the opportunity it affords him to depart from the conventional use of colours and patterns.
“What’s nice about dance, is you don’t have to think so literally about 'natural' lighting,” said the Chicago-based designer. “In dance, you can push deep into the surreal and express yourself in new ways to support the choreographer’s vision. You can focus on individual elements, like live musicians, and help blend them into the background, and then pull specific dancers or ideas into the foreground and vice versa depending on the needs of the moment. I don't think this presents any challenges, so much as it opens new doors for me creatively.”
Derry stepped boldly through those doors recently, inventively using gobo patterns and coloured

USA - Bandit Lites has added more Robe fixtures to its inventory. Designer Dave Butzler has over 200 BMFL Spots, WashBeams, Robin 1200 LED Washes and BMFL Lightmaster Side Kits on the 2022 Garth Brooks Stadium tour.
“Robe is obviously the heart of Dave’s massive design,” said Bandit Lites chair Michael T. Strickland. “Garth has gone where no other stadium act has gone before, selling out multiple shows in stadiums across the country. Garth did three nights sold out in Salt Lake City, two nights sold out in Edmonton, two nights sold out in Birmingham, and over 100,000 in each sold out show at LSU Stadium and at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. Every show on the tour was a sellout. Garth closes the 2022 Stadium Tour in September with five sold out shows in Dublin, Ireland at Croke Park, over 400,000 people total!”
Constant demand for the popular Robe FollowSpot wi

USA - Tears for Fears has wrapped the North American leg of their Tipping Point World Tour 2022 in support of the duo’s comeback album of the same name. Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal treated fans to favourites from their new album as well as classics from throughout the years in an amphitheatre tour with lighting design by Joe Cabrera II who chose 48 Ayrton MagicBlade R fixtures for effects lighting. ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton lighting in North America.
This leg of the Tipping Point World Tour 2022 kicked off at the end of May in Cincinnati and concluded a month later in New York’s Jones Beach. The duo’s eponymous album, their first since 2004’s Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, was released earlier this year.
Cabrera, of Los Angeles-based Flash and Trash Works, served as lighting programmer on Tears for Fears’ previous two

USA - Bob Harmon, CEO and president of Eggshell Light Company of Honolulu, has had success using his stable of Proteus Hybrid luminaires to light shows at the Waikiki Shell ever since he acquired the multi-functional weatherproof lights in 2017. Still going strong after five years, Elation’s IP65 moving heads are reliably weathering another season at Honolulu’s renowned outdoor venue.
“I use a variety of manufacturers’ products but by far the most robust in holding up outdoors and dealing with heat and humidity are the Proteus Hybrids,” commented Harmon, noting that Eggshell has added more Proteus Hybrids to inventory since that first acquisition. “At the Waikiki Shell, they stay outside for four months at a time and work just flawlessly. They have been very reliable for us over the years.”
Eggshell handles lighting for a large number of one-off shows at

South Africa - Blond Productions supplies technical production for a slew of popular reality TV shows which have included several iterations of Big Brother over the years. There was much anticipation this year when the South African version – Big Brother Mzansi – returned for the first time since 2016 produced by Red Pepper and broadcast on Mzansi Magic.
Blond’s Ryan Lombard (head of the show lighting department) designed and operated the lighting, working closely with a new set design created by Michael Gill, and several of his go-to Robe moving lights including Esprites, LEDWash 300s and six of Blond Productions’ new iSpiiders.
Blond made this initial purchase of 12 x iSpiiders for I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here (Germany) which was shot in the South African bush for which they needed some hardy, weatherproof, LED wash fixtures

USA - For ARRI’s contributions to the industry, the company will receive the Philo T. Farnsworth Corporate Achievement Award at the 74th Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Awards.
ARRI receives the award for its more than a century of designing and manufacturing camera and lighting systems as well as its development of systemic technological solutions and service networks for a worldwide complex of film, broadcast, and media industries.
Named after Philo Farnsworth, the inventor of the first fully working all-electronic television system and receiver, the Philo T. Farnsworth Corporate Achievement Award is a non-competitive award presented by the Television Academy as part of the Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Awards. Since 2003, this prestigious accolade has honoured “an agency, company, or institution whose contributions over time have signific

USA - “I’m ready to get back out and feel the nights come alive,” Jason Aldean said when announcing this summer’s 34-city Rock N’ Roll Cowboy tour. The country music superstar’s lighting designer, Keith Hoagland, knew just how he felt. After two years of contending with COVID lockdowns and restrictions, both were ready to spread their creative wings and fly.
From Hoagland’s perspective, the tour represented a welcome opportunity to roll out some big, bold looks with new tools, such as the Chauvet Professional Color STRIKE M motorised strobe/wash and STRIKE Array, which like the rest of the lighting rig, were supplied by Bandit Lites.
“We really wanted to come at this tour from a new direction,” said Hoagland of CKP Lighting. “The Luz Studio team did a great job developing this scenic concept mainly driven by video. Manager Chris Parr, project manage

Hungary - The infectious beats of EDM music fused with the vibrance of festival culture returned to the picturesque shores of Lake Balaton at Zamárdi (AKA The Hungarian Sea) with the 2022 Balaton Sound event which was completely sold out. An impressive line-up included Martin Garrix, Alesso, Marshmello, Sven Väth and many more international artists performing across multiple stages.
Robe moving lights had a big presence on the main stage with over 200 fixtures in a high impact production design created by LD Mark Kontra and delivered by Budapest-based rental company, Colossal LTD.
Apart from the Main Stage, there was even more of a Robe buzz on site this year as the brand’s own Show Truck rocked up – fresh from a four-date tour in Switzerland – and became an integral part of the backstage village. The Show Truck’s tent extension provided a hub for the media

USA - Chauvet has announced a new generation of IP65 rated moving heads: the Maverick Storm 2 BeamWash, Maverick Storm 4 Profile and Maverick Storm 2 Profile. Maverick Storm 2 BeamWash is the first available, and its intensely bright and versatility makes it ‘powerful enough to excel at even the largest stadium and amphitheatre applications’.
“Our company has been increasing our commitment to developing IP65 solutions that stand out for being way more than weatherproof, including our Maverick Storm series,” said Albert Chauvet, CEO of Chauvet. “With the class-leading weight and versatility of the new Maverick Storm 2 BeamWash we’ve taken this category to the next level.”
In addition to its bright output of close to 10,000 lumens, the new fixture, which features 19 50-watt RGBW LEDs in its centre pixel array, and an outer ring of 0.2-watt RGB LEDs, offers

USA - Christie Lites has announced the opening of new strategic locations in Seattle and Nashville, USA. These shops add valuable local industry expertise, plus a diverse and well serviced inventory, to Christie Lites’ existing network across the USA, Canada, and the UK.
Christie Lites CEO, Huntly Christie, says: “No one can deny that it has been a tough couple of years for the entertainment industry. Almost every business in the sector has had to make some very painful tactical decisions to survive, including Christie Lites. However, I am delighted to say that 2022 is seeing a phenomenal upturn in productivity, prompting us to add these two strategic new locations. Nashville is an epicentre for the music industry and the Seattle shop will bolster Christie Lites’ support for the Pacific Northwest and demonstrate a commitment to key local clients.
“Seattle and N

Latvia - Ayrton has announced VGD Project SIA of Riga, Latvia as its newest distributor. With immediate effect, VGD Project will exclusively represent Ayrton in Latvia and Estonia.
VDG Project was founded in 2013 as the certified provider distributor and training centre for L-Acoustics in Baltic States where it is responsible for the territories of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, as well as Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Uzbekistan.
The company then looked to extend its offering to include professional lighting and turned to Ayrton’s comprehensive product line to fulfil this promise: “Our goal is to represent only one manufacturer in each market segment,” explains VGD Project’s CEO, Igor Verkholat. “In this way we can be sure to supply a complete service for both the pro-audio and pro-lighting markets, and Ayrton fits into our philosophy very well.”

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