Portugal - Europalco, one of the largest providers of solutions for events and shows in Southern Europe, was the global provider of the United Nations World Ocean Conference held at the emblematic Altice Arena stadium in Lisbon.
The five-day event, organised by the governments of Kenya and Portugal, was attended by more than 7,000 participants and brought together 25 heads of state and government and a hundred ministers.
Europalco dedicated a team of 141 people (120 technicians, five project managers, eight purchasing managers, and eight logistics operators) to the event, providing a comprehensive solution. The Portuguese company was in charge of setting up the stages, providing all the furniture and all the technology necessary for the event. It also oversaw sound and lighting, screens, video, and live transmissions, as well as teleprompter tools, simultaneous translation, and real-time subtitling.
In addition, it assembled the truss structures, provided the motors, and created quiet rooms with soundproof curtains.
Europalco used technological solutions from Ross Video, such as Ultrix FR5 routing and signal processing platform; Ultrix Carbonite production platform; and Carbonite Ultra production switcher. Also, Ross Robotics Furio Heads cameras captured the event, delivering super dynamic moving shots.
The challenge Europalco faced was to ensure that microphones, simultaneous translation receivers, and all connections worked perfectly in the 198 delegations located in three different rooms, considering the high movement of people within

USA - To meet expected expansion, Bandit Lites has announced the hiring of industry veteran Paul Strom to the sales and integration team.
Strom joins Bandit’s Charlotte office as system integrator and will primarily focus on rigging and soft goods, allowing even more rapid growth in this area.
“We’ve had countless professional interactions with Paul over the years, so this was a natural fit for our team,” said Chris Barbee - vice president of sales & integration. “His comprehensive knowledge of rigging and drapery is going to be both an asset for us and our clients.”
Strom has more than three decades of experience in the industry, spanning both lighting and carpentry with a strong emphasis on permanent rigging. “I have worked with the entire Charlotte staff in the past and am excited to join them on new projects,” said Strom. “I am thrilled to be on this side of the table with Bandit.”

Europe - Lightware Visual Engineering has announced Roger Takacs as vice president of education. Takacs will play an instrumental role in developing and growing business in the education sector.
Takacs has more than 20 years’ experience in sales and executing strategic initiatives across several key verticals, including education. He has worked with many manufacturers, including Crestron, Atlona and Custom Display Solutions, and integration companies, such as CompView, MCSi and The Intellisys Group.
“We continue to expand our team with many of the industry’s most widely respected professionals,” said Jason Tirado, president of Lightware Visual Engineering. “We are focused on building relationships with customers, consultants and integrators and demonstrating our confidence in Lightware’s innovative solutions. We are thrilled to welcome Roger to our team as we invest in the education channel.”

Italy - One hundred Claypaky Sharpy Plus Aqua fixtures were deployed at the Venetian Arsenal from 31 August to 10 September 2022 for the Campari Boat-In Cinema event at the time-honoured Venice International Film Festival.
Campari has been the main sponsor of the festival for the past five years, during which it has organised a whole series of events to promote dialogue between established filmmakers and emerging talent. Among the best-known initiatives is the screening of some of the films in competition with the audience watching from the water on small boats or platforms in the scenic Arsenal basin. A spectacular live performance opens the evening after an apéritif and welcome dinner for a select audience of about 180 people. This is followed by a film screening on the big screen. After the film, the evening firework party begins for a larger audience of about 1,500 people, with live performances and DJ mixes featuring scenic settings and striking light shows.
Event lighting designer Giovanni Pinna comments, “The client asked for some very 'graphic' lighting to bring out the four islands, which were built especially for the occasion and connected to each other with red carpet-like walkways. The stars and guests arrived and were guided along the pier and walkways by a highly dynamic light path, drawn out using about eighty Sharpy Plus Aqua units, forty on each side.”
Claypaky's Sharpy Plus Aqua is an IP66-rated hybrid moving head fixture, ideal for both indoor and outdoor events. It comes complete with all the latest effects and performance f

Singapore - Showtec, one of the largest rental companies in South East Asia, has purchased 40 Ayrton Domino LT luminaires from Total Solution Marketing Pte Ltd, Ayrton's exclusive distributor for Singapore. The fixtures were subsequently used for the prestigious Singapore National Day Parade on 9 August 2022.
Showtec is one of the top professional entertainment technology companies in South East Asia and carries a very extensive range of equipment for every kind of event. Its inventory is backed by a team of highly proficient technicians who achieve fantastic results for everything from intimate concerts to large scale outdoor events.
Henry Ang, founder of Showtec, chose Ayrton Domino LT both to boost his rental stock and, specifically, for the National Day Parade. “We chose Ayrton Domino LT after a lot of research comparing it against other major moving light brands at the Prolight + Sound Frankfurt exhibition,” he says. “We found Domino LT to have the best combination of being IP65 rated, with an extremely bright LED engine, flat optics, great colour and good quality graphics.
“It was also very important for us to have good local support from the Ayrton distributor, Total Solution Marketing.”
Domino LT is the first all-terrain LED luminaire in Ayrton's ‘Long Throw’ range designed for intensive outdoor use in long-distance applications requiring extremely high precision.
“The Domino LT fixtures were immediately put to use for the National Day Parade 2022, which had two months of weekly rehearsals before the actual show o

Belgium - This past summer, community centre and local theatre GC De Kroon in Bocholt invested in a new Elation LED lighting package just in time for the new theatre season. The new energy-efficient lighting upgrade includes both stage and house lighting fixtures, a dynamic system that will serve the local performance community well into the future.
The transition from conventional lighting to LED lighting was high on the city council’s agenda and Jasper Hendriks, technician at the theatre, was tasked with looking into the newest available technology. According to Jasper, the 400-capacity theatre had several good reasons for wanting to upgrade their lighting system. “One issue was with the conventional 1 kw and 2 kw lighting we had – there was simply no more spare parts for them,” he explains.
“Another reason is the local dance schools and associations that use the venue for performances. They were asking for lighting that is more dynamic - a greater variety of colours, cold and warm white light, better side lighting - and we just had no flexibility with the conventional fixtures. They were also concerned with inefficiency of the old system and wanted a cleaner more green-friendly solution.”
In September 2021, Elation key account manager for Benelux, Bert Schmeits, received a call from Jasper who had heard about the quality of the Elation Fuze Profile from another theatre in the area and wanted more information about it and other products. “The starting point was to save energy without compromising on light quality with focus on multi

France - DJ, music producer and creative live experience imitator Michael Canitrot presented another innovative Monumental show, this time in front of the Cathedral Notre-Dame of Laon in the city of Aisne in the Hauts-de-France region of France.
A special musical performance was created for this event which was presented in collaboration with design collective AV-Extended led by Jérémie Bellot, featuring a giant video mapped projection show onto the front of the Cathedral’s imposing 56m-high façade, supported by a light show designed by Mikael “Mika” Trochu utilising 56 x Robe moving lights.
This followed Michael Canitrot’s 2021 Monumental Tour, a series of site-specific performances staged at some of the most spectacular heritage landmarks and monuments around France.
Robe Fortes and MegaPointes were chosen for their power, brightness, and impact as well as their dynamic feature sets, and were located all around the front of building on the ground and on a balcony at approximately 50m up the front of the building.
They were used highly effectively to create multi-layered effects on the cathedral, including the two main façade towers that overlooking Laon old town, and also to shoot striking and potent beams into the skies.
At the front of the building, either side of the stage, seven MegaPointes were deployed on the garden side with more on the courtyard side. Lined up adjacent to one other on special platforms, they highlight and texture the cathedral walls including the arch ceilings of the two large, recessed side door

Europe - Showlight reminds you that there is still time to submit your suggestions for papers for the Showlight quadrennial next May.
Showlight takes place from 20-23 May 2023 in Fontainebleau, France, and its papers committee is engaged in the process of considering and selecting topics for the papers programme.
Says Showlight, “We are looking for the latest news on lighting projects and technology in our second call for papers focusing on recent projects. Have you worked on an incredible installation or a fantastic festival this summer? Has your project achieved its peak? Did your event engage the latest technology? Did your broadcast bowl its audience over?
“We want to hear from you! We aim for variety across topics relevant to all aspects of the lighting industry today. We want to hear about your experiences, your ambitions, your inspirations, your concerns, your successes and failures. We are not looking for simple product promotion.
“Please send a brief summary of the paper you are proposing, along with a description of the visuals available to papers@showlight.org
You have until 30 November to submit your ideas for consideration. This will allow the Showlight papers committee to finalise the programme in good time.”
2023 will be the first return of Showlight in six years after the enforced postponement due to the pandemic, and it promises to be an exceptional event. Become part of this latest gathering as a speaker, a sponsor or exhibitor, or by attending as a student or dele

USA - The Congressional Medal of Honour Society returned to Knoxville to celebrate and pay tribute to the sacrifices made by Americans around the world. Bandit Lites was honoured to donate a lighting system for the gala, where more than 30 recipients of the Medal of Honor gathered to “reconnect with each other, solemnly commemorate those recipients who have passed, conduct Society business, and engage the local community”.
“When asked, ‘what is the greatest event you have ever been involved in,’ my answer is simple: The Medal of Honor Celebration,” said Bandit chair Michael T. Strickland. “Other than the birth of my sons, this is hands down the event that is the most important moment in my life. We are honoured that this is our second time illuminating this amazing event, and these fine men are the true American Heroes. No other star shines as bright. To be in the same room with these humble, brave and unbelievable people will take your breath away. You have no idea the emotion until you stand amongst these giants. We can never thank them enough for all they have given.”
Bandit Lites donated more than 375 fixtures including Vari-Lite 2500 Spots, GLP Impression X4S, Martin MAC Aura, Elation Sixpar 100, Chauvet ColorDash Batten Quad 12 and Freedom Pars as well as over 500 linear feet of trussing and 26 chain hoists.
The upstage truss ran the length of the ballroom while two 75ft house trusses ran perpendicular to an 85-foot downstage truss. These were loaded with an array of VL 2500 Spots and GLP X4S to wash the ceiling as well as pro

USA - “We are deeply grateful and savouring every nano-second of this,” Flea proclaimed to fans at the start of one Friday night show on the Red Hot Chili Peppers Global Stadium Tour. It’s a safe bet that everyone in the sold-out arena knew exactly how the bass guitarist felt. None of them would have traded that moment either, as they joined the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band on a two-hour musical odyssey that wove its way through classic hits and new material, with plenty of spontaneous jams thrown in.
Reflecting the open exhilarating spirit of the music every step of the way has been a sweeping, panoramic light and video show by Scott Holthaus and Leif Dixon that includes over 250 Chauvet Professional fixtures supplied by Premier Global Productions.
Like the music of the clients it supports, the production design seamlessly blends various parts into a magnificent, multi-faceted, and always captivating whole. Just as the four rockers from LA fuse their performances into a single harmonious sound, the design team often blurs the lines between lighting and video to create a unified compelling visual.
“The most important thing in this show has been to have the generative video spill off the screen and into the surrounding lights to let them work together as opposed to programming lighting that would be similar in colour tempo,” said Holthaus, who began working for Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1999. “Geddy (Anthony Kordyjaka) from Premier Global Production was instrumental in putting together a rig that would allow us to achieve this balance

UK - The summer of 2022 was a huge moment for the city of Birmingham, as it played host to the 2022 Commonwealth Games, as well as the competing athletes from 72 nations. Taking place in the newly updated Alexander Stadium, the opening and closing ceremonies colourfully book-ended the largest multi-sport event held in the UK since London 2012, and was broadcast live to billions around the world, in addition to a 30,000 strong live audience.
Both productions delivered a high-octane, multi-genre and multi-cultural tribute to the history, culture, and pride within the region, featuring a now infamous 10m-tall mechanical bull, and musical performances from West Midlands artists like Duran Duran, Dexy’s, Apache Indian, Beverly Knight, Goldie, Jorja Smith, Laura Mvula, Panjabi MC, UB40 and Black Sabbath.
Positioned to light the festivities was Al Gurdon of Incandescent Design, who called upon the PRG team once again to help deliver the technology and crew to achieve his vision. On assembling his team to deliver the lighting design, Gurdon selected Richard Gorrod at PRG for his “design associate in the planning stages…who put together and led a great team, as always, in the stadium.”
Director of events and special projects Richard Gorrod worked closely with the Incandescent team to create a rig able to reliably withstand exposure to the elements for several weeks at the open-air stadium, all while delivering the power, reach and flexibility to deliver the spectacle the occasion needed.
To fit these criteria, PRG supplied a large number of fix

USA - Cinematographer and DoP James Kniest’s international career has included lighting several high-profile horror genre movies including the recently released The Free Fall directed by Adam Stilwell, on which he enjoyed using Astera Titan and Helios Tubes to provide multiple lighting solutions.
The entire movie was shot on location in a heritage-listed house in the Adams area of Los Angeles, so when James needed to get light sources into assorted – often awkward or hard to access – spaces, corners, nooks, and crannies, he found the battery powered Astera LED tubes an invaluable asset.
The production’s lighting department carried two sets of Titan Tubes and two sets of the smaller Helios Tubes, all powered by Astera’s award-winning Titan LED engine.
Shooting in a protected building meant that nothing could be rigged or attached to the walls or ceilings, so Astera’s practical design, multiple mounting options and great versatility was suitable for numerous scenarios.
For convenience, the Tubes were often mounted in Kino housings for easy rigging and control via louvres. James sometimes added Opal 250 diffusion gel to the egg-crate for subtle softening, and other times would position the bare Titan and Helios Tubes on the floor or even have them hand-held for some shots.
On several occasions, he taped them into corners or in between wall and doorframe casings, generally capitalising on their great adaptability.
As well as creative rigging, he used the fixtures to produce a diversity of effects. “I love how

UK - Architectural and entertainment LED lighting brand Anolis enjoyed a busy and successful PLASA Show in the Grand Hall of Olympia London earlier this month, where Anolis showed its new Calumma product series for the first time at a UK expo, also highlighting its Eminere and Ambiane products.
Being located on Stand E15, right at the entrance to the busy Robe lighting booth, proved a prominent and highly visible position, ideal for getting attention from those who amassed to watch the daily Robe live performance shows, and also easy for its own visitors to find.
Anolis’s business development manager for London and the South East, Ashley Popple commented, “The show generally was very good, and the Calumma range in particular received lots of interest, with some people specifically coming to see it. They were impressed with the features and benefits of Calumma, and once on the stand were able to view Eminere and Ambiane.”
Calumma’s optical design has been carefully crafted and utilises high efficacy single-chip and multi-chip LEDs. The fixtures are available with optional LED colour variants and various beam angles.
A luminaire like the medium-sized Calumma M SC – for example – creates a powerful and rich light output that is perfect for use as a spot as well as for accent and flood lighting solutions. As with all Anolis luminaires, the unit is robust and durable to withstand exterior conditions. A special finish is available for extra harsh environments and marine applications, which still benefits from the elegant design.
C

Switzerland - Electric Claudio Merlo Lighting Equipment S.A. (ECM), a stage lighting equipment supplier and Claypaky distributor in Taverne, Switzerland, has been working non-stop to fill the needs of professional theatres across Switzerland.
For the Grand Théâtre de Genève, Geneva’s opera house, which boasts the largest stage in Switzerland, ECM installed Claypaky Tambora Batten Round fixtures to illuminate operas, ballets, recitals and concerts.
The addition of Tambora, with round lens configurations, met the theatre’s need for high-power, dynamic batten fixtures that offered an excellent cost-to-performance ratio.
Also in Geneva, ECM provided Claypaky HY B-EYE K25/Teatro fixtures to the Comédie de Genève, a new showplace not only featuring two halls for theatrical performances but also large construction workshops and spaces that bring all theater disciplines under one roof.
The B-EYE K25 fixtures, which serve as high-performance LED wash lights, beam lights and VFX projector, were installed in the main hall. The Teatro version, which guarantees silent operation without sacrificing bright colours, was specifically requested.
The same model B-EYE K25/Teatro was also in demand at LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura, a cultural center dedicated to music, visual and performing arts in Lugano. ECM added HY B-EYE K25/ Teatros and Claypaky Axcor Profile 600 HC/Teatro fixtures to LAC’s multi-use theatre.
The B-EYE K25 fixtures were integrated into the theatre’s appliance raider. The Axcor Profiles were chosen for their combination o

USA - ACT Entertainment, manufacturer and distributor of live performance equipment, has acquired Ultimate Support Systems, manufacturer of support solutions widely used throughout the music and live performance industries. The official announcement was made in Windsor, Colorado at the home office of Ultimate Support Systems on 15 September.
“We are very excited to add the Ultimate Support Systems product line and their team to the ACT Entertainment family,” says Ben Saltzman, CEO of ACT Entertainment. “Like ACT, Ultimate has a passion for innovation at its core. The ability to design, develop and engineer state-of-the-art products while providing value and quality is unique in the category. The more I got to know Mike and the amazing team at Ultimate, the more excited I became at the opportunity to work together.”
By purchasing Ultimate Support Systems, ACT now provides yet another of the industry’s most respected brands and products to all the end markets it serves. With the ACT team now behind the brand, Ultimate will continue to grow its product line and create quality support solutions for performers and technicians.
“I’m very thankful for the dealer and customer relationships and support developed over the nearly 16 years of owning and operating Ultimate. Moving on to the next chapter, we are very excited to be a part of the ACT Entertainment family,” says Mike Belitz, CEO of Ultimate Support Systems. “The new ownership will provide the resources for further growth and innovation that the brand deserves.”

Spain - Elation Professional has announced that AdagioPRO, a division of Holmusic, has been appointed the exclusive distributor for Elation Professional products in Spain. The distribution partnership goes into immediate effect and covers the distribution of Elation Lighting, Obsidian Control Systems and Magmatic atmospheric effects products.
Holmusic is a family-run business with more than 50 years of experience distributing musical instruments and professional audio and lighting systems in Spain and other European countries. AdagioPRO serves as Holmusic’s professional sound and lighting division and distributes professional stage lighting systems to a broad range of market sectors including concerts, rental, touring, installations and broadcasting. The lighting division is based at the Holmusic Group corporate headquarters and warehouse facility in Barcelona.
After decades as one of the top professional audio distributors in Spain, since 2019 AdagioPRO has been committed to providing professional lighting systems. “The new partnership with Elation consolidates this project and enhances our presence in the professional lighting market,” stated AdagioPRO director Víctor Pérez. “We feel absolutely confident that Elation products will deepen our presence in touring and installation while helping us grow in the broadcasting market.
“Customers will be able to count on the advantages that come from having a strong national distributor, such as training courses, a wide range of demo equipment, technical assistance services in key geographica

Europe - PlugFest, the technical event for entertainment lighting interoperability, returns to Lille in France from 7-9 March 2023. The popular event welcomes manufacturers, developers and technicians from across Europe to test their products and learn about the latest protocols.
PlugFest is an opportunity for participants to collectively test and demonstrate device and system interoperability with the aim of improving reliability, resolving compatibility issues and ultimately improving connectivity between all entertainment lighting and related technologies.
The event’s hosts, Hamish Dumbreck (JESE), Peter Willis (Howard Eaton Lighting) and Wayne Howell (Artistic Licence) are experts in entertainment lighting control protocols. They will host a full educational programme, diving deep into interoperability challenges affecting the live events industry. Plus, they will be on hand to provide individual support and guidance.
Previous editions of PlugFest have sold out well in advance, welcoming attendees from leading manufacturers such as GLP, Luminex, Highlite International, Robert Juliat, TMB, Claypaky, ChamSys, ETC, Chauvet and Eaton. Those interested in attending in PlugFest 2023 are encouraged to book early to avoid disappointment.
PlugFest takes place in the city of Lille, France which is directly connected to London with the Eurostar and all major European cities via a mainline train station. Furthermore, attendees can take advantage of specially discounted rooms in the hotel that PlugFest takes place in.
PlugFest is organised

USA - Harman Professional Solutions, a global leader in audio, video, lighting and control, today introduces the Martin MAC Aura XIP premium moving head wash light. The new fixture “raises the bar for optical quality, featuring an even wash field with soft edge, minimal stray light, and high intensity mid-air beams,” says Harman. “It includes a radical aura filament effect, with improved light engine control and a first-in-its-class outdoor rating with close to zero compromises in weight, size and aesthetics.”
“In developing the MAC Aura XIP, we set out to build a true workhorse,” says Wouter Verlinden, product manager Creative LED, Lighting and Control. “Our smart, outdoor-capable design intelligently seals away vital electronics while exposing the cooling system to the elements which allows for a lighter, quieter and more versatile unit that can be used anywhere, at any time, reinventing the universal indoor/outdoor-rated concept.”
MAC Aura XIP’s 12 Radical RGBW filaments deliver a brighter aura backlight effect as well as the ability to show iconic aura filaments, promising new and exciting stage effects. The extensive feature package covers both indoor and outdoor applications with optional high CRI / TM-30 / TLCI modes, LED frequency control for a flicker-free even wash light, RGBW colour mixing and multiple control options. Also included are variable calibrated colour temperature control, 200+ built-in FX macros, rapid movement and 8.8 – 49.3˚ zoom range; weighing just 8.9 kilograms.
Featuring pixel control with video map

USA - With their IP65 rating, the just-introduced Rogue Outcast 1L Beam and Rogue Outcast 2X Wash are designed to operate outdoors in all weather conditions. Thanks to their innovative lightweight aluminum-magnesium alloy housing, these newcomers are also suited to deliver indoors at clubs, conference centres, and live music venues.
“Coming out of the pandemic, rental houses and installers began asking for IP65 moving fixtures, because of the protection from dust and humidity they offered indoors,” said Albert Chauvet, CEO of Chauvet. “However, until now, the weight of IP65 products presented a challenge in some indoor applications.”
Anyone who picks up either of these new fixtures will quickly appreciate how well they meet this weight challenge. Both weigh-in at low numbers: 35 lbs. (16 kg) for the 1L Beam and 23 lbs. (11 kg.) for the 2X Wash, which, in addition to all their other advantages, makes them very easy to install.
When it comes to brightness, for example, the Rogue Outcast 1L Beam is a heavy hitter. It’s light weight and compact dimensions notwithstanding, it puts out 224,670 lux at 5m. Chauvet Professional’s product development team accomplished this by combining a cool white 140W LED and a 160mm font lens to maximize the fixture’s brightness.
The Rogue Outcast 1L Beam has the ability to rotate gobos, which opens opportunity to create more captivating aerial effects. It has seven rotating and static gobos on a single wheel. The fixture’s 1.4ﹾ beam angle adds another dynamic element to its aerial effects. Other f

USA - Coheed and Cambria weave an imaginative tale across multiple albums through storytelling and hard driving music. The latest chapter in the Amory Wars storyline, which plays out on their new album Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind was presented live to fans across the country on a summer tour with Elation Artiste Picasso luminaires helping to sculpt the mythical universe.
New Jersey-based rental company Squeek Lights started working with the progressive rock band earlier this year on a club tour and served as lighting and video vendor on the A Window of the Waking Mind summer outing. Squeek Lights owner Victor Zeiser designed the touring rig, developing the show’s overall look and feel together with programmer and touring lighting director Ben Jarrett, also of Squeek Lights.
Jarrett explains that all of Coheed and Cambria’s songs take place inside of an epic sci-fi world, each album another chapter in an ever-evolving story. When playing live, that story is echoed on stage with atmospheric lighting, LED graphics and full-size set pieces that help build a universe around the music.
“We kept the overall colour palette ‘space themed’ with lots of lavenders and deep purples punctuated with oranges and CTO to create a sense of galaxies and stars,” Jarrett explained. “The set included a custom-made, inflatable set piece called ‘The Quintilian Speaker,’ a 28’ tall alien monster with long tentacles that stretched out towards the audience. I programmed movements in a way that gave the lighting rig tentacles of its own to

Curaçao – The music, dancing and partying never stop during Hak’e, a Curaçao Summer Festival that’s a highlight of one of the Caribbean’s largest carnivals. By the time summer rolls around the carnival season is long past, but even so the partying never stops on the island.
This year, the producers of Hak’e Jump-In decided to sprinkle some of their fun spirit for two consecutive nights in August. They got together and organised the Hak’e Curaçao Summer Festival, an event that featured food stands selling ‘bitterballen’, ‘pastechi’ and other popular Curaçao street food, specialty bars, and a steady flow of music from local artists.
“Hak’e Curaçao Summer Festival is a smaller but equally powerful version of the Hake Curaçao Jump-In Festival; instead of having three stages, the summer festival edition has two”, said Jimmy Lo-A-Njoe, of Massive Productions, who has had a hand in enlivening both events with some fast-moving lighting designs bursting with a rainbow of colours. “Instead of a circular setup, as we are used to with Hak’e Jump-In, the stages at the summer version of the festival were facing each other.”
Although the Summer Festival had one less stage than the Jump-In, it certainly didn’t lack for excitement with its mix of local music, urban, and Afro-Caribbean sounds. The Massive Productions design team saw to it that the event also served up plenty of visual pop, thanks to their skillful use of two beefy lighting rigs that featured a combined total of 96 Chauvet Professional fixtures from the company

Europe - Lightware Visual Engineering has appointed Siegfried Hermann as vice president of business development in the EMEA region. Siegfried’s responsibilities will embrace the further expansion of Lightware into EMEA, the development of new partnerships with global corporations, and strategic planning of Lightware’s presence in the region, says the company.
Siegfried has worked in various leading positions in the AV industry for almost 25 years, with nearly two decades at Crestron, including six years managing DACH region with sales and personnel responsibility. One of his key duties throughout his carrier has been the development of new business areas and sales strategies in the AV industry.
“After being in contact with the Lightware management for several years, I am very pleased to join this private-owned European company in this new position. I am sure that my experience in the AV business will help us to drive the further development of Lightware in the years to come to make Lightware a leader in the EMEA AV environment,” said Siegfried.
“I am honoured to welcome Siegfried to our team at Lightware. Siegfried has a successful and proven track record in business development and will be instrumental to strengthen and build further our presence across the EMEA region and support Lightware’s continued growth globally.” added Szabolcs Turi, executive director, business development at Lightware.

USA - Los Angeles-based LD Julien Reux recently lit a Red Rocks show for pop punk star Blackbear. “As a lighting designer, you always collaborate; it’s critical to what you do,” said Reux, of Black Lantern Creative. “In this particular show though, there was a very intense meeting of the minds, and that made it very special.”
Reux’s enthusiasm is easy to understand given how smoothly the warm white tungsten-like glow from his Chauvet Professional STRIKE 1 fixtures flowed with the pyro effects and video content at the Blackbear show. The immersive looks created were not merely the result of his talent, but also of the mindset he shared with SFX specialist Nick Arnold and video designer Harley Wrecks, as well as production manager Justin Trotta.
“Nick Arnold is a SFX wizard,” said Reux. “Before the show we discussed how we wanted to cue out pyro and lighting together. It made programming easy, as both of us have very similar creative perspectives. We had moments where we went back and forth, but we always came together to make the show as dynamic as possible. Light and pyro worked in harmony, each playing off the other.”
The tungsten glow from the STRIKE 1 fixtures, also blended seamlessly with the video content displayed on a large blow-through wall. During some key moments of the show, the amber glow of the lights seemed to grow out of the flames being directed over the stage and golden images on the video wall.
“I loved how my tungsten looks fit right in with the video content created by Harley as well as the pyro,” no

USA - Fireplay lighting designer Nick Whitehouse chose the all new, never before used Vari-Lite VL3600 Profile IP fixtures as his workhorse light on Carrie Underwood’s upcoming Denim & Rhinestones tour.
“Bandit Lites has been a part of the Carrie family since day one,” shared Bandit Lites chair and founder, Michael T. Strickland.
Whitehouse’s third tour with Carrie Underwood is once again massive in scale with a host of new fixtures. Underwood, Whitehouse and Bandit Lites will all be part of the world premiere of this fixture.
“The VL3600 Profile IP is the workhorse with nearly 100 on the show,” said Strickland. “Nick spent considerable time deciding on instrumentation and the VL3600 was the right light for the job. Carrie’s tour is massive and takes up an entire arena floor, meaning there is no doubt this tour like all past tours will sell out and create quite a buzz. Furthermore, she is once again nominated for the coveted CMA Awards Entertainer of the Year Award; the tour heads out the first of October so it will be in mid-steam when the awards are announced.”
Bandit’s VP of business and innovation Jake Tickle received several demos and introductions to the VL3600 from the Vari-Lite team and he gives it a big thumbs up. Bandit then worked with both Whitehouse and the Vari-Lite team to assure delivery of the fixture in time for this to be the first tour in the world to use them. Bandit finally took the extraordinary step of flying the fixtures from the factory into the US to assure they arrive on time and are read