Europe - Before making its high-profile debut on this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon, GLP’s new KNV went out on a ‘field test’ tour with German band Scooter. This gave production designer Jerry Appelt and his lighting director, programmer and board operator Marc Brunkhardt the opportunity to evaluate the new modular design with the upcoming ESC in mind.
The design team deployed 14 KNV fixtures as a massive centre effect in the middle of the Scooter stage set. Supporting these were 90 GLP X4 Bar 10, which handled the washes, and 22 impression X4 L for key and side lights. All the tour lighting was provided by PRG.
“We were very happy to get hold of the KNV - what act is better for testing such a hyper bright fixture than Scooter? They were a real eye catche,” reports Marc, who had seen the fixture for the first time at production rehearsals in Bottrop. “I immediately liked the brightness and the fact that it was very compact,” he said. “Also the RGB rings around the powerful white LED were extremely impressive.”
Underhung in the middle of the set, beneath the decks, the KNVs were fully visible for all to see. “We had spaces between every fixture to cover the complete width of the set - and in this configuration we were able to produce some great effects over the whole cluster.”
The lighting director also praised the versatility of the KNV. “You can use it just for flooding the entire stage with colour or to produce nice random strobe sparkle effects.”
(Jim Evans)

USA - The festival season continued this summer with more than 430,000 people attending the Lollapalooza Music and Arts Festival over four days.
Bandit Lites worked with C3 Presents and provided three trucks with nearly 600 fixtures and 1500ft of truss to light spaces across Grant Park. Areas included Kidsapalooza, the Merch Palace, cocktail lounges, a beer garden, VIP areas off the stage and the stunning Buckingham fountain. Bandit also supplied lighting for all areas with foot traffic, navigating the way from stage to stage.
“Our biggest challenge is always power distribution on such a large festival,” said C3 Presents production manager Tyler Crain. “A solid plan of areas to light and power necessary to accomplish this ahead of time is a necessity.”
In order to craft that solid plan, Bandit Lites began working with Crain about seven weeks ahead of load in to organise and map out the logistics for truss towers, specialty lighting and landscape needs.
Thirty-two Elation Paladins spaced evenly around the fountain in eight groups of four turned the waters into vivid colors throughout the night. “The Paladins really brought the fountain to life,” shared Aaron Swetland who programmed Buckingham Fountain. “They worked great as we didn’t have to bag them. Even on the sunniest days, there is going to be mist, so having a water proof light is super important.”
Bandit Lites team arrived early to set up the site lighting, using their knowledge and expertise to fashion spaces that gave artistic and colourful looks, whi

Belgium - During Bruges’ tenure as European Capital of Culture in 2002, the Concertgebouw Brugge - a concert venue and multicultural centre accommodating more than 1500 visitors - was built to provide the city’s inhabitants and many tourists with a home for some of the best classical music orchestras in the world. Taking centre stage in a recent refurbishment of the concert hall were 20 Chauvet Professional Ovation F-265WW fixtures, specified by local install specialists Sotesa.
With the main hall regularly receiving high-profile symphonic orchestras such as the Anima Eterna Brugge (artist in residence), Brussels Philharmonic, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Budapest Festival Orchestra and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the venue required a practical solution to provide general illumination for the musicians on stage. With their incredibly soft and even flat field of warm white illumination, the Ovation Fresnel-style LED fixtures were chosen to replace the outdated and unreliable incandescent house lights.
“Aside from the fact that the old incandescents used a lot of electricity, it could be uncomfortable at times for the musicians because of the heat they generated,” commented Geerolf Jacques, coordinator of stage technology at Concertgebouw Brugge. “One of the key advantages of the Ovation fixtures is that we don’t have to worry about leaving the lights switched on for longer periods of time for rehearsals and shows.”
Given the practical issues of the 12m high roof in the concert hall itself, finding a suitable lighting fixture to

UK - Rental and installation specialists LED Creative worked with the crew at Version 2 to help illuminate the annual charity concert held in the grounds of hosts Sue and David Formosa’s Chorleywood home.
Now in its sixteenth year, Music by Twilight features a broad mix of talent, including local acts. The concerts have raised over £400,000 for the charity and this year’s show was another resounding success with all proceeds going towards the funding of TCT units in NHS hospitals.
Providing their Sigma Pulse Wands and Fairground fixtures plus Byte Controllers, the LED Creative team were able to help add colour, shape and movement to the lighting design for the event. With limited access to the site, the ‘plug and play’ Sigma fixtures were an ideal creative solution, quick and easy to incorporate into the custom-built stage with no compromise on versatility.
Commenting on the show, LED Creative project manager Tim Rees says, “It’s an absolute pleasure to be working alongside V2’s Nick Edwards and his crew in support of such a worthy cause. The entire team have done a stunning job in staging a fantastic looking show - everyone has pitched in to create a true spectacle, all in aid of a wonderful charity. We’re proud to have played a part.”
(Jim Evans)

Italy - For the eighth year running, Music Inside Rimini (MIR) and LIVE welcomed a host of lighting companies including High End Systems to take part in the annual Italian event Live You Play. LIVE events began in 2010 with a resolution to provide visitors with the chance to experience audio, lighting, video and installation technologies from a live performance on stage. This year, there was both a virtual and a live show organised at the event.
Lighting designer Trevor Burk organised the structure of High End Systems fixtures in the virtual show whilst lighting programmer Francesco De Cave arranged the design of the same fixtures for music band ‘POP deluxe’ in the live show.
Francesco emphasised how “programming the lighting whilst showing the fixtures’ capability to the audience without losing the main focus – the show itself – was not an easy job”.
The set-up included a variety of SolaFrame 750, SolaFrame Theatres, HEX, QUAD, SolaSpot 2000, SolaWash 2000, SolaHyBeam 1000 and the recently-launched SolaFrame 3000. The SolaFrame series lit up the performances by POP deluxe with precise lighting control and aerial effects. This included High End Systems’ newest flagship luminaire: SolaFrame 3000, which features an Ultra-Bright White LED engine that produces a limitless range of colour.
(Jim Evans)

USA - Formed in 1996 in Palm Desert, California, the Queens of the Stone Age developed a style of riff-oriented, heavy rock music. Their sound has since evolved to incorporate a variety of different styles and influences, including working with Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, and Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan who has been a steady contributor to the band.
For all this time Josh Homme, Troy Van Leeuwen, Michael Shuman, Dean Fertita and Jon Theodore have been a constant in the worldwide Rock’n’Roll circus, touring and performing old and new songs, always dedicated to keeping the spirit of innovation and autonomy alive and moving forward.
This motivation also applies to lighting designer Emmanuelle ‘Gigi’ Pedron who has given the band a unique look onstage. Using a grandMA2 full-size as her creative tool of choice, she has also transformed this into an object of art itself. A grandMA2 light was on the most recent tour as well.
Gigi comments on her choice of MA Lighting: “I started touring about 19 years ago and the MA Lighting Lightcommander 24/48 was the first console I ever touched. Ever since, I have exclusively worked with MA. I’ve used them all, from Scancommander to the latest grandMA2 running the most recent software versions and very soon I hope to utilise the grandMA3.”
The tour’s lighting equipment was supplied by Upstaging in the US and Christie Lites in Europe.
(Jim Evans)

USA - It’s a 4th July tradition: the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular at the Edward A. Hatch Memorial Shell on the Esplanade along the banks of the Charles River in Boston. The event featured the celebrated orchestra, under the direction of conductor Keith Lockhart. This year, Michael Berger of LA-based Full Flood utilised Claypaky Scenius Unico and Mythos 2 fixtures, supplied by 4Wall, to support the production.
The Independence Day spectacular showcased an all-women guest line-up featuring Emmy award-winning Fight Song artist Rachel Platten, Rhiannon Giddens of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls, and Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Awards-winner, Rita Moreno.
“We needed to make the orchestra the star of the show and provide opportunities for the guest artists to shine as well,” says Full Flood’s Micahel Berger, a Boston native who marked his third year as lighting designer.
“This was a combination symphony orchestra concert and arena rock show held outdoors in the middle of summer,” he notes. “It’s a great opportunity to get to come home to Boston and work on this calibre of show.” The Spectacular was telecast, carried on radio and live streamed by Bloomberg.
Berger utilised Claypaky Mythos 2 fixtures and Scenius Unicos for the production. “Mythos have become an important part of our repertoire,” he says. “For this show they outlined the arch of the Hatch (bandshell) and have developed into a pretty iconic image.”
“Mythos are a staple as a beam unit,”

USA - The 32-city North American leg of Erasure’s World Be Gone tour takes place on multiple levels, literally and figuratively. Made up entirely of LED linear fixtures, the matrix-like set features a collection of tiered mini-stages. Vince Clarke plays keyboard in an upper centre-stage cubicle, flanked by kinetic dancers on slightly lower portals, while his partner in the synth-pop duo, Andy Bell, holds forth on the floor, his vocals soaring above it all.
Weaving the complex set together, while supporting the full scope of Erasure’s music, is balanced Matt Waterfield-designed lightshow run on a ChamSys MagicQ MQ80 with a MagicQ Extra Wing.
Waterfield is drawing on the output of some 230 fixtures supplied by Christie Lites in his show for the tour, which is in support of Erasure’s 17th studio album. “I have been designing for Erasure since 2017,” he says. “I was introduced to them by their FOH engineer. Initially, I did a floor package for a few shows. That went well, so they asked me to design the show for their current tour. They gave me a lot of freedom.
“Their only input was to make it neon, giving it an Amsterdam red-light district kind of look. They wanted this show to be more held back than their usual performances, less rave, more theatrical, but still with its full-on moments.”
A ChamSys user for over 10 years, Waterfield selected a MagicQ MQ80 with an extra wing as his main console and a MagicQ MQ70 as his backup. “I started with a Maxi Wing and touch screen, which was then replaced with the MQ70, and later t

USA - High End Systems has announced the finalists for the 2018 Hog Factor USA Collegiate Lighting Programming Competition. First held in North America in 2015, Hog Factor has become a leading global lighting contest.
Over 60 teams registered for Phase One, each providing a performance lighting piece programmed on a Hog or Hog 4 PC. The collegiate teams were judged by a diverse panel of High End Systems and ETC employees to produce the three Hog Factor finalists.
The three finalist teams are SolaTartan from Carnegie Mellon University, The Pig Ears from California State University Long Beach and Brown Sugar from Southern Methodist University.
Phase Two will see these teams programming a performance lighting piece based on High End Systems' 2018 LDI booth design. These teams will then be invited to perform their shows live at LDI on the ETC / High End Systems booth, where the winners will be judged by a select group of industry lighting designers.
(Jim Evans)

UK - PLASA Show, the worldwide event for entertainment technology, is returning to London Olympia on 16-18 September with a whole host of industry leaders and influential brands primed to deliver popular products, inspirational talks and expert training.
The exhibitor list has been rapidly growing with international brands spanning lighting, audio, AV, rigging and staging, and the programme is filling up fast with critical updates, exclusive panels and the latest projects.
In association with LSi, respected lighting designer Rob Halliday and entertainment architects Stufish will present Giudizio Universale - Michelangelo and the Secrets of the Sistine Chapel, revealing the technical secrets of this stunning €9m immersive stage show created by Marco Balich, now at the Auditorium Conciliazione in Rome. Having worked on the show, Rob Halliday will discuss the richly pigmented, high-contrast lighting design drew on the style, colour and mood of the iconic paintings.
Another seminar comes in the form of Creating the Tempest. It will see Sarah Ellis from the Royal Shakespeare Company discuss the highly innovative digital technologies used in their recent production which could change the face of theatre.
Holoplot are hosting a session exploring wave field synthesis for 3D sound applications and challenging acoustic environments. Attendees will learn about how this technology can go beyond theory to produce real products and scalable solutions that can cope with harsh acoustic environments.
Back by popular demand is

UK - Elation will be showcasing at PLASA Stand H40 the Smarty Hybrid, a full featured CMY colour mixing spot, beam and wash fixture. At the heart of the fixture is the new Platinum lamp using ‘FLEX’ technology which offers a "smartly” designed discharge lamp/ballast package (6,000 hour lamp life) for high output / compact performance at an efficient and affordable price point.
Elation continues to expand its award-winning Artiste series of creative moving heads. At PLASA, look for the Artiste Picasso, a theatrical-grade luminaire that 'connects art to engineering'. One of the brightest and most feature-rich profile LED lighting fixtures on the market today, it is a high-output (22,000 lumens), feature-packed (zoom, framing, CMY, CTO, gobo wheels, animation, prisms, frost and more) yet compact profile light featuring a new high-power 600W Cool White LED engine.
Elation has also embarked on a new chapter in its evolution with the launch of Obsidian Control Systems, an accessible line of advanced yet intuitive lighting control products. Obsidian (formerly M-Series) offers a wide range of lighting controllers, including excellent entry level options, which are exclusively distributed by Elation Professional worldwide.
The Cuepix 16 IP is a 4x4 LED LED blinder and effect panel with all-weather IP65 protection. Designers can add high-impact colour or white light, eye candy or pixel-mapped effects, to productions of all types without the worry of weather and cost and inconvenience of protective coverings.
Elation Professional now offers two n

South Africa - DWR Distribution, the Signify distributor in Africa, reports that Philips Showline SL Punchlite 220 luminaires and a Philips Strand 200 Plus console have been installed in the Conservatory Hall at the North-West University School of Music and Conservatory in Potchefstroom. The new equipment will compliment all the concerts and music productions, such as the cabaret and annual pantomime.
Dr. Yvonne-Marié Brand, acting director of the NWU School of Music & Conservatory, comments: “The new equipment is a huge upgrade and has greatly improved the lighting in the hall. More light, no noise! We are really impressed with it.”
Headed by Andi Rodgers, DWR Distribution installed three lighting bars on which 12 Philips SL Punchlite 200s were hung, with a Philips Strand 200 Plus console for control.
Brand adds: “The feedback from the technical crew is very positive, the equipment is fantastic, good quality, great features and is fairly easy to use.”
(Jim Evans)

South Africa - Dry hire company Guquko Technical Rider has launched a new website, www.guqukotech.co.za.
The company was established by Phumzile Sibanyoni at the end of 2017 and holds stock of 12 Robe Spiiders, 24 Longman 4 Ups, Prolyte stage decks and other accessories such as cabling.
Sibanyoni comments: “The equipment has been working very hard for us. We were very pleased that our Robe Spiiders and Longman units were used at the Nelson Mandela Annual lecture hosted at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on 17 July. The gear is out most of the weeks and is not gathering dust. That said, it would be great for larger companies to recognize and rent from us to help give us the necessary exposure.”
All gear is also frequently serviced by the local distributor DWR Distribution, including the replacing of globes.
(Jim Evans)

UK - TSL Lighting has invested in a large number of Chroma-Q LED fixtures and Luminex DMX hubs, supplied by the brands' UK & Eire dealer A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET).
The investment comes less than a month after TSL announced it had finalised the acquisition of corporate and event lighting specialist Blinding Light.
TSL has added to its inventory a large quantity of Chroma-Q Color Force II 72 and Chroma-Q Space Force LED fixtures. AC-ET also supplied TSL with 50 Luminex LumiSplit 2.10 DMX hubs.
Sam Tamplin, managing director of TSL Lighting, comments: “With the recent acquisition of Blinding Light, we needed to make sure we had the right inventory to meet the needs of our customers. The addition of these industry leading fixtures and infrastructure options, will ensure we continue to provide our clients with what we consider to be the best quality equipment available.”
(Jim Evans)

The Netherlands - After theatre De Blauwe Kei decided to move to a new purpose-built 650-capacity facility in the CHV Noordkade venue in Veghel, the theatre’s owners decided to be the first 100% LED theatre in the country.
Central to achieving this goal was an exclusively Chauvet Professional Ovation rig consisting of 20x Ovation E-260WW, 36x Ovation E-910FC, 4x Ovation F-265WW and 40x Ovation F-915FC fixtures supplied and installed by Stagelight.
“For the new location, the theatre was questioning whether it was still necessary to invest in traditional incandescent ellipsoidal and Fresnel fixtures,” says Robert Frijns from Stagelight. “We tried looking at what other theatres in the region had installed, but it turned out there were no 100% LED theatres yet in The Netherlands. De Blauwe Kei decided to go all in, and the results have been quite astonishing.”
By specifying the full selection of Ovation LED fixtures, the theatre ensured that cumbersome dimmer packs were no longer required to support the fixtures. Despite this, the fixtures retain the classic dimming curve of tungsten fixtures, thanks to Ovation’s advanced 16-bit dimming technology.
Positioned from above stage truss to the front and sides of the stage, the Ovation fixtures provide a wide range of looks for different purposes. The E-260WW and E-910FC fixtures, for example, were specified for their ability to provide a mixture of soft and concentrated wash effect lighting for the stage.
The Ovation F-915FC fixtures were specified for their ability to provide high-

Croatia - Ultra Europe 2018 was staged in Split, Croatia, offering three dynamic performance areas – Main Stage, Resistance and Arcadia – in and around the Poljud Stadium.
Zagreb-based Promo Logistika was the site-wide technical provider for sound, lighting, video, rigging, logistics, crew and – via carefully selected partner companies – staging. It’s the sixth year the massive event has been presented in Europe, and the fourth year that Promo Logistika has ensured that the many layers of demanding international creative and technical standards have been met and exceeded.
Over 300 Robe moving lights featured prominently on the Main Stage this year explained Miro Hrg, Promo Logistika’s production lighting co-ordinator for that area.
The overall production lighting design for the Main Stage was created by Patrick Dierson who works on all Ultra events worldwide, and the Resistance lighting was designed by Andy Hurst, working in a similar capacity.
Around 80 percent of DJ’s including all the headliners and anyone playing after 10 p.m. each night brought their own LDs / lighting directors / operators, which this year included, Afrojack, Hardwell, Axwell Λ Ingrosso, Eric Pridz, David Guetta, Steve Aoki, Marshmallow, Armin van Buuren and more.
The main stage moving light count broke down to 20 x BMFL Spots, 26 x BMFL Blades, 48 x MegaPointes, 40 x Pointes, 48 x Spiiders and 42 x LEDWash 600s.
“The design was clearly and intelligently through through,” comments creative director Miro Hrg. “Enough presence, but sensibl

UK - SGM Light has named Matrix as its new distributor for Denmark.
The news follows the recent appointment of Architainment Lighting as the brand’s architectural distributor in the UK.
Peter Johansen, CEO, SGM Light comments: “With Matrix as our new distributor here in Denmark, our customers will experience easier access to SGM’s products, and in general get all the benefits of Matrix’s service package. Our day-to-day focus is definitely targeted the big export markets. However, we also want to accommodate our home market, which will now be able to enjoy SGM demonstrations on several occasions.”
Thomas Christensen, CEO of Matrix, adds: “With the water and dust-resistant products, SGM has a unique market placement, and we are thrilled to be able to add them to our product range. It is also an added bonus to be able to represent a brand that is both Danish and a technological frontrunner.”
(Jim Evans)

Italy - GLP has appointed Mods Art as its new Italian distributor. The move has been announced by GLP sales executive Sven Heindl and the Italian company’s chairman Dr. Giacomo Laria.
Mods Art’s Alessandro Righi will be a technical representative for the German brand.
Heindl comments: “Mods Art is a dynamic and positive young company and I could see the mood and ambition from the number of visitors attending the booth at MIR. “We look forward to a long and successful future working together with them.”
Laria adds: “We are working to introduce GLP at the top level, which is quite a challenge with so many high-profile lighting manufacturers in Italy.”
Initial reaction, following open days and a presence Music Inside Rimini has been 100% positive, he adds: “The feedback has been excellent and we are highly optimistic.”
Mods Art recently supplied a quantity of X4 Bars to major Italian rental company Agorà for use on the Jovanotti tour, and have several other projects pending.
The Italian company was initially conceived as an audio company in 2010 but has since branched out into the distribution of video and lighting solutions as well as audio. The business is owned and managed by Dr. Larìa and technical director and CEO Luigi Lombardi from its base in Vasto near the Adriatic coast.
(Jim Evans)

UK - Event design and technical production company Maestra London has expanded its team in readiness for a busy autumn season.
Joining MD Justin Hammond and the London team are Matt Spark (senior project manager), Euan MacLeod (business development manager) and Cameron Pullar (warehouse assistant).
Spark started working at festivals and events like SW4 and the Isle of Wight and other international events, as well as becoming a freelance production assistant for a succession of artists. This experience took him to Australia for three years where he worked with a raft of brands including Star Wars, Quantas and Disney.
MacLeod worked in New York and Woodstock before relocating to Scotland to take a degree in Events & Entertainment Management at Glasgow Caledonian University.
Pullar worked at a Scottish LED company whist still at school and then studied Music Performance & Production at the University of East London. He’s subsequently worked as an audio technician at the New River Studios in north London.
(Jim Evans)

The Netherlands - CLF has extended its line of lighting essentials with the introduction of the LEDbar PRO and Hera.
The CLF LEDbar PRO is a multifunctional linear RGBW LED batten. The IP65-rated fixture has 10 individually controllable RGBW LEDs and can be used as a cyc and a pixel-controlled effect machine thanks to its 24° beam angle. Dynamic effects are easily configured by DMX, and the fixture is also Art-Net and sACN ready. Multiple rigging options are offered by the easily adaptable bracket positioning system and the side lock system offers matrix possibilities. Power can be connected through PowerCON TRUE1 connectors.
The CLF Hera is an IP65 rated RGBWAUV LED par has 12 high power dimmable LEDs that deliver “rich colours, subtle pastel tones and a very homogenous 30° beam angle”. A single bracket design provides both standing and hanging opportunities, all in a touring-ready aluminium housing, while an intelligent cooling system promises silent operation. Data and power can be connected through the IP65 five-pin locking XLR and PowerCON TRUE1 connectors.
(Jim Evans)

UK - Cardiff City Council contacted 11th Hour requesting a turnkey solution for the presentation event as the city welcomed back Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas.
The council contacted 11th Hour with the brief just three days before the homecoming was due to take place.
Outside Cardiff Castle, 11th Hour erected a 6m x 5m Trilite stage, complete with cycle ramp and PA system by ABacoustics. As well as power to the stage and temporary media centre, the company supplied two confetti cannons and 58m of Prolyte truss to create 2 x 13m high archways over St Mary’s Street.
With much of 11th Hour’s own truss out on festival duty, the company was able to source its requirements at short notice from trusted partner AED. Every aspect of the event proceeded smoothly, from the build, managed by a highly experienced team operating in what are familiar, busy city centre surroundings, through the presentation itself, to the swift removal of the installation.
Business development manager Jason Venables comments: “At 11th Hour we’re always happy to take up any challenge on behalf of our clients, even at the shortest notice. More often than not, events are notified well in advance and we’re able to take time over planning and implementation but every so often, circumstances dictate otherwise. We are pleased and very proud that Cardiff City Council regularly turns to 11th Hour for a range of solutions and particularly so in this case, where we were delighted to play our part in welcoming home a true national hero.”
(Jim Evans)

USA - Lighting designer Nathan Brittain from LD Systems chose to work nearly 250 Robe moving lights on his rig for the 2018 Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo (HLSR) live entertainment stage which ran for the 20-day duration of the event. This, the largest such rodeo event in the world, attracted over 2.5m people and a glittering line-up of artists who performed on the concert stage in the NRG Stadium in Houston.
LD Systems, also based in Houston, delivered technical design, live sound, concert lighting, HD video screens, custom truss structures, rigging equipment, production crew and logistics support throughout NRG Park for the entire month surrounding the event.
This year saw the debut of the new Star Stage commissioned by HLSR, and a collaboration between LD Systems and staging specialist TAIT, a project that was two and a half years in the making.
The stage is a mobile structure which is moved and laser guided into place beneath the stadium’s video cube centrepiece - also brought in for the event and used for both the rodeo and the concerts.
A major lighting upgrade for the shows followed the instigation of the new stage explained Nathan, who has lit the HLSR concerts for the last four years. “We wanted to focus on bringing the environment to life and make the lighting and video elements as big as the stage itself.”
The 49 x MegaPointes, 60 x Pointes and 128 x Spikies were all purchased by LD Systems from Robe North America, who offered “fantastic support” stated Nathan.
The layout of the lighting fixtures, and the

USA - Federal Hill Commons, a 6.5-acre multi-use site just north of Indianapolis in Noblesville, Indiana, recently opened a community amphitheatre designed to hold any and every type of outdoor event. Professional production company and Elation dealer Stage Tech, Inc. of Indianapolis was commissioned to handle everything lighting on the project from concept and design to installation and programming and turned to Elation’s leading line of IP65-rated luminaires to realise the task.
“The nature of this installation demanded weatherproof fixtures so the IP rating was the first and most important criterion when compiling a list of options,” says Mike Trotta, owner of Stage Tech, Inc. “Elation has a wide range of IP-rated fixtures, so we were able to weigh the benefits of various fixture types and feature sets, knowing that any of them would be appropriate for the outdoor environment. The competitive pricing also ensured we could include enough fixtures in the inventory to provide an effective system within the client’s budget.”
Stage Tech chose to use 6 Proteus Hybrid fixtures, Elation’s multi-functional, IP65-rated arc-source moving head, along with 4 DTW Blinder 350 IP variable white LED blinders and 16 SixPar 300IP LED Par color changers. Lighting design was by Stage Tech’s in-house lead LD David Lapham.
Besides the IP rating, Lapham says the venue’s operator wanted the capabilities inherent in moving lights in order to add excitement to music events. “The Proteus Hybrid’s feature set allows for a high degree of flexibility fo

UK - At this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival visitors are not only enjoying comedian Abandoman’s freewheeling performance, but also got an inside look at the lighting that supports his on-stage magic. On Monday evening, 13 August, Chauvet Professional sponsored a behind the scenes tour of the popular entertainer’s FOH and lighting rig, which includes Maverick MK Pyxis and Rogue R1 FX-B fixtures supplied by SLX.
Taking place at the Fringe Festival’s Underbelly at George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9LD, the ‘Open Day’ event featured a lively chat with Abandoman’s lighting designer Robbie Butler, ALD’s Tom Wilkes, Underbelly’s head of lighting Cat Neufeld, and a special guest on the inspiration and techniques behind successful improvisational lighting.
After the interview and subsequent tour, Wilkes donned his Chauvet hat (he is the company’s UK South pro manager) and joined his Chauvet colleagues Graham Baron and Rob Moore to host an open bar.
“We will be interviewing Robbie on stage for approximately 30 minutes before the backstage tour,” says Wilkes. “Our discussion will cover a wide range of topics, from why Robbie selected the fixtures in his kit, to how he meets the challenge of keeping up with the unbridled creativity and improvisation that characterise Abandoman’s shows.”
(Jim Evans)