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26 November 2024

Namibia - Jared Geyser has been behind many successful businesses in Namibia, including festivals and bars, for a number of years. But it was when his son, Guy, left university in Cape Town and wanted to get involved in a New Year’s Eve festival a couple of years back, that they first forged a relationship with Martin Audio loudspeakers. Shortly after, their company Plug & Play Event Solutions was set up in the capital of Windhoek to further develop their interest in PA and backline.

A friend in South Africa had tested Martin Audio products and recommended them. “So we bought Blackline XP12 and XP118 active subs, and eventually ended up owning 20,” said Jared. “While they are great speakers, they obviously couldn’t do the bigger work, so we then bought a Torus system.” But the latest prize is the acquisition of a flagship WPC line array – 2

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26 November 2024

UK - The recently opened Kingpins in Manchester’s Arndale Centre – the largest establishment to date in the estate of UK sports venue brand, Roxy Leisure – has opted once again for Linea Research amplifiers. Leeds-based Audioserv, the group’s audio supplier and integrator for over a decade, installed a zoned and distributed audio system, powered and intelligently controlled by a system of Linea Research amplification and Symmetrix.

Audioserv’s founder and MD, Pete Rollinson, explained that the audio for the new Kingpins followed a similar template to its sister brand venues across the UK, with distributed audio throughout the venue, from the front door to the furthest gaming area and on to the restrooms. “Having worked on all of the Roxy and Kingpins sites so far, the brief for the audio generally stays very similar. There's no stage, so there is

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25 November 2024

USA - Floridian hard rockers Creed reunited and hit the road for their first tour in 11 years, creating a maelstrom of energy and momentum so successful that it propelled their music back into the Billboard charts, together with this year’s new Summer of 99, and Are You Ready? tours, which were among the fastest selling rock shows in the USA.

The production design was created by Mathias Kuhn and included 80 Robe moving lights and LED fixtures – 36 MegaPointes, 30 BMFL Spots, four BMFL FollowSpots, 10 Footsie2 LED footlights and four RoboSpot remote follow systems – all supplied by Bandit Lites out of Nashville.

The initial summer tour played a mix of arenas, theatres and amphitheatres with 10K to 36K capacities and the most recent leg stepped up to arenas, including Madison Square Garden, which were all completely sol

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25 November 2024

France - With a population of 57,300 and listed in the 500 cities where Life is good in France, Blanc-Mesnil is located just to the north of Paris, midway between the Stade de France and Charles de Gaulle airport.

Cultural life in the city revolves around the 710-seat Théâtre du Blanc-Mesnil which stages a variety of productions ranging from comedy and theatre to dance and music.

Sound reinforcement at the theatre comprises a Nexo STM system provided on a long-term rental basis by Loiret-based technical sound and lighting solutions specialists SPL, supplement by the theatre’s own inventory of Nexo speakers and powered controllers.

Clusters of six STM M28 main modules are flown beneath three STM B112 bass extension modules either side of the 22m-wide stage, with further sub-bass extension from ground stacks of three Nexo S118s.<

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25 November 2024

USA - The David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Centre – home of the New York Philharmonic – has various Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) products installed, including 18 Anna Adaptive Loudspeakers, six AC6 Adaptive column loudspeakers and four Otto Subwoofers.

The venue was modernised in collaboration with AVI-SPL and acoustical consultant Akustiks.

The David Geffen Hall project included an extensive redesign of audio-visual systems, acoustical systems and major infrastructure. AVI-SPL was responsible for the implementation of the PA and distributed audio, cinema systems and LED displays for closed captioning and projection, all supported by robust networking solutions.

EAW was chosen for the project by Akustiks' senior consultant Sam Brandt. Having worked with EAW for many years, Akustiks and AVI-SPL knew the brand’s Adaptive technology was right

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25 November 2024

USA - The building at 2103 Lyon Street, Houston, had a very good run. Home to Moncrief Lenoir Manufacturing, it turned out an impressive array of metal fabrications for eight decades, until it closed in the 1990s.

Today, the venerable structure has come alive again, only instead of producing metal products, it’s creating shiny new vistas of imagination for guests as the home of Meow Wolf’s Radio Tave.

Occupying over 25,000 sq.ft. of the former warehouse, Radio Tave, which is Meow Wolf’s fifth permanent exhibit in the USA, opened on Halloween. Like its four predecessors, the newest Meow Wolf site ‘immerses visitors in a fantastical, mind-expanding universe formed through the fusion of imaginative scenic art, engrossing sound, and transformative lighting’, which in the case of Radio Tave, was created by Chris Werner

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25 November 2024

Japan - CLUB CITTA' is a popular venue in Kawasaki. Opened in 1988, the club has seen historic performances from Nirvana, Oasis, Radiohead and many more and is a popular stop for many Japanese and international touring bands. The input from touring engineers was enough to convince Toru Yamamuro, general manager of stage production at CLUB CITTA', that their planned console upgrade should be to a DiGiCo Quantum 338.

“We introduced our SD8 back in 2012, updating the SD with a 32-bit card in 2019, so when the time came to upgrade our system, we asked various people about the Quantum and the feedback was very good,” Yamamuro says. “We also received enquiries from overseas artists who wanted to use the Quantum 338, so we had a strong desire to install it ourselves, and we were able to make it happen.

“With the addition of Mustard Processing and Sp

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25 November 2024

USA - Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Integrity Lighting has invested in Ayrton Cobra2 laser source luminaires for its production and rental inventory. ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton lighting in North America.

“The Cobras are our first Ayrton fixtures and they won’t be our last,” says lead lighting designer, Joshua K. Hall. “When ACT demo’d several Ayrton fixtures, we were so impressed by the Cobras that we couldn’t not buy them. Their versatility as a searchlight and a great hybrid light on stage is great for us.”

Hall likes “the smoothness of the overall beam – no hot spot, very even throughout” and Cobra’s IP65 rating, which is “absolutely essential for any kind of weather, and we get it all.”

Lighting designer and marketing director, Carter Nance, notes that the fixture’s “CMY mixing system gi

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22 November 2024

Switzerland - For the third year running, AudioRent Clair has provided 360° production services to Basel Tattoo, a celebration of music entertainment featuring classical and traditional musicians performing around the city's 400-year-old cultural centre, Kaserne Basel.

The multifaceted event is a major supra-regional spectacle, with the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) recognising it as the official tattoo of Switzerland. This year, talent from Europe, Asia, North America, Africa and Australia played for live audiences of up to 72,000 and were broadcast across national TV and radio stations in Switzerland for 450,000 viewers.

AudioRent's head of production, Reinhard Hoehn, begins: "The pressure to deliver a high-end production such as this in the Swiss market requires a 360° approach; streamlining complicated technic

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22 November 2024

USA - Brazilian metal band Sepultura announced it was embarking on its final tour with an accompanying live album that will feature 40 different songs from 40 different cities. Bandit Lites partnered with lighting designer Mike Scherer to outfit the North American leg of the parting tour.

“We are so excited to announce the North American concerts of the Celebrating Life Through Death farewell tour," shared long-time guitarist Andreas Kisser. "We are having a blast doing these shows and celebrating 40 years of history.” 

Following their founding in 1984, Sepultura positioned themselves as one of the most influential and successful metal bands, pioneering both the thrash metal and death metal genres.

“It was truly an honour to work with Mike Scherer,” said Bandit Lites client representative Ty Veneziano. “He and tour manager

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22 November 2024

China - Christie 4K10-HS 1DLP laser projectors deliver clarity and vivid colours at the new flying theatre attraction at Hetou Old Street scenic area in Tangshan, Hebei province. This captivating experience takes visitors on an aerial journey through northern China’s sites, including the ancient Great Wall, the breathtaking Shanhaiguan Pass, and the historic Chengde Mountain Resort.  

Known as Flyover Hebei, this 5D dome theatre combines stunning visuals with 7.2-channel surround sound, six-axis mechanical seats, synchronised motion effects and sensory elements like wind and mist, fully immersing audiences in the experience of soaring above Hebei’s majestic landscapes. By highlighting 20 landmarks and attractions across 11 cities, this multi-sensory adventure offers ‘an unforgettable flight through the province’s rich heritage and natural beauty’

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21 November 2024

USA - M2 Events Group is one of the leading live event production services companies in the US, with specialised divisions including Directions AV for corporate clients, Music Matters Productions for concerts and live entertainment, and Big Picture for creative video execution.

With locations in Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, and Salt Lake City, M2 has relied on Brompton LED processors as a key part of its inventory since 2020.

“Corporate clients each have very specific brand colours, and we need to deliver exactly that,” says Nauman Lalani, VP of business development, M2 Events Group. “Brompton excels at colour accuracy and colour correction. It simply works every single time, and we don’t need to worry about failure. So, using Brompton has been a very informed choice for our corporate events.”

Earlier this year, M2 Events Group

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21 November 2024

USA - Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour shined brighter thanks to The Playground Design Collective’s innovative use of Elation’s Artiste Monet profile luminaire. As the Grammy-winner’s first headlining tour and The Playground’s inaugural collaboration with her, the production dazzled audiences across North America and Europe, bringing her signature energy to life with visually striking stage designs.

The Playground handled design and creative direction as one of the year’s hottest touring shows. The show featured production designers Sooner Routhier and Trevor Ahlstrand, and creative and show designer Curtis Adams. Dane Kick took on the lighting programmer and director role, while Jason Giaffo served as a lighting programmer. Fuse Technical Group was the lighting and video vendor for the tour.

The Playground team created

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21 November 2024

Europe - The Chiaroscuro style of art, first popularised in the Baroque era by painters like Caravaggio, blends two polar opposites – light and darkness, to amplify the evocate power of each.

Hayden Borgars is deploying this technique to reflect the complex, and sometimes raw, conflicted sound of Californian metal band The Ghost Inside, on the six-nation European leg of their current Searching For Solace tour.

Weaving his way through the elusive, shadowy border area that separates light from darkness, Borgars is creating mysterious, captivating looks that reveal parts of the set, while leaving others cloaked in shadows. The net result of this approach draws attention more closely to the stage and deepens the connection between the audience band members.

“Having used a Chiaroscuro lighting style with other bands in the past to add

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21 November 2024

Monaco - Founded in 1953 by Prince Rainier III and chaired by Prince Albert II since 1984, the Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM) combines a taste for sport and a love of the sea. With 2,500 members, the club attracts shipowners, sailors and yacht-lovers from all over the world to its luxurious setting.  

Against this backdrop, Yacht Club de Monaco required a complete audio system that would not only align with these values but also provide high-performing sound across various spaces at the club. Italian manufacturer of professional audio solutions, K-array, was chosen to solve this request, with system integration provided by BM Service.

“Everything had to be invisible, stylish, yet high-performing, the usual values of K-array,” explains Alberto Gaetti, product support specialist at K-array. “Our loudspeakers were previously installed at the club’

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20 November 2024

Saudi Arabia - When lighting and stage designer Steve Wary was charged with creating the look for the opening ceremony of the Saudi Games 2024, he chose 50 Claypaky Skylos fixtures to help the event get off to a dynamic start.

Held 3-17 October, the Saudi Games were the third edition of the largest national sporting event staged annually in the Kingdom.  More than 9,000 athletes competed in 52 sports.

The opening ceremony took place not in a traditional stadium but in the existing Boulevard City area of Riyadh, where all the infrastructure needed to be built, created and organised. The location presented a great opportunity to use the LED screens already present on the buildings, which served as the backdrop for a centrally positioned stage big enough to host the impressive parade of athletes captured for broadcast by two drones.  

The game

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20 November 2024

Norway - In a fusion of architecture, engineering and technology, structural solutions brand Milos (part of Area Four Industries) introduced the Invisible Roof. The structure was constructed in the city of Bergen, on the southwestern coast surrounded by mountains and fjords. Bergen has hosted some of the world’s largest bands, artists and an eclectic mix of music from all genres over many years.

One of the world’s oldest orchestras, the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, dating back to 1765, celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2015 and remains a beacon of musical artistry on the world stage. On 22-23 August 2024, the orchestra hosted two outdoor concerts, offering a magical experience for musicians and audiences alike.

Partnering with Creative Technology Norway, Area Four Industries designed and installed a one-of-a-kind venue featuring an arched roo

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20 November 2024

China - The Taihu Jazz Festival is held every year in the National Centre for Performing Arts in Beijing. During five days in May, musicians from China and beyond performed to excited crowds in the purpose-built outdoor performance spaces.

Over 50 jazz performances took place, including sets from French harmonica master Laurent Maur, jazz trumpeter, Li Xiaochuan, and other Chinese and international musicians, who took to the stage of the Taihu Stage Art Centre to kick off the 2024 Taihu Jazz Festival. Central to each was the power of DiGiCo’s Quantum series, with a Quantum 338 at the front of house position, a Quantum 225 at monitors and an SD10 for broadcast.

Three free performance stages - the Dance Art Workshop Stage, the Snowflake Stage, and the Instrumental Interactive Stage - were set up by RAC Pro, DiGiCo distributor in Chi

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20 November 2024

USA - To most people in the continental U.S., Alaska evokes a narrative of rugged individuals thriving under even more rugged conditions. Between weather, terrain, and sheer remoteness of most of the state, that’s more than mythology.

Government workers and contractors regularly endure brutal conditions while managing disaster recovery and infrastructure efforts, and solo filmmaker Jake Sloan is often there to document the process. With literally one hand on the camera and the other running sound, he trusts the latter to Rycote microphones and equipment. These include the HC-15 and HC-22 shotgun microphones, Cyclone baskets, Softie windscreens, and lavalier solutions including Stickie mounts and Windjammer screens.

“One of the biggest projects I've been working on for the last year has been for a statewide effort with the Alaska Department of Tra

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20 November 2024

Germany - When Aki Bosse sings about dreaming, living, loving and despairing, it often sounds surprisingly happy and danceable. Übers Traumen (About Dreaming) is also the name of his latest album, for which he undertook a major arena tour in Germany in 2024. Lighting designer Rico Münzer has been lighting Bosse (and his band of the same name) since 2018.

For the current tour design, no fewer than 200 GLP fixtures combine to create a special look. In total, the designer specified 86 GLP KNV Arc, 76 JDC Line 1000, 24 impression X5 Wash and 14 JDC1 in a structure to fill the stage space.

The KNV Arc and JDC Line 1000 were in the design from the beginning, without which the intended look would not have been possible, as Münzer explains: “At the beginning of the design process I had the idea of working with circles. Initially I planned this

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19 November 2024

Spain - Following a memorable 2024 event, BikeFest Spain is set to return for its fourth consecutive year, inviting cyclists from across the industry to join the 360km ride towards ISE in Barcelona. From 31 January to 2 February 2025, riders will again rally in Valencia, cycling along the Mediterranean coast in support of industry causes.

Last year’s BikeFest raised an impressive £25,000 for Backup Tech, with the goal to surpass that and more this year.

In 2025, BikeFest will expand its support to Casa Caridad Valencia, a local charity assisting those affected by recent severe flooding in Valencia. 

Following the reduction of operating costs to run the initiative, 50% of the sponsored funds raised will go directly to Backup Tech, who run initiatives such as

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19 November 2024

UK - Starring seven-time BAFTA Award-winner Steve Coogan, Dr. Strangelove is the first theatrical adaptation of Stanley Kubrick’s comedy masterpiece. Written by Armando Iannucci and directed by Sean Foley, it tells the story of a US general who decides to go rogue and declare a nuclear attack on Russia; who, he discovers, have a Doomsday machine capable of destroying the world.

The show features a lighting design by Olivier Award-winning Jessica Hung Han Yun who approached White Light (WL), a d&b solutions company, to supply her lighting rig.

Prior to its run at the Noel Coward Theatre, there was much anticipation leading up to the opening of Dr Strangelove; largely due to the cult status of the film. “I had in fact watched the film many years ago and remembered enjoying it and the lighting specifically,” says Hung Han Yun

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19 November 2024

Slovakia - Steel Arena in Košice is one of the most important multifunctional halls in Slovakia. It has twice hosted the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships and is the home venue of the hockey club HC Košice, nine-time Slovak champion and holder of two Czechoslovak titles, which plays in the highest Slovak hockey league, the TIPOS Extraliga.

As part of a comprehensive reconstruction of the ice rink lighting, eight Ayrton Domino Profiles – supplied by Pro Music, s.r.o., Ayrton’s exclusive representative for the Czech Republic and Slovakia – were installed as effects lighting by Pro Music’s long-time business partner Marcel Filko and his technical team from ma.cz.

Four Domino Profiles were rigged on a circular overhead video truss, and another four on the structure above the ice surface, two above each goal, from where the incumbent team make

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19 November 2024

Japan - With an acoustic design created primarily with opera performances in mind, the 2,196-seat Toyama City Arts and Culture Hall (Aubade Hall) opened in 1996 in the Japan’s Toyama City. Now a new medium-sized, multi-purpose hall has been completed at the same site with a maximum of 652 seats which, along with the stage, can be moved to enable a wide range of configurations from conventional raked theatre seating to a flat floor for exhibitions.

Loudspeakers from Nexo’s Geo M, P+ and ID Series were selected for a customised flexible sound system in the new medium-sized hall.

“Actually, we have been using Nexo speakers in the large hall for a long time. Therefore, we are familiar with the sound of Nexo and thought that it would suit the medium hall as well,” reports Mr. Akira Sone, head of the stage technical department, sound, at Aubade Hal