USA - Eagle AV Rental, a one-stop resource for AV equipment rentals on America’s East Coast, has invested in Ayrton Perseo S Profile and versatile IntelliPix XT fixtures for its inventory. ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton lighting in North America.
Eagle AV Rental offers a full range of audio, video and lighting equipment, pre-rigged truss, motors, power and signage. Rental customers are supported with an in-house visualisation studio, 25,000sq.ft of prep space for shows and a fleet of delivery vehicles covering the entire East Coast. Its parent company is Eagle Production Company, providing turnkey solutions for the corporate event industry and trade shows.
In an effort to continually improve the customer experience, Eagle AV Rental has added a large inventory of Ayrton fixtures, the first Ayrton purchases by the company. “We have been wanting to add Ayrton fixtures for a long time,” says CEO Shaya Adler. “Ayrton has great name recognition in the industry, and artists really like using their products. ACT stands behind the Ayrton line and worked with us to make this initial purchase happen.”
Adler says that Eagle AV Rental “services a lot of corporate events and concert touring and our 48 new Perseo Profiles can accommodate both. We like its IP65 rating for outdoor use and extensive range of gobos and effects.”
In addition, a large quantity of versatile IntelliPix XTs are now on hand. They are fitted with nine LED beams, which can be controlled individually to create truly unique effects. The fixtures are
UK - Solotech has announced its partnership with Outernet, the immersive experience in the heart of London. This strategic collaboration solidifies Solotech's position as Outernet’s global 360 AV partner as it now looks to expand to future sites internationally.
"Our partnership with Outernet epitomises the standards by which we measure ourselves," says Bryce Jewell, managing director of Solotech UK. "The audio solution that we provided in London was a massive success, one that was ultimately recognised by many industry bodies. However, as Outernet looks to realise their ambitions in other markets, Solotech’s global reach and track record of delivering full 360 solutions will unquestionably add even greater value to our partnership. Together, I know that our combined strengths and expertise will continue to provide consumers with the most advanced immersive audiovisual experiences available."
Outernet shares the enthusiasm for this partnership. "We are delighted to partner with Solotech, a company that shares our passion for innovation and commitment to client satisfaction," explains Richard Blaney, technical operations director at Outernet. "Trust is a crucial part of all long term relationships, and following our experience of working together in London we are confident that Solotech will help us create immersive experiences that redefine the industry and set new standards in performance all over the world."
Philip Giffard, president, global sales and systems integration, Solotech agrees. “I am filled with immense pride and enthusiasm as we
USA - PRG (Production Resource Group) has appointed Ariane Coldiron as senior vice president, corporate events. Coldiron will head the corporate events division, reporting directly to PRG CEO Stephan Paridaen.
Coldiron was most recently SVP, brand experience at Freeman where she worked for nearly a decade. As SVP, she drove the company’s highly successful agency business, developing and implementing go-to-market and long-term strategies while managing a large and complex portfolio of accounts including industry giants like Google, SalesForce, Sage, and HP. She also held tenures at experiential agencies Jack Morton, InVision Communications, and TBA Global Events.
“Ariane’s extensive industry experience has uniquely equipped her for success in this key role,” said Paridaen. “She is a well-known and much-respected figure in the corporate events space, with long ties to agencies and show organisers. We are excited that she will lead our presence in this market.”
Coldiron said: “No other provider in the corporate events industry can provide such a full suite of technical production services or deliver them with such a consistent standard of excellence. The possibilities for growth are wide open, and I look forward to working closely with our team to realise them.”
Reporting directly to Coldiron will be Lauren Hendricks, SVP of sales & business development; Carter Dunham, VP of sales; and Max Brown, senior director of project management. She is based in Dallas, Texas.
France - Pélerinage Militaire International was born of peace and hope. In 1945, with the horrors of the just-ended Second World War still scarring the landscape, Mgr Jules Saliège, the Archbishop of Toulouse, created the idea of having a gathering of wounded military personnel in Lourdes, one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites in the Roman Catholic faith. The concept quickly blossomed and within three years, soldiers from many nations, often former enemies, were coming together at the annual event to worship and heal wounds.
Today PMI, as it is called in France, attracts some 14,000 military pilgrims from 40 different nations. This year, their services at the Basilica of St. Pius X were enriched by a new lighting system that features 79 Chauvet Professional projectors supplied by Videlio.
Working with Vincent Fernandez, audiovisual department manager at the Sanctuaire de Lourdes, Videlio business manager Jean Camlong and Videlio project manager: Joel Cathala oversaw the installation of the new fixtures throughout the spacious basilica, which has an oval nave that measures 201 metres (659 ft) long by 81 metres (266 ft) wide (12.000 m2 - 39.370 square feet). In addition to installing the new units, the production team reused some of the existing fixtures and renovated some of the electrical and DMX lines.
The Basilica of St. Pius X, is sometimes informally known as the ‘Underground Basilica,’ since the building is located almost entirely underground, beneath the Boulevard Père Rémi Sempé. This subterranean design, a tribute to the famous m
Australia - Canberra’s Belconnen Art Centre has chosen Prolights' EclDisplay range as the main lighting system for its innovative Window Gallery, an exhibition gallery overlooking the street. The space operates in 24-hour mode and is visible from the outside, attracting the attention of passers-by at all times of the day, meaning a suitable lighting system was required.
For this, Linda Buck - technical manager at Belconnen Art Centre - relied on Show Technology, Prolights' distributor in Australia, to select the new system. She explains: “The Window Gallery is a tricky space to deal with as you have light in the day coming through and then night time too. I decided to look at different options for profile-type lights in the gallery space that also had Casambi control.”
Prolights’ EclDisplay range was ultimately selected, with the installation of spotlights in the CC version, equipped with a 20°-40° lens and a fixed 3,000K source. Prolights' Display lighting line was designed for gallery and commercial environments, so it was considered to be the ideal solution for the Window Gallery’s lighting needs.
Buck is clearly pleased with the Prolights fixtures: "I was impressed by their light output, price point, and the fact that they had Casambi control. We currently need to upgrade our old gallery system - we're trying to transfer to Casambi, eventually. With the Prolights fixtures integrating into our existing track, it means it's one less thing to worry about when upgrading."
Norway - When dining at a Michelin Guide restaurant, the focus isn’t usually on the audio - more often everyone’s eyes are focused on the plates of well-crafted food. However, Villa Heftye - a laid-back bistro in the heart of Oslo - recently took the focus away from revamping its ever-changing seasonal menu to renovate its listed restaurant with a custom Genelec sound system.
Villa Heftye began life as a bank back in 1864. Commissioned by Jorgen Haslev Heftye and designed by Norwegian architect Georg Andreas Bull, it was bought in 2018 by local investor Runar Vatne for NOK 80 million. In 2021 the villa became restaurant Villa Heftye, an elegant yet casual bistro with an emphasis on French-inspired cuisine that uses seasonal Nordic ingredients.
"The brief was to build an audio system with the best possible sound," begins Henning Dyngvold, founder of Appletify who installed the new Genelec system. "The loudspeakers had to look good and complement the design of the restaurant. Villa Heftye is located in a listed building and is also in the Michelin Guide, so the system that we installed had to maintain this high quality. It had to be Genelec."
The system comprises 16 Genelec 4020 installation loudspeakers, along with eight of the larger 4030 models, two powerful 4040 models and two AIW26 active in-wall loudspeakers. This was the combination needed to ensure Villa Heftye could accommodate live performances, while also offering an ambient background soundtrack for diners. "The 4020s were chosen for their compact size and the 4030s and 4040s for their
Germany - German Light Products (GLP), a leading German manufacturer of professional lighting technology, has appointed Dubai-based Provision AVL as its distributor for the entire Middle East region.
As a leading provider of pro audio, lighting, video, rigging and staging solutions in the Middle East, Provision AVL is now able to offer customers in the region access to GLP’s entire portfolio of innovative solutions, coupled with “outstanding local service and support”.
Kevin Boujikian, general manager of Provision AVL, comments: “We are pleased to add GLP’s world-class product range to our portfolio and offer it to our customers. As one of the leading brands in the industry, GLP’s products are recognised by professionals for their technology and quality. We are confident that this partnership will be a great success. Our customers look forward to having access to the latest lighting solutions from GLP at all times. We look forward to working closely together and building a strong and fruitful relationship.”
Stefan Wagner, GLP sales director EMEA, adds: “The Middle East is a market with enormous potential. The need for outstanding lighting solutions is great. Time and again, major premium events from the region cause a stir worldwide. Our partnership with Provision AVL’s well-connected team will significantly increase the presence of GLP products in this important market and contribute to the global growth of the GLP brand. We are also very much looking forward to working together!”
Mexico - The Moon Palace is the biggest and busiest hotel and conference centre complex on Mexico’s sought-after eastern coast Riviera Maya region, just south of Cancun.
Owned by Palace Resorts, the property offers three large indoor conference and event centres plus three substantial outdoor terraces and a beach venue, the latter of which can accommodate up to 10,000 people for concerts. All these spaces are operated via umbrella company Palace Productions which is also responsible for production and delivery of the constant and diverse stream of business and private events.
Armando Manjarrez is the technical director of Quantum, Palace Productions’ technical services enterprise that supplies and co-ordinates all technical requirements - lighting, audio, and video - across the Moon Palace complex. Quantum owns substantial amounts of lighting, audio and video kit, and has several types of Robe moving lights in the inventory, the most recent purchase being 24 Esprites, with two RoboSpot systems and Forte follow spots on their way.
Armando had been watching Robe since 2016, when he first encountered the brand at the LDI expo in Las Vegas, and their first purchases were made in 2019 with 18 Pointes and 10 Spiider LED wash beams. Coming out of the pandemic with business re-booting quickly and once again booming, Quantum needed more lights last year.
“We wanted an LED product and a profile / theatrical type luminaire with stuttering, barn doors, great colour mixing and of course a good output as well as a fixture that was camera-friendly,”
USA - Tony Caporale uses the word ‘array’ quite often when talking about his 61-universe lighting design for Grammy-winners, Tedeschi Trucks Band on their recently completed North American tour. That’s not just because he used 53 Chauvet Professional Strike Array fixtures to convey the 12-member band’s outsized energy level; in actuality it has to do with his approach to creating the dynamic production that supported their music.
“I’ve been saying ‘array’ a lot when I talk about this show,” said the designer and programmer. “The word really just sums up the vision we had for this show. We’ve grouped all of the fixtures in this rig in clusters, to create what I call an ‘array-style look’. Brian Pirrone, who has a great knowledge of this band, helped great deal in connecting me to their spirit.”
The array configuration that Caporale arrived at, gave him the flexibility to reflect the deep and intriguing nature of the Tedeschi Trucks Band’s music in his show, which was cued out in detail for compositions, in addition to being busked at times. Formed by married couple Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, the band serves up a tight, mix of classic rock, blues, soul, and jazz. Grouping his fixtures in clusters allowed Caporale to flow seamlessly with this river of diverse sounds.
“I knew I would need enough fixtures to paint a pretty picture, but also make my looks very powerful,” said Caporale, noting that the tour’s rig was supplied by Upstaging for its summer run, and Gateway for the fall. “I decided to design most of
France - Chaillot - Théâtre national de la Danse, one of France's six national theatres, is currently renovating its Salle Jean Vilar. The work is part of a dual drive to improve energy consumption and modernise stage design tools, including the replacement of existing lighting fixtures to ensure an early and carefully considered transition to LED technologies.
Built in 1937, the TNC is an exceptional venue in Paris because of the place it occupies in the history of live performance in France with the creation of the Théâtre national populaire founded by Firmin Gémier, and subsequently supported and developed by Jean Vilar. It is also part of world history since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed here in 1948.
Today, a cultural institution 100% dedicated to dance, in a location facing the Trocadéro fountains and the Eiffel Tower, the theatre completed the renovation of the Salle Gémier (390 seats) in 2017. It is now the large Jean Vilar auditorium (1200 seats) that is the focus of attention to improve the comfort of spectators, artists and technical teams.
The theatre’s lighting equipment consists of a large number of conventional Robert Juliat fixtures, including the popular series of 1kW 600SX halogen profiles. Since the beginning of the year, some of these halogen profiles have been converted to LED using RJ Sully modules, chosen in a fixed warm white version (650SX WW) and also in a four-colour version (650SX 4C).
"We attach great importance to improving our technical equipment in line with an eco-responsible app
The Netherlands - Elation Professional recently held a successful event for its European distributor network. rELATIONship 2023 was a special gathering that the lighting manufacturer says was more akin to a family get-together than a business meeting. The event was held 16-18 October in the beautiful surroundings of the historic Abbey Hotel Rolduc on the outskirts of Kerkrade, hometown of Elation's European headquarters.
Over 60 representatives from Elation’s European partner network took part, looking to "strengthen personal bonds and celebrate the ties that make the family-owned company special".
“rELATIONship was a blast and a huge success,” says Marc Librecht, sales & marketing director at Elation Europe. “For us, the most important part of doing business is the relationships we have the opportunity to build and the memories we create with some wonderful people so to get us all together in the same room and let our hair down a bit was just fantastic. We’ve added quite a few new members to the Elation family of late and as we continue to grow, we know that it's these strong personal bonds that set us apart and make the Elation family a truly remarkable one.”
Moderated by Elation international sales manager Frederik Afif, the event was informative and engaging with open and honest conversations the centrepiece of the day. Topics were diverse, from sales and marketing strategies and best practices to training, service, successes, challenges and more.
Yet it was the personal interaction that was most meaningful, according to t
South Africa - Robe’s LEDBeam 350 moving light continues to be in demand worldwide, including in South Africa, where distributor DWR reports constant demand for the fixtures.
A recent LEDBeam 350 investor in Cape Town is Audio Engineering, a full production specialist founded in 1998 by Marcel Bezuidenhout initially as an audio supplier. The enterprise soon expanded in the early noughties with the addition of lighting and then video departments as Audio Engineering’s clients demanded full technical packages.
Audio Engineering has always had Robe moving lights, starting with ColorSpot 700E ATs, followed by LEDWash 300s, 300E Spots and Washes and then LEDBeam100s.
Since ramping back up post-pandemic, lighting investments have re-started to keep pace with the demand for LED screens which took off during Covid due to streaming events plus hybrid business meetings and presentations. This in turn triggered a specific need for pokey LED wash luminaires to compete with the ambient output of the screens.
“The time was also right to start renewing some of the lighting stock anyway, so we sought excellent good value and flexible products,” explained Marcel. Most of their business is corporates, with some concert and music work including the high profile Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts which always has an international artist line up.
“We wanted a fixture that was essentially a ‘bridge’ between international concerts and small to medium premium end industrial events and something that could be useful for both! LEDBeam 350s are hig
USA - Light artist Eloi Maduell from Playmodes Studio used 288 Astera Titan Tubes to realise his immersive lighting installation Beyond at the 2023 LUMA Projection Arts Festival staged in Binghamton, New York.
The lighting fixtures were supplied by Wireless Film Lights from Hannover, Massachusetts, a sponsor of the 2023 LUMA event, which was curated and organised by co-founders, Joshua Bernard and Tice Lerner.
Since 2015, LUMA has been an intersection between art and technology, presenting inspiring and fun large-scale lighting and projection art in a pop-up urban environment for what has become a popular annual event in the town, attracting tens of thousands of visitors.
Beyond was one of seven works presented this year. It was the only one that didn’t involve a pre-existing building and projection mapping, instead the “travel without moving” experience that juxtaposes light and dark was constructed from the ground up in its own purpose-built 111ft long, 14ft wide venue built from scaffolding and featuring 32 arches of light. Each of these arches was rigged with nine Titan Tubes.
Eloi and Playmodes were invited back to LUMA after the success of their Horizon work in 2022. Beyond was first commissioned for the 2017 Signal Festival in Prague where it was located in the city’s famous Old Town Hall Square, and it has been reproduced in several other countries since then.
Beyond’s geometrical architecture transforms the built space into a container for the abstract language of light and sound. Th
Mexico - Few people other than dedicate cinema buffs, remember the 1935 James Cagney movie G Men, but the classic gangster film has lived on for the past four decades thanks to the global success of the Spanish quartet Hombres G. Ever since they made their debut at Madrid’s Rock-Ola in 1983, the band has been wooing fans with their irrepressible pop sound.
Today, countless live shows and some 15 albums later, the Latin Grammy nominated band is going as strong as ever. Their effusive energy and spot-on musicality are there for all to see and enjoy on their Seguimos Empezando tour.
Celebrating 40 years of Hombres G the tour is running throughout Spain and Latin America, playing two-hour sets in which the band never takes their foot off the gas pedal.
Reflecting this energy at Hombres G’s sold-out performances at Arena Monterrey and Arena Ciudad de México was a CaCo García light show anchored by 30 Chauvet Professional Color STRIKE M motorized strobes supplied by Serpro Producciones.
The band’s lighting designer for the past 11 years, CaCo García, created a variety of looks that captured the mood and spirit of each song. The versatility of the strobe-wash Color STRIKE M with its 180° tilt range, pixel mappable face, and two ultra-bright central tubes was instrumental in helping him conjure up this range of looks.
“I am very happy with the performance of the Color STRIKE M. It is a fixture with many features that brings a wide range of possibilities to the design and execution of the show,” said CaCo García. “Whenever
USA - Free Chapel is a growing multicampus church, operating out of Gainesville, Georgia, that combines a local approach with a global vision. The church’s successful and technically advanced Forward Conference has been constantly evolving over nearly two decades.
Snapback Productions from Atlanta was enlisted to support the technical realisation of the 19th year of the student conference earlier this summer. The annual event hosts more than 10,000 students from dozens of states at the Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia.
This year’s Forward Conference featured five artists and seven main stage speakers over a period of three days. Each of the artists performed sets ranging between 30–45 minutes, with some of the artists performing more than one set in total.
Snapback’s Bryce Kongvold and Michael Ferris were tasked with supporting creative director, Austin Bell, and his team to programme the entire show and to ensure it would both feel cohesive and stay “on brand”. It was equally important that each of the highly motivated artists were given enough visual freedom to allow for their own unique moment as part of the overall conference.
One key component of the production was AV Stumpfl’s Pixera media server platform. Pixera was trusted and utilised for the creative video programming, content sequencing and IMAG effects across 20 individual screen surface destinations.
Snapback Productions provided the necessary video systems, created the technical design, and prepared the advance screens programming for the event. Content mana
Sweden - Prolights Astra Family lluminated the A Show Larger than Life performance at the Hamburger Börs in Stockholm, delivering a visual experience that left the audience utterly captivated.
This event celebrated the era of boy bands and music legends, both Swedish and international, and was elevated to even greater heights with the inclusion of Prolights projectors, generously provided by Gobo AB, the primary Prolights distributor in the region.
Lighting designer Jimmy Thorén harnessed the full potential of Prolights devices to transport the audience back to the turn of the millennium, evoking nostalgic sentiments from the '90s.
The Prolights lighting setup featured a total of 36 moving heads, including the Astra Wash19Pix, Astra Hybrid330, and Astra Profile400, transforming the Hamburger Börs into a genuine visual spectacle, immersing both the artists and the audience in a kaleidoscope of colours and visual effects.
Jimmy Thorén comments, "Prolights projectors are the ultimate dream for any lighting designer, offering unparalleled versatility, reliability, and precision, enabling us to craft the perfect ambiance for any event. For this show, the task was to recreate the '90s vibes, and Prolights projectors were the flawless solution to this creative challenge."
South Africa - Technical supply company, MGG, has invested in 24 ROXX Cluster B4 FC LED blinders from DWR Distribution which were set to work at the 2023 SPAR Convention held at Sun City.
MGG’s initial introduction to the brand came about when Thorsten Sattler, one of the founding members of ROXX, visited rental companies within South Africa to support local distributor DWR Distribution. Mark Gaylard, director of MGG, needed a crowd blinder that would be suitable for outdoor events and it was apparent that the robust ROXX Cluster B4 FC LED Blinder ticked that box and many others.
Günther Müller, project manager at MGG, comments, "We received the ROXX fixtures just in time for the Krone 7 music show, and since then, we've used them at various events including a festival in Nelspruit and most notably at the 2023 SPAR Convention.” The SPAR convention, attended by 1,300 people, featured both a conference and gala dinner in the Sun Arena (formerly known as the Superbowl), where MGG provided comprehensive technical support.
Günther praised the ROXX Cluster B4 FC LED Blinder's adaptability, highlighting its ability to produce traditional crowd blinder effects while offering lighting designers a canvas for creativity. "The RGB functionality and individual cell control is amazing," Günther notes. "The robust build quality ensures longevity, and the ability to mix and match different ROXX Cluster fixture types adds to the creative edge we strive for in show design. This means you can connect various blinder and strobe options in the cluster together
Italy - Marrageddon, the successful first hip hop festival from King of Rap, Marracash, involved two massive concerts in the two cities that are symbolic of the rapper: Milan and Naples.
Marrageddon gathered no less than 84,000 people at the Hippodrome La Maura in Milan on 23 September and more than 55,000 at the Hippodrome di Agnano in Naples on 30 September.
The festival hosted not only the big names of Italian rap - Fabri Fibra, Paky, Shiva, Salmo, Guè Pequeno, Lazza, Madame - but also dozens of emerging artists, integrating fireworks, lasers and 1,000sq.m of LED wall, as well as suspension cables to fly Marracash above the dance troupe.
Lighting designer Giorgio De Cassan of Ombra Design, who was entrusted by the rapper with the entire creative direction of his Italian tour, lit this event. The LD opted for 40 Ayrton Cobra laser-sourced fixtures, supplied by Mister X Service.
“Ayrton was chosen for the quality and reliability of its lights. This is by no means the first time I have used Ayrton, and I take every opportunity I can to include fixtures from this brand in my designs.
“We chose to use Cobras for their highly collimated beam, which helped me to reach even the furthest sectors of the open race courses without losing the sharpness of the beam. Thanks to their IP65 protection rating, it was possible to position them on the stage wings outside the cover of the roof and they worked perfectly despite the storm that hit us in Milan.
"With Lorenzo De Pascalis, the project's show designer, we opted for a classic festiv
Germany - Since 1994, the rather tranquil Baden-Württemberg state capital of Stuttgart has been transformed into a quivering music metropolis for a few days every year (notwithstanding the city’s never-ending railway station construction drama).
The Jazzopen music festival – which, contrary to what the name suggests, has been open to artists of all musical genres since the beginning – has developed into a world-class concert event. This year, around 50,000 visitors experienced performances by Melody Gardot, Deep Purple, Grace Jones, Die Fantastischen Vier, Joss Stone, Simply Red and many others over the festival’s 11 days.
Event technology specialist, Sound & Light Veranstaltungstechnik from Leonberg, has consistently supported Jazzopen as a technology partner in recent years and has been a permanent service provider for sound, light and video technology on the main stage since 2022. None other than Jerry Appelt is responsible for the lighting design on the main stage, which is spectacularly located in the courtyard of the Old Castle. For the lighting of the main stage, he again relied principally on solutions from GLP, specifying over 220 fixtures from the German manufacturer.
In addition to 54 GLP Highlander Washes, 102 Fusion FS16 Z LED sticks and 40 JDC1 hybrid strobes, Appelt also specified 32 of the new GLP impression X5 wash lights – all supplied by Sound & Light Veranstaltungstechnik.
The tried-and-tested lighting design has hardly changed from last year. Only the impression X4 L, which was used in 2022, has been rep
Europe - LED product designer and manufacturer, Forge is partnering with Lumileds to provide outdoor lighting solutions dedicated to preserving dark skies.
The partnership combines decades of experience and expertise with LED innovation, creating considerate product designs that help to combat the impact of light pollution on the planet.
The partnership sees the creation of turnkey solutions for professional lighting products, combining Lumileds’ Luxeon NightScape technology with Forge’s rapid product realisation capabilities.
The disruptive effects of blue light from LEDs on human melatonin levels and sleep regulation are well documented, but as the world comes to a greater understanding of the devastating effects of this blue component on nocturnal wildlife, legislation has been implemented to seed real change.
In the UK the ILP’s GN08/23 gives comprehensive guidance on mitigation steps to help preserve bat populations and in Hawaii, Bill 21 Maui Ordinance restricts blue light content in new exterior lighting installations to under 2%.
The regulatory shifts being made have placed the onus on manufacturers to limit blue wavelength emissions and tackle light pollution head-on.
The British Astronomical Association’s Commission for Dark Skies suggests that 90% of the UK population has no access to the starscape above, due to light pollution, or “skyglow”.
Lumileds’ Luxeon NightScape technology provides a spectral distribution that delivers high-quality white light at the highest flux while emitting less tha
USA - Country music singer Hardy is out on his debut arena tour with a lighting package from Bandit Lites. The Mockingbird & The Crow Tour, named for his highest charting album to date, merges his country roots and rock sound, to deliver music that rings true for his millions of listeners. The second leg of his tour kicked off in the fall and features Lainey Wilson and Dylan Marlowe.
Bandit Lites is providing more than 200 fixtures for the tour including Chauvet Maverick Storm 1 Hybrids, Chauvet Rogue R2X Washes, Chauvet Strike 4 Arrays, Chauvet Strike M, Chauvet COLORado PXL Bar 16 and VL 3600. Two grandMA3 Full consoles provide control for LD Trevor Drawdy, who expertly layered in the lighting visuals to work with the tour’s other visual elements, such as pyro, video and IMAG effects.
“The workhorse fixture in the rig is the VL3600, a very dynamic fixture with an outstanding quality of light,” he explained. “Second would be the Chauvet Maverick Storm 1 Hybrid, used for punchy effects and its quick movement. I’ve been very impressed with the new Storm 1 Hybrid’s in the rig, it is a very versatile IP rated hybrid.”
Chauvet Strike Array 4s work as the rig’s blinder, with the dimmer curve option supplying Drawdy to option to emulate a traditional conventional blinder. COLORado PXL Bar 16 provide pixel effects and eye candy while the Strike-M Strobes offer colour wash, pixel effects and strobes.
“PXL Bar 16 have the output to cut through the rig and provide some really awesome eye-catching looks,” said Drawdy. “I’ve
The Netherlands - When it opened in June 1972 it was called Paard van Troje (Dutch for Trojan Horse), perhaps a reference to its underground vibe, its tendency to host counterculture bands that weren’t always welcomed in mainstream circles, and its previous life as a squat. By 2016, however, this live music venue in the Prinsegracht had long since become so established that the clandestine label no longer seemed to fit, so its name was changed simply to Paard.
The new moniker did nothing to diminish the edgy, intense vibe inside the venue, which can accommodate 1,100 fans in the largest of its three halls. It remains as strong as ever, made even more potent today by the recent installation of Chauvet Professional fixtures supplied by Air Light Holland.
Daan Stakenburg, the lead lighting technician at Paard, notes that the Chauvet Professional fixtures were selected after an extensive shoot out. “Ruud from Air Light, which has been the supplier to Paard since 2012, guided the shootout,” he said. “Since Air Light is brand independent, we had a variety of choices. The price to performance ratio made Chauvet the winner.”
The 18 Maverick Force 2 Profile, six Color STRIKE M, six Rogue R1 BeamWash, and six Ovation E-260WW fixtures in the new rig are not only called upon to create intense levels of lighting to match the mood in the club, but they also have to be durable and versatile. Paard holds some 700 shows every year. These offerings cover a wide range of genres and personalities from rockers like Racoon, and electronic artists like Pineappl
India - The synergy between two leading lighting brands took centre stage when Claypaky and ARRI teamed to light music videos from the Bollywood film, Dream Girl 2.
Dream Girl 2 is a new Hindi-language comedy-drama about a man who creates chaos and confusion when he disguises himself as a woman. Director of photography C.K Muraleedharan was challenged to create music videos for two item songs, upbeat dance numbers featuring the hero in his female disguise; one song with a club dance vibe; and a festival celebration song with the lead actors – all shot at different locations.
Equipment rental company Light Craft & Sound provided Claypaky Tambora Batten Square, Sharpy X Frame, HY B-Eye K25, and Mythos2 fixtures as well as ARRI SkyPanel S60-C lights for the shoots.
The lighting equipment was chosen for “the amount of trust we have in the brands and their fixtures,” says Imran Shaikh and his team of lighting designers, namely Sachin, Vikram, Kaushik, Naresh, Rohan, and Raju Das. “ARRI offers performance power and fixture sustainability, which means the SkyPanel S60-Cs have the kind of light quality we prefer and are very reliable during shoots.
“Claypaky Sharpy X Frame has unique effects and is one of our most trusted lights. The fixtures are compact and lightweight with high-intensity beams and fast and precise movement.”
The Claypaky Sharpy X Frames, K25s, and Mythos2 fixtures were hung upside down on truss while the ARRI SkyPanel S60-Cs were mounted on stands to provide ambient light, and the Claypaky Tambora
USA - Throughout the summer, a lighting rig comprised almost exclusively of ADJ IP65-rated fixtures was used to illuminate the Grand Performances series of free concerts in Downtown LA.
California Plaza was illuminated for the weekly Saturday evening concerts by ADJ’s lime-infused Encore series of static LED wash fixtures, complemented by Hydro Wash X19 moving heads. In addition, key lighting and Gobo projections were handled by ADJ’s flagship Hydro Profile IP65-rated automated profile luminaires, which sat at the heart of lighting designer Edgar Gonzalez’s extensive rig.
Grand Performances is a non-profit organisation that provides free access to global performing arts, made possible thanks to generous support from the LA City Department of Cultural Affairs and LA County’s Department of Arts and Culture. Its mission is to inspire community, celebrate diversity, and unite Los Angeles through music, dance, poetry, theatre and more.
The organisation has presented free live concerts in downtown LA since 1986 and this year’s programme featured an eclectic line-up of global music, dance, and poetry. Concerts took place almost every Saturday evening, from 3 June through 26 August, featuring performers from Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, covering a diverse mix of genres, from cumbia to hip hop, funk to jazz, and much more. As well as attracting large crowds in person, each concert was also filmed professionally and made available for online viewing through YouTube.
The concerts are hosted in California Plaza Park, a lar