USA - The recently-opened World Club has quickly become popular among visiting LDs for artists like Hardwell, Tiesto, Alan Walker and Armin Van Buuren. The spacious 21,000sq.ft venue at the south end of Charlotte’s famed Music Factory complex provides designers with a broad, colour-neutral canvas to work on. And, with eight universes of lighting hung from its ceiling, they can let their creative impulses scream out in wild, eye-shattering explosions of patterns and colour. “The space really gives the LD creative freedom to set the mood,” said Eye Dialogue’s Travis Pagels, who used a collection of Intimidator fixtures from Chauvet DJ to anchor his rig. “All the walls and furniture in the venue are black or metallic silver, so there really isn’t a colour scheme restricting the lighting designer. Then with all those universes in the ceiling, it’s easy to turn the
USA - Internet singing sensation Jacob Sartorius is wrapping up his second headlining tour with a lighting package supplied by Bandit Lites. With 1.5m Twitter followers, 9m Instagram followers and 2.7m YouTube subscribers, the multi-faceted artist released his second EP Left Me Hangin’ in the fall of 2017 before hitting the road in 2018 to bring his infectious energy and hit songs to fans in person. Bandit Lites supplied lighting designer Lenny Sasso with Martin MAC III Profiles, MAC Viper Profiles, Martin Sceptrons, Solaris Flares and a grand MA 2 lite console for control along with 60 Clay Paky Mirage Panels. Sasso designed the lighting to be a modern twist on the classic cabaret and big band styles, putting the band up on a raised platform with eight feet wide steps at the centre, giving Jacob the option to utilise both the downstage edge to connect with th
UK - Sculptor Andy Scott has created a five-metre high galvanised steel leopard - Poised - as the centrepiece of the newly developed Marischal Square urban quarter in central Aberdeen, Scotland. The work was commissioned by Muse Developments and Aviva Investors and was inspired by the City of Aberdeen’s ancient heraldic coat of arms, which features two leopards. The majestic beast is five metres high, with another five-metre reach for the tail hanging below. It weighs two tonnes. It is internally lit by 11 x Anolis ArcSource Outdoor 4MC LED fixtures. The leopard’s lighting design - to bring it alive after dark - was created by Scottish based lighting and environmental design practice Atelier Ten, also responsible for lighting all the Marischal Square commercial, retail and leisure spaces for Muse Developments. For Atelier Ten’s Peter Kerr, th
UK - Depeche Mode’s Global Spirit world tour kicked off in Stockholm in May 2017 and is currently scheduled to continue until the third quarter of 2018. Blackburn-based HSL is the worldwide lighting vendor for Global Spirit working with a travelling crew headed by production manager Tony Gittins. The asymmetric lighting design was created by Sooner Routhier and Robert Long of SRae Productions in Nashville and is being directed on the road by their associate LD, Manny Conde. The industrial production design was imagined by the band’s creative director Anton Corbijn, who has always pioneered video as an essential vehicle of live production. This is no exception with a large video screen upstage. HSL’s project manager looking after the tour is Jordan Hanson who comments, “It’s brilliant to be working with Tony, Sooner, Manny and an amaz
USA - Since 2015, event production company Showcore has been providing Elation Professional lighting to Minneapolis’ multi-purpose sports facility Target Centre that recently underwent a $130m renovation. Home to the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves and the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx, the lighting system is a major contributor to the pre-game atmosphere. Showcore recently added Elation Paladin hybrid LED strobe/blinder/wash lights and compact Rayzor 360Z LED beam moving effects to the arena lighting rig to complement other Elation lights installed in 2015 and 2016, namely Arena Par Zoom and SixPar 300 LED Par lights, Rayzor Q12 LED moving heads, Protron 3K LED strobes and Cuepix WW2 LED blinder/strip lights. “We’ve had Elation products in the arena since 2015 and have had a lot of success with our client using Elation,” said Josh Wabaunsee, lighting designer at S
UK - Star Light, Star Bright, an award-winning installation created by Bailes and Light and Hellion Trace, is that’s taking place in Oxford throughout January and February. Bailes and Light designed lighting and digital electronics for the seven ‘constellations’ that make up the installation. The constellations are part interactive lighting spectacle, part social experiment. They bring people together, encouraging them to play with light and learn more about the stars above their city. Star Light, Star Bright launched in Oxford January 2018. Bailes and Light have worked closely with Hellion Trace to ensure Star Light stays fully functional throughout its stay. As Ben Bailes, director of Bailes and Light says: “We’re proud to think we helped bring Hellion Trace’s interactive installation to life. It was fascinating to explore how technology ca
UK - All or Nothing, the mod musical that follows the rise and fall of the Small Faces, features a range of the band’s classic hits, including Itchychoo Park, Lazy Sunday and All or Nothing. Following its initial run at The Vaults in 2015, followed by a sell-out UK tour, the show opened last week at London’s Arts Theatre. Having supplied the show since its very first production, White Light has been called upon once again to provide the West End run. The lighting designer for All or Nothing is Peter Small, who has worked on the show since it first opened in 2016. He comments: “It’s fair to say the show has definitely grown and changed over time; so much so that it’s now a completely different production than the one seen at The Vaults. Every time we’ve remounted it for an extension or a new tour, w
Europe - Laser presentations specialist Tarm Showlaser has launched Lasergrid, which combines a number of single laser units with one single-coloured laser source, one or more power supply units and accessories. The single laser units are flexible to install and can be utilised on a ceiling, wall, on a truss or daisy-chained in a horizontal and/or vertical line. Each laser module generates a linear beam and all modules together form a laser grid with parallel laser beams. Each laser unit can be individually controlled by DMX (dimming). Number and design of the single components can be individually customised. The power supply provides the necessary supply voltage for all connected modules in one chain as well as the DMX interface for DMX control. The connection of daisy chained emergency stop systems is possible. Approximately 10 laser modules with c
USA - The song fit the moment for Target when the company sponsored a 3:15 minute video of the No.1 Billboard dance hit The Middle during the 28 January broadcast of the Grammy Awards. Like the awards show itself, the melodic tune, which features country star Maren Morris, EDM producer Zedd and the dance pop duo Grey, illustrates the power of music to pull together a diverse mix of cultural influences. Supporting this musical melding was a captivating video that featured a stunning skyline background of varying geometric light configurations, created by Volt Lites using 325 ChauvetProfessional Nexus 4x4 panels. Arranged in different heights across the set, which represented the roof of an urban high rise, the Nexus panels flashed on and off in a variety of patterns to evoke powerful images of a city skyline. This setting lent an edge to Morris’ haunting vocal
USA - Around 250 of GLP’s LED products were deployed at the Pepsi Super Bowl LII Halftime Show during Philadelphia Eagles’ defeat of New England Patriots at the US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The show featured a versatile 12-minute set from Justin Timberlake that spanned the entire field. For lighting designer Bob Barnhart of 22 Degrees, for whom this was his 20th involvement in the event (and ninth as principle LD) the extreme, sub-zero temperatures were just one of the many challenges he faced. The event required all his expertise. Collaborating with set designer Bruce Rodgers of Tribe Inc, Nick Whitehouse, Justin Timberlake’s designer, and Josh Zangen (of Fireplay), he again drew heavily on GLP’s inventory to help illuminate Justin Timberlake’s show, which took place in eight different performance positions. Barnhart explained, “JT was tu
Slovenia - Slovenian rental company Intralite has become one of the first companies in the country to invest in MegaPointes, having purchased 12 units from distributor MK Light Sound. In the last 18 months Intralite has also invested in a total of 24 Spiiders as well as MMX WashBeams, all of which have been added to their existing Robe rental stock. The launch of the MegaPointe was great timing for Intralite as Ales was looking for some multi-purpose fixtures to cover the diversity of events they service. He attended the demo staged by MK Light Sound for the new light and placed his order shortly afterwards. “I needed a hybrid that I could use in any location and for any type of event – a wide application fixture is important for smaller markets like Slovenia, (the total population is just over 2 million) and this can be a beam, a spot or a wash, and is al
USA - Following his successful Valentines concert series, singer-songwriter Erick Baker returned once again to the historic Bijou Theatre with Bandit Lites for two more sold-out evenings. Baker is known to his fans for baring his soul in performances, and to mirror that intimacy and tenderness in the lighting, the team at Bandit Lites crafted a design that would set the right mood. “We provided seven of our new crystal chandeliers to help set the mood,” said Bandit Lites general manager, Giff Swart. “With the warm glow of tungsten and the refractive properties of the crystal, it is a huge effect. We also provided Freedom Pars to light the cyc backdrop. Lastly, we provided eight Martin Mac 2000 Performances with custom heart gobos, which when used in conjunction with the effects-wheel, looked stunning.” Lighting director Alex Becker utilised and re-focused
UK - Helping to add a touch of colour to the new studio installation at Dancing on Ice, illumination rental and installation specialist LED Creative provided over 1600m of its Alpha 60 RGB system and 750m of their Sigma 60. Housed within a custom-built studio structure, the Dancing on Ice set is a vibrant, super versatile space featuring an interview and judging dais swathed in neon tones and an ice rink. Against a bank of video walls, the rink set has been creatively formed to combine the show’s ‘ice swirl’ branding with a flexible lighting installation by LD Dave Davey that can adapt instantly to reflect the myriad of musical styles that accompany each performance. Scenic designer Dominic Tolfts has cleverly applied the LED Creative Alpha and Sigma systems throughout his design, adding highly controllable colour, movement and intensity to the set
USA - Philips Lighting reports that its Philips VL6000 Beam was chosen by lighting designer Bryan Hartley to create his 'rock theatre' design for the recent winter tour by Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Hartley, who has lit the American rock band's shows for the past 18 years, found the output and appearance of the new VL6000 Beam suitable to create the searchlight effect. He says: "The VL6000 Beam has an awesome output, which more than delivered to expectations." Hartley continues: "I wanted to sync' the production with the show's story, which is about a child who wanders into an old theatre. I designed the set to be an old theatre during narrations, then during the songs the stage morphs into a rock stage. The impressive output and the look of the VL6000 Beam helped to create that old-style movie Skytracker look." Hartley adds: "I wanted lots of small lights, but al
USA - ADJ has introduced its latest range of professional LED par fixtures, the MOD Series. Each of the four new models offers a different LED light-source, suitable for a wide variety of applications, but they all feature the same innovative modular casing design which takes LED par flexibility to a new level, says the company. These pars are ‘modular’ in two different ways. First, the main body moves – pulling the LEDs inside the casing – so that a snoot can be quickly and easily created to eliminate side glare if required in a particular situation. Second, the black metal outside casing can easily be removed and replaced with a pearl white housing kit (sold separately). This means that production companies and rental houses can invest in just one set of LED pars but have the flexibility of using them in either white or black depending on the requirements of each e
UK - Sitting on the banks of the river Mersey in Liverpool, the Grade II listed Cunard Building embodies the rich maritime history of the city. Constructed in the heyday of Liverpool’s shipping industry between 1914 and 1917, the building was the headquarters of the Cunard Line until the 1960s and was also home to Cunard's passenger facilities for transatlantic journeys departing from the city. When the building’s current owners recently decided upon bolstering its evening appearance on the waterfront, they turned to local install specialists Adlib for an architectural lighting concept, who specified 24 Colorist Panel 36Qa and 14 Colorist Panel 8Qa Iluminarc fixtures to accentuate the building’s Italian Renaissance-inspired architectural aesthetic. “It was a tough task to illuminate one of Liverpool’s most iconic buildings and UNESCO World Heritage Site,”
UK - Rental production company Neg Earth Lights has added the Chroma-Q Color Force II LED cyc, wash & effects light to its stockholding and is supplying the fixture for a number of high-profile concert tours, live music events and TV shows. Lighting designer Tim Routledge approached Neg Earth looking for a LED washlight for a particular project, and was impressed by the Chroma-Q Color Force II. In recent months, he has utilised the fixture on a variety of projects. These include using nearly 60 Color Force II to powerfully illuminate the entire room as a single surface for a show by a leading British pop artist inside one of The Tanks - huge concrete, circular underground rooms at the Tate Modern measuring over 30m across and 7m high. In addition, Tim has utilised nearly 40 fixtures to provide different floor lighting packages for performers during six shows in th
South Africa - The recently-opened, multi-purpose Sun Arena at the Time Square in Pretoria (see report on the venue in LSi March 2018) hosted the Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) in December last year. With the heavyweight title up for grabs, it was lighting designer Gary Sam who was throwing the blows. In his arsenal was the in-house Robe lighting system which South African distributor DWR Distribution supplied to the new venue. The lighting included 12 Robe BMFL Spot, 6 Robe BMFL Blades, 12 BMFL WashBeam, 24 Robe Spiiders, 24 Robin Pointes, 12 Robin LedBeam 100, 42 Longman F4Up and a LeMaitre MVS. “The brief from EFC was to make the show look as spectacular as possible, using effect lighting without compromising the TV ‘key’ lighting,” said Gary. MGG Productions were the technical support at the venue and assisted with set up, while Gearhouse South
UK - The Backstage Centre will host open days on 1-2 March, inviting visitors to discover and demo new products from leading professional brands including JTS, FBT, ADJ, Allen & Heath, DuraTruss, Elation Lighting, 5 Star Cases, JTS Microphones and Titan Power. Sat in Purfleet’s High House Production Park 11 miles east of London City Airport, the Backstage Centre has quickly garnered a reputation as one of the UK’s best-equipped production and rehearsal destinations. Taking place within the facility’s sound stage, The Backstage Event will feature demonstrations of a wealth of FBT audio solutions. Rental companies and live engineers will hear why the dual 10” Muse line array, twinned with the Mitus 218SA, has already proven itself in more than 4,000 projects worldwide. Installers will have the chance to test the weather resistance of FBT’s IP55-rated
Europe - Claypaky's new K-EYE HCR range of lighting fixtures takes LED light quality to its highest peak of performance yet, giving lighting designers and directors access to CRI values never before achieved by an LED fixture, says the company. With Claypaky's high colour rendering (HCR) algorithm, colours and textures of costumes and props retain richness and scenic finishes show off a depth and lustre never seen before under LED light. Skin tones appear more natural and in a world where entertainment is increasingly seen up-close and personal through the eye of a lens, the K-EYE HCR technology ensures performances are lit with integrity. The HCR algorithm, newly developed by Osram and Claypaky, ensures the K-EYE HCR family of wash lights deliver an unprecedented degree of control over the quality of white or coloured light. The white light that the fixture produces h
UK - The latest release of the Lightconverse 3D show platform promises to the market “a level of previously unseen 3D resolution quality and multiple new features of the award-wining software, used for high-tech show visualisation and simulation of lighting, video and special effects”. Along with increased GUI and 3D resolution, users can now capture a high-resolution video of their work along with high-res screenshots. There is no need for any extra video-capturing software or hardware thus making it even easier to show clients’ highly detailed show creations. This feature allows for high-quality and full-colour mp4 offline rendering of online recorded DMX, video and media in, resulting in a cinematographic quality video. Another anticipated addition is a built-in Light Meter, used to make calculations of centre weighted lux levels on the surface and generatio
Spain - Barcelona-based lighting designer Ezequiel Gomez has worked on Spanish singer David Bisbal’s latest Hijos del Mar tour which has already visited Spain and Latin America. The LD chose Robe for the majority of the moving lights, with Spiiders, Pointes and LEDWash 300s key fixtures on the rig. Ezequiel, who has been working for the artist since 2009, insisted the stage and scenic design for this tour had been a collaborative effort between the artist himself, Brian Sellei from Menos que Cero, Universal Music, Barcelona-based LED specialists LEDSCONTROL and performing arts collective SomosLuz (We Are Light), of which Ezequiel is a member. LEDSCONTROL presented the initial ideas from which the stage look evolved, coming up with an idea to have partially enclosed LED ‘cabinets’ for the band risers. Ezequiel and his team at SomosLuz adapted this and made
USA - The Conga Room-LA Live isn’t photographed and videoed quite as often as the celebrities who frequent the nightlife, concert, and private event venue, but it comes very, very close. Located directly across the street from the Staples Centre, the sleekly designed 1000-capacity multi-room site regularly hosts press conferences, after parties and other functions associated with major award shows like the Grammys, Emmys, X-Games, VMAs, and ESPYs, as well as film and album releases, all of which are press magnets. Lately, the photos and videos taken at the celebrity co-owned A-list venue are looking better than ever, thanks to the installation of 34 Chauvet Professional fixtures, supplied by RAT Sound and designed by Aaron Silvie. “There has been a stunning improvement in our image quality on film and still photography as a result of these lights,” said Woody Nus
UK - The Gatecrasher Classical club night landed at Sheffield City Hall in January, with dramatic lighting controlled by Avolites consoles. Birmingham-based Stage Production provided the technical know-how for the laser and lighting spectacular, achieving that 'Gatecrasher feeling' by hitting the crowd with myriad effects. The team supplied all lighting, rigging, staging and technical production for the event and designed the light show. Stage Production managing director Jordan Lake was production director/designer for the gig, working alongside Ben Butler as lighting director/designer. The duo used an Avolites Sapphire Touch and Tiger Touch II console with Fader Wing to control the ambitious production. "Gatecrasher fans expect massive lighting shows and it was up to us to deliver," says Lake. "Gatecrasher has always understood that it takes more than a big-na
