Brazil - Paul McCartney's Out Thereworld tour kicked off in Brazil with three shows and a lighting design created by Roy Bennett.

The shows were supervised by Bennett and operated by lighting director Wally Lees. Lighting equipment for all three was supplied by leading Brazilian rental company LPL Professional Lighting and included Robe ColorSpot and ColorWash luminaires, together with other moving lights and generics.

LPL's Erich Bertti project managed all three Brazilian dates which saw McCartney perform for the first time ever in Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais), Goiânia (Goiás) and Fortaleza (Ceará).

The production used 12 x Robe ColorWash 2500E ATs located on the stage floor, nine ColorSpot 2500E ATs on overhead trusses and 20 x ColorWash 1200E ATs distributed on the side and followspot trusses. "As usual the Robe fixtures worked really reliably," said

UK - The 2013 Olivier Awards saw the new Clay Paky Sharpy Wash 330s take charge of their first event since they became a recent addition to White Light's ever growing arsenal of entertainment technology.

For the third year running the Awards, which were broadcast from the Royal Opera House's glittering auditorium, were lit by respected lighting designer Ben Cracknell.

Lighting designer Humph McDermott continued the lighting theme outside on the Radio 2 Stage, where special live performances and live streaming of the Awards were watched by hundreds of theatre fans on the Covent Garden Piazza.

And it was outside that the brand new Sharpy Wash 330 came into its own. McDermott used them, alongside Sharpy Beams, to cut through the daylight and complement the sparkling theatrical atmosphere inside the Royal Opera House.

McDermott needed a super bright fixture to cut through the

USA - When the annual Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival got underway, with its 24/7 schedule and desert location, Clay Paky lighting took centre stage for the Main Stage performances of California rockers Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Lighting designer Scott Holthaus had 70 Clay Paky Sharpys and 23 Clay Paky Alpha Beam 1500s in his inventory for the Chili Peppers' night-time shows on both festival weekends. "The Sharpys were on moving pods on the stage while the 1500s were on top of my vertical towers, on the floors and screamers; eight 1500s were front of house," he explains.

Holthaus recounts how "one show was nearly cancelled due to a sandstorm. There were sand dunes on the stage. Our video portion and many of the fixtures were disabled. All I had was Sharpys and Alphas." With so many particulates in the air Holthaus wanted fixtures "that throw a beam

Sweden - Woodlite is a leading Swedish lighting, trussing and rigging dry-hire rental operation founded in 1995 by Magnus Jansson. Headquartered in Karlstad, the company now has around 150 Robe fixtures in its rental fleet and over 1100 moving lights in total.

In March 2012, a new office and warehouse was opened in Stockholm to enable Woodlite to service its clients and the generally buoyant business in the area even more quickly and efficiently.

Midway through 2012, Woodlite started purchasing Robe's Robin LEDWash series fixtures - both 300s and 600s - and more recently it has invested in the new Robin DLX LED Spot fixtures.

This increase in business with Robe has been prompted by the demands of their rental partners ... and in turn their clients who are specifying Robe increasingly frequently for shows, concerts, tours and events.

"We also like to be proactive in ou

The Netherlands - Wireless Solution Sweden AB was part of the recent Queen's Day banquet hosted by the Dutch Royal Family in honour of Queen Beatrix at the famed Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Queen Beatrix has stepped down after her 33-year long rule so that her son, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, can be King.

W-DMX BlackBox ran Luminair and controlled GlowUp fixtures during the dinner, which was attended by royal heads of state from 18 countries. Among the many notables on hand were Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, and the Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako. W-DMX for the banquet was supplied by Keylight Design & Supply in The Netherlands.

Later that day, the Ahoy arena in Rotterdam hosted a very special concert marking the interval between the Queen's abdication and the new King's induction, featuring the Dutch national song, specially written

USA - Pro Audio Stash's range of European manufactured tour grade Comus musical instrument cables is now available through the US office in Austin, Texas.

The cable is engineered to suit all high-end touring applications and is suitable for those working in the professional live entertainment industry as well as for AV and custom installations of all types.

The US branch will be stocking cables from the Comus' ranges for speakers, instruments and microphones.

Comus features include flexible and durable jacket compounds which remain supple even in sub-zero temperatures! The whole cable construction is designed so that the cables are resistant to kinks and twisting, making them ultimately easy and adaptable to work with.

The jackets are tough, but easy to strip for quick, easy and painless installation.

The cables also feature low capacitance and low dielectric insulation,

Japan - Christie has introduced the Mirage 4K25 and Christie Mirage 4K35 projectors for 3D applications for advanced visualisation in automotive, location-based entertainment, government, military, oil and gas and more. These new 3-chip DLP projectors, anchored by the new Christie TruLife electronics platform with proprietary 1.2 Gigapixel per second, floating point architecture, offer full 4096 by 2160 resolution at 120Hz for 3D. The world premiere of these new solutions takes place at the 21st 3D & Virtual Reality Expo (IVR), at Tokyo Big Sight, Japan's largest exhibition for 3D technology and high definition image technology, taking place from 19-21 June.

"Christie, as the global leader in the visualisation market, is the first and only projector manufacturer in the world to provide full 4K DLP resolution at 120Hz. This industry-leading image processing performance is co

UK - PRG teamed up with Harvey Goldsmith promotions at Twickenham in June to supply the rigging and lighting for the massive Chime for Change concert headlined by Beyonce and Madonna.

Dubbed a 'feminist Live Aid', the production was complex, featuring a 12 strong line up of big name stars and a 50,000-strong audience to campaign for improved education, health and justice for women around the world.

In charge of the logistics and operations was production director Jim Baggott from promoter Harvey Goldsmith: "I immediately involved PRG because I knew this was going to be an extremely complex and time restricted set up. We needed a company we could rely on 100%. For something like this we would expect eight days to set up and rehearse - but PRG had just 4.5 days to build the stage and put in all the infrastructure before rehearsals, so it was tight."

With such

UK - Princes William and Harry recently conducted a rare Royal engagement together as they opened the latest Help for Heroes recovery centre at Tedworth House in Wiltshire. CPS Group chose a Yamaha CL5 system to provide audio feeds for the guests and a large media presence.

Tedworth House is one of four recovery centres run by the Help for Heroes charity, providing both residential and day care to servicemen who have had life-changing injuries or illnesses, acting as a 'launch pad' back to life.

"For an event like this we would normally be asked for a straightforward lectern microphone and small PA system," says CPS Group hire manager Mike Naish. "As servicemen and long-term supporters of the charity, the princes were invited to officially open the new facility and, of course, it created a lot of media interest. So as well as having to provide high quality audio

UK - XL Video has renewed its long standing working relationship with Depeche Mode supplying cameras, control, LED screens and crew to the band who have just kicked off the first UK and European leg of their Delta Machine world tour.

Depeche Mode's 33 year career has seen them sell over 100m records worldwide . Also acclaimed for being constantly at the cutting edge of live performance visuals, video has played a defining role in their stage shows over the years through the influence of their inspirational artistic director, Anton Corbijn.

The look of the Delta Machine show - incorporating the video elements - was designed by Corbijn in close collaboration with lighting designer Paul Normandale.

In addition to the IMAG, Corbijn has produced eight mini-movies which are interspersed throughout the show.

XL's project manager Phil Mercer comments, "We are de

Brazil - An Allen & Heath GLD mixer has been installed in Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium in Brazil. One of the most renowned stadiums in South America, the venue has been closed for a three-year major renovation, and now includes a GLD-80 mixer at the heart of an EV sound system distributed via a Dante network.

"The main reason we chose GLD was because of Allen & Heath's fantastic sound quality, reliability and ease of use," explains Augusto Bergamim, sound manager and system programmer at the Maracana.

The stadium reopened with a friendly match featuring Ronaldo and Bebeto, and has since hosted a friendly match between the national sides of Brazil and England. The Maracana will host world class events such as the final games of the Confederations Cup and the FIFA World Cup in 2014.

(Jim Evans)

USA - One of this season's hottest tickets on Broadway is the runaway hit Motown: The Musical, which features a story line that weaves together more than 60 hit songs by the artists that transformed Detroit into a hit-making capital. To accurately transmit music originally created by legends like Diana Ross, The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, and others, sound designer Peter Hylenski specified a reinforcement system of Meyer Sound self-powered loudspeakers.

The sound of Motown has received rave reviews from critics. Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune describes the show's run at the 1,505-capacity Lunt-Fontanne Theatre as featuring "a top-tier sound system that far exceeds what you usually get on Broadway."

After applauding "spot on" performances by singers and musicians, Elisabeth Vincentelli of the New York Post says, "All are b

France - The Odeon Theatre in Tremblay-en-France situated north-east of Paris, has recently replaced its aging digital desk in favour of an Eclipse GT digital console from Innovason. It is also one of the first sales/installations to have been handled by Sennheiser France since they took over distribution of the Innovason brand at the end of 2012.

The Odeon theatre in Tremblay is part of a municipal cultural centre that also houses an academy of arts offering courses in music and dance. There are two performance venues within the Odeon; the main theatre which offers a wide variety of musical production, from classical concerts to jazz, blues, contemporary music and 'la chanson francaise', while the smaller stage is dedicated to auditions for the arts academy.

Head of sound at the Odeon, Sylvian Fievet, had already decided that the new console would be an Eclipse, having partic

France - Traveling through France for a two-month tour, singer, songwriter, musician and producer Benjamin Biolay entertains thousands of fans every night, lit up with the help of nearly 2,000 Harman Martin VC-Dot LED's for a stunning backdrop.

For this fast-moving tour, Barcelona-based Dushow and Alabama lighting companies developed a video and lighting system, designed to be quickly installed for efficient execution. Using strings of Martin VC-Dot 9's for backdrop lighting, the product's versatility allows for the use of various lighting arrangements for each number. More than 1,700 VC-Dot 9's shine behind the stage to accentuate Biolay's performance.

VC-Dot 9 is a lightweight string made up of individually controllable LED pixels, designed to create LED video solutions with maximum artistic flexibility and minimum effort. The lighting system was designed with proficiency in

UK - Electra Partners has announced the acquisition of mixing console manufacturer, Allen & Heath, from D&M Holdings. £43m of equity and debt has been provided by Electra Private Equity PLC and Allen & Heath's management.

Founded in 1969, Allen & Heath designs and manufactures audio mixing consoles for live sound, such as concerts, theatres and houses of worship. With an experienced management team and an extensive global distribution network, the company holds a leading market position and has consistently achieved strong revenue growth for over twenty years. Allen & Heath's existing team and distribution networks will remain in place.

Commenting on this acquisition, Alex Fortescue, chief investment partner at Electra Partners said, "The ability to invest across the capital structure, in this case funding both the equity and debt instruments, is a great example of

UK - More than 70 substandard or even illegal LED-based products have had to be withdrawn from sale in the four years since Europe began phasing out incandescent light bulbs in favour of higher quality and more sustainable light-emitting diodes (LEDs), reveals lighting firm Osram.

These products, many of them substandard imports, range from individual LED bulbs to complete lighting solutions for industrial, professional and consumer use. They were removed as a precautionary measure by the European Commission (EC) to protect buyers from potential risks including electric shock, burns or even fire.

"LED lighting products have transformed the lighting industry. Genuine, high-quality LED products are up to 90 per cent more energy-efficient and offer lower total cost of ownership," says Jason Ford, UK controls manager at Osram. "However, it can be difficult for custo

USA - The Dave Matthews Band hits the road for an extensive national tour with Clay Paky lighting along for the ride.

The band commenced its 45-date cross-country swing in mid-May and wraps after Labour Day. They will be supporting last year's hit LP, Away From The World.

Theatrical Media Services is providing the lighting gear and consoles for design company and video vendor Filiment Productions. Fenton Williams is the production designer and lighting designer for the tour; Aaron Stinebrink is the lighting programmer and designer.

"The overall concept is to continually augment the look of the show as the evening progresses," says Stinebrink. "Everything is mounted on automated curved trusses that can move around during the show. We also have a large curved LED videowall upstage."

Twelve Clay Paky Sharpy Wash lights hang from the sub grid and shi

Czech Republic - Robe lighting's CEO Josef Valchar and staff at the company's HQ in Valasske Mezirici, Czech Republic, have mobilised to help contribute to humanitarian aid relief in the wake of the worst floods to hit the country in a decade.

The floods which affected vast swaths of the Czech Republic and other central European countries including Germany and Austria, claimed several lives and caused chaos as tens of thousands were evacuated from their homes.

One of the areas affected in CZ was ?eský Krumlov, host to the recent 2013 Showlight conference. Many houses were flooded due to the surging water levels of the Vltava river - normally a small unobtrusive creek which became a raging torrent - with possessions destroyed by the surging waters.

Robe, based in Moravia which luckily escaped the flooding, has formed a close link with ?eský Krumlov in the four years run up

UK - Tring-based rental and technical solution specialist Universal Event Productions (UEP) has invested in 12 of Robe's new Pointe moving lights together with another 10sq.m of Glux-12 LED screen.

This adds to its already substantial stock of Robe moving lights, bringing the total to around 100 fixtures, and to its existing stock of Glux, bringing the current total to 60sq.m.

The Pointes will make their debut on the two-day 2013 Chilfest music festival staged in Tring on 5 and 6 July. The production design will also feature 60sq.m of Glux, which UEP first had designed and built last year.

Chilfest, the first UK music festival to be promoted by an industry rental company, sees UEP celebrate its 15th birthday in style, with two nights of action packed entertainment and fun for the capacity audience of 7,000 people.

UEP has been buying Robe moving lights for the last 10 year

South Africa - After training and product orientation, the SABC crew were pleased to use their new lighting gear, including Robins, Sharpys, Tiger Touch and Prolyte trussing, on the second season of the television game show, Fan Base.

"This was the very first time they used the equipment they recently bought," said Kagiso Tiro Moima from Blackmotion, who helped specify and supply the gear to the SABC. On this occasion Moima notably wore different hats. As a lighting designer and operator for Fan Base he simultaneously managed to instruct staff on how to rig, patch, operate and safely hang lights.

"I love training," explained Moima. "The more people we have in lighting the better. I don't just want to get a cheque from the SABC for work done. For me it's nice to share knowledge so that the team can sustain themselves and build their own skills.&q

UK - "The client was really surprised about how we totally transformed the room using just six Alpha Spot QWO 800s and four A.leda Wash K10s," comments Presentation Rentals' director, Justin Hammond. "At our very first outing with the new Clay Paky stock we knew that the decision to purchase from Ambersphere Solutions was the right one. The event was The Evening Standard Film Awards and the venue was The London Film Museum so this was a high profile show with a knowing audience in terms of theatricality. The Clay Pakys definitely didn't disappoint."

Presentation Rentals services the ever expanding corporate market from their base in South East London and have recently chosen to invest significantly in the Clay Paky brand as Hammond explains, "A lot of clients and freelance designers are already very familiar with the Clay Paky brand and love worki

UK - Harlequin Reversible has brought long-lasting quality to the dance floor for Colne Bank School of Dancing. Despite being used for tap dancing, the style of dance that usually causes the most damage to flooring, Jenny Overton who runs the school is delighted to see that the vinyl flooring has not been damaged in the slightest.

Back in 1996, when Jenny Overton purchased Harlequin Reversible, she did not expect to enjoy such longevity. To make matters all the more impressive, Colne Bank School of Dancing only uses one side of the two-sided dance floor and it is still as functional and attractive as the day they took it home.

"We have a school of approximately 250 students doing ballet, modern theatre, tap and jazz from three years up to and including advanced. The 3m x 15m rolls have been rolled out, swept, stuck down, used and rolled away again, 5 days a week for the l

USA - For more than 170 years, North Carolina's State Capitol building has served proudly as a centrepiece of the city of Raleigh, and a focal point of state government. This classic architectural masterpiece, its majestic columns evoking ancient Greek temples like the Parthenon, has been a gathering place for generations of events, both large and small.

With this grand building as a backdrop, Pat McCrory was recently sworn in as the 74th Governor of North Carolina. Despite the familiar setting, McCrory's inauguration was the first to take place on the Capitol's South Lawn, with the stage looking out down Fayetteville Street, a vibrant thoroughfare that serves as Raleigh's ceremonial centre.

With highly reflective marble buildings lining both sides of the street, the setting presented some daunting obstacles to speech intelligibility. "We were really concerned about the l

India - Pune- based wedding and event specialists Wadhwa Decorators has opened a new lighting division and invested in Robe moving lights - Robin 1200 LEDWashes, MMX Spots and 300 Beams - in order to offer a premium service to their many high profile clients.

The company operates Laxmi Lawns, a large wedding and celebration / party venue in central Pune comprising a selection of different buildings, gardens and exterior spaces with the capacity to stage events with up to 10,000 guests. There is a constant stream of celebrations taking place throughout the year including around 40 weddings and 15 - 20 other events.

Wadhwa Decorators is a well-established and very successful business providing designs ideas and infrastructure for a diversity of productions. With the demands becoming ever more complex, and wanting to be able to offer the best services, it made commercial sense to

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