USA - The University of Tennessee Volunteers roared into the football season defeating the Ball State Cardinals 59-10. Bandit Lites lighting director Alex Becker programmed a light show, integrating pattern washes on the field, movement chases and colour washes on the stands and field.
Bandit Lites provided Elation Proteus Maximus, two wireless solution black box for wireless DMX for fixtures across the stadium and a Chamsys Magic Q MQ500.
“I utilised the framing shutters on the Proteus Maximus to create the Power “T” at the top of the show and to highlight the VOLS spell out at the end of the halftime show,” said Becker, who shared the Elation Proteus Maximus fixtures were chosen for their high output and IP65 Rating.
“VOL nation is already the largest, loudest and most energetic stadium in the country and were enhancing it even more by adding a bett

UK - The sprawling Belgravia Sports Club in Harare was packed with fans this summer when Grammy winner Burna Boy stepped onto the stage a little after 10:30 as part of his Space Drift Tour. It didn’t take long, however, for the mood at the big outdoor facility to take on the intimate air of a cozy live music venue, as the Afrobeats superstar from Nigeria engaged the thousands of Zimbabwean fans in attendance with his magnetic personality and sing-alongs of hits like Last Last.
Contributing to the welcoming atmosphere at the show, which was organised by Hidden Culture, was a production and lighting design by Events Evolution. Blending light and video, the company’s design team, led by Blessing Bero and Tatenda Gaylord Rushwaya, turned the temporary outdoor stage with its high trim, into a glowing light box bathed in warm colours.
Helping them create this invi

Belgium - After two decades, six Grammy Awards, 80m record sales, and over 300 live concerts, the Black Eyed Peas haven’t lost a step, either in their exuberant hip-hop infused sound, or their get-up-and-dance stage presence. Both were on full display early this August at the Lokerse Feesten when the band electrified a packed house with a boisterous 16-song set that included hits from their early days, as well as tunes from their newest album, Translation.
Supporting the California-based quartet at the festival was a lively and colourful Alain Corthout-designed lightshow that was powered by a ChamSys MagicQ MQ250M Stadium Console supplied by Phlippo, Belgium.
Like the music of the band it supported, the lightshow flowed with a smooth, seamless rhythm, transitioning from soft moments to intense crescendos, always in sync with the performance on stage. Corthout,

Germany - The largest open-air concerts ever held in Munich, and the largest in Germany this year, took place at the Munich Exhibition Centre in August with over 300,000 fans total attending shows by Andreas Gabalier, Helene Fischer and Robbie Williams. Roland Greil lit the epic shows and massive 150m wide stage using a rig that included over 450 Elation Professional luminaires.
Austrian folk rocker Andreas Gabalier opened the concert series on 6 August with German pop queen Helene Fischer drawing over 130,000 for her performance on 20 August and Robbie Williams drawing nearly 100,000 to his show on 27 August.
Produced by Leutgeb Entertainment Group, the concerts were rare hometown gigs for Munich-based LD Roland Greil, a fact that made the shows even more special for the internationally respected lighting and production designer. With a huge 150m wide diamond-shaped

UK - Currently playing an extended run in London’s Garrick Theatre, The Drifters Girl tells the story of Faye Treadwell, the long-time manager of The Drifters, by interweaving her personal narrative with 20 concert-level performances of the seminal R&B/pop group’s chart-topping hits. To maintain the full impact of both the dramatic and musical elements, sound designer Tom Marshall deployed a strategically placed and balanced system of Meyer Sound point source loudspeakers and compact subwoofers.
The intimate Garrick Theatre is an acoustically and architecturally challenging venue that was built in 1889 and now seats 712 patrons on three levels.
“The Garrick has interesting challenges when it comes to putting a ‘pop’ musical in the space,” relates Marshall. “Loudspeaker positioning is tricky due to the nature of the proscenium opening and the fi

UK - Some 72 nations and territories came together 28 July – 8 August in Alexander Stadium in Birmingham for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Lighting the opening and closing ceremonies of the quadrennial multi-sport event was Al Gurdon of Incandescent Design who used over 300 Elation Professional IP65 Proteus luminaires to light the festivities.
The opening ceremony was a visually spectacular and at times emotional show that featured dance groups, dream sequences, cultural parables, humour and even a 10m tall mechanical bull. A cast of thousands traced Birmingham’s history through themes of unity, diversity and resilience with the evening capped by a medley of hits by local heroes Duran Duran. The closing, just as impactful, focused on the region's musical heritage with performances by UB40, Jorja Smith and Dexys Midnight Runners, among others, including a surprise appeara

UK - If there is a single festival that defines the English summer, it has to be Henley, which this year celebrated its 40th anniversary with a mix of music, comedy, art and grade A fun.
Production managed by John Harris, Henley’s main stage is placed in the River Thames, backed by a fleet of boats of all shapes and sizes. The site features a variety of other venues ranging from intimate comedy to cabaret and dance bands.
RG Jones has been providing audio at Henley since 1983 - most of it based around Martin Audio PA - and in a relationship surviving that long, the level of trust and commitment is obviously at its highest. Over the years, the style of the event has changed somewhat from the original, fully classical programme to what is now a much more commercial line-up, but with no less determination to deliver an unforgettable experience.
This year’s arti

USA - Bandit Lites has invested in some of the latest new offerings from Chauvet Professional. Jake Tickle, Bandit vice president of business and innovation, made a trip to visit the Chauvet facility in Florida and upon return told chair Michael T. Strickland that Bandit must order an initial stock of 100 of the yet unreleased Color Strike M. Bandit did just that.
Upon release, 60+ went out on the new Luz Studios / Keith Hoagland designed Jason Aldean’s Rock N’ Roll Cowboy Tour where they are an essential part of the look. To further create the overall concept, Bandit purchased one hundred Strike 4 Array units which were then all married with 60 Maverick MK Pyxis that Bandit had purchased at the start of the year. Legacy Chauvet Nexus AW 7 x 7 are also incorporated into the design.
Color Strike Units are also scattered across other shows, including country sensati

Italy - Cesare Cremonini's Stadium Tour 2022 Milano, which started in Milan and closed with a resounding event at the Imola racetrack, has just ended. The eight sold-out dates of the tour celebrated the Bologna singer's 20-year career with the aim of leaving behind the long period of downtime due to the pandemic and getting back on track with more drive and enthusiasm.
"We want to give the opportunity to bring back good memories to all of us, to build beauty again, not only artistic beauty, but the beauty of positive emotions and good moments to remember of one's life," says Cremonini himself during a monologue in the show.
The project and lighting direction were imagined and designed by lighting designer Mamo Pozzoli, Cesare's longtime collaborator. For the occasion, Mamo created an imposing wall of light built with different units but amalgamated in a look that is ag

France - A tailor-made sound system was developed and installed by Amadeus within the Théâtre de l'Archevêché at Aix-en-Provence International Music Festival to subtly modify the acoustic characteristics of the theatre space using 35 microphones processed through Holophonix and more than 50 speakers to play the innovative mix of a live orchestra, choir, and stage performers for a performance of Mozart’s Idomeneo.
Musical director and conductor of the Pygmalion Orchestra and Choir, Raphaël Pichon, made a special request to Amadeus to design and implement an audio technology system combining active acoustics and sound spatialization to maximize the audience’s experience of the opera.
“The work carried out in collaboration with Amadeus’ teams could be compared with some kind of ‘sound restoration’. The Théâtre de l'Archevêché is a unique place

Indonesia - Located on the perimeter of the Podomoro Golf Complex in a leafy suburb of Jakarta, At-Thohir Mosque was built by the extended family of automotive magnate, the late Teddy Thohir. The pearlescent house of worship features 29 domes meant to signify family. The building, which can welcome up to 1,900 worshippers, is a gift from a government minister, one of Mr. Thohir’s sons, to the local community and was inaugurated this spring by Indonesia’s president.
Wishing to maintain the grandeur of the building - its clean white interior, adorned with gold calligraphy representing the 99 meanings of Allah - the mosque’s technical committee required a powerful and pristine sound system that would discreetly fit into the building’s aesthetic. With recent government guidelines putting a cap on sound volumes at 100 decibels and limiting amplified audio to inside build

South Africa - Robe’s new IP65 rated iSpiider LED wash moving lights passed some serious jungle tests on the latest edition of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Germany (Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier rau) which was recorded at Blyde River Canyon in Hoedspruit, Limpopo Province, South Africa.
Lighting was supplied by Blond Productions and designed by Mauritz Neethling for production company Triosphere who facilitated the series for franchisee ITV. Normally it would have been shot in Australia, but that was not possible this year due to Covid travel restrictions, so instead they chose South Africa as their new production hub.
Previously four Australian and one French versions of the show have been recorded at the same South African location, and Blond has been a production supplier for the last six years, over which time they have refined the lig

Hungary - The Hungarian State Opera House is considered one of the most beautiful buildings in Budapest, attracting thousands of visitors each year. Following a five-year refurbishment project, the historic building has been returned to its former glory, now complete with modern technologies, including High End Systems Sola Silent fixtures from ETC.
The building, located on the elegant Andrássy Avenue, has long been one of the world's leading opera and ballet facilities. Some of the finest singers, dancers and performers have showcased their talent at the venue. Gustav Mahler and Otto Klemperer are among those who've served as directors, while Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Renée Fleming have performed there.
A previous renovation was undertaken from 1980 to 1984 and the building reopened to the public for the 100th anniversary of the institution. This time

Estonia – A host of Green-GO’s digital intercom products have been installed at Tallinn City Theatre’s temporary home at the nearby Salme Kultuurikeskus (Salme Cultural Centre) while the main theatre is renovated.
The relocation gave Green-GO distributor and Tallinn-based theatre smart control experts Focuspoint OÜ the opportunity to specify Green-GO solutions to the theatre, which is looking to the future with the rebuild and technical upgrade.
The existing communications system at the Salme Kultuurikeskus (Salme Cultural Centre) was, according to Focuspoint, extremely old, consisting of a one-way announcing mic at the stage manager’s desk and 100V loudspeakers positioned in four wardrobes.
“The team at City Theatre were looking to upgrade their communications system to a full digital, flexible system almost as a try out while they operate in their te

USA - The Grammy Award-wining Tedeschi Trucks Band is known for its relentless touring, but plans for the group’s sixth Wheels of Soul Tour, originally slated for 2020, obviously had to put on the brakes for a couple of years. Now the band is finally back out doing what it does best, rolling through its North American tour accompanied by opening acts Los Lobos and Gabe Dixon as well as an L-Acoustics K2 loudspeaker system supplied by PRG.
The current tour leg comes on the heels of a three-week break from Wheel of Soul’s initial return to the road, which kicked off on June 24 in Jacksonville, Florida, hometown of vocalist/guitarist Susan Tedeschi and guitarist Derek Trucks, the band’s two married principals who front a 12-piece band often augmented by guest artists.
Recently picking back up at San Diego’s Cal Coast Credit Union Amphitheater on August 18, the Wes

China - Located in the Songjiang District of Shanghai, the Yun Hall Cultural Art Centre is a major community and economic project of the district party committee and district government. Its aim is to build a comprehensive, high-quality cultural landmark, providing one-stop public cultural services such as art exhibitions, cultural performances, group activities and reading for all.
A pair of a pair of DiGiCo Quantum 338 consoles form part of its high-end technical infrastructure, designed and installed by DiGiCo distributor, Rightway Audio Consultants (Racpro).
Designed by Xing Tonghe, chief architect at Shanghai Xian Dai Architecture, whose works encompasses an organic combination of the spirit of the times and national tradition, modern technology, and history and culture, the Yun Hall Culture and Art Centre communicates a strong sense of innovation and highlights t

USA - Holy Redeemer Catholic Church near Grand Rapids, Michigan needed more light, more colour, and more control – but didn’t have the budget for a complete overhaul. With ETC’s flexible lighting solutions, they were able to get a whole new look without installing a whole new system.
To add more illumination, David Kolenda of West Michigan Lighting and Controls replaced incandescent fixtures with ETC Desire D22 fixtures featuring a Lustr+ colour LED array in the track surrounding the altar. ColorSource Spots and PARs added accents and highlights.
“They loved the D22’s and ColorSource fixtures – especially with the colour tuning,” says Kolenda. “All the fixtures output automatically calibrated colour so they get an even field from all the fixtures.”
The colour also offers them more possibilities in the space. When children present scripture pl

Europe - Ed Sheeran kicked off his Mathematics (+–=÷x) tour, his largest to date, on 23 April in Croke Park Stadium, Dublin. Since then, the singer-songwriter has been playing stadiums across the UK and Ireland, with further dates planned across Central Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, Australia, Latin America and North America as part of his mammoth 2022 / 2023 world tour.
Continuing its long-term relationship with the artist, Colonel Tom Touring (CTT) is once again supporting the production, supplying over 1100sq.m of a variety of ROE Visual LED panels, all powered by Brompton Technology LED processing.
The spectacular 360-degree stage design incorporates a giant circular ‘halo’ video screen, comprising 462m2 ROE Vanish V8T high transparency outdoor LED panels, fixed over a 90m2 revolving LED stage built from ROE BM5 panels.
The stage is surrounded by six 30-m

USA - Embarking on their first full-scale tour since the pandemic, the Black Keys were eager to get back to the basics, eliminating all distractions, and turning out rock infused blues with the free-flowing spontaneity that has made the duo from Ohio a powerful force in popular music. Patrick Carney, the band’s drummer described the experience as “feeling like a band’s supposed to feel”.
It was a sentiment that Michael Grant and Eric Cathcart of Bigtime Lighting Design understood well. Tasked with creating the set and lighting design for the band’s 32-date summer Drop Out Boogie tour, the Bigtime team focused on the fundamentals.
“For this design, it all went to back to basics; keeping things streamlined while still being exciting and creating a visual spectacle,” said Grant, who took the lead role in the design. “We believe that is what the band repre

France - At the recent Dub Camp Festival on the banks of Lake Vioreau in the Loire Valley, minimalist sub-bass sounds and riddims filled the air over five stages supported by the subtle lighting designs created by the team at Ecom-Events.
Internationally acclaimed dub artists like Mighty Jah Observer and Martin Campbell who performed at the seventh edition of this annual festival did not “want much light cast on them” said Mathieu Simon of Ecom-Events. Instead, they preferred to perform in an ambient atmosphere, where light reflected their music in more nuanced, but still powerful, ways.
As production manager, Simon led the design team that created subtly evocative moods on stages ranging in size from 18x18m to 40x40m. Relying on ample use of shadows and dark space, punctuated by back and side lighting projected from off-center angles, the design team created an et

UK - The Llanerch Vineyard Hotel near Pontyclun in South Wales, with its beautiful surrounding grounds, is a popular venue, principally for weddings but also hosting conferences, corporate events, galas and parties.
A large marquee is a permanent fixture there and provides ample space for over 200 guests when required. In common with so many similar venues, the pandemic had caused a huge backlog of weddings and despite its rural location, the sudden rise in noise levels following reopening was causing some difficulties with nearby residents.
Spartan Audio Visual of Cardiff were approached to design, supply and commission an installed sound system that would meet all the various needs of a modern multi-purpose venue, yet also meet the noise control requirements of the area.
Dave Morgan is Spartan AV’s sales & installation director and he remarks, “We kne

UK - Since investing in a Nexo Geo M12 line array a couple of years back, Bluestone Audio is winning more and more mainstage jobs at festivals where they might previously have supplied systems for second or third stages.
A recent example is Lakefest which took place in August at the picturesque Eastnor Castle Deer Park in Herefordshire. The Bristol-based sound rental company has previously handled the VIP Gold Stage at the festival, but this year moved up to the mainstage, with headliners including UB40, Manic Street Preachers, Leftfield and Supergrass.
“This year’s Lakefest gig is typical of how our business is growing with the Geo M12 system,” says Bluestone owner Sam Brook. “And we’re building relationships with other Nexo-equipped rental companies like Total Sound Solutions from Swansea, who are partnering with us at this event.”
With an audience

Czech Republic - The majestic former Vítkovice steelworks in Ostrava again resonated with the music, and animated carnival atmosphere of the Colours of Ostrava festival.
The four-day 2022 event is the largest music festival in the Czech Republic and one of the most popular in Central Europe, presenting multiple stages and a diverse line-up of mixed-genre local and international talent.
Technical production – staging, rigging, lighting, sound, video, audio, stage management and all associated infrastructure – for 18 of the 19 stages was co-ordinated by Prague-based SMART Production, with a team led by Josef ‘Pepa’ Ženíšek, and a Robe moving light rig made impact on the Liberty Stage.
The Liberty Stage was full of Robe moving lights provided by rental specialist AV Media Events, and tech’d and run by Kamil Kruźík and Martin Nakládal.
When

USA - Verge Aero took Chicago’s famous Lollapalooza festival to new highs in July as 300 of the company’s custom-built drones danced high above the site to elevate the experience.
Acts as diverse as Dua Lipa, Metallica and J. Cole performed over the four-day event, which took place at the city’s Grant Park. It was the first time that drones formed part of the Lollapalooza spectacle, and Dua Lipa’s Friday night slot was the setting for the specially created Verge Aero drone show, which was staged in partnership with cellphone network company T-Mobile and Google Pixel phones.
“We actually launched the drone show over T-Mobile’s 5G network, using a Google Pixel phone,” reveals Verge Aero’s Mason Hayes, who designed the drone show using the company’s unique software and piloted the drones on the night. “We have a Verge Aero-created app that we can load

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