South Africa - Selby’s Productions has been servicing the events and conferencing world since 1980 and most recently, the company upraded its offering with the addition of an L-Acoustics Kara system. The purchase of the long-throw Kara modular line source loudspeaker system is part of a larger plan for Selby’s to move fully to L-Acoustics as their choice of loudspeaker. This choice was two years in the making, according to the Durban branch manager Wayde Sparks. “Richard Smith from DWR Distribution and I had been talking about the Kara for a while, and when it came time for us to upgrade our PA system it was my first option. I have been to the demos for most of the big players in this field, and the truth is, nothing else really compares for me.” As a company Selby’s focus a lot on the conferencing world, and this involves spaces of varying size. “The versa
UK - AV and event production company Blitz has installed loudspeaker equipment from EM Acoustics to ExCeL London’s ICC auditorium. The equipment forms part of the auditorium’s in-house equipment so any clients using the space will be able to benefit from this installation as part of their tenancy. The kit list from supplier EM Acoustics includes equipment from the company’s new Halo Arena line. Jeremy Rees, CEO at ExCeL London, comments: “At ExCeL, we recognise the importance of delivering innovative events that provide a truly immersive, memorable experience. Increasingly technology is at the core of that approach. We are delighted that Blitz has chosen ExCeL to install this high-spec system, enabling us to deliver an enhanced experience, within our Auditorium, to our varied portfolio of clients including agencies, corporates, associations and exhibiti
USA - Australian burlesque Star Wars parody The Empire Strips Back has just completed its most extensive North American tour to date, also visiting Canada for the first time, complete with a suitably boisterous lightshow designed by Peter Rubie, featuring 30 Robe Spiider LED wash beams as the core moving light fixtures. The show has delighted audiences since it launched at the Vanguard Theatre in Sydney in 2011. Peter has been involved with the show for the last four years, taking over from original lighting designer Ross Graham. Since then, it has evolved into the performance spectacle it is today including new acts and songs, and in 2018, a complete refresh of the lighting rig. It was at this stage that Peter decided to replace the previous LED wash lights with Robe’s latest generation Spiider - a fixture known for its power, smooth colour mixin
USA - Hung on five 30ft truss fingers that rise at a 30° angle as they go from upstage toward the audience, the Chauvet Professional Nexus Aw 7x7 fixtures at the heart of Greta Van Fleet’s lighting rig allude to a plane taking flight. Eric Cathcart, the band’s lighting designer, has a first-hand appreciation of this dizzying trajectory. The owner of Bigtime Lighting Design, Cathcart was with the quartet on some of their earliest touring a little over a year ago. Back then everything, including lighting, audio gear and the backline (not to mention the band), fit on a single bus and trailer. Today, a Grammy Award win and a slew of No. 1 hits later, the band’s caravan is considerably larger at five vehicles. Cathcart’s rig, with its 100 Nexus panels, which, like the rest of the fixtures, were supplied by Primer Global Productions, sprang to life with the kind of
Italy - Showman and superstar Vasco Rossi - Il Blasco - returned with another Live Kom tour, including six sold out nights at Milan’s San Siro stadium with a performance to match his profile. Leading the creative production team was lighting designer Giovanni Pinna, who has worked with the artist for many years as part of a team ensuring that the live shows are constantly exciting, interesting and innovative and meet the massive public expectations each year. A master of making impressions - Giovanni chose to use over 340 Robe moving lights - 152 x MegaPointes, 122 x Spiiders and 72 x LEDBeam 150s - to assist in the visual impact. Video screens / content director and disguise server operator Marco Piva and disguise tech whizz Nicolas Di Fonzo worked directly for Giovanni who also collaborated closely with live camera director Peppe Romano from Except to create
UK - Production AV hotfooted it to Wembley in May to provide the camera, projection and IMAG screens for Jack Savoretti’s flagship show. “We had just a seven-day turnaround to design and deliver the camera and screens package to Savoretti’s tour team, managed by production manager Neil Anderson,” explains Pete McCrea, Production AV MD. “As this was the big one - Wembley - they wanted to ramp up the production and include video to enhance the audience experience. David McIntyre had created a real visual spectacular with the lighting, and they wanted to enhance this by relaying live on-stage footage as well as pre-recorded content to two large IMAG screens.” Production AV supplied a pair of 11ft x 20ft (3.35m x 6m) portrait screens for IMAG, with 20,000 lumen Barco projectors. Switching was achieved using their Blackmagic ATEM 4k PPU, with a pair of Sony HDC1
Germany - Like many others, lighting designer Thomas Gerdon would sit on the couch with his parents to watch music show ZDF Hitparade on a tube TV. He was then overjoyed when he was offered to design the lighting for the 50th anniversary of the show - all the more so as he knew German TV veteran, Thomas Gottschalk, would be hosting it. Gerdon’s task was to create a modern set for the 50th anniversary, which at the same time needed to connect with the look of the original studio (Berlin Union Studios). "It needed to pay homage to the old hit parade,“ explains Gerdon, describing the challenge set by the show’s production. "It was clear to me in which direction this design would go,” he continues. And much of this would require the implementation of GLP’s innovative solutions. “The back wall of the set would be the first anchor point,” he expl
USA - One of the industry’s longest serving lighting designers, Michael Ledesma, has been lighting one of music’s most enduring artists, Carlos Santana, for the last six years on the guitarist’s House of Blues residency in Las Vegas. For the latest run of House of Blues dates in May, Ledesma supplemented the house lighting system with a multitude of gear that included Elation Professional SEVEN Batten colour-changing LED battens, Arena Par Zoom LED Par lights, and Protron Eclypse hybrid LED luminaires, along with upstage LED video screens made up of Elation EVHD panels. Innovative Concert Lighting supplies the gear for Santana’s shows at the House of Blues. An Intimate Evening with Santana: Greatest Hits Live plays at the House of Blues in Vegas for eight weeks each year and is booked through 2020. Ledesma, who has been lighting shows for over 40 years
Sweden - With over 45,000 audience members per night, over three consecutive dates, the Scandinavian dance trio returned to live performing - following a six-year hiatus - with a major production at Sweden’s Tele2 Arena (as reported in LSi June). Production managed by Mattie Evans and mixed at FOH by sound engineer Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Sargeant, the SHM team chose to use Britannia Row for the highly-anticipated gigs. Rabbit, whose connection with Brit Row spans two decades, noted that the company is great to work with as all of the team “get fully involved in the design of the system; it’s always good to have the best people onboard”. Britannia Row’s Josh Lloyd was the production’s sound sy
UK - The Blue Butterfly Dance Company has selected Le Mark Nocturne dance floor for its new studios. The Blue Butterfly Dance Company, based in Eastleigh, Hampshire, recently opened new studios in the town centre. Built in a previously derelict site, they required new, versatile flooring for all the performance spaces. “Before we started work, the unit was run-down and empty,” said Amy Fern, principal, Blue Butterfly Dance Company. “It was in a terrible state, so we had lots of work to do and only 12 weeks to do it in, before we opened. Our floors are used for all types of dance - ballet, tap, modern, contemporary, as well as fitness and yoga, so we needed a hard-wearing, multi-purpose floor. “We chose Le Mark flooring as we felt it was much better value for money compared to other dance flooring. Now we have three beautiful studios, all with Le Mark N
Honduras - Reggaeton singer and Latin Grammy Award-winner, Nicky Jam, took his Intimo tour to the city of San Pedro Sula in Honduras for a show at Morazán Stadium that featured an Elation Professional lighting rig designed by Juan David Guerrero. Setting the party atmosphere with colour and high-energy visual excitement was a dynamic lighting rig made up of 36 Platinum FLX moving heads, 48 ACL 360 Bar LED battens, 16 Protron 3K strobes, eight DTW Blinder 700 IP and eight DTW Blinder 350 IP blinders with atmospheric haze from a pair of Antari F-7 Smaze machines. Production and operation of the event was by PRO504, a leading Honduras-based production company that gave the more than 20,000 people who attended the show an unforgettable audio-visual experience. “In Honduras, I used Elation thanks to the excellent service that John Lopez gave me,” stated Juan Dav
The Netherlands - Located in Amsterdam’s Nieuw-West district, where a major programme of urban renewal has been carried out in recent years, De Meervaart is a multi-purpose venue which includes two theatres, three foyers, two studios and 10 further meeting rooms of different sizes. Between them they can host a diverse range events for between two and 2,000 people. With many international artists performing at the venue, alongside the needs of extreme flexibility and portability, De Meervaart technical head Martin Keereweer has relied on Yamaha digital mixing consoles. “About 13 years ago we invested in Yamaha M7CL-32 and LS9-16 consoles, which still work flawlessly,” he says. ”But with the busy schedule of events here, there was a constant demand for more equipment. We will continue to use the M7CL and LS9, so it made sense to invest in Yamaha again.”
The Netherlands - The Kunstlinie Almere Flevoland (KAF) in Almere has installed 16 Claypaky Axcor Spot 400 fixtures in its theatre. Claypaky distributor AED Nederland provided the LED moving spotlights. KAF is a theatre and exhibition centre which opened in 2007 and was renovated and took its current name in 2016. The complex features three performance spaces in the theatre and an exhibition hall. “We were looking for lights that would work with a wide range of theatrical performances, concerts and event rentals,” say Maarten Bolt and Menno van Houten, Light technicians at KAF. “We did a long shootout of fixtures, and the Axcors stood out from the competition for their design, performance and attractive price. Plus, we had used the Axcor Spot 300s once and liked them, so we opted for the new Axcor Spot 400 models.” While lighting usage at KAF varies from
USA/Europe - Ohio-based hardcore act Beartooth, are currently touring around the world, taking on festival season with two dLive Wings set-ups. Danny Harvey (FOH engineer) reports, “The size of the C1500 is ideal for travelling, being able to fly with it is amazing and having that much power in two fly cases is perfect for international acts, making their sound consistent all over the world. “I love the way dLive sounds and how easy it is to customise everything. At the bigger festivals I always manage to get positioned front middle on the FOH tent due to the C1500’s small footprint.” Supplied by V2 Productions for their US dates and Captured Live for shows in Europe, the band’s set up consists of two dLive C1500 surfaces, paired with two DM48 MixRacks, covering both FOH and monitors. Additionally, the FOH console is equipped with a Waves card, used for
UK - BishopSound is making its debut at the Glastonbury Festival 2019. BishopSound speakers are to be used exclusively on a new stage being run by the long-established Glastonbury suppliers, Bristol based A1 Entertainments. For the stage, which will be used to host up and coming DJs, BishopSound has supplied four Beta BB118 enclosures and four Beta BB215s. The BB118 is a passive sub-woofer particularly popular with DJs for its tight, well-defined bass frequency response. Each speaker will handle 1,000 Watts RMS from 35-100Hz with 107dB sensitivity. The BishopSound Beta Twin 15 BB215 is a passive, upright full range speaker fitted with 'Easy Move' wheels. Like the BB118 it will also handle 1,000 Watts RMS, offers 101dB sensitivity and a frequency response from 56Hz-20kHz. Andrew Bishop says: “We're thrilled and delighted to be bringing a British sound back to G
South Africa - The Suncoast Casino in Durban KwaZulu-Natal has a new Anolis lighting scheme which was designed and specified by Joao Viegas and Paul Pamboukian of PPALD. While Paul and Joao presented and drove the project, it was a collaborative effort involving the entire PPALD design team working in conjunction with DWR Distribution, who supplied the Anolis fixtures, and commissioned the system. The project was overseen for DWR by Johnny Scholtz. They were subcontracted to Edison Power, working for South African hotel group, Tsogo Sun, the end client. The brief was to replace the building’s tired old coloured metal halide [sodium] lighting installation which was outlined with coloured neon with something vibrant, colourful and contemporary to match the cosmopolitan vibes and energy of Durban. PPALD proposed the colour changing lighting scheme, complete
USA - Premier Production Services (PPS) of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania has taken delivery of Ayrton Mistral-TC (True Colour) spot luminaires for its inventory where they have been in active use since their arrival from ACT Lighting, Ayrton’s exclusive distributor in North America. PPS offers lighting and audio packages and production assistance for corporate meetings, school dramatic arts and other live events in central Pennsylvania. “We had replaced our older static fixtures with LED and wanted to replace our moving intelligent lights with LED as well,” says PPS vice president Rocco DiBacco. “ACT Lighting brought us some Mistral-TCs for a demo and a shootout with another fixture brand, and we really liked a lot of things about the Mistrals.” Mistral-TC has been created for applications that require perfect colour reproduction. It is equipped with an en
USA - The Cult have been making their way across America celebrating 30 years of their 1989 album, Sonic Temple. They're touring light: just a bus and a trailer in tow to transport the band, consoles, backline, control package, and touring team, which is just two engineers. At FOH position, Stephen McGuire is working from an SSL L300. McGuire has been mixing The Cult for four years and used an L500 console for FOH duties on their previous outing. “It's literally just me and the monitor guy on this tour; I needed to get a desk that is powerful, phenomenally quick to set up, sonically geared for The Cult and can fit in the trailer. The SSL L300 was the perfect choice.” McGuire says he loves mixing The Cult, and describes them as a good old school rock and roll band: no tracks, no click, everything is in the moment, and they give him license to mix. “
Singapore - Concept Systems Technologies recently upgraded The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia, Singapore grand ballroom with a Martin by Harman lighting system for conventions, weddings, celebrations and more. Concept Systems Technologies recommended the Martin MAC Quantum Profile, MAC Quantum Wash, Rush MH 1 Profile Plus, MAC Aura and the JEM Hazer Pro. “The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia, Singapore wanted to upgrade their old discharge lamps with dynamic, intelligent LED fixtures to make their events more immersive,” said a spokesperson for Concept Systems. “Thanks to the wide array of diverse fixtures from Martin, we were able to design a custom lighting solution capable of creating a visually impactful experience for any event.” Concept Systems outfitted the ballroom with four MAC Quantum Profile fixtures and four RUSH MH1 Profile Plus fixtures to create crisp, clea
UAE - Prolights feature in the installation of the newly opened restaurant Wavehouse in the iconic Atlantis The Palm, Dubai. Since opening in early 2019 the Wavehouse entertainment venue has been acknowledged as one of Dubai’s premiere entertainment destinations and a jewel in the crown for the landmark Atlantis The Palm Hotel. Wavehouse delivers entertainment over three floors including a multi-level soft-play area, two floors of arcade gaming with a dedicated Fortnite suite, multifunction room and VR experiences, a four-lane bowling alley, indoor restaurant & bar and a large terrace area with live stage, bars, casual seating and a view out over the Aquaventure Waterpark. Prolights dominates the lighting installation with over 800 fixtures throughout the venue. The range of IP-rated and track-mount fixtures varied depending on requirements from their locat
Europe - Lighting designer Jacopo Ricci made a fundamental contribution to staging Fedez's recent tour by selecting a high-impact lighting system, consisting of 52 Mythos 2 units and 20 Claypaky B-EYE K20s, all supplied by Mister X service based in Grumello Cremonese. Jacopo Ricci said: “I chose Mythos 2 units for the versatility they allowed me. With these units, I could go from beam light to spotlight depending on the needs during the individual parts of the show, and I could program the fixtures differently during the show while exploiting the same installation points. I don't normally use beam lights very much, but in this case, the ability to switch to beam mode was really important. I can safely say that I made the most of the hybrid features of these units.” The three front and two side trusses were all fitted with Mythos units, which Jacopo said he "used 90
The Netherlands - The Panama nightclub in Amsterdam has been at the forefront of the Dutch music scene for more than 16 years, presenting a wide variety of styles and featuring a balanced mix of global and local DJs. The venue has a capacity of over a thousand and as well as its essential nightclub function, acts as a multi-purpose events space that puts on a diverse programme of events. The production team at Panama has progressively improved the sound system at the club over the years. Although happy that its existing system was good and met most of its needs, the club’s management wished to take the club’s audio provision forward and introduce even greater clarity, power and detail, to further enhance every aspect of its offer. Seeking a more immersive solution, Panama choose Pioneer Pro Audio XY Series loudspeakers and appointed AVL Rent under the leadership of
The Netherlands - Dutch singer and TV presenter Jan Smit has been at the forefront of show business for over 20 years. After being discovered by Dutch boy-band Volendam MWN back in 1996, Smit has since gone on to work as a solo artist, in addition to his work as a TV presenter. For his current theatre tour of the Benelux, Smit's long-term creative collaborator Martijn Steman was once again tasked with providing refreshing and versatile tour visuals. After much pre-tour deliberation, Triple Showtechniek supplied Steman and his team with 30 Chauvet Professional Rogue R1 FX-B fixtures, which were incorporated within Steman's lighting concept to award Smit’s energetic rock ’n roll songs with an explosive visual energy. Positioned in three horizontal rows running the width of the entire stage, the R1 FX-Bs play a pivotal role in creating energetic bursts of colour and
Europe - The 2019 arena tour of Saveus, a Danish electronic pop/soul act, featured an impressive setup that featured CLF Orion fixtures. LD Theis Wermuth from Create This was asked to create a spectacular look for the 2019 arena shows in Copenhagen and Aarhus. With the idea of creating big pods of light, needed for an electronic/digital look, he included ladders with 24 CLF Orion hybrid moving heads and 32 CLF Ares LEDwashes as main light. Theis Wermuth explained, “I wanted a powerful hybrid fixture that could make beams and nice breakup looks. The CLF Orion was more the answer. They were used for creating nice, subtle looks, but also for powerful highlights. For strobe effects I searched for a powerful LED fixture. I was hugely impressed by the output of the CLF Ares when using them before, so I decided to use them as LED strobe.” Both fixtures will be deployed f
