Australia - Titan Fitness is an independently owned fitness studio in Coogee, a coastal suburb of NSW, Australia. The fully-equipped four-floor facility has been open since 2009, and its Spin Studio has recently seen the installation of 24 Astera AX1 Pixel Tubes in a new LED lighting installation. These were supplied to installers Aeromic by Astera’s Australian distributor, ULA Group. Aeromic has been supplying and manufacturing audio and AV products to the fitness and professional health industries since 1994, and Titan Fitness has been a client for some time, explained Andrew Zarounas, Aeromic’s director and co-owner. He and Titan Fitness CEO Mets Analin share a passion for the industry and a flair for being innovative, different and pushing the envelope. Mets approached Andrew about the potential lighting installation, wanting to ensure that Titan Fi
USA - With five floors and four stages, Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk and Rock ’n’ Roll Steakhouse is the largest and most advanced entertainment venue on Nashville’s always-crowded Broadway. Thanks to a comprehensive audio installation from QSC, the sound from multiple live acts on different floors is audiophile-grade. “The entire venue holds about 2,000 guests, with up to 600 in the main room and mezzanine,” says lead sound engineer Josh Hastick. “During busy seasons, all four stages are going at once, and we host as many as 16 bands, each with a four-hour set, in a business day.” That kind of turnover requires equal measures of flexibility and predictability from a P.A. system, which Hastick says that “QSC delivers in spades”. The stage in their main room is flanked by three KLA12 active line array cabinets per side, complemented by four KW181 ac
UK - Lighting designer Matt Tyler used Prolights LED fixtures to provide lighting for space-age performances by Orbital, Public Service Broadcasting and The Radiophonic Workshop at Apollo 50, a one-off event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Moon Landing. Held at Cornwall’s Goonhilly Earth Station to celebrate the technological accomplishment of the Arthur satellite dish, which in 1969 beamed the moon landing footage live to 200m people in Europe, the anniversary was marked with a day of music, science, art and culture. For the evening’s triple-bill concert, Matt drew upon the technological advancements of Prolights’ LED fixtures to deliver spectacular lighting to bring the artists’ space-age themes and sampled astronaut voice recordings to life. Matt utilised his own stock of Prolights Luma700, Diamond19 and Studiocobfc PARs to create the dynamic
Europe - With his Lederhosen and accordion, Austria’s Andreas Gabalier sold out all eight stadiums on his summer tour of Germany celebrating 10 years of his Volks-Rock’n’Roll music. While the audience energy was high, actual energy consumption was lower, due to the High End Systems LED fixtures. Lighting design team Michael Mayler and Andreas Fink collaborated to create a design that fits the requirements for a huge stadium tour, but simplified for the tight time schedule for building and setup. Part of the plan was to reduce their power needs without sacrificing powerful production looks. The two turned to High End Systems’ product line and chose 38 SolaHyBeam 2000s, 36 SolaFrame 1500s and 32 Shapeshifters to fit their lighting needs. “When the LED fixtures are off, they are off, not like with discharge lamps which are still drawing power,” Mayler notes.
UK - LED lighting specialists, LED Creative supported lighting director Stuart Pring with an array of low energy illumination solutions used to create the MelodyVR ‘backstage experience’ at Wireless 2019. Working with Wireless 2019, the virtual reality streaming service gave fans the world over the opportunity to get up-close to the action with hip-hop royalty including J-Hus, Stefflon Don, Rae Sremmurd via the MelodyVR smartphone app. Alongside the front of house live broadcast, Stuart and the team worked on creating the custom-built backstage VR area. Housed in twin interconnected domed structures, the LD used a selection of LED Creative products to light the spaces with artistic effect. For Dome One, LC Sigma Neon was applied across the interior skeleton of the dome to form a futuristic, neon-web effect. Tracing the structure’s entire framework, the LED
The Netherlands - Luxor Live is a music and performance venue in central Arnhem, the Netherlands with a colourful history that started in 1915 when it was opened as a film theatre. Architect Willem Diehl was responsible for its art deco look and features, which has also earned it ‘listed’ status. It was purchased by the Municipality of Arnhem in 2002, fully renovated and re-opened in its current format in 2008. Last year a serious investment in Robe moving lights saw 12 Spiiders, 12 DL4X Spots, eight LEDBeam 150s and four DL4F Fresnels join the lighting rig to help ensure that the 300-plus shows staged there every year can benefit from top quality LED moving lights, explained head of lighting Fon Sanders. The main hall capacity is a cosy 700 including the balcony, and the stage is scalloped out of an elegantly curved auditorium which features an individually pixel
UK - For the fourth year running, The Pride Pleasure Gardens on Brighton’s Old Steine recreated its own experience during Brighton & Hove Pride Festival Weekend. The Old Steine Gardens were transformed around two 1,000-capacity big tops for three days, with entertainment ranging from camp bingo and cheesy pop to cabaret, vibrant live performances, DJs and hot clubbing. Working for Ian Baird’s production company, Whiskey Bravo Productions, were Brighton based sound and light company Penguin Media Hire, enjoying their first year at the festival. Headed by technical project manager Dylan Thompson, the company was tasked with creating a technical infrastructure, including sound (in the shape of Martin Audio PAs), lighting and temporary power for the site; and although this provided a real challenge, it was one they came through with flying colours. “We narrowly m
Austria - It is one of the major cultural highlights of the city of Vienna: the Summer Night Concert by the Vienna Philharmonic. Since 2004, the Klassik-Open-Air has attracted tens of thousands of music lovers each year to the Schönbrunn Palace Gardens. This year's concert, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, took place on 20 June in front of around 85,000 people. In addition, the concert was broadcast by public service broadcaster ORF. For the second time, Jerry Appelt, was responsible for the lighting design. "The Vienna Philharmonic itself suggested the somewhat contemporary implementation of the concert,” he states. “I think that's very brave and I'm glad that concept suited both them and us.” In 2019, the large, arched-roof platform was again positioned directly in front of the castle, while the audience in the garden spread out between the ornamental flo
Taiwan - When you are giving an acceptance speech at a major awards ceremony, there are two things you want to be sure of - that everyone can see you and that everyone can hear what you have to say. Achieving both these aims was key to the sound team at the recent Golden Melody Awards in Taipei, and the reason why they chose DPA’s d:sign 4098 Supercardoid Gooseneck microphones as their speech microphones. Andy Chen, president of Winly Production Services International Corp and production manager for this event, says: “DPA’s 4098 Supercardioid microphones offer much clearer and more transparent sound than the microphones we were previously using, plus the miniature capsule is so slim and so amazingly small that is doesn’t block the faces of the speakers. This is really important, especially for the female artists.” The Golden Melody Awards (GMA) take p
Costa Rica - Colegio Humboldt is an international school in San José, Costa Rica, that serves preschool through secondary students. The school was founded in 1912 by Germans and emphasises a German-based education, Humboldt is also known for its profusion of extra-curricular activities. The school recently built a new performing arts space to further its programme, Auditorio Humboldt, a multi-purpose auditorium outfitted with Elation Professional luminaires. Auditorio Humboldt is a modern, 238-capacity space where students conduct recitals and perform all manner of dance, music, theatre and debate. It houses top-of-the-line AV equipment with specialised technical personnel to provide support. Elation dealer and distributor for Costa Rica, Darko Lighting of San José, completed the lighting project. They supplied, designed and installed new stage and architectural lig
UK - The Warehouse Sound Services provided an advanced audio solution for Edinburgh International Festival’s spectacular opening event. Aberdeen Standard Investments Opening Event: LA Phil at Tynecastle celebrated the start of the 2019 International Festival and was attended by a capacity crowd of 15,000 people. The 2019 International Festival opened in style with a spectacular concert from the Los Angeles Philharmonic and conductor Gustavo Dudamel, celebrating Hollywood film music. A stage replicating the Hollywood Bowl, where the LA Phil famously perform every summer, was recreated in Tynecastle Park, the home of Hearts football club. The LA Phil brought authentic gleam and glamour to the grandeur of Hollywood film scores in this year’s Opening Event, featuring classic movie music from the Golden Age of Hollywood by Korngold, Herrmann, Waxman and a
USA - On his current tour, Grammy-nominated Chris Young is being supported by a light and video show that is pointed emphatically toward the future. “We do have moments for sure when everything settles and there’s a nice solid traditional look, but overall we pushed things the other way toward pretty advanced technology,” said Chris Lisle of CLLD, who designed the forward-looking show for Young’s Raised On Country tour, using a rig supplied by Bandit Lites. A key contributor to Lisle’s fluid and dynamic design for the 28-city summer tour, which runs through 14 September, are the 60 Chauvet Professional Maverick MK Pyxis fixtures in his rig. Positioned 10-apiece in six square automated truss pods that move throughout the show, the RGBW fixtures provide a steady stream of multi-faceted looks, thanks to their continuous 360° pan and tilt movement and outer rim of 15
Canada - Christian Life Assembly (CLA) in Langley City, 25 miles from downtown Vancouver, has grown in leaps and bounds since its humble beginning in 1937 as a sidewalk Sunday School, first moving into a tiny hall, then a succession of larger buildings as the church has attracted more congregants. The worship centre at the Langley Campus, built in 1978, was expanded to hold 2,000 churchgoers in 2008 during renovations that also readied CLA for multimedia technology. Most recently, the church has taken its audio technology to the next level with a new DiGiCo SD12 digital mixing console at front-of-house and a KLANG immersive IEM mixing system, all specified and integrated by Ellis Pro Media of Tacoma, Washington. “The SD12 has been super-flexible for anything we have wanted to do,” says CLA assistant technical director Will Lee. “I haven’t had a situation where
UK - Tower 42 in the City of London is home to Jason Atherton’s Michelin star restaurant, City Social. Situated on the 24th floor, the venue commands spectacular views across the metropolis. As well as serving an extensive range of drinks, Social 24, the venue’s bar, also hosts popular and busy DJ nights. The City Social management team faced a number of issues relating to its audio provision and consulted with integrators Excite AV and the application team at Audiologic to help determine a practical way to overcome some tricky problems. The basic brief was to deliver a new background music system that could be used as a main system for DJ events. The existing ceiling speaker system suffered from uneven sound and coverage, with 100V line speakers dotted only near the windows and above the bar. On busy nights as customers gathered on the dance floor, any lift in vo
USA - Singer-songwriter Keelan Donovan, originally from Maine and now based in Nashville and Austin, knows the road. “After I graduated Belmont University, I knew I wanted to tour. So, from 2015-16 I was playing around 200 shows a year out on the road. Anywhere, for anyone, any time - I would book the shows myself and just play, play, play. I was trying to get my name out there, but I was also learning more about my music and performing every day.” The things he learned during those intensely busy years helped him focus in on his performance style and learn to recognise the tools that make performers sound their best – and now a key piece of his successful performing regimen is the L1 Model II portable line array system from Bose that he travels with and uses at many of his gigs, including house concerts and smaller venues. “At this point, I almost think of t
Portugal - Singer, musician, and songwriter, Pedro Abrunhosa is currently on tour across the country. Known for his large, live band and penchant for straddling different genres of music, the singer’s FOH engineer, Joao Bessa, relies on an SSL L200 to make his hands-on approach to live jamming a breeze. Starting out in the studio and honing his craft for 14 years on an SSL 4000E console, Bessa eventually made what he calls the 'natural transition' to live engineering. “The transition between the studio and the road was so natural to me: in my head, it's just mixing sounds and textures, and that is the thing I like to do,” he explains. “It's a completely creative art, and it's that which really interests me. I have tech knowledge, but I am not scientific - I just need to know the tools, and to know what I am doing, then switch that off and take care of the cre
Europe - Lighting designers Roland Greil & Patrick Woodroffe of Woodroffe Bassett Design specified over 100 Chroma-Q Color Force II LED battens to provide effects lighting for Rammstein’s European stadium tour 2019. The German industrial metal band’s first-ever stadium tour - which sees them play 31 European dates this summer to promote their number one self-titled studio album - further ups the ante on their explosive and ground-breaking live shows. Working in collaboration with production designer, Florian Wieder; production director Nicolai Sabottka; lighting directors Faren Matern & Marc Brunkhardt; and set designer, Cuno Hahn, Woodroffe Bassett Design created a distinctive lighting concept which works hand in hand with the overall production design. Adopting a theatrical approach, the contrasting scenes range from bold industrial looks fitting R
USA - Rascal Flatts is out headlining the Summer Playlist Tour with a lighting package provided by Bandit Lites. With the trio celebrating their 20th anniversary next year, lighting designer Travis Shirley looked to fashion a fresh design that both honoured their two decades of touring and reinvented what audiences expect from a Rascal Flatts performance. “These guys are legends,” says Shirley. “They have done it all before: arenas, stadiums, gig shows, small shows, etc. They were looking for something fresh; something that brought the Flatts performance a bit more in the ‘spotlight.’” “It has been an honour to work with Rascal Flatts for almost two decades,” said Bandit Lites vice president Mike Golden,” and while I have also known Travis Shirley for that length of time, I had never had the opportunity to work with him until now. From the moment I
Israel - Avraham Tal is one of the best known contemporary Israeli singer-songwriters and multi-instrumentalists. His 2019 tour takes a more electronic vibe than previously, and with that, he wanted fresh input on the lighting front and a spec including Robe MegaPointes, Spiiders and BMFL Spots. He wanted this to be achieved without the mechanical precision of timecode but with a more organic process. Co-designers Eran Klein & Omer Israeli of Cochavi and Klein Light Architects proposed a scheme - including Robe moving lights - which was chosen to help explore and develop this idea and these new directions for the stage presentation. Madrix programmer and tour LD / operator, Naor Bonomo also provided input. A major part of this creative chemistry was focussed on finding a new way of synching lighting and video with elements of the music, utilising MIDI over Ethernet
Spain - Catalan singer-songwriter Rosalia is setting festivals worldwide on fire with her signature flamenco-urban fusion style and sold-out shows which feature lighting by Claypaky, represented in Spain by Stonex. In support of her second studio album El Mal Querer, Rosalia’s eponymous world tour - her first - launched in the spring and has played dates in North America, Latin America and across Europe, including Lollapalooza in Argentina and Chile, Coachella in the US, Primavera Sound in Barcelona, and Gurtenfestival in Switzerland. Engagements will continue through October. Rosalia enjoys an unprecedented reception whenever she performs. Her show at La Noche Blanca del Flamenco de Cordoba seduced 10,000 fans with her lyrics and flamenco styling enhanced by dynamic lighting design by Isabel de la Mora. Now, on her world tour, Rosalia is accompanied by
Belgium - A new chapter was added to the rich and widely heralded tradition of Belgian beer making recently thanks to the discovery of a medieval manuscript. Hidden away by monks of the Grimbergen Abbey in 1798 to avoid advancing French revolutionary troops, the recipe, written in Latin and Old Dutch, was unearthed about four years ago in the monastery’s archives. This May, after much painstaking research, the monks were ready to release their resurrected brew to the world. Rolling out such a beverage after a 220-year hiatus, calls for a special celebration, which is exactly what the Grimbergen Abby monks created, putting on Grimbergen Experience Days, a debut event for their business partners and beer connoisseurs from around the world. Adding an appropriate level of visual excitement to the proceedings was a lighting design by Thomas Boets of LDP who was retained
UK - To demonstrate its support for Leeds Pride, ASDA’s head office in the Leeds city centre came out once again in the movement’s traditional bright rainbow colours, with the help of TechLED and 4-Wall. To achieve the required look, 4-Wall’s Ben Perrin specified SGM Q7 wide-angled LED flood fixtures to be distributed evenly under the eaves of the building perimeter. For the building entrance, the tighter beam angle of SGM P5 architectural LED wash lights area, highlighted the features of the entryway. Perrin’s choice was based upon the two-fold suitability of the products to the job, explaining the SGM fixtures are “really wide-angled, really soft, really bright, produce really good pastel colours and because they feature in-built wireless control, they ensure the install and removal was really quick”. SGM’s Q7 is a multi-function flood light with
France - The Grand Concert de Paris, celebrating the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, takes place every 14 July at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, in the Champ de Mars. This year, a crowd of 300,000 people assembled to listen to the concert live, while a record audience of 3m viewers tuned in to watch the spectacle on television. Specialising in the delivery of large-scale shows globally, Gilles Bouvard Events and Shows (GB4D) has been working on this event with Radio France since 2015. This year, thanks to a successful experiment, they extended the traditional site wide Optocore redundant optical fibre loop by deploying an additional 152 Optocore X6R preamps. Explaining the reason, Bouvard said, “We had conducted several experiments with Radio France prior to the event, including the recording and capture of a jazz concert at La Maison de la Radio, with im
Europe - May saw the launch of Rod Stewart’s new world tour in support of Blood Red Rose, the artist’s 30th solo album and his first release in three years. Itself a product of life on the road, the new album features a string of relaxed recordings made with Stewart’s tour band in hotel rooms and private, post-gig, backstage sessions. Helping to translate these new songs from ‘after hours’ to ‘centre stage’ is Colonel Tom Touring, who worked with lighting and production designer Mark Cunniffe to deliver a video rig for the full run of the European stadium, arena and outdoor dates. Created to be easily adaptable for the tour’s various venue types and sizes, the video package includes an impressive architrave of 300 ROE Carbon CB5 LED panels, powered by Brompton Technology Tessera SX40 LED processors, working in tandem with the manufacturer’s XD
