USA - Iconic a multi-media production at the Alabama Theatre in Myrtle Beach, SC, (the venue is named after the band) takes audiences on a ‘journey through the music that has shaped our sense of time and place, from country hits and Broadway show tunes, to power rock anthems and pop ballads’.
While a group of talented performers on stage told this story through music, and a large video wall supported it with vivid imagery, the shades of colours so important to its telling was provided by an enchanting rainbow of a lighting design created by Susan Rose.
Helping Rose work her magic was a collection of Chauvet Professional COLORado fixtures. “This show is very edgy and contemporary and definitely a major step up from the typical production shows,” said Rose. “It was especially fun for me to light, since I had such a wide variety of music to lig

Europe - South Germany-based band H.A.S.A. (Heiner’s All Star Attraktion) recently updated their entire live sound inventory with an Allen & Heath SQ-6 digital mixer, two AB168 AudioRacks and five ME-1 personal mixers.
Assisting with the incorporation of the ME-1 system into the band’s set-up was engineer Klaus Bröckel (whose CV features Miles Davis, Till Brönner, Klaus Doldinger and festivals including JazzOpen Stuttgart, Jazzfest Rottweil and Bayern 3 Dorffest Open Air amongst many others). As a long-term ME-1 devotee, Bröckel has introduced many artists to the personal monitoring solution and was well-placed to ensure the band enjoyed a smooth transition to the new system.
While the five members of H.A.S.A had used IEM systems previously, the move to the ME-1 units brought a welcome new level of individual control and, as Bröckel describes, the switchove

World - Soprano Sarah Brightman’s recent tour kicked off in Las Vegas and saw her journey through Mexico and across Asia. Brightman’s final performance marked a triumphant end to a whirlwind tour that left fans both enchanted and in awe.
The tour also marked a significant milestone for Lewe Redlin, Brightman's monitor engineer of six years, as this was the first time he had used KLANG's immersive in-ear monitor mixing solution, selecting a DMI-KLANG card-equipped DiGiCo Quantum 338 monitor console supplied by Capital Sound. Incorporating the KLANG system created ample space in the monitor mix and a more manageable audio environment onstage, resulting in a much more enjoyable and natural sound.
As a seasoned touring engineer with over two decades of experience in the industry, Redlin rolled out KLANG for the musical director on the tour, Ollie Cunningham, as well as

USA - Muse hit the road with its North American tour, Will of the People, on which more than 150 Claypaky Xtylos enhance the band’s performance.
The tour is named for the band’s most recent ninth studio album, which gave Muse its seventh consecutive No. 1 on the UK albums chart and topped Billboard’s Alternative and Rock Albums tallies. The Will of the People tour began in Chicago’s United Centre on 25 February and concluded on 20 April in Salt Lake City, after which it moved on to Europe.
“The band and I really wanted to go in a very different direction from their previous tour to give this one its own identity,” notes Jesse Lee Stout, creative director and co-production designer. “We developed a post-apocalyptic, near-future world as a metaphor for our ‘New Normal’. Over the past couple of years, a pandemic wreaked havoc, an insurrect

USA - Love Has No Limits - 1 Day Houston was actually a two-day event, that raised awareness and funds for community organisations in the Texas city.
The Activity’s Patrick Dierson, who led the creative team, initially planned on working with a much larger stage at The Toyota Centre. Unfortunately, but ultimately fortunately, logistics got in the way, necessitating a change in his design strategy.
“Ultimately, we were forced into having a smaller turntable, which led to a slightly tighter performance area,” said Dierson. “With things beginning to narrow, we started playing with the idea of going with a more elongated look for the project. So, we decided to base the overall design on a series of trusses that would be orientated upstage to downstage at an upward rake. This ended up giving us a much larger overall look.”
Working with this rig, Dierson and

USA - Winner of six Country Music Association Awards (including their 2021 & 2022 Entertainer of the Year award), four Academy of Country Music Awards and three Grammy nominations, Luke Combs is one of country music’s brightest stars.
The singer-songwriter is presently undertaking a major tour across North America in support of his fourth album Gettin’ Old, released in March 2023. The Growin' Up World tour runs through to July and features Combs plus support acts Riley Green, Lainey Wilson, Flatland Cavalry and Brent Cobb.
The popularity of Combs and contemporary country music in general is evidenced by the scale of the venues - the tour is playing principally in NFL football stadiums, accommodating crowds of up to 65,000 per night and every show is sold out.
A touring production on this scale demands not only a technical infrastructure able to d

UK - Eurovision star Sam Ryder recently paid a visit to London’s RD Studios as brand partner to Vodafone.
This marks Ryder’s first venture into brand association since his public breakthrough in 2020. Rising to prominence after posting music covers on TikTok during lockdown, he went on to represent the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, finishing first in the jury vote and second overall, and was recently voted the UK’s favourite Eurovision entry of all time.
Captured in the colossal Studio 3, the shoot involved creating an entire concert (complete with Ryder’s band and dedicated fans) to promote Vodafone’s EVO plan, which offers more flexibility across new and refurbished phones.
As a project that promotes a sustainable alternative to buying new, the importance of utilising a sustainable production facility was paramount. Locat

USA - At one point in Akshay Kumar’s show, The Entertainers, the Bollywood star seemed to be floating in the air. The harnessed Kumar then picked up dancer Mouni Roy and ascended over the audience with her. The sellout crowds at the three stops on this US tour might very well have felt that they were air surfing too, such was the uplifting magical mood of this three-and-a-half hour show that featured music and dancing interspliced with plenty of dynamic crowd interaction.
In addition to Roy, Kumar was joined on stage (if not in the air), by stars like Norha Fatehi, Disha Patani, Sonam Bauwa, Zahrah Khan, Jasleen Royal and Steben Ben, along with a large cast of supporting dancers, singers and musicians. Adding to the excitement was a multi-dimensional lighting design by Roosevelt Dsouza that featured over 80 Chauvet Professional fixtures supplied by AVL Productions.<

South Africa - On 11 May, radio station 5FM celebrated the 20-year journey of DJ, Roger Goode. The 5FM studios were transformed into a vibrant, club-like environment by beamZ Lighting, demonstrating Goode's significant influence on the music industry.
Roger Goode is a celebrated South African DJ who gained national prominence with his hit single In the beginning. The dance music compilation also found success in the European market. Goode has been a fixture on 5FM since 2003, becoming one of the station's most popular DJs. His humour, high-energy presentation style, and passion for music have captivated a wide audience, particularly during his popular 6pm show.
To commemorate Goode's 20-year milestone, 5FM hosted an intimate celebration during his show, inviting a select group of listeners to share in the exclusive 'Roger Goode Experience'.
Given the size

UK - Throughout the week-long Eurovision Song Contest extravaganza, music for all of the televised live shows and rehearsals was mixed on the Mixbus, a music and audio outside broadcast facility that now incorporates an Evertz Studer Vista X console.
Owned by BAFTA winner Conrad Fletcher’s SounDesign company, the Mixbus was chosen for Eurovision because it is kitted out with a plethora of high-end equipment, including a Studer Vista X console that has the ability to handle complex and technically challenging live music shows.
A long time Studer user, Fletcher ordered his new console just three months before the event as a replacement for his old Studer Vista 8 console.
“The Vista 8 had always done a sterling job, but I’d been wanting to upgrade to a Vista X for some time in order to carry my business forward for the next 10 years,” he explains. “

Europe - Canadian progressive metal pioneer Devin Townsend recently completed a European and UK tour in support of his latest album, 2022’s Lightwork, taking in shows from Oslo to Milan, Lisbon to London. Throughout the tour FOH engineer Chris Edrich and monitor engineer Samuel Chadwick handled their mixes on Allen & Heath dLive C1500 control surfaces, sharing a CDM32 Mix Rack between the two.
Supplied by STS Touring Productions and Pulse PA, the C1500s were chosen for their combination of small size, comprehensive feature set and sound as Chadwick (who has previous experience touring dLive with Alter Bridge frontman Myles Kennedy) explains: “The C1500/CDM package is incredible for touring. Although the venues we’re playing are similar capacities, the differences in stage size etc are significant. But the CDM is easy to fit in anywhere and I’ve never had a

USA - Known for crafting audio for musicals such as Bat Out Of Hell, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Beauty and the Beast and Sister Act, sound designer Gareth Owen recently worked his magic on the Broadway hit, & Juliet.
Owen’s work on & Juliet recently earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Sound Design of a Musical. This recognition can be credited in part to the clear sound of Owen’s trusted DPA Microphones solutions, which for this show include the 4066 Core Omnidirectional Headset Microphones, as well as the 4015 Wide Cardioid, 4099 Instrument and the new 4055 Kick Drum Microphones.
A long-time user of DPA, Owen regularly turns to the brand’s 4066 Core Headset Mics for cast members. “I think I probably use 4066s in one format or another on pretty much every show I do,” he explains. “Even if the show is

UK - Five NRG members had the time of their life at this year's Eurovision Song Contest as RoboSpot operators. NRG Manager Jane Monk said: “Lighting designer Tim Routledge created this exclusive opportunity for local students to get involved. Working together, both LIPA and Cheshire colleges hosted NRG Introduction to RoboSpot training days - keeping the reason a secret.”
After weeks of rehearsals and meetings, each student took control of a RoboSpot and played an integral role in the team of 15 RoboSpot operators. A once in a lifetime opportunity that accumulated in a spectacular grand final featuring over 635 Robe lighting fixtures.
Lighting designer Tim Routledge said: "From my initial conversations with the BBC about taking this project on I wanted it to be as diverse a team as possible and to leave a legacy in Liverpool so that the money spent there ga

Europe - Santiano, a quintet from Germany, creates a captivating fusion of sea shanties, European folk, schlager, and modern pop music with a distinctively rustic feel. This year, the band celebrates their 10th anniversary with the release of a new album Die Sehnsucht ist mein Steuermann - Das Beste aus 10 Jahren (The Best of 10 Years) and has embarked on an extensive anniversary tour.
The band’s monitor engineer, Ravi Rai, has opted for KLANG’s immersive in-ear monitor mixing solution, for which he is using a DMI-KLANG card-equipped DiGiCo Quantum 338 digital mixing console provided by rental company GrandPA Beschallungs & Lichttechnik.
As an experienced sound and monitor engineer of nearly 30 years, Ravi has worked with Santiano for 11 years and recalls the challenges faced when transitioning the band from wedges to an in-ear monitoring system.<

USA - One of five Christ Community campuses in the greater Chicago area, Christ Community’s St. Charles/South Elgin location recently received a key lighting and house lighting upgrade of Elation Professional Fuze Profile and Fuze Pendant fixtures. The new lighting system offers the church greater flexibility in creating lighting atmospheres while adding an immersive element to the worship experience. Additional benefits of the new system include savings on electricity.
The church sought assistance from JRLX, a Chicago-based firm specialising in systems integration and production and engaged Jason Reberski to devise a solution. Prior to the pandemic, Reberski had conversations with the church regarding upgrades to their house and key lighting, as well as new power controls. The church aimed to replace outdated infrastructure and equipment, while moving forward as a church.

USA - Hale Centre Theatre is a family company headquartered in Sandy, Utah, USA, and dedicated to enriching lives through its world-class productions, which include a range of traditional Broadway and off Broadway plays and musical theatre shows - around 10 per season - staged in two venues under one roof.
The larger auditorium, the Young Living Centre Stage, has a capacity of 911 for its dynamic in-the-round format and has recently invested in a zactrack SMART real-time tracking system.
The venue’s head of lighting and video, Jaron Kent Hermansen, was lighting a recent production of The Little Mermaid directed by Ryan Simmons, which involved extensive people flying, and decided that the time was right to purchase zactrack, which he could see would be a massive asset to this and other productions.
Jaron has lit several flying-heavy shows before and was

Australia - Hosting the UCI Road World Championships - an eight-day celebration of cycling - requires a high level of co-ordination and planning. To ensure that everything runs smoothly for its flagship event, the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) convenes a congress in the host city to make all the resolutions to facilitate the event, deciding on management, budgets, admitting national federations, ethics, and upholding the UCI constitution.
Ahead of the championships in the city of Wollongong, the event organising committee called on the skill set of Congress Australia to ensure the smooth delivery of the UCI Congress. When it came to the conference solution, the Dicentis conference system by Bosch turned out to be the best solution for the event.
The multi-day event in September took place across two venues in the city, Novotel Wollongong and The University of Wol

UK - Creative Technology was an official supplier of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 - commissioned by Luke Mills and Gary Beestone of GBA on behalf of BBC Studios to provide a variety of LED solutions to bring together the impressive stage design by Julio Himede, realised by technical team headed up by Matthias Kublik alongside lighting designer, Tim Routledge.
With the event’s theme being United by Music, the stage design concept was created to reflect this - resembling a wide hug, the entire architecture of the set symbolises welcoming the people of Ukraine and Europe with open arms. Taking centre stage were seven ROE Black Quartz LED towers, two larger outer towers measuring 4x10 m and five slightly smaller inner towers measuring 3x10 m.
The towers were attached to an automation system supplied by Belgium-based company Wicreations. These systems no

USA - Anyone who saw Flo Rida’s appearance at Boston College’s Marathon Monday would readily agree that the bold lightshow by Events United perfectly matched the music and the moment, even though both took place in the early afternoon.
“This was the second year we lit this event for One If By Land Productions,” says director of event productions, Chase Clark of Events United. “Boston College puts this event on to keep their students on campus during the Boston Marathon. Last year, Jason Derulo performed; and this year it was Flo Rida. Since the show takes place the same time as the Boston Marathon, our challenge is to create eye candy that looks sweet in sunlight.”
Clark acknowledges that overcast skies helped with the effort this year, but most of the credit for the bold and engaging show goes to the Events United team’s adroit use of a muscular rig that

Spain - The Torre Sevilla in Seville is the tallest building in the Andalusia region and since Andalusia Day on 28 February, it has hosted a spectacular light show daily. PlanB, creators of the show, enlisted BGL to install the light fixtures that were supplied by EQC.
Thanks to the height of the Torre Sevilla, the light show can be seen throughout Seville. The light show illuminates the top of the building with constantly changing colours and patterns to create a fantastic visual spectacle.
At just over, one can only assume that BGL, the company who installed the light fixtures for the 180m high tower were supplied by EQC, who provided a total of 300 Showtec Cameleon Bar 16 outdoor light bars to fulfil the vision of PlanB.
The Cameleon Bar 16 is part of Showtec’s Cameleon series that also includes floodlights and spotlights, that are all capable of producing e

Europe - VNV Nation, the Irish alternative electronic project led by singer, songwriter and producer, Ronan Harris, is currently on tour throughout Europe, promoting its new album, Electric Sun.
With music and lyrics ranging from melodic industrial dance anthems to haunting ballads and post-classical soundtrack pieces, VNV Nation is renowned for delivering live shows full of sound and light, energy and emotion.
Lighting and show designer, Martin Heining, of MHShowdesign, has worked with VNV Nation for eight years and understands well the style that excites him. “Ronan Harris is addicted to light,” he says. “He has strong visual ideas and loves beams, which I like to feature strongly in my designs.
“The moment Marc Lorenz (Ayrton’s designer relationship manager for Europe) showed me Cobra at his office and I saw its laser-sharp beam, it took me

Europe - The Australian Pink Floyd Show (TAPFS) continues touring year-round and has just finished a lengthy European arena tour.
Lighting designer Tom Mumby has worked with them since 2012, initially coming onboard as the projector tech, and then moving on to LD’ing and operating lighting in 2016. The Grimsby-based lighting rental company, Stage and Light, of which he is a director, is also the lighting vendor for all the UK and European touring work, and this latest design utilised 38 x Robe LED Beam 150s and 22 x Spiider wash beams.
The current aesthetic is based on a collage of many classic Floyd lightshow elements. The look is dominated by a 5m circular truss centre stage, which, together with strategically placed drapes masks off an LED wall behind. Video still plays a central role in all the song narratives.s
The 24 x LEDBeam 150s are spread evenly aroun

UK - Gary Beestone Associates made Unusual Rigging their contractor of choice to supply the rigging and automation for Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool. The event, held at Liverpool’s M&S arena, was hosted on behalf of last year’s winner’s Ukraine and featured one of the entertainment world’s most complex stages.
As well as the rigging requirements of the show itself, Unusual was also contracted to supply the aerial rescue cover. With the set design finalised and ready from the get-go, the team had approximately 10 weeks of pre-production time for this huge-scale event. “Knowing exactly what we were working towards from day one was a huge benefit given the sheer quantity of work involved,” says Paul Rhodes, senior production rigger at Unusual.
He continues: “This year’s Eurovision set had a lot of automation. The set design required nearly 600 motors,

USA - Artistic inspiration often finds its most fertile ground outside the gates of convention. Such was the case with the lighting and production design that Max Lenox and Andrew Goedde created for Mt. Joy on the band’s current world tour.
While conventional wisdom advises not to mix too many colours on stage at the same time, Lenox and Goedde have been enthralling crowds, and supporting the psychedelic indie group’s music, with a full spectrum design that sometimes displays a rainbow of colours side by side.
“For this new show, we really wanted to use bold, vibrant colours to capture the band’s energy and creativity,” said Lenox, of Wide Open Productions. “We used multiple colours to create a sense of chaos and movement that enhances the psychedelic feel. While some designers may be hesitant to use a lot of colour, I think taking risks and experimenting w

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