South Africa - Lighting designer Willie Bothma was honoured to once again light the Kings of Chaos on their latest tour to Sun City and at GrandWest's Grand Arena in Cape Town. The full technical was supplied by Gearhouse Group's Cape Town branch and supported by Gavin Taylor, Sean Caie and the team at the Grand Arena.

Kings of Chaos featured special guest Steven Tyler alongside Billy Gibbons, Matt Sorum, Gilby Clarke, Duff McKagan, Robin Zander and Nuno Bettencourt and was brought to South Africa by Andrew Mac of AMP Events.

"It was a great show to do," said Bothma from G

USA - The 15th Annual Latin Grammy Awards took place in a blaze of glamour at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, and was attended by some of the biggest names in Latin music and a sold-out audience of nearly 17,000. Almost 10m television viewers - the highest figures to date - tuned in for some or all the three-hour live broadcast on the Univision network.

For the fifth consecutive year, the lighting was designed by Carlos Colina, LD for all of Univision's major shows and events. After using Robe's Pointes for a successful show-stopping 'special moment' last year, he chose Point

World - Since the beginning of the Arctic Monkey's last global journey in May 2013, lighting director Sam MacLaren estimates he must have had his hands on over 50 different grandMA2 consoles from rental sources across the world.

So he must have been a regular grandMA2 user before then? "Well, actually that wasn't the case," says MacLaren. "I used the MA1 a few times but more recently have been using a few boards from other manufacturers, all of which have had some issues with reliability. So when we were deciding on the specification for this tour, the choice of console

UK - Teatime quiz show Eggheads is currently filming a new series. The show, hosted by Jeremy Vine, sees two teams going head-to-head through five rounds of gruelling questions and brain teasers. The Eggheads teams consist of highly regarded quiz and game show champions, (rotating each episode) against a series of teams of five 'challengers' who in each episode attempt to 'beat' the Eggheads.

Lighting designer Martin Kempton continues to originate the show, supported by Richard Martin Lighting (RML) and features their latest purchase the VL4000 Spot. The VL4000 Spot includes al

UK - A.C. Special Projects Ltd (ACSP) have supplied, installed and commissioned the LED lighting and control system for a high-profile Christmas holiday season display surrounding the iconic Eros statue at the heart of Piccadilly Circus in London's West End.

Based on a concept designed by Wildstone and approved by Westminster City Council, Wildstone developed an eye-catching 'Box of Christmas Presents' to surround the statue of Eros at Piccadilly Circus. Each side of the octagonal box features a 2.5m by 2.5m high definition LED screen promoting pre-Christmas marketing campaigns from a

USA - Lighting designer, Jason Bullock of Infinity Point Design Inc, brought a wealth of new Ayrton lighting fixtures to Wiz Khalifa's Under the Influence of Music Tour this year. Under the Influence of Music is an annual event which brings the biggest new names in hip-hop to venues across America.

Bullock was amongst the first to use Ayrton's MagicPanel 602 last year and has returned to it this year incorporating 48 of the units in his design. To these he has added fresh offerings from Ayrton's newly released Radical Series, employing 36 MagicBlade-R linear fixtures and

UAE - Dubai-based rental houses, Eclipse Staging Services and Delta Sound, both unveiled new equipment as Lady Gaga made her Middle East debut in Dubai.

Promoted locally by AMI Live and ATW Live in association with Live Nation Global Touring, artRAVE: The ARTPOP Ball took place at Meydan Racecourse. Eclipse provided the lighting, video and primary and secondary power distribution, while audio was supplied by Delta Sound.

"We are immensely proud to have been selected as event technology supplier for such a landmark show, the fact that so much of the production was able to be se

Denmark - Copenhagen Central Station was recently equipped with 24 SGM P-5 wash lights with the goal of making it more welcoming for its approximately 100,000 daily visitors.

The contractor on the project was Matrix Sales ApS with Urs Friis-Alstrup as the project manager responsible for budgeting, product selection and programming.

The mission was to light up the arched ceilings of the more than 100-year-old railway station which consists of two 100-metre long halls - each with more than 20 metres to the ceiling.

The halls, bearing the architecture and craftsmanship of the early 1

Mexico - Vatel Producciones, founded and managed by Miriam Villalobos is celebrating its eighth birthday with a wide range of events utilising their Robe equipment in Mexico City.

Vatel's owner Miriam Villalobos was curious to learn about the production industry, and back in 2000 took a job in public relations at local company A1 Audio, during a show by Mexican band Molotov. The company was the main one in Querétaro and serviced all the major shows in the area, allowing her to meet professionals and engineers from many other places.

She says: "Audio became my passion! Af

China - In celebration of its 35th anniversary in October, Hong Kong Ballet presented three dance showcases, titled A Celebration of Dance, in the Grand Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Lighting designer and director of C'est Bon Projects, Kwok Fai Mak, employed numerous ETC Source Four LED CYC and Selador Desire luminaires to light up this ballet trio.

The showcases included George Balanchine's masterpiece Serenade, Nacho Duato's provocative contemporary ballet Castrati and Natalia Conus' staging of Swan Lake's third act, which is based on Marius

USA - LDI 2014 provided the perfect setting for Lightconverse to showcase its features with its release of version 56.

The ability to see your show in a highly realistic 360° virtual world was one of the highlights as a constant stream of visitors to the booth strapped on an Oculus DK2 virtual reality headset, stepping into an immersive experience that left them humming how Lightconverse can be used as an undeniable way to bring clients onboard quickly, while also bringing an innovative new tool to the design process.

Also creating a buzz at the show was the Lightconverse mirror

USA - Each year, Fred Loya's Christmas light show in El Paso, Texas, is one of the holiday season's can't miss spectacles and each year he uses Elation lighting to give his light show extra impact. This year Fred was approached by ABC Television to take part in The Great Christmas Light Fight, ABC's Christmas lights competition, and came away the winner.

The Great Christmas Light Fight, in which families compete to have America's best Christmas display, proved a hit for ABC last year and returned this year for a second season, premiering on Monday, 8 December. Each episo

The Netherlands - International superstar, Dutch DJ and music producer Armin van Buuren played two spectacular sold out shows at Amsterdam's Ziggo Dome as the culmination of his year-long Armin Only Intense world tour. Central to the show were 174 Robe moving lights, part of the lighting specification for a design created by Marc Heinz, who was asked on-board by the show's creative director Jos Thie to bring a theatrical slant to the look and feel of the lighting.

He worked closely with The Art of Light, designers and specialists in the world of EDM lighting, who have been involved fr

UK - The BBC Children in Need annual marathon TV spectacular is vigorously supported each year by local outside broadcasts spanning the breadth of the British Isles. This year, wanting to stand out with extra pizzazz, BBC Bristol appointed TV lighting director, Paul Middleton, to bring the 'wow factor' to the outside broadcast from the West Country's Wookey Hole Circus School, near Wells. Middleton's first thought was Chauvet and turned to the manufacturer for assistance with the high profile fundraising event.

Middleton bolstered the in-house lighting rig with 10 Chauvet Professional

Sweden - W-DMX by Wireless Solution Sweden AB is currently controlling a beautiful display of holiday lighting at Stockholm Concert Hall in downtown Stockholm. The installation includes 32 SGM P5s equipped with W-DMX OEM boards. The lighting is controlled from a grandMA PC Wing located inside the hall.

The W-DMX gear consists of one WhiteBox F-1 and four WhiteBox F-2 units working as repeaters. Jonas Nilsson was on site for the installation and explains: "The WhiteBox F-2s are placed around the Concert Hall on the same poles as the fixtures, and are working as repeaters. This was

USA - Apollo Design Technology has announced the appointment of Jeff Salisbury as laser/gobo technician. In this role, Salisbury will operate the high precision laser machines to produce metal and glass gobos. Prior to joining Apollo Design Technology, Salisbury worked in various sales and customer service positions. He is also a freelance theatre arts instructor / director and works extensively with local theatre groups.

Dan Boldt has joined the CNC team as a machinist. In this role, he will operate the CNC lathes, CNC mills and laser machines to create the precision parts used in th

Germany - The InLED AT10 from Litecraft was developed as an indoor spotlight based on the successful OutLED AT10. A high IP protection class is not absolutely necessary for many events if they are held indoors or fixtures are placed under a stage roof. The InLED AT10 does not need certain components, reducing costs and improving handling. The indoor version does away with permanently mounted cables and instead integrates XLR and PowerCon connectors in the original Neutrik quality expected from Litecraft. Wiring and rigging of the lights can be completed in less time.

The InLED also is

UK - When lighting designer and technician Malte Hauge became involved in the preparation of comedian Andreas Bo's original set design at an early stage, he was able to participate in the perfect format and scenography; at the same time he could meet the technical challenges in order to achieve the vision of technical consultant Thomas Scharling and the artist himself.

"I'm a fan of surprising the audiences," explains Hauge about his refined yet downplayed design. "Instead of having one big SGM LED screen, we have divided the screen surface into three equally large segm

Germany - This summer saw 1980's German rock/punk legends Böhse Onkelz (Bad Uncles) come together at Germany's Hockenheimring for their first show in nine years, with 80 Clay Paky Sharpys and 36 A.leda B-EYE K20s delivering the gigantic reunion's key lighting and supporting the extensive visual content.

Well-respected lighting and show designer Jerry Appelt specified the Clay Paky fixtures, supplied by PRG, to reinforce his architectural show design, that saw the band brought closer to the audience through a set that comprised a main stage as well as B-stage.

"When designing a

UK - For the second year running, Light School will be holding true to its school motto: Inspired by Light, giving its 'students' inspiration and ideas on how to use light within spaces and buildings. Hosted within Surface Design Show, at London's Business Design Centre from 10-12 February 2015 and presented by Light Collective and the Institution of Lighting Professionals (ILP) is Light School, an area dedicated to lighting.

Light and surface are inseparable partners; the interplay between light and surface can change a building's interior or exterior dramatically creating breath-tak

New Zealand - Oceania Productions,New Zealand's largest and most experienced event technical production specialist, has invested in 32 of Robe's new Bright Multi-Functional Luminaire (BMFL) Spots. These are the first BMFL Spots in New Zealand, and were delivered by the ULA Group, Robe's distributor for Australia & New Zealand.

Oceania Productions provides production solutions for a diverse range of shows and events all across New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, from theatres to arenas, rock 'n' roll to corporate and industrial shows, sports events to large spectaculars.

General man

World - In a nod to her status as working mum pop star, British singer Lily Allen has been touring both the festival and venue circuit in front of a backdrop of baby bottles laced with LED strips and controlled by Avolites Ai.

Allen first unveiled her baby bottles set - a concept conceived by acclaimed stage designer Es Devlin - at Glastonbury 2014 and went on to perform with the bottles throughout the US, UK and Europe in the autumn as part of her Sheezus tour. In January and February 2015, the tour continues to Asia.

The bottles were designed by bespoke lighting creators Light Ini

USA - Everyone knows that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but some things are too good to keep a secret. Specifically, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards, where champion Kevin Harvick was honoured for his incredible win. With lighting provided by Bandit Lites and hosted by comedian Jay Mohr, the televised event featured performances by soul/R&B star Aloe Blacc, country super group Lady Antebellum, and the talent sister duo Lennon and Maisy from ABC's hit TV show, Nashville.

"The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards present the opportunity to spotlight the biggest names i

Canada - Caesars Windsor Hotel and Casino in Windsor, Ontario has added 26 Clay Paky A.leda B-EYE K20 LED-based moving lights to the inventory of its concert venue, The Colosseum.

A 5,000-seat venue, The Colosseum ranks #15 among venues in North America in desirability, service and shows, reports production supervisor Dan Leroux who toured for 25 years with Metallica, Pearl Jam and other top bands. "Artists come through this venue and are blown out of the water. We have close to 600 fixtures in the air, 10 moving pods on back and front truss, and all the latest lights, including

Latest Issue. . .