Rental News

Level 42’s FOH engineer relies on DiGiCo consoles

Mark Clements has been touring with Level 42 for over 23 years. For the last sixteen, he has been using DiGiCo consoles provided by Neal Allen, CEO of Merlin PA Hire. For the band’s 2024 touring dates, Allen joined the tour mixing monitors, with Clements at the front-of-house position.

The year began with the pair using a Quantum 225 at front-of-house and an SD10-24 for monitors. Towards the end of the year, they swapped to a Quantum 338 at front-of-house, and a Quantum 326 at monitors for the London O2 Indigo shows. 2025 will see the Quantum 338 changing to a Quantum 225 for the overseas shows to fit the slimmed down logistics package. “I love the Quantum 225 and 338”, says Clements. “We have 48 inputs from stage and for most of these I find the onboard vintage compressors and dynamic EQ are particularly useful.”

Last year was a hugely successful year for Level 42, with dates played across Europe and the UK. When the time came to upgrade the front-of-house console, Allen was grateful to the team at Core Pro Audio for ensuring that a console could be prepped and delivered in record-quick time. “I’ve worked with Mark on and off for over a decade, so when Level 42 needed some help, I offered”, says Allen.

“For the last three or four tours, we’ve supplied everything on the audio side”, he continues. “I purchase my DiGiCos from Core Audio and the team there have been fantastic. They made sure we had the serial number for our new console a good few weeks before it was scheduled to be delivered, so we could complete the touring Carnet.” Allen has continued to invest in DiGiCo consoles, adding the Fourier Transform.Engine to the kit list for the 2024 shows.

“The guys in Level 42 are some of the most precise and knowledgeable musicians I have ever worked with”, adds Allen. “They know what they like, and they can hear the difference immediately if anything changes, so the sound must be spot on. When we go out to Europe, we just take what we need for the stage-end of things. It all needs to fit in a long wheelbase transit, so every piece of equipment has to earn its place on the van, and the compact size of the SD10-24 has been perfect.”

(Photos: DiGiCo)

www.digico.biz

Ian MacDonald illuminates Suicideboys with Robe

Underground rap duo Suicideboys completed their “Greyday 2024” US and Canadian tour with a production design - lighting and set - created by Ian MacDonald, who used Robe moving lights to help deliver a raw, in-the-face, lighting aesthetic.

MacDonald is based in Ottawa, Canada, and has worked with the band since 2021. This latest tour design featured 42 Robe iForte LTXs, 34 Spiiders and four iForte Follow Spots, all supplied by Fuse, who purchased the iFortes for this project, which was co-ordinated for them by account managers Matt Kirkpatrick and Kevin Foreste.

It was the first time MacDonald used Robe’s iForte luminaire. His starting point for the design was the “obnoxiously big” portrait orientated slab of upstage video screen trimmed at 64 ft high from the floor and flanked by two stage lift platforms framed with video panels. The big screen needed something seriously hardcore on all the open sides to fill in the space, so he drew four lighting torms on the plot and populated them with various fixtures including some of the Spiiders.

All the iFortes were rigged on four finger trusses above the band, trimmed at 60 ft from the deck. Often, they were used in narrow mode for max intensity and maximising the more menacing feel that can be produced by top lighting blasting directly down onstage. MacDonald reports that the iFortes held their positions very well and he rarely had to do any tweaking or adjustments.

Spiiders are a fixture he has used many times before, usually in full “wide” mode for building mesmeric and kinetic effects. For this tour, the rest of the Spiiders were deployed on audience trusses together with six automated 2 metre by 2 metre internally lit scenic skulls constructed by Glow Motion Technologies, which tilted, pitched, and moved up and down. The Spiiders on these trusses were highly effective for room sweeps that wrapped the audience up in the action.

The whole show ran to timecode. Programming and running a hip hop show like this is very different to a rock or a metal show, notes MacDonald. While much of the music is fast and aggressive, there are several poignant moments that need to be punctuated, and generally there’s more space and air onstage needing to be filled visually.

“I programmed a show with multiple contrasts”, he explains. “Top lighting can be really harsh, especially with the power of the iFortes behind it, which was great, but there were also numerous intimate and emotionally charged drops which I built these into the cue list.” The song “Whatwhat” was lit completely in green.

MacDonald worked closely on this tour with video producer Tristan Zammit, including during the show programming to ensure that lighting and visuals worked harmoniously - either together or in contrast with one another. IMAG camera feeds were integrated onscreen - often tweaked live using Notch effects - together with all the playback video content running via a Disguise D3 media server.

The touring lighting crew were chief’d by Temple “Mel” Dorough and comprised techs Jim Meredith, Vreje Bakalian, Jacob Jordan, Guillermo Medina, and Matt Margulis, and the video team was led by Curtis Miller (crew chief) working alongside Chris Small, Colin Johnston, Marcus Taylor, and Miles Pierce.

(Photos: Ian MacDonald)

www.robe.cz

DiGiCo Quantum 338s join Sleep Token on world tour

Front-of-house engineer Thom Pike has been with the British heavy metal band Sleep Token ever since their third gig in 2018. For their 2024 world tour he ditched his usual mixing desk for a DiGiCo Quantum 338. Monitor engineer Samuel Schmitt also used a Quantum 338.

“It was the start of a new cycle and a new era in terms of venue sizes”, says Pike. “I had been having some issues with my desk towards the end of the last tour, so I rang the new production manager and explained. Solotech was able to help us out in terms of budget, so for our first gig at Wembley Arena I swapped straight to DiGiCo. By the end of that tour I was in love with the console.”

Being with the band since the very beginning, Pike used to mix FOH, monitors, manage the production and the tour. As the band’s success has grown he has been able to delegate responsibility and now solely concentrates on mixing FOH. Their rise in popularity has seen the band go from 130 people capacity clubs to selling out 23,500 capacity venues like Manchester’s Co-op Arena in just a few years. The increase in venue size and production elements was just a part of the reason behind swapping to DiGiCo, as self-confessed enthusiast Schmitt recalls.

“I am a true DiGiCo evangelist”, he says. “When a band is rapidly growing in terms of venue sizes, there are going to be things you want to do that some consoles are just not able to do. And that means you will be running in circles. That is never an issue with DiGiCo, the workflow is just much cleaner.” It was Schmitt’s enthusiasm and support that made Pike feel more comfortable taking the leap to DiGiCo and, if issues did come up, Schmittt was only too happy to show Pike a quick fix. “We joked that I was Thom’s personal DiGiCo tech support”, says Schmitt.

“Compared to other consoles, the DiGiCo just seemed like a big scary computer”, recalls Pike. “But you can make them sound how you want them to. Other desks just sound like they sound, but DiGiCo is really clean and there is plenty you can do to change the sound if needed. I love Mustard processing and basically use it on everything. For this tour, I didn’t use a single standard EQ or compressor on anything. When I first started there was a limit on Mustard channels and I ran out. On this tour, we upgraded to Pulse, so now I have enough Mustard for everything.”

(Photos Adamross Williams/Adamrosssi)

www.digico.biz

ACT Productions and IPS light Orange Bowl Halftime Show and Fan Fest with Elation

The Orange Bowl is an American tradition that combines the best in college football with top-class musical performances. ACT Productions of Miami Beach celebrated its 17th year producing the event, handling artist bookings and producing both the Halftime Show and Fan Fest. They partnered with Illuminate Production Services (IPS) as their lighting vendor on the productions, both illuminated using Elation lighting fixtures.

The Capital One Orange Bowl, held on January 9, 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, saw country music star Nate Smith headline the Halftime Show, while Lauren Alaina, a multi-faceted country artist, performed a tailgate concert at the Fan Fest stage before the game. Both performances featured lighting designs by IPS, using a range of all-weather IP-rated Elation products.

The Halftime Show and Fan Fest were entirely lit using Elation lighting rigs, including fixtures from the company’s Proteus and new Pulse series. ACT Productions handled everything from concept to completion, including specification of the lighting and sound packages and worked closely with IPS to realize the event.

“The Orange Bowl Halftime Show is unlike any other event in the entertainment world”, says Carlos Henao, Technical Director at ACT. “In a matter of minutes, five to be precise, our audio, lighting and staging teams have to build a ‘set’ that will both entertain and wow the thousands of fans in the stadium, but also the millions of fans on TV. This is no easy task. The planning and execution of those plans can make or break the outcome.”

The Halftime Show lighting design was led by Caleb Franke, with support from Michael Betancourt, both from IPS. Betancourt also handled the design for the Fan Fest stage, working closely with ACT. “We’re very close with Michael and the IPS team and have partnered with them on major events in the past such as the Montreux Jazz Festival in Miami, and City of Miami Beach 4th of July celebration”, says Bruce Orosz, CEO of ACT Productions. “We worked with them on last year’s Fan Fest and were very happy with the results, their communication, plans, design and their team.” Orosz says that they seek to change the look and feel of the show year after year, and this year chose to forgo the traditional Halftime Show fireworks in favor of IPS’s lighting design.

Working on the Orange Bowl Halftime Show can be quite challenging for a number of reasons, not least the tight logistical circumstances they have to work within. “Right when the last play of the first half ends, the referee throws his red cap onto the ground, which begins a 22-minute clock”, explains Orosz. “That’s our signal to start moving all the staging, pre-set with lighting, through the tunnel and out onto the field. This year, we brought the stage out in four parts plus additional lighting setups on truss systems that flew in stage right and left. Everything had to be out, assembled, plugged in, and tested in five minutes. It’s a complicated maneuver.”

Lighting designer Caleb Franke adds: “There are certain parameters we have to stick to in order to get the stages through the stadium tunnels and on the field in less than five minutes. Designing with very specific limitations and parameters is always something I enjoy because I feel I can be more creative. I see them not as limitations but as opportunities.” Following Nate Smith’s performance, disassembly and load-out took place in four minutes. Orosz says it all worked out perfectly. “We had a dynamite team of 100+ people to manage all the equipment, and it ran like a Swiss clock.”

IPS designed a fresh, multi-layered look for this year’s Halftime Show. “When designing, I wanted the set to have depth and elevation to it”, says Franke. “The depth came by having sixteen Pulse Panel FX in the background attached to the upper 100 level of the stadium. This created opportunity for big hits of color and wash throughout the show. It gave the camera lens something to see in the background which added a lot of depth. Having the Pulse Bars and Pulse Panel FX allowed me to have them work together and they punch very well.” One fun look featured the use of all the cold white strobes of the Pulse Panel FX and Pulse Bar. “It seriously lit up the stadium and made it look huge”, says Franke.

The design featured a myriad of IP-rated moving heads from Elation’s Proteus line, including Maximus, Excalibur, Hybrid Max, and Radius. On the field, Franke designed a 3-tiered look in both stage width and height - the downstage deck for the lead singer, the middle deck for the band, and upstage deck lighting via three tiers of lights. Beam and aerial effects from Proteus Hybrid Max emanated from the top row with aerial beams from Proteus Radius radiating from the bottom two rows.

Each row also had eight Pulse Bars in groups of two for a total of 24 fixtures forming the visual background for the band. “We were able to achieve elevation with the tiers and also it created a great background of eye candy behind the band and artist”, says the designer. Located on the downstage edge of the artist risers as kickers to help light the performance were SixBar 1000 IP battens.

The upper deck of fixtures formed the main element of the design. Down on the field, a truss cart on either side of the stage held five Proteus Rayzor Blade L linear effects and six Proteus Excaliburs each, with five Rayzor Blade L on the artist deck. The truss carts added width to the overall look of the show, says Franke. Lastly, twelve Proteus Maximus on the 300 level of the stadium provided the main key light for the stage. “We also highlighted some of the logo graphics on the field with them”, adds Franke.

“This year, we bulked up lighting on the third level and flew trusses full of lights stage right and left, adding depth and enhancing the visual impact”, says Orosz, adding that lighting also came from FOH from the opposite side of the field and down onto the stage, changing the look and feel and matching up with the music. Franke says that big beam looks using the Hybrid Max, Radius, and Excaliburs were some of his favorites. “When the strobes and color wash are off and it’s just the beams shooting out, it looks amazing. We used this near the end of the show with a big beam sweep at the end”, he concludes.

Lauren Alaina’s pre-game Fan Fest concert featured Elation’s Proteus Rayzor 760 wash effects moving head, Proteus Lucius profile moving heads, and DTW Blinder 700 IP. Lighting control came courtesy of an Obsidian NX2 console with Netron nodes, used on both the Halftime Show and Fan Fest. Atmospheric haze effects from Magmatic Therma Tour 800s added an immersive touch to the outdoor concert.

Alongside Michael Betancourt and Rick Franke (Project Management), and Caleb Franke (Lighting Designer and Programmer), the Halftime Show crew included Alex Aslanian (Video/Graphics Creator and Lead LED Tech), Bryce Adams, Sean Coakley and Sean Marshall (Lighting Techs), Jonathan Petrie (LED Assistant and Tech), as well as Shaloom John, Boyd Powers and Jared Clendenin (Technicians).

The Elation gear at the Halftime Show comprised 12 x Proteus Excalibur, 12 x Proteus Maximus, 12 x Proteus Hybrid Max, 24 x Proteus Radius, 15 x Proteus Rayzor Blade L, 24 x Pulse Bar L, 16 x Pulse Panel FX, 14 x SixBar 1000 IP, 3 x Obsidian Netron EN12, and 2 x Obsidian Netron EN4.

The Fan Fest crew: Michael Betancourt (Project Management and Designer), Jeff Miller (Project Manager), Matt Hutton (Lead Video Technician), Julian Mitat (Lighting Programmer), George Mitat (Lighting Tech), and Leo Betancourt (Technician).

Elation gear at the Fan Fest: 12 x Proteus Rayzor 760, 12 x Proteus Lucius, 4 x DTW Blinder 700 IP, 1 x Obsidian NX2, 1 x Obsidian Netron EN4, 2 x Magmatic Therma Tour 800.

(Photos: ACT/Elation/IPS/@keepitexclusive/@michelphoto69)

www.elationlighting.com

www.actproductions.com

www.illuminateproductionsevents.com

Nashville’s “Big Bash” lit with Robe

“New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash” at the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in Nashville, Tennessee, celebrated the new year rollover, featuring a lighting and production design created by Robert W. Peterson of Real World Lighting.

Peterson added 86 Robe iForte LTX moving lights to his lighting plot, together with 46 iFortes, 38 iSpiider LED wash beams, 20 Tarrantula large LED wash beams and 20 LEDBeam 350s, all supplied by Solotech, project managed for them by Austin Schussler and Steven Morgan with Joseph Logsdon providing account oversight for the whole project.

The five-hour CBS special concert kicked off at 7 p.m. It was directed by Sandra Restrepo and broadcast/streamed live offering a series of back-to-back performances beamed across multiple time zones live from “Music City”. It was headlined and co-hosted by Keith Urban with Rachel Smith, together with Kane Brown and Jelly Roll, with sets from Shaboozey, Brittney Spencer and others.

It’s the second year that Peterson has lit the concert. The telecast also involved pre-recorded cut-ins that were filmed in various live music clubs along Nashville’s Broadway in December (shown on the IMAG screens for those at the concert), however, as he explains, in terms of stage design, lighting rather than video was very much the dominant visual aesthetic.

Gently curving trusses at the back were divided by horizontal strips of LED, rather than a big upstage slab of screen, a decision made by “Big Bash” executive producer Robert Deaton, who wanted to unify the theme and place the focus firmly on the artists rather than any supporting video content. The main screens were the stage left and right wing IMAGs.

In addition to the trusses, a series of arched structures upstage were populated with Robe fixtures plus other lights - a nod to the many arched bridges that define and traverse Nashville’s section of the Cumberland River and serve to help define its cityscape. 

iFortes and iForte LTXs were the workhorses of the rig. They were positioned on the over-stage trusses front and back and on six self-climbing towers located in the audience together with two more towers at the FOH positions. The luminaires worked extensively throughout the event period and the show, despite high winds and rain throughout the week.

Being a celebratory broadcast, good audience lighting was critical, and “these were some of the best-looking crowd shots I’ve seen, fully bathed in the iForte LTX beams”, declares Peterson who also used iForte LTXs as rear follow spots onstage. He notes that both iFortes and iForte LTXs will be going on all his future lighting designs when possible.

The LEDBeam 350s were rigged on the arch structures and used as band back light as well as for numerous other rear-lighting and back-of-camera effects. The iSpiiders were also on the rear trusses where they provided contrast to the iFortes including lots of twinkling and sparkling pixel effects.

Onstage, Peterson used 32 of Robe’s Footsie2 Slim RGB luminaires to assist as low-profile key lighting for the left and right sides of the mainstage. It was the first time he had used the Slim version of the Footsie, an IP65-rated reduced footprint version of the original product.

Twelve of the iForte LTXs - positioned on the FOH and sides of the onstage rig - had RoboSpot cameras added and were controlled by twelve RoboSpot BaseStations with their operators located downstage right in a designated tent.

Peterson worked closely with lighting programmer Scott Cunningham on the “Big Bash” event. Cunningham also programmed and operated lighting for many of the pre-recorded venue segments, and Tal Kolchav took care of audience lighting of the TV show.

Solotech’s lighting crew chief was Tommy Smith, Dave Carr managed FOH and was the team’s RoboSpot wiz, the dimmer tech was Robert Winfree, and they worked alongside lighting techs Josh Dirks, Robbie Sheene, Hayley Cass and Jimmy Healey.

Video crew chief Marshall Blair with techs Kenny Kightlinger and William Sherman, and the screens and lighting director was Taylor Price. Lead rigger was Jake Lanier, and Gabe Boardley co-ordinated the automation elements. The entire event was managed for the City of Nashville by David Spencer and Chris Lisle.

(Photos: Jake Matthews/Alan Poizner)

www.robe.cz

360-degree symphonic spectacle puts DiGiCo consoles at its heart in a first for Polish music

In November 2024, Atlas Arena in Lodz hosted the live event “Jimek & Guests: Subclassics”, Poland’s first-ever symphonic spectacle in a 360-degree format. The orchestra was sited in the round, which provided the audience with a special perspective on the orchestra. The audio system was built around two DiGiCo Quantum 338 consoles, with Pulse upgrade, at the front-of-house position and Quantum 852 and SD12-96 consoles at the monitor position.

Radzimir Debski, professionally known as Jimek, is a composer and conductor, known for blending classical sounds with modern music genres. His “Subclassics” concert was a blend of symphonic compositions and hip-hop tracks featuring several guest artists. “There’s no adventure if you know what to expect. Only uncertainty leads to fulfilment”, says Jimek. “I’m not interested in concerts where we press ‘play’ on something you can just as easily hear in your headphones. I crave the musician’s presence, freestyling, and serendipitous moments.”

The sound system for this project was designed by Remigiusz Kasztelnik, CEO of the Brawlers. The company also supplied and installed the sound system for the event, with the consoles being supplied by Polish DiGiCo distributor Polsound. “Such projects are always a challenge, but also a great satisfaction”, says Kasztelnik. “Thanks to precise planning and the work of the entire team, we created a sound space that emphasised both the delicacy of the orchestra and the strong, rhythmic style of hip-hop.”

The front-of-house mix was shared between two engineers, each utilizing a Quantum 338 Pulse. Krzysztof Podsiadlo and Piotr Szreder split responsibility for the orchestra, with one engineer concentrating on dynamics and spatial details, while the other focused on percussion and soloists. “For Jimek’s concert, we payed special attention to detail - each instrument had to be heard in perfect balance, but also keep dynamics and energy”, says Podsiadlo.

The orchestra featured strings, brass, drums and a rotating line-up of guest vocalists. The mixes were split between the Quantum 852 and the SD12-96, operated by Iwo Bialy and Piotr Gozdek. Every member of the orchestra received their own mix.

(Photos: Brawlers/DiGiCo/Note the Note)

www.digico.biz

“Afrikaans is Groot” powered by DiGiCo

For three weeks in November, Time Square’s 8,500-capacity SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa, is home to “Afrikaans is Groot”, a series of performances devoted to Afrikaans music and culture. 2023 was the first outing with DiGiCo Quantum consoles and in 2024 the audio team increased their capacity with a Quantum 338 and Quantum 326 Pulse at front-of-house and Quantum 338 at the monitor position.

2024 was Afrikaans is Groot’s biggest year yet, boasting nine shows over two weekends, with over 70,000 people enjoying the spectacular cultural experience. Kyle Freemantle is Head of Audio for the production and has overseen the growth over the last decade. DiGiCo continues to be Afrikaans is Groot’s console of choice.

“DiGiCo consoles are at the top of my list because of their flexibility regarding Optocore networks and their ease programming”, says Freemantle. “We are running an additional Dante network for all the radio-microphones and playback lines. In total, we have just shy of 128 inputs across both the Optocore and Dante networks. All these inputs are fed via copy-audio and Dante to a pair of MADI/Dante bridges, which feed two MADI recorders for our main recording. There is a backup recording, which is fed by the MADI outputs on the RMIO units to a DiGiGrid MGB to accommodate all 128 channels.”

Freemantle uses Fourier and DiGiGrid MBG for all external processing. Klang is in use for in-ear-monitoring, enabling a consistent environment for the many performers featured during the concerts. “Fourier runs all the effects and multiband compressors on the masters”, says Freemantle. “It’s been great being able to use the Valhalla reverbs. The fact that its Dante I/O ties into our existing large Dante network makes load-in time much faster. The need for third-party gear has also drastically reduced.”

The shows combine musical performances from a whole host of Afrikaans musicians, but they also reflect the cultural richness of the Afrikaans community, combining spoken word performances in a Variety-style. This style of performance can mean a busy time for monitor engineers, but as Gert Watson found out, having Klang and DiGiCo on your team can make all the difference.

“With a variety show like this one, where all the artists join each other on stage to perform a single number, I have countless button presses on the console for each song”, says Monitor Engineer Gert Watson. “I was really surprised by how seamless the DiGiCo/Klang integration is. Using Klang on the artists aux sends did not affect my workflow or speed at all; it was so smooth that I almost never had to take my hands off the surface to fiddle with a laptop because everything was right there on the console.”

Paulo Azevedo is a producer and Executive label manager for Coleske Artists PTY, promoters and producers of the concerts. His understanding of his label’s artists makes him well placed to mix front of house. The show is so complex that there are two FOH engineers, with Azevedo mixing the vocals and Murray Lubbe looking after the band, tracks and additional instruments.

“Afrikaans music is vocal forward, so we need to have the acoustic space to ensure the vocals can be managed effectively”, says Azevedo. “There are some really quick cues in the group numbers, with people entering and exiting in quick succession. This is a unique performance, with a full range of emotions for the audience, from excitement and comedy to nostalgia and legacy.”

The show is staged in a variety format, with a full house-band that is adapted for each performance, with drums, bass guitars and keyboards being added or removed as needed. There are backing vocalists and sixteen lead vocalists, who may also be playing acoustic guitar, all using radio-microphones and in ear monitors.

“Because the show is so big, the audio team have three full days to rehearse”, says Azevedo. “We keep most channels in isolate throughout rehearsals and sound-check, then once the performance has settled, we start recording Snapshots. The rehearsal days are full on before we even hit the first show, but it gives us the time to programme everything nicely.”

Azevedo’s Quantum 326 Pulse is programmed to change Snapshots via timecode, so when there are big group numbers, that could have up to thirty triggers during a song, it is all taken care of automatically by the console.

Günther Müller, Project Manager for the show, supplied the 326, adding the console to MGG’s inventory just in time for the festival, maintaining their position as Africa’s largest stockist of DiGiCo consoles.

(Photos: Kief Kreativ/Ruben Roos Photography/Quintin van der Merwe)

www.digico.biz

Painting With Light helps Clouseau look vibrant at 40 with Chauvet Professional

“Clouseau 40”, the year-long tour throughout Benelux that celebrated Belgian band Clouseau’s forty years of making music, featured 137 Chauvet Professional fixtures, supplied by Ampli, on the rig. Lighting design was by Luc Peumans, head of Painting With Light (PWL).

Peumans had started with Clouseau back in 1995 on the “Oker Tour” as a light tech and became the duo’s lighting and production designer in 2001. Since that time, he has worked on all Clouseau tours and Sportpaleis shows. Peumans took on a somewhat different role in the “Clouseau 40” tour, handing the role of touring designer and programmer to Jeroen Opsteyn from PWL, so he could focus his attention exclusively on the stage and lighting designs.

Framing the band in a jewel box of coloured light, the design was creating multi-dimensional looks in a variety of venues regardless of their size. “Our set was highly adaptable in size, an essential feature for Clouseau’s long-running tours, as they strive to bring fresh, innovative elements to each show by incorporating new technologies”, says Peumans. “With the tour appearing in venues and festivals of varying sizes, this flexibility was key to preserving the show’s unique identity. The lighting setup featured a range of fixtures to create dynamic effects.”

Twenty-four Strike Bolt 1C units were used as strobe and colour accent lights. While the Strike Bolts created eye-popping looks, a group of 41 Colorado PXL Curve 12 motorized units created a variety of pixel mapped effects. The titling battens were arranged in three lines - one on the back truss and two on the floor.

Also featured on the rig were 48 Maverick Storm 1 Hybrid fixtures, which served as spotlights for beam and effect lighting that connected the band to the audience. Adding more power to the rig were 24 Strike Array 2C units, which served as blinders and also provided colour accents.

Given the wide range of venues on the 30-city tour, including festivals, the lighting setup was created for flexibility and adaptability. Custom-built dollies helped make load-ins as quick as possible. The setup also included a back truss that could be assembled behind the backdrop for festival performances.

(Photos: Picturesk/Frank Lambrechts)

www.chauvetprofessional.com

Europalco’s automated solutions selected for Renault Group convention

Europalco successfully executed the Renault Group Convention, hosted at the MH Atlantic Hotel in Peniche, Portugal. In close partnership with agency Prestígio for Brands, the convention brought together around 300 participants for two distinct programs, a press presentation and an internal meeting, under the unifying theme “Shaping the Future Together”.

Europalco, celebrating its 28th anniversary this year, provided a comprehensive range of production services during the event. The company delivered AV solutions, provided furniture, executed a stage design, and implemented automation systems. A central feature of the production was the display setup. Secondary screens complemented the main mobile screens, each a Ledwall P3,9 with dimensions of 6 m by 4 m.

The highlight of the Renault Group Convention was the stage entrance. Europalco created an immersive experience by implementing Ledwall panels with automated horizontal movement that opened to reveal the speakers and the stars of the convention, the Renault models. This portal of light and technology brought dynamism and surprise, capturing attention during every presentation. The video processing and show control were managed through the Analogway Pulse 2 system.

Another notable visual element was the integration of automated features. The event showcased horizontal movement rails and robotic lighting provided by the Ayrton Zonda 3 FX. These elements enhanced the visual appeal of the stage.

Additionally, Europalco managed the carpentry flooring and installed cut-pile carpeting to complete the setup. The chosen furniture reinforced the event’s sophisticated atmosphere. Europalco selected the DSW chairs and Totem Ledwall elements for their seamless integration with the overall layout. These pieces and custom carpentry work created a balanced environment for media presentation needs and internal discussions.

Every event presents its challenges. For this convention, the cart unloading coincided with the Ledwall’s opening, which stood out. The team overcame this potential disruption through careful planning and on-site problem-solving, maintaining an uninterrupted schedule throughout the event. A total of 22 Europalco professionals ensured the event ran smoothly on-site. They completed the assembly in two days.

“I want to thank Prestígio for Brands for their trust and for including us in such an outstanding show”, says Pedro Magalhães, CEO of Europalco. “This year, we also furthered our commitment to innovation by investing in automation, particularly by introducing new rotating stages that we will soon unveil.”

(Photos: Europalco/Renault Group)

www.europalco.pt

One-Source chooses XTA and Funktion-One for Tipper live shows

British electronic music composer and producer Tipper played his first theatre events since before the pandemic at the Orion Amphitheatre in Huntsville, Alabama. Philadelphia’s One-Source Productions provided the audio for the shows.

Joe Adkins, One-Source owner and CEO, deployed a Funktion-One system comprising 20 x Funktion-One Vero for mains, 12 x F124 and 12 x F221 subwoofers, and Funktion-One Evo for in-fills and out-fills. One-Source Productions has been delivering sound for Tipper for almost decade.

One-Source powered the Funktion-One Vero at the Orion shows with amplifiers by UK manufacturer XTA, pairing the company’s DPA and DNA series amplifiers with the Vero system for the first time. “We’ve had a lot of success using the new XTA amplifiers alongside our Funktion-One Evolution 7 system, so for these shows it seemed like a natural progression to integrate them with our larger Funktion-One Vero system”, says Adkins. “We’ve long been fans of AudioCore as it allows us to quickly set up and deploy our systems - crucial for the demanding nature of live events.”

For the main Vero hangs One-Source used a combination of 2 x XTA DPA100 and 1 x DNA per side, with the F124 and F221 subs powered by a combination of DNA120 and DPA100 units, respectively.

2025 is shaping up to be another busy year for One-Source with many festivals already booked. The weekend of July 4th will see them once again hooking up with Tipper and Friends at The Gorge amphitheatre in Washington for another outdoor spectacular.

(Photos: One-Source Productions/XTA)

www.xta.co.uk

www.funktion-one.com

www.one-source.us

Dieter Thomas Kuhn auf Tour mit Remote-Follow-System von Follow-Me

Schlager-Unikat Dieter Thomas Kuhn, die „bekannteste Föhnwelle der Gute-Laune Welt“, war auch 2024 wieder auf Deutschland-Tournee: Von Mai bis August standen vierzehn Termine im Rahmen der „Das Festival der Liebe“-Tour auf dem Programm.

Fichtner Tontechnik aus Tübingen betreute die Tournee als technischer Dienstleister und setzte erstmalig ein Follow-Me-3D-Two-Remote-Follow-System ein, um Kuhn auf der Bühne zu folgen. Das System sei zwar initial für diese Tour angeschafft worden, doch Thomas Junger von Fichtner Tontechnik betrachtet „Remote-Systeme als langfristig unersetzlich im Touring-Geschäft“.

Die vorherige Kuhn-Tournee, im Jahr 2023, habe man noch mit einem anderen Verfolgersystem absolviert, sich aufgrund der Produkteigenschaften des Follow-Me-Systems aber schließlich dazu entschieden, für die Tour 2024 einen anderen Weg zu gehen: „In erster Linie ist da die freie Scheinwerferwahl zu nennen, die natürlich ein Riesenvorteil ist“, erklärt Junger. „Darüber hinaus ist Follow-Me flexibler, schneller einsetzbar und kompakter als alternative Lösungen. Die Systemkalibrierung ist gleichzeitig genauer.“

Das Lichtdesign der Tour stammte von Marc Lorenz. Fichtner Tontechnik stellte mit Mario Daszenies (1. Tourblock) und Ulli Schneider (2. Tourblock) auch die Follow-Me-Systemtechniker. Am Lichtpult stand Ottmar „Funzel“ Michalk.

(Fotos: Fichtner Tontechnik/LMP Lichttechnik)

www.lmp.de

DiGiCo Quantum 338 console of choice for Diljit Dosanjh world tour

Indian singer/actor Diljit Dosanjh’s “Dil-Luminati” world tour utilised DiGiCo Quantum 338 consoles at the front of house and monitor positions, supplied by Solotech Group for the UK and European leg of the tour, complete with DMI-Klang immersive in ear monitoring. Engineers Kenny Narayan and Ranjeet Singh have toured with Dosanjh for many years, and both of them have extensive DiGiCo experience.

“The show was very heavy on Snapshots and MIDI recalls. Dilijit is very active on social media, so we used a lot of busses, too”, says Narayan. “The console really meets our needs. There are often TV news cameras, or social media teams that need feeds, so having the MADI streams at the desk to hit their recording platforms, rather than needing an additional rack, makes it seamless.” Singh adds: “Overall, there were no more than 56 channels in use at the monitor desk. We used timecode for tracks and have additional monitor mixes for video, broadcast mixes and recordings.”

Both consoles were connected via Optocore, enabling additional send and return channels in addition to simplifying system integration. It is a set-up that works well for the pair, as Singh continues: “For this tour, it had to be DiGiCo. There are many features that we appreciate, especially the chat function, which makes it easy to communicate during the show; the SPL regularly went above 108 dB, so it was essential”, he says. “Spice Rack and Mustard worked well, too, especially the DiGiTube valve amp emulator, which means we didn’t have to rely on external processing racks.”

Another feature available directly via the console is the DMI-Klang card. This fully integrated expansion card gave Singh access to the Klang immersive in-ear mixes, delivering a full 360 degree immersive experience for the artists. “DMI-Klang is the first choice for our monitor mixes”, furthers Singh. “The whole band uses the immersive settings, and we had thirteen mixes in total.”

The record-breaking “Dil-Luminati” tour sold out three nights in London’s O2 in a matter of minutes, making it the fastest selling, highest grossing run of shows for a Punjabi artist in the venue’s history. The tour closed the year in India with sold-out shows across the country.

(Photos: DiGiCo)

www.digico.biz

Richard Wookie Whitley Engages Fans on Cody Johnson Leather Deluxe Tour

The 19,000-seat Enterprise Center, home of the St. Louis Blues hockey team, is widely regarded as a state-of-the-art facility. Indeed, Pollstar has consistently ranked it as one of the top drawing concert arenas in the USA. But on Friday January 24, a headline in the local St. Louis Post Dispatch newspaper declared that the sleek downtown showplace had been "transformed into a honky-tonk."

Such is the infectious feel-good power of Cody Johnson's brand of country music. The multi-platinum CMA award-winning singer is continuing to work this kind of magic at arenas throughout North America, Australia and the UK, between now and the end of the summer on his Leather Deluxe Tour.

Moving right along with Johnson's lively music and charismatic stage persona, while enhancing the goodtime atmosphere, is a high-energy Richard "Wookie" Whitley lighting design, complete with bold fast-moving aerial effects, a compelling video wall backdrop, and (of course) a generous helping of immersive audience lighting that makes it easy for the crowd to join the party.

Helping Wookie with the latter are 34 Strike Array fixtures from Chauvet Professional, which, like the rest of the rig, are supplied by Bandit Lites. Included in this mix are 10 Strike Array 4 blinders on the DS truss, and 24- Strike Array 2 units on the trusses above the stage. The intense output Strike fixtures are flown on an impressively high rig that has a trim of 48-50 feet, depending on the venue, then works its way down in 4-foot increments as it approaches upstage.

"On this tour, we are running our aerial package with the truss flipped," said Wookie. "This gives our spot and profile fixtures clearance while also providing perfect positions for the Strike Arrays. This way they can live in the truss without being removed or moved around, so we save a lot of time with the ins and outs. Also, Cody likes to see the crowd while talking to them and creating moments for all. I wanted to make sure that it was possible for him to do that this year all the way around the room. The Strike Arrays also have given me some really cool marquee style effects that everyone is enjoying."

Speaking of the rig's relatively high trim, Wookie noted that its height makes it easier to incorporate a video wall, which is new to the show this year. "We are using a video wall for different backdrop looks and a few surprises, so we needed to get the rig higher in the air than we had in the past," he explained. "We also wanted to make this rig look huge without taking up a lot of space -- perception is everything this year!"

Although his lighting is creating a festive atmosphere at every venue, Wookie has been dead serious about exploring every nuance of light and color to make his show more effective. For example, he is still "using and loving saturated colors," but has been dabbling in lighter shades as well. "I wanted to get out of my comfort zone this year and it has been a great decision," he said. "Just constantly mixing and figuring out what works or feels right has been quite an adventure and given me some great brain workouts."

Not surprisingly, Wookie has also made sure to reflect the personal elements of every song with distinctive lighting looks. "From lighting one of the band members for a special intro, to accenting a drum break down, or making a solo stand out, we want to support each moment in a unique way," he said, adding that fans will never "see or hear the same thing twice" in the set. By bringing his thoughtful approach to this tour, this designer is ensuring that everyone at this honky-tonk party is having an even better time.

Setlist

That's Texas
Me And My Kind
Dance Her Home
How Do You Sleep At Night?
With You I Am
Dear Rodeo
Nothin' On You
Take It Like A Man
Human
Georgia Peaches
The Fall
People In The Back
I’m Gonna Love You (with Carrie Underwood)
God Bless America (Irving Berlin)
Made In The USA
Dirt Cheap
The Painter
'Til You Can't

Long Haired Country Boy (Charlie Daniels Band)
Travelin' Soldier (The Chicks)

FragmentNine and JAW Studio choose Robe for Hikaru Utada tour design

Creative studio FragmentNine (F9), led by Jeremy Lechterman, was asked by creative director/production designer Jason Ardizzone-West of JAW Studio to collaborate on the lighting elements of a production design for J-pop singer/songwriter Hikaru Utada’s 2024 tour, as the artist returned to live performance after a six-year hiatus for an extensive tour of Japan and Asia, supporting the new album project “Science Fiction”.

The lighting design included large amounts of Robe fixtures including 81 x Esprites, 72 x MegaPointes, 26 x TetraXs and three Robe BMFL Wash Beam EVs running on a 3-way RoboSpot system, all supplied in Japan by lighting vendor Kyoritz. Ardizzone-West’s initial discussions with the artist started a year prior to the tour. “We talked about wormholes, portals, Kubrick’s monoliths, Emma McEvoy’s sand dune photographs, and how we wanted to challenge the expectations and perceptions of how a J-Pop arena concert should look and feel”, he explains.

Their goal was to imagine an operatic-like space that was both familiar and alien, ancient and modern, “a mysterious landscape that is initially a sleeping machine - a portal to another level of consciousness which is slowly awakened by the energy of the audience activated by Utada’s music.” From this alien desert landscape, nine large monolithic sculptures emerged to assist a highly imaginative journey. These were built with a skin of Roe Vanish 8S LED video tiles and internally lit and juxtaposed with three luminous plinths on which the musicians were positioned.

Lechterman and Ardizzone-West have been wanting to work together for some time, and this presented a perfect opportunity. Together with video designer Jackson Gallagher of F9, they pooled ideas and forged creative mixed-media treatments that worked harmoniously, transforming the space into a series of emotionally charged environmental settings unique to each song. A major challenge for lighting was capturing and integrating the scale of the 100 ft wide landscape design, and another starting point was that 75 percent of the lighting fixtures needed to be floor-based to ensure the integrity and impact of the scenography.

The Robe Esprites and MegaPointes constituted all the spot and beam fixtures on the plot. The Esprites were deployed in two long lines, one below the stage at the back, similar to a horizon, with another row above the main upstage video wall, with the balance deployed on the overhead rig. They were used to assist in creating shadows against the monolith video sculptures, and to help push and radiate the energy and movement of the video content that was also at the core of the design.

“The nature and precision of the scenography required the artists to be lit very specifically, to enhance the spatiality of Jason’s original concept”, says Lechterman who has been using MegaPointes since the fixture was launched in 2017. For Hikaru Utada, they were rigged in the over-stage grid and used for pulling visuals away from the floor and adding height and layers of complexity to the design.

The BMFL EVs on the RoboSpots were used in rear and two high side positions for key lighting and low lighting as there was no front lighting on the show apart from in the B-stage area. “The goal of lighting was to always try to enhance but not overpower”, underlines Lechterman. “We had this gorgeous landscape and content for this show, so for light to be reinforcing those choices was a decision we made collectively.”

Lechterman’s team included lighting programmer Erin Anderson and associate designers Sydney Asselin and Alex Talbot. F9’s project manager was Rob Kuhn. Kyoritz’s head of lighting was Tomokazu Takahashi, and the lighting Interpreter was Michiko Rowson.

The collaboration between JAW Studio and F9 was so productive that they have subsequently announced a new joint project - “Loudbox”, a live entertainment design collective that aims to blur the lines between concerts, theater, and architecture through creative direction, production, lighting, and video design.

(Photos: Jason Ardizzone-West/Jeremy Lechterman)

www.robe.cz

ChamSys powers Those Damn Crows arena debut

Fresh off their successful EU tour, Welch rockers Those Damn Crows were back home to play their first ever UK headline show on December 14, 2024, at Cardiff’s Utilita Arena. The show’s lighting design by Gary Sharpe of Creative Productions Solutions was run by Adam McNally of Stage 11 Productions.

They specified a collection of ChamSys products: the MagicQ MQ500M+ Stadium console at FOH, with a MQ500M back up, and a Magic Q MQ250M Stadium Console for side of stage SFX, along with GN10 and GN5 for network.

“This was the band’s first arena show, and we wanted to make it very special”, says Sharpe. “Adam did a marvelous job as did Damo Hartshorn, our SFX Operator. We were also greatly aided by Zig Zag Lighting Ltd., our main lighting provider. Neil Hunt (owner/founder of ZZ) went above and beyond with all the changes.”

“ChamSys made things go smoothly for all of us”, continues Sharpe.  “I first encountered the console on cruise ships, but then picked it back up in 2018 and since then I like to have ChamSys on all my shows. As a very hands-on PM, I like to understand how the programming is coming along. Also, I like to be able to set up calls with the ChamSys technical support team.”

Half of the show at Cardiff was timecoded. For the half that was not, McNally used the Cue Stack feature on his console with busking elements included, so the show still had a “live feel”. For McNally, who has been a ChamSys user since the start of his career, the Cardiff show represented a new experience. “This show was run solely on Group Cues”, he says. “All effects were group cued. This was the first time I had ever worked that way.”

The new Countdown Timer feature in the Cue Stack variables was especially appreciated by McNally in this show. “We greatly depended on the Cue Stack’s countdown timer functionality, to monitor the amount of flame fluid/smoke fluid that had been used during the show”, he says.

Much of the time during the show the SFX was timecoded. However, there were points when these effects were trigged manually for some songs. This made it necessary to have a precise and accurate reading on how much fluid was left in the machines. “The Countdown Timer was essential at those moments”, McNally concludes.

(Photos: Jason Bulpin/Beyond The Noise Photography)

www.chamsysusa.com

GLP Creos feiert Debüt auf Christmas Light Trails in UK

Die Christmas Light Trails in Großbritannien gewinnen seit der Corona-Pandemie immer mehr an Bedeutung. In diesem Winter boten sie zudem die ideale Gelegenheit für das Debüt des Creos-Washlights von GLP an zwei Landsitzen des National Trust: Wimpole Hall in Cambridgeshire und Stourhead House, einer Villa im palladianischen Stil in Wiltshire.

Beide Standorte gehören zu einem umfangreichen Portfolio von Outdoor-Veranstaltungen, das von Culture Creative betreut wird. Das Unternehmen ist auf die Inszenierung von Lichtkunst-Erlebnissen spezialisiert - von Feuergärten über Halloween-Events bis hin zu Outdoor-Besuchererlebnissen. Diese beiden Trails, die jeweils rund zwei Kilometer lang sind, wurden in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Veranstalter Sony Music realisiert.

Tony Simpson, Leiter der Lichtabteilung und Chefdesigner bei Culture Creative, setzte in Stourhead fünf Creos ein. Der freiberufliche Lichtdesigner Adam King verfolgte in Wimpole Hall einen anderen Ansatz und platzierte vier Creos strategisch als Blickfang auf den Stufen des historischen Anwesens.

Der IP65-zertifizierte Creos basiert auf der X5-Plattform von GLP und verfügt über achtzehn 40-W-RGBL-LEDs, die in drei Reihen zu je sechs Pixeln angeordnet sind, sowie einen motorisierten 1:12-Zoom und einen 190°-Tilt. „Wir waren die ersten Anwender des Creos in Großbritannien“, sagt Simpson. Für diese Einsätze wurden die Geräte im Modus 5 (DMX Multipix Advanced) programmiert.

Beide Designer nutzten den Creos hauptsächlich als Blickfang dür die Besucher. „Wir haben in Wimpole Hall eine große Timecode-Show veranstaltet, synchronisiert mit einem Loki-Remix von ‘Carol of the Bells’“, erläutert Adam King. „Vier Creos wurden auf den Stufen der Halle positioniert und sorgten für Farbkontraste und gezielte Lichtakzente.“

„Die Leuchten eignen sich sowohl für die Beleuchtung von Gebäuden als auch für gezielte Lichteffekte oder in den Himmel gerichtete Beams“, so King weiter. „Besonders beeindruckend war die Wirkung an einem nebligen Abend, als die Beams in Kombination mit vier Hazern ein spektakuläres Bild erzeugten.“

In Stourhead entwarf Tony Simpson bereits seine fünfte Show in Folge. Aufgrund der Lage in einem „Dark Skies Reserve“ war jegliches Licht über der horizontalen Ebene hinaus verboten. Dennoch gelang es ihm, am Ende des Weges, wo ein Tor mit Türmchen den Haupteingang markiert, sein gewünschtes Design zu realisieren.

Die Creos wurden hier auf den Zinnen platziert und mit einem lebhaften Soundtrack synchronisiert. „Die Leuchten sorgten für funkelnde Lichteffekte und waren eine Freude beim Gestalten eines eindrucksvollen Abschlusses“, so Simpson. Die Lichttechnik wurde von White Light und IPS bereitgestellt.

(Fotos: James Sharples)

www.glp.de

www.culturecreative.co.uk

Claypaky Sharpy X Frames illuminate first World Taekwondo Virtual Championships in Singapore

Claypaky Sharpy X Frame hybrid luminaires illuminated the inaugural 2024 World Taekwondo Virtual Championships in Singapore where more than 120 athletes from 23 countries participated in the first-ever event of its kind.

The competition took place at the Singapore Sports Hub OCBC Arena 1, November 16-17. The event marked the return of the sport to Singapore after the city successfully hosted the first Olympic Esports Week in June 2023, where Virtual Taekwondo made its debut. Virtual Taekwondo uses a motion tracking system and virtual reality headset in matches of non-contact sparring.

Lighting Designer Michael Chan of Singapore-based Lighting Insomnia selected 36 Sharpy X Frames for the event. Chan has worked on a wide range of arts, entertainment and installation projects. His experience ranges from consulting on installations and major events to designing and programming for 3D visualization, musicals, concerts, special events, galleries, exhibitions and architainment.

For the World Virtual Taekwondo Championships, it was his goal “to create an exciting opening ceremony, while providing sufficient face light for the field of play. The idea was to maximize the number of fixtures we had and to make the lighting rig look bigger and more imposing than it actually was. To achieve that, we had six slanted trusses at varying heights and fitted them with 36 Sharpy X Frames to occupy more of the vertical spaces above the field of play and in the FOH.”

Rental house MediaPix Pte Ltd supplied the fixtures. Haikal served as the Lighting Operator for the event. Acoustic and Lighting Singapore is Claypaky’s distributor in the region.

(Photos: Claypaky/World Taekwondo Virtual Championships Singapore)

www.claypaky.com

Squeek Lights creates big Beartooth homecoming with Chauvet

Ohio-based metal rockers Beartooth kicked off 2025 with a January 18 homecoming concert at Columbus’ 20,000-seat Schottenstein Center. Immersing the crowd was a lighting and production design from Squeek Lights. Victor Zeiser, Ben Jarrett and the Squeek team utilized 119 Chauvet Professional fixtures to create their panorama.

Drawn from Squeek Lights’ own inventory, these fixtures included 22 Color Strike M motorized strobe-washes, and equal number of Maverick Storm 4 Profiles, along with 18 Maverick Storm 1 Hybrids, 18 Storm 2 BeamWashes, 24 Strike Array blinders, and 15 Colorado PXL Bar 16 battens. Also lending a special aura to the show was the video content design by Luke Shomo (brother of Beartooth frontman Caleb Shomo), which was run live by Drew Mercadante of Supervoid Productions.

“Victor and Caleb have been dreaming about designing a large arena show for Beartooth for as long as they’ve been working together”, says Jarrett. “So, when Caleb told Victor it was finally happening, the directive was clear - we wanted to go as big as possible, to create a really special hometown show to cap off a very big and successful 2024 touring season for the band.”

Setting the stage for this special show was a massive (60’ wide by 16.5’ high) upstage blow-through video wall, along with (26’ wide by 13’ high) DS video banner sides, and a (60’ wide by 13’ high) DS video banner center.

“We wanted a big wall with enough transparency to let light shoot through it, while also still looking like a solid video wall when there was nothing behind it”, says Jarrett. “It was also important for us to get lighting between the upstage video wall and the downstage header walls. It can be very challenging to get light through such a big video element, which is why we selected the Storm 1 Hybrid and Storm 2 BeamWash. Besides having an intense output, they have that super narrow beam action which will cut through any video screen.”

The big video wall was artfully used throughout the 18-song set to change the aura on stage. At times, the wall seemed to disappear, before returning to present a very large single image that enveloped the entire stage. At other times, the wall content was divided into different images. As for the content itself, it presented an evolving storyline that included real images and abstract patterns.

“Luke was very dialed into the music and what his brother Caleb was looking for”, says Jarrett. “This made the imagery meaningful in the way it related to the music. A lot of credit also goes to Drew Mercadante for running the live video and playback to the DS video banner walls. We all worked together closely to make sure our colors for each song matched or complement each other.”

The Squeek team flew twelve Maverick Storm 4 Profiles as side lighting and used the remaining ten units to line the upstage floor. The Maverick Storm 2 Hybrids and BeamWashes made up the bulk of the overhead rig and were spread across two 48-foot truss structures, while PXL batten were arranged on the floor to line the stage.

The Maverick Storm 4 Profile was “vital to my big crowd blinding moments in this show”, notes Jarrett, adding that this was the largest show Squeek Lights has ever designed. It was also the largest headline show to date for Beartooth.

(Photos: Sarah Hess)

www.chauvetprofessional.com

Masque Sound brings Adam Fisher’s vision to life for Broadway revival of “Sunset Boulevard”

When “Sunset Boulevard” made its return to Broadway, Sound Designer Adam Fisher turned to theatrical sound reinforcement, installation and design company Masque Sound, to bring director Jamie Lloyd’s revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical to life at the St. James Theatre.

Fisher’s collaboration with Masque Sound was his first with the rental house and his first as a lead designer on Broadway. “I had never worked with Masque Sound before, but my Associate Sound Designer Josh Hummel and Production Sound Engineer Mike Wojchik have a good relationship with Scott Kalata at Masque Sound, which ultimately convinced me to work with them. I was impressed with how the company handled the complex and unique outside RF requirements that were required for this show.”

The revival of “Sunset Boulevard” originally began at the Savoy Theatre in London, which is a much smaller space with no real proscenium. “For London, we designed a system based around d&b Audiotechnik speakers, which worked well for that venue”, adds Fisher. “Transitioning to New York, we needed to maintain the show’s sonic identity while adapting to the significantly larger St. James Theatre on Broadway.”

To meet the demands of the St. James, Masque Sound supplied Fisher and his team with nearly 220 speakers, all from d&b Audiotechnik. The custom d&b loudspeaker package included XSL8s and XSL12s for the main PA; a V7P cluster; 44S front fills; E6 for fills, delays and surround; E8s for foldback; d&b Y10P for effects; supported by D40 amplifiers. “It was my first time using d&b’s XSL system, but its ability to scale up and deliver consistent sound quality was critical”, says Fisher. “This speaker setup expanded the surround sound elements of the production and enhanced the orchestra’s audio.”

“I am a big DiGiCo fan, so we used a DiGiCo Quantum 7 for front-of-house mixing fed by approximately 120 inputs, with a Fourier Audio Transform.Engine to host VST plug-ins”, continues Fisher. “Additional audio gear includes a QLab5 for FX, as well as several plug-ins including a McDSP FutzBox, TC Electronic VSS4 HD and VSS3, and LiquidSonics Seventh Heaven.”

A unique challenge for Fisher happens at the start of Act Two when star Tom Francis performs the title track of the show outside the theater on 44th Street, amidst the hustle and bustle of Times Square. “This required an incredibly complex wireless solution”, says Fisher. “The performer’s voice had to be transmitted back into the auditorium and synchronized with the live orchestra with zero latency while at the same time, the actor needed to hear the orchestra clearly while navigating a highly hostile RF environment.”

“Masque Sound’s expertise in RF technology and its partnership with Professional Wireless Systems (PWS) proved invaluable”, he adds. “Masque designed a custom solution that involved a small cart with three antennas that goes up 44th Street. We have a set of antennas on top of the marquee, so when the lead actor goes outside, he’s on that set of antennas. As he gets halfway up the street, we switch to the cart, which bounces the signal back to the marquee. This acts like a relay station back to the theater. When he walks back in, we switch back to the marquee antenna.”

The production utilizes Sennheiser 6000 series transmitters and antennas inside the St. James Theatre, including the foyer and stairwells, with Wisycom antennas used for the outside component. Lectrosonics IEM systems were suggested by Masque Sound. All performers are mic’d up with DPA 4066 microphones.

(Photo: Marc Brenner)

www.masquesound.com

Tube UK supports Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture Opening Event

A team of engineers from audio specialist Tube UK worked through freezing temperatures, icy winds and snow to deliver sound systems for the two key areas of Bradford’s UK City of Culture Opening Event, staged in City Park.

The show, “Rise”, was created by director Kirsty Housley and Bradford-born magician Steven Frayne (formerly known as Dynamo), with a cast of around 200 including poets, rappers, aerialists, dancers, an orchestra, community choirs and more. Attended by 20,000 spectators over two sold-out nights, it kicked off Bradford’s year as the UK’s Capital of Culture.

Tube UK’s work was system designed, and project managed by Melvyn Coote. The Manchester-based company was working directly for Bradford 2025 under the direction of the production and technical management of Thomas Reilly and Jacob Gough from Deryncoch Ltd, with oversight of Shanaz Gulzar, Bradford 2025’s creative director, and Ben Pugh, director of production for Bradford 2025.

Tube submitted their tender for the work and were successful in part due to their extensive experience in working on these kinds of shows, including Hull’s year as UK City of Culture in 2017. Once confirmed, Coote and the crew worked closely with Olivier and Tony Award-winning sound designer Gareth Fry to implement all things sonic.

“It was a fantastic opportunity to work with someone of Gareth’s calibre and experience”, comments Coote. “The results were also a great tribute to the commitment and determination of all our crew who made it happen in the harshest and toughest environmental conditions.”

On site, the opening event vista spanned several hundred metres and included LED screens and two 15-metre-high special scaffolding structures on which aerialists performed and across which large scale projections were beamed. A large community choir was positioned on the steps of the Magistrates Court, poets performed in the midst of the audience, as well as on the roof of Bradford’s 19th century town hall.

Behind this main area to the right was the One City building, a 5-storey glass windowed office block. On the third level, Airedale Symphony Orchestra performed, and all their sounds were fed into the main PA and their images to the LED screens.

Tube’s mission - working with Fry’s direction - was to design a PA system to cover the whole area with audio, which was achieved using five ground stacks of d&b Audiotechnik’s V-Series, all sitting on PA risers, each with six d&b V8 tops, two V-Subs and one KSL sub.

These stacks were positioned to work together as a unified system and also separately, so different areas along vista sightlines could also be localised sonically, pulling focus of the sound image as needed to where the action was as the show unfolded. This was powered by d&b D80 amps.

While the input side was relatively straightforward, outputs were a lot more complex. A major challenge was managing the numerous feeds that the different performers - poets, rappers, orchestra, aerialists, DJ, community performers, etc - needed at various times, resulting in 63 outputs running concurrently, distributed site-wide via a Dante network utilising multi-fibre and Cat 5 multicore systems.

The Dante and control networks were distributed to six node points extending over 350 metres of infrastructure cabling. To the left of the main show vista in Centenary Gardens was a large entry and concession area which was also central to the event.

The audio requirement here was for a background style sound system to relay the show and this was achieved via nine PA positions around the food trucks, created using a combination of twelve Y7P point source speakers with different combinations of Y and V-Subs, all powered by four D20 amps.

All the show’s audio sources were controlled via QLab running off two Mac Studio machines for full redundancy, with d&b R1 system control. Monitoring included a pair of d&b Y10s for the choir and six M4 speakers for the two aerial performance towers, four d&b E8s for the orchestra, and two M6s for the DJ. Tube also supplied the DJ kit in the form of a Pioneer DJ900 NXS2 mixer and CDJ3000 decks. Press feeds were sent to seven different locations, and additional feeds were provided for captioning and BSL signers.

Along with monitoring, talkback was a major element of this event, and Tube was also asked to deliver site-wide show comms as a separate tender to the PA. They proposed a Green-Go/Riedel Bolero combination integrating both wired and wireless comms, the mix was necessary due to the amount of movement between the different areas.

The Green-Go was used for the fixed comms stations and Bolero for the mobile ones, amounting to 20 ways of Green-Go and 24 of Bolero, a total of 44 people on comms to run the shows. Most of the comms action was also outdoors, but the system also included indoors comms for the orchestra, DJ and musicians in the One City building, all of which needed to seamlessly transmit between the two protocols.

“We definitely pushed the envelope in the comms universe”, notes Coote, all of which was co-ordinated and tech’d on site by Tube’s comms wrangler, Adam Taylor. John Redfern was crew chief and head of audio on site, Rob Parkinson was the FOH operator, and Tracy Harper co-ordinated all the radio mics.

The RF systems included twelve ways of Sennheiser 5000 series belt packs and hand-helds and twelve ways of Sennheiser 2000 IEMs running off six monitor feeds. The FM transmission for community participants and general foldback consumed another fifty belt packs, and there were also four wired IEM feeds. Matt Waltho was Head PA technician, and Coote together with Harry Park were assistant rig techs.

(Photos: Ian Hodgson/Dave Levene/Tube UK)

www.tubeuk.com

Ayrton Kyalami beams on “Swedish Idol”

Launched in 2004 and part of a global franchise, “Swedish Idol” is one of the most popular shows on Swedish television. Broadcast live on channel TV4, it provides a platform on which hopeful Swedish singing stars can showcase their talents and compete to gain widespread recognition.

The latest series of live performances ran from October 12 to December 7, 2024, at the Filadelfia Convention Center in central Stockholm, and was lit by lighting designer Linus Pansell, who included Ayrton Kyalami, Rivale Profile and MagicBlade FX fixtures in his rig. “The Kyalamis and MagicBlades were crucial for me to build the show”, he says. “I’m usually quite negotiable to changing fixtures to fit the suppliers’ inventories, but this time I really wanted these specific fixtures. I could easily swap out other lights in the rig, but I was very specific about Kyalami and MagicBlade.”

The major part of the “Swedish Idol” set was a large LED wall, “so beams were the only good option to get lights around the performers”, says Pansell who used the Kyalamis to punch through the brightness of the LED wall. Pansell floor-mounted 24 Kyalami units on Wahlberg poles and rigged 18 Rivale Profile overhead. 36 MagicBlade FX were rigged in a grid wall behind the screen (“as narrow as possible”) from where Pansell used them for zoomed out flare effects as well as blade looks.

Compact, lightweight fixtures are an important requirement for the Filadelfia Convention Center, which was one reason why Pansell chose Rivale Profile. Soundforce, one of the largest rental and production companies in Sweden, supplied the Ayrton fixtures - the Rivale Profiles from their own rental inventory, and the Kyalami and MagicBlade FX subrented from Hyrljudet of Goteborg.

Lighting operator on this season of “Swedish Idol” was Isak Gabre, video operator was Björn Holmberg. The screen content was by Greenwall Designs.

(Photo: Linus Pansell)

www.ayrton.eu

MSA moves barricades and more for “Les Misérables” arena world tour

Denmark-based entertainment automation specialist Motor Stage Automation (MSA) is supplying a full rigging, control and automation package for the current “Les Misérables: The Arena Spectacular” world tour, co-produced by Cameron Mackintosh Ltd (CML) and Nick Grace Management and performing in over fifteen countries and regions worldwide.

Cameron Mackintosh’s production team, led by technical director Chris Boone, directly approached MSA wanting an ingenious touring solution and global technical support for the tour. Nick Grace Management, who are responsible for contracting the touring personnel, then asked Roger Smissen onboard as Head of Rigging and Automation, with his company Van Der Smissen Production, providing a touring crew team to work with the production’s rigging and automation requirements. Smissen worked in conjunction with MSA’s Jimmy Johnson on the task of producing a tourable system design, and MSA project manager Daniel Klausen was integral in managing delivery of all the equipment.

The main automation rig supplied includes 28 x 500 kg Apex hoists with V2 drives and a Kinesys Mentor SIL3 compatible safety system. Additionally, two 8-metre runs of Litec DST Tracking truss are being supplied with MSA custom Touring Dollies to facilitate efficient get-ins/outs and transportation.

A 2-ton screen with surrounding lighting fixtures is tracked on each side of stage, driven by a combination of MSA’s motorised trolleys and a Kinesys Elevation 1+ drive each. Another two Elevation 1+ drives power to two pivoting arms that lift lighting trusses out from inside the stage floor for the suicide scene. Their fabrication was co-ordinated by MSA with Italian manufacturer Alfa System, and they comprise a section of pre-rigged truss with an electric piston for the sideways movement. A Kinesys Vector console is used to queue all elements together in tandem for a seamless look.

Twenty Apex 500 kg hoists are used to fly ten lighting trusses. Two motors per truss allow them to be flown up/down and tilted. Each truss is clad in scenic elements allowing the automation to play a dual role in setting different lighting states and reconfiguring the stage design, most notably forming the “Les Mis” barricades. A large bridge structure hinged on both sides is flown right at the centre of the set - suspended on another eight Apex 500 kg hoists. This can be lowered in at crooked angles to become another disjointed and seemingly random component of the barricades.

Later in the action, the bridge comes in and folds out, allowing actors to run across it and perform above the orchestra positioned on an upstage platform. The Kinesys Mentor safety system is a key here, allowing this complex object to be flown in a way that meets the stringent EN17206:2019 stage machinery regulations.

The show is staged with performers always facing the audience, allowing the live cameras to focus on picking up the different characters for IMAG screens. This works to great effect with this production being staged away from its native theatre environment in a much larger arena setting. With audience viewing angles reaching up to 120 degrees, there was some concern that flown automation elements might potentially block screen sightlines, but using MSA’s tracking system enables the IMAG screens to track offstage.

The hub of the technical rigging design is a 9-ton mothergrid that houses all 28 Apex motors and their drives. The grid was originally designed by Unusual Rigging (who also compiled the initial automation spec) and is central to creating a tourable construction that can fly all the moving lighting/scenic trusses regardless in any venue. It simplifies load-ins and the general rigging workflow.

Nine 2-ton Chainmaster hoists with encoders, driven by an encoder upgraded Kinesys DigiHoist system, allow the mothergrid to be lifted with centimetre precision by a separate Vector console. MSA’s inhouse technicians specially upgraded their hoists and controllers to make this possible for the tour. MSA has also provided the power distribution solution allowing just one 400-amp feed for rigging and automation at each venue with all downstream power outputs housed in MSA’s touring racks.

Smissen is working the full “Les Misérables: The Arena Spectacular” tour with a rigging and automation crew of up to seven taking care of all the ins, outs and runs. The show officially opened at Glasgow’s Hydro Arena in October 2024. It has since travelled through the UK and Europe and has a full schedule playing venues around the world through 2025.

(Photos: Danny Kaan)

https://motor-stage.com

Chauvet helps IPS set stage for “Gladiator 2” premiere

The city of London hosted the premiere of Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator 2” on November 13, 2024, at Leicester Square, complete with set pieces inspired by Roman architecture. The setting, created by Limited Edition Event Design, welcomed a glittering array of guests, including the film’s director and stars, along with King Charles III.

Contributing to the glamorous and festive tone of the event was a lighting design by Richard Godin that was run on a Chamsys MagicQ MQ250M desk, anchored by a legion of Chauvet Professional LED video panels, all supplied by Milton Keynes-based IPS.

At the heart of the design were 132 REM 3IP LED screens that ran along the length of the Romanesque set pieces that flanked the red carpet area. Framed on either side by “Roman columns”, the 4,500 nits indoor/outdoor panels displayed images from the film. Five OnAir IP panels were also used at the premiere, lighting the event’s busy interview area. Other Chauvet fixtures being used included six Ovation Reve E-3 Profiles and 36 Well Fit uplighters.

(Photos: Chauvet Professional/IPS)

www.chauvetprofessional.com

Melanie Martinez tours with Cohesion audio system

Melanie Martinez’ “Trilogy” tour across the US, and more recently through the UK, continental Europe, and Mexico, featured songs from the American alternative pop singer-songwriter’s first three full-length albums and a Cohesion audio system.

“Melanie is so hands-on and creative”, says Tour Manager Janine Edwards, a thirty-year veteran who has also worked with Machine Gun Kelly, Yoshiki, and Rob Zombie. “Every piece of video content, every costume, the dance rehearsals, the auditions, the hours and hours of meetings with content creators: everything is from her brain.” Paul “Arlo” Guthrie, Production and Lighting Designer, agrees: “Of all the artists I’ve worked with, not many have that much input. There wasn’t one part of the show we weren’t pushing: audio, band, choreography, lighting. It was her vision.”

FOH Engineer James “Mo” Butts was entrusted to select a PA for the “Trilogy” tour. The audio system deployed by Clair Global highlighted the Cohesion CO12: Sixteen left-right on the mains, fourteen on either side hang, and another twelve on each of the rear hangs. Twelve Cohesion CP218 II+ in two hangs of six in cardioid configuration were deployed directly behind the main hangs. System Engineer Anne Butt says that the low-end response of the CO12 resulted in only six flown subs needed per side.

“We were able to deploy the PA with such precision. Annie put the downstage edge of the PA right at the edge of the thrust, so Melanie wasn’t ever in the PA”, says Butts, with Butt adding: “Mo likes the way the CO12 sounds out of the box, so I spent less time targeting a specific response and focused on consistency, which was a high priority on this tour.”

Depending on the venue, five to seven Cohesion CO8 around the stage’s edge provided fill. A typical arrangement called for four CO8 on stands and one near the thrust hidden behind fake foliage, consistent with Martinez’s desire to enrapture audiences in a seamless, two-hour narrative.

As Guthrie details, that centrally placed CO8 is illustrative of the collaborative nature among the audio and production teams: “We created this great, organic world, filled with greenery, little animals and butterflies - how could we work out not having a black trapezoidal box on it? We didn’t want to break the illusion. Mo and Annie were creative and flexible with solutions to respect the aesthetics. That meant a lot to me.” Two Cohesion CF24 were used for reference speakers.

According to Edwards, Cohesion was selected to “cover so much ground but be unobtrusive to the show. Everyone needed great audio, but we wanted everyone to have a good view.” Guthrie adds: “From a design perspective, you never think of the PA, and that’s dumb. I tried to incorporate the PA early into sketches. I asked, ‘Is there a way you can help us out visually?’ I had a good relationship with Mo, and it felt very collaborative. I was honored by that.”

“We flew the PA as high as we could possibly get it”, furthers Butts. “It worked well tucked in and disappearing in the black above the production. The shape of everything allowed it to disappear. We knew we were going to deploy with nothing on the ground too. That got Arlo excited.”

Capping a musical narrative that spanned nearly a decade of recording and touring, Martinez took sold-out “Trilogy” crowds on a musical voyage from the creation of her alter-ego character “Cry Baby” through a pseudo-autobiographical setlist that culminated in the rebirth of “Cry Baby” into a four-eyed, fuzzy, altogether alien creation.

“If Tim Burton were a pop star, this was what it would look like”, says Butts. “She used a lot of visual references, so the audio needed to serve the visual. It all came together.” Martinez announced in 2023 that, following the conclusion of “Trilogy”, she would be taking time off from touring to create new projects.

Edwards notes Martinez’s confidence continued to grow with each album release and tour. “She’s a great singer, period. And she wants her shows to sound as much as possible like her albums”, she says. “We provided the audio that sounded good through all three phases of the trilogy. Simultaneously, Cohesion didn’t take up as much truck space as other systems. We were a very streamlined tour, all within twelve trucks.”

Pictured: Melanie Martinez performing at Co-op Live in Manchester, UK. (Photos: Tom Martin)

www.cohesionaudio.com

Young designer Tegan Rehbein chooses Chauvet fixtures for The Conference Live at Lititz

In keeping with its mission to foster “innovative creativity” within the live event industry, the Conference Live at Lititz selects one young designer to light the main stage at its popular event every year. In 2024, that honor belonged to Tegan Rehbein. She worked with a rig supplied by the 4Wall Entertainment team led by Project Manager Zack Spadaccia. Anchoring the rig were 246 Chauvet Professional fixtures.

Rehbein painted the stage in an array of vivid colors, while filling the venue with dramatic aerial patterns and audience lighting. Key to helping her create her show were 48 Color Strike M motorized strobe-washes in full pixel mode. “Very early on in the design process I knew from the event organizers that Studio 1 had three different uses over the course of the conference: party, speaking, and a gathering place for meals”, says Rehbein. “They expressed the desire to have it lit well and evenly for the speaking and the dinner.”

“With the space having three distinct modes, there were some changeovers regarding the lighting”, she continues. “When I was given a list of available gear from 4Wall, I knew that the Color Strike M was the perfect light to meet these goals. The color pixels provided a nice color wash for the event, while the center white LEDs provided bright and even work light for the room flips. I used twelve of the Color Strike Ms on the six overhead torms that were along the upstage wall. The rest were placed approximately 20-feet or so from each other on the trusses throughout the room for that nice even down wash.”

Rehbein’s talent was also evident in the way she used the rig’s 22 Maverick MK3 Profiles to accent the set created by Tait and Atomic. “I placed four of the profiles out by FOH to provide texture on the chandelier that the set designer from Tait had made using Atomic Designs’ Gaus”, she details. “I wanted to have the ability to cut shutters in the production as I saw fit.”

The eighteen remaining MK3 Profiles were placed in the air around the stage to provide key, fill and hair light for the various speakers - six of them were positioned on the farthest downstage part of the inner curves, six others were on either side of the stage, while the final six were flown over the stage. When the room was reconfigured for the final party, Rehbein repurposed most of her fixtures.

Also featured in the rig were the Maverick MK3 Wash, Rogue R2X Wash, and Rogue R1 BeamWash. Rehbein arranged the MK3 Washes on vertical torms to compliment the MK3 Profiles and positioned most of the R2X units on the four fingers over the stage to work with the MK3 Spots. The R2X units we positioned in the “Plaza”, an area that featured hanging set pieces from Atomic along with material from Tait that highlighted client projects. “I ran the R2X in 33 channel mode in case I wanted some visual movement in the rig with the ring control”, says Rehbein. “They provided a really good wash for this very unique set element.”

Throughout the show, she paid careful attention to color rendering. “I color balanced everything in the rig for the party using my C-800 meter”, she explains. “I was really happy with the CRI that I was able to achieve in the MK3 Profiles to make the video team, and myself, very happy. I went with 4200K for the key, 3200K for fill and 5600K from the top. I felt like this gave me a good and flattering wash on all of the panelists.”

Rehbein appreciated the team she had around her: “I want to give a shoutout to Project Manager Zack Spadaccia and Lighting Crew Chief Steve ‘Scuba’ Onoszko along with the entire team from 4Wall. They prepped and built this design and it worked flawlessly. Also want to thank James Weir from Tait. He worked on the set design and truss layout. He handed me great bones to put some meat on. Thanks too to Emily Cassidy, the Conference Director for Rock Lititz, and Natasha Benne, Senior Producer at Atomic. Every one of them was great to work with and get to know.”

Looking back on the event Rehbein sums up the experience this way: “This project is one of the biggest things I have designed to-date. I also knew my peers in the industry, as well as some legends, would be there, so I wanted to make sure I put my best foot forward in this design.”

(Photos: Chauvet Professional/The Conference Live at Lititz)

www.chauvetprofessional.com

www.theconferenceliveatlititz.com