USA - Hunter Hughes and his crew at Scout Productions hadn’t worked on an event in well over six months, when they signed on recently to provide lighting and sound for a small outdoor country music show near Landsdale, PA. “Although 10 years of experience certainly hasn’t been forgotten, it was good to be able to go back to a gig with familiar gear like Chauvet DJ’s ShowXpress, and the ease of use that’s associated with it,” said Hughes. “We are really comfortable working with ShowXpress, so it was nice have it on our ‘return gig’. We use many different fixture profiles with ShowXpress software. Having it at this event enabled us to programme our show quickly.” Hughes worked his Xpress-Rack 1024 with a split power line that enables the unit to run without the need for a laptop by using pre-programmed cues with either the onboard buttons or via IR r
UK - Having sat through one too many ‘tin-pot’ live performances during lockdown, a group of live event professionals have got together to create audio and video production service, AfterLive Music. Inspired to help bands, performers, record labels and promoters to present live performances in a way that provides audiences with an authentic and captivating ‘in the room’ viewing experience (whilst keeping within COVID-19 guidelines) performances are recorded, mixed and mastered with the help of Audient gear. “It was our love of live music that brought us together, and drives us and this project forward,” says Adam Bonner, who along with Jamie Tinsley looks after all things audio. “We didn’t feel that early lockdown live performances were representing the artist in a good way at all. Poor audio quality was my biggest issue.” Adam has spent his last five year
USA - More than 55m viewers watched as President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden met for the final presidential debate at Belmont University. Bandit Lites supplied the university’s exterior and site lighting, illuminating the campus in striking patriotic and branded looks. Lighting designer Chris Lisle designed the exterior event lighting, working to up light and enhance any building or structures that would be seen as part of the televised broadcast, including the two main entrances to the Curb Event Centre (where the debates took place), the Bell Tower (the main focus point of the campus) and the historic Freeman Hall (which boasts high visibility from Wedgewood Avenue). Lisle contacted Bandit Lites vice president Mike Golden about a year prior, and even then he had a plan for the exterior. “To look back at that preliminary work seems more like a
USA - Signalling the start of the new NFL season, The Killers staged a special, highly symbolic one-off performance of their anthemic Mr Brightside on the rooftop of Caesar’s Palace for the Las Vegas Raiders who have just moved into the newly completed Allegiant Stadium. Produced for ESPN, the segment’s lighting design was created remotely by The Killers’ long-term lighting designer Steven Douglas, who included 43 x Robe MegaPointes and 14 CycFX 8 moving LED battens on the rig, supplied by lighting vendor LMG. Steven was working from home in Ireland, unable to travel due to international restrictions during the Coronavirus pandemic. He received a brief about the look of the piece from director Dagen Merrill plus ESPN’s creative team, and his design was realised on site by lighting programmer and operator Josh Spodick and the LMG crew. The brief sp
Germany - Johannes Spieß, project manager from technical specialist MKM Event Show Technik based in Darmstadt, launched a new initiative of his own –Bergstraße leuchtet (Bergstraße Lights) – to highlight some of the famous Bergstraße mountain route’s monuments, historical buildings and public spaces. With events halted, normally busy rental company MKM had an abundance of lighting products including an extensive Astera inventory of AX3 LightDrops, AX5 TriplePARs and AX7 SpotLites sitting in the warehouse, so these were used to support all 12 of the lighting installations which were carefully crafted and delivered over a two month period. Astera AX7s were used at all locations, culminating with a spectacular and innovative event at St. Peter’s church in Heppenheim. “Everyone in the area knows and loves the highlighted buildings and spaces,” stated
USA - Fuse Technical Group turned to 13 disguise gx 2c media servers with Designer software and Sockpuppet control features to help deliver a home game feel for teams and fans at home, as the NBA resumed its season. The NBA has set up a ‘bubble’ isolation zone at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida to enable professional basketball to resume in the US, while keeping players safe. Although spectators were not permitted in the stands at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex where the games were held, fans have been able to watch televised basketball once again. “This was a totally new experience for the NBA as well as the teams involved,” says Charles Dabezies for Fuse Technical Group. “Our largest challenge was understanding how to adapt 22 different team’s shows for this new environment. Adapting a traditional basketball game to this layout was new for
Spain - Producciones Yllana captures the swirl of emotions and music that surrounded violinist Niccolò Paganini’s life in Maestrissimo, a 90-minute show that is being performed before limited, socially distant audiences in Spain. Weaving together the action and music on stage, while also making performers comfortable in near-empty venues, is an immersive three-universe, 150-fixture lightshow created by Fernando Rodriguez Berzosa. A longtime ChamSys user, Berzosa programmed his show on a MagicQ with a PCWing. He is running the show at venues throughout Spain on his MagicQ MQ80, and notes that the compact size of this console makes it an ideal traveling companion. “Nowadays I always use a ChamSys for any project I am involved in,” said Berzosa. “My reason is simple: dependability. I can’t afford to have a console fail; that is why I always depend on my
Italy - The Arena di Verona recently hosted the RTL 102.5 Power Hits Summer 2020 while following the Covid-19 rules issued by the Italian government. The event was held on 9 September, celebrating the singles with most radio plays during the summer. Several famous Italian singers took part in the event, performing on stage and filling the arena with their music. Mod Srl, which is part of Rooster Srl, was in charge of the lighting project. Emilio Lombardi, owner of Mod Srl who oversaw the works, reports, “Because of the pandemic, the 2020 edition of the RTL Power Hits has been different compared to previous years. The stage was not on the south side of the arena. Instead, it was in the middle. The chairs that usually fill the grounds were removed to give us the chance to assemble the stage and to work safely. With those changes, it was equally important to mak
USA - Production and rental houses across the entertainment technology industry have had to think creatively in order to continue to serve the industry and stay in business. One of the more successful has been Synergetic of Bensalem, Pennsylvania, which has converted a portion of their warehouse to a professional TV studio for live streaming complete with a full Elation Professional lighting system. President and CEO at Synergetic, Jason Weldon, says that opening the studio has allowed them to pivot from their usual business of supplying entertainment technology gear for live events in the Mid-Atlantic region. “We’ve been able to offer customers the ability to hold a virtual event in a professional setting,” he says while acknowledging that the redirection to a live streaming and professional recording space has also been an economic lifesaver. “While we’re not 10
South Korea - Located in the city of Paju, South Korea, CGV Paju Yadang is the latest movie theatre in South Korea opened by CJ CGV - the country’s largest multiplex cinema chain and the fifth largest in the world. Opened at the end of July 2020, it has five auditoriums, all with recliner chairs and Barco laser projectors. The main auditorium features an Alcons pro-ribbon system, specified and supplied by specialist cinema company Yuyukorea Co, based in Seoul. It was installed by the company’s head engineer, Mr Kang. “We helped the customer with A/B demonstrations of different systems,” he says. “They were very satisfied with the Alcons Audio demo, saying ‘We love the HF from the pro-ribbon tweeter and could definitely hear a cleaner sound than from other systems’. They made an instant decision after the demo to choose the Alcons system.” The syst
Mexico - At the start of 2020, Ana Casillas released Tú a tu vida y yo a la mía which roughly translates to ‘You To Your Life, Me To Mine’. It is an apt title for the Baja California born singer at this point in her career, as she sets out the path to interpret regional and traditional Mexican music in a bold new way. Drawing on her Michoacan and Jaliscience roots, she has worked with renowned composers and executive producer Juan Páez, Casillas to create a sound that builds on traditional music that celebrates the majesty and beauty of Mexican culture. Casillas’ new sound was on full display this summer when she recorded a video at the Morelos Theatre in Toluca. Reflecting her music with intensely dynamic and colourful looks was a lightshow that featured the Maverick MK3 Wash, Maverick MK 1 Hybrid, Maverick MK3 Profile, Maverick MK3 Spot and Rogue R3 S
China - A watch tower that overlooks China’s second-longest river - the Yellow River - is lit by Christie laser projectors for a light show aimed at promoting Yellow River culture and boosting the local cultural tourism industry. Located in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu province, the 90m high Yellow River Tower is the centrepiece of a night-time extravaganza titled The Great Lanzhou, which made its official debut on 29 September ahead of China’s 71st National Day celebrations. The outdoor show features 3D projection mapping, stage lighting, lasers, atmospheric effects and live performances to tell the story of the Yellow River basin - birthplace of ancient Chinese civilisation, and the most prosperous region in early Chinese history. Projection is accomplished by Christie’s newly-appointed distributor Zhongqing Yingye Group using 32 Christie 1DLP and 3DLP l
Australia - The 2020 Parrtjima Festival of Light at Alice Springs in Australia’s Northern Territory provided a rare reminder of the community, camaraderie, magic and imagination evoked by lighting art. Moved from its original April slot to September, the 10-day event organised by the Northern Territories Major Event Company (NTMEC), and produced and curated by AGB, went ahead due to the state’s successful Covid-19 management strategy. Featuring a carefully picked collection of amazing and fun light artworks together with a spectacular nightly lightshow designed by Richard Neville from Mandylights delivered to a locally produced soundtrack, 80 x Robe MegaPointes were used to throw lighting and effects onto a section of the West MacDonnell mountain range. The lighting equipment was supplied by Melbourne-based MPH Australia, who have been involved as event sup
Germany - The Mercedes-Benz Classic Centre in Fellbach is the official Mercedes-Benz showcase for classic cars and is a must-visit for any car enthusiast. It offers original parts, repairs, restoration and information for historical Mercedes-Benz vehicles that have been out of production for at least 15 years. Mad Music Event Technology of Stuttgart was called on to upgrade a portion of the vehicle lighting at the Classic Centre and chose a large number of full-colour Elation Professional KL Panel LED softlights for the job. The KL Panel creates soft white or full-colour washes of up to 24,000 lumens at a 100° half-beam angle. According to Mad Music CEO Mathias Bremgärtner, the decision to go with the KL Panel was because of the "very good options for colour temperature adjustment, the very good CRI value, the excellent homogeneous coverage and the exact colour rende
USA - Spanning 14 floors and featuring dining options, a gym, more than 3,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, and a rooftop pool with a terrace bar, cabanas, and a fire pit, the Canopy by Hilton Downtown is a boutique lifestyle hotel in Tempe, AZ, USA. To provide sound reproduction throughout the venue, management invested in the installation of a healthy assortment of loudspeaker systems drawn from catalogue of Valencia, Spain-based DAS Audio. Skinny’ Greg Gilman, who is involved in a wide range of music and sound endeavours, including both work as a DJ and as an AV installation professional, was contracted to manage the Canopy’s sound system installation. Working in conjunction with Oakland Park, FL-based TM Sound, an AV design/build firm, the combined team deployed an assortment of DAS loudspeakers that drew from the company’s Quantum, Ovi, and WR Series catalogues.
USA - The oldest, continuously operating motor race track in the USA has seen its share of historic moments since it opened in 1904. But on 18 September, the Fairgrounds Speedway gave lockdown-weary Nashvillians a chance to ride off into the future when it served as the site of Tempo Presented By Eamotion, a 60-minute drive-through experience that engaged the senses with an immersive array of sights and sounds. Entering the track’s winding two-mile course, visitors were greeted by a dazzling mosaic of colourful images created by a sea of sparkling lights, along with over 2,000 video panels and 400ft wide projection mapped surfaces. Tying this panorama together was a matrix of laser light that seemed to envelop the entire course in its glow. Dustin L Derry programmed and ran the laser show on his ChamSys MagicQ MQ500 Stadium console. “This was an exciting pro
USA - Combo’s modern approach to hostelling has materialised into an ambitious architectural and urban redevelopment project that has already opened its doors in Venice, Milan and Turin and is scheduled to extend to other Italian cities very soon. Here, travellers are greeted by airy common spaces, a trendy bar and eatery, and relaxed workspaces with several dedicated event, exposition and meeting spaces. There is also music throughout most of the common areas, thanks to a Genelec sound system. Far more than the hostels of old, Combo bills itself as a cultural hub for citizens of the world, combining hospitality with music. The hostels in Turin and Milan boast their own radio booths, which broadcast full time in the hostels and online, and all sites offer rooms equipped with AV technology to host talks, screenings, live sets, listening sessions, art workshops and more. The
Austria - With this year’s Summer Night Concert, an event that has been taking place since 2004, the Vienna Philharmonic wanted to send a signal of hope in the year of coronavirus. As a result, the concert went ahead - albeit with a small number of spectators on site - as a live broadcast event on the TV channels ORF2 and 3SAT. The concert production itself, under the direction of Valery Gergiev, and featuring soloist Jonas Kaufmann, had to be optimised for television broadcasting. With highly experienced DoP Jerry Appelt at the helm, the production was able to fall back on a proven concept. “The Summer Night Concert had already been broadcast on TV in previous years, so we didn't have to reinvent the wheel in terms of TV-compatible lighting,” stated Appelt. For the important white light, he opted once again for the GLP impression S350 and S35
Romania Two luxury hotels from an eventual complex of three have just been opened by Romanian-based Phoenicia Hotels Group in the popular coastal resort of Olimp / Mangalia. Operating under the Phoenicia Blue View brand, the first two - Belvedere and Panoramic - which will flank the Amfiteatru Hotel when it opens next year, have been equipped with Martin Audio’s Adorn loudspeaker series. These were supplied by Martin Audio’s long-term partner, Paradigma Teknik, who were awarded the contract. Traditionally a popular tourist destination, the hotels had been closed for more than 20 years and became derelict until the Phoenicia Group purchased and rebuilt the original structures, investing €35m (a figure that is expected to rise to €50m by the end of 2021). Paradigma have called on the powerful Adorn A55T several times on projects since its launch early
USA - Now into its third year, Nights of the Jack is a Halloween experience which sees the historic King Gillette Ranch in the Santa Monica mountains of Los Angeles filled with thousands of hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns. Arranged into themed displays, the pumpkins are further enhanced by colourful background lighting from ADJ IP65-rated LED wash fixtures as well as smoke and bubble effects from ADJ atmospheric generators. Named after King C. Gillette, founder of the Gillette razor brand, who owned and developed the land in the 1920s, the King Gillette Ranch is a 588-acre site in the Calabasas region of Los Angeles that is now owned and operated by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. Having successfully launched in 2018 and experienced considerable growth last year, Nights of the Jack 2020 was put in jeopardy – as with so many events – by Covid-19.
USA - Foo Fighters recently played the #SOSFest livestream with Brit Row providing the virtual remote mixing solution. Performing at West Hollywood’s Troubadour, the gig was streamed to fans on 18 October as part of a collective action weekend in support of independent US-based music venues. A total of 35 artists - including Miley Cyrus, The Roots, Major Lazer and Leon Bridges - played in multiple venues in cities across the US and joined the Foo Fighters in raising awareness and funds to keep North America’s cherished independent concert venues from closing indefinitely. Named #SOSFest, the three-day virtual music festival was created to support the Save Our Stages initiative and America’s National Independent Venues Association’s (NIVA) Emergency Relief Fund. NIVA’s YouTube hosted the festival, with individual sets also aired on artist channels. Pri
Israel - Established in 1991, Mandel Cultural Centre is a community space located in the Jaffa region of Israel. The centre caters to the needs of the local community, and because of its prime location beside one of the largest stadiums in Israel, it is in high demand for private functions. For this project TechTop Marketing, importer of professional audio equipment, worked with installers Charmer Group installers to upgrade the facility's audio system using LEA Professional solutions. “Once Charmer Group recognised the team behind LEA Professional, they knew the technology and solutions provided would be nothing short of revolutionary,” explained Shimon Pick, director at TechTop Marketing. “LEA has a huge depth of pro audio experience behind them, and going into a significant local project like this, that level of expertise is incredibly reassuring to all parti
Italy - A Lawo 24-fader mc²36 All-in-One console and two compact Lawo stageboxes are at the heart the new 4K OB truck that Lawo partner ARET Video & Audio Engineering has designed and built for a Middle East customer. The Gulf state client manages a culture-based television channel in addition to various tourist, cultural and media activities, and plans to expand into the filming of sporting events. The new OB van features a layout that maximizes internal space while allowing interoperability between all three operational areas: the main production area, with monitor wall, slow motion equipment and character generator stand, the Audio room, with its custom acoustic insulation, and the engineering and camera control area with control of up to eight cameras via fiber-optic connection, plus two wireless cameras. Each of these areas, including the racks, has its own indepen
USA - Cut off from her normal routine by the lockdown, the multi-Grammy winning artist Torri Kelly retreated to her home studio to embark on a musical journey of self-reflection and discovery. The result is her aptly named EP Solitude. When Kelly appeared ‘virtually’ on The Late Show with James Corden late this summer to support its release, lighting designer Julien Reux deployed 18 Chauvet Professional STRIKE 1 fixtures supplied by PRG. “I wanted to give off an angelic aura to the performance,” said Reux, owner of ReuxLight Design. “The warm white glow from the STRIKE fixtures was critical to conveying this mood.” Kelly’s performance was videoed at The Beehive Studios in Los Angeles and livestreamed to Corden’s set at the CBS network facility. Arranged in a 22ft semi-circle behind the guitar-toting star, the STRIKE 1 fixtures create
