France - Located in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, the Hasard Ludique was born from crowdfunding and is the new hottest cultural and musical spot in the French capital. The venue benefits from APG’s new Uniline Compact loudspeakers, and professionals and music lovers alike couldn’t agree more on the excellent acoustic quality. During the renovation of this old Parisian train station, French integrator and service provider D6 Bell Light used its know-how to overcome the many challenges presented by the venue and its unusual infrastructure. In order to stand out and provide acoustic performance levels similar to the very best venues in the capital, the owners needed the highest quality and acoustic performance, a challenge that APG was more than able to take on. D6 Bell Light has completed several projects in construction and renovation in the past, and with its o
Russia - Tanz der Vampire (Dance of the Vampires), the musical remake of Roman Polanski’s 1967 film of the same name, has an impressive 16-year track record, reaching over one million viewers in 12 countries. Currently enjoying renewed international success with an intricate sound design by the award-winning Thomas Strebel and his team from audiopool, the production sound features a staple tool in Strebel’s armoury, the TiMax2 SoundHub spatial reinforcement processor. Playing in Moscow from December 2016 to July 2017, fresh from its other high-profile European stagings, Strebel says of the show, “Dance of the Vampires is very cleverly written with great songs and orchestrations, and very dense arrangements that nevertheless allow enough room to put in the vocals. Clarity was a priority, and a lot of work was done by the creative team on diction.”
UK - GLP’s award-winning X4 Bar 20s were out in force at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, led by Andi Watson, who had already been lighting Radiohead on tour using 14 of the large X4 L as well as quantities of Bar 20s and Bar 10s. The inventory was supplied by Neg Earth. Speaking of the Bars, he noted, “I love how you can make light move within these fixtures. I am looking for texture, beams and movement and the X4 Bars do that really well.” All are pixel controlled through the grandMA desk. Of the large X4 L he added, “While I’ve always been a big fan of the X4, when we came to do the tour, knowing we would be headlining Coachella and Glastonbury, I knew I wouldn't be able to light the crowd adequately with these. So, on those two front trusses, the lights are mainly X4 L.” Elsewhere, award-winning Tobias Rylander of Seven Design Works used 36 GLP
Australia - South Perth’s Wesley College has been shaping young minds since 1923. Its Goatcher Auditorium, seating more than 300, has been serving the College’s needs since opening in 2008, and after nine years of constant use, it was time to refresh the lighting system and upgrade to LED. Alex Spartalis, head of lighting for the college, helped the school to install four High End Systems SolaSpot Pro 1000s and four Elation Platinum Sevens, giving them their first moving lights and first LED sources. “I’ve used the SolaSpot Pro 1500s and was really happy with them,” said Alex. “They were too big for this use case, as the school needs fixtures that are a one-person lift. I was just as happy with the smaller SolaSpot Pro 1000s – they have good colour mixing, a good zoom, and they run extremely quietly, if not silently. They’ve got the output and colour the Coll
The Netherlands - While large multiplex cinema chains compete on quantity, smaller independent venues are finding a new market by specialising in quality. An example is RSB Cinemas, a Dutch company that has recently opened its second venue where cinemagoers can enjoy a new level of quality and personal service. An Alcons audio system and laser projection in each room mean they enjoy a uniformly excellent movie experience. Located in Veldhoven, just a few kilometres from the centre of Eindhoven, each of the new-build Cinema Gold’s four rooms features large, comfortable chairs with tables, at seat luxury snacks and drinks - ordered via each seat’s service button at any time - and spectacular quality movies, thanks to Alcons pro-ribbon 7.1 channel surround sound systems and Barco flagship laser cinema projectors. "We are all about giving our guests a quality experienc
Germany - Beer, food, folk music and a wide variety of other forms of entertainment are a perfect recipe for a good time. The Licher Wiesnfest Beer Festival has been following this formula successfully since 2009. While Munich’s Oktoberfest is Germany’s most internationally famous beer festival export, this summer event, which takes place near Frankfurt am Main, has been gaining traction since its inception, thanks to its beer and varied entertainment programme. Wanting to give Licher Wiesnfest’s main stage a visual look worthy of a much larger festival main stage, local production specialists Flashlight Veranstaltungstechnik supplied light operator Björn Göbel and lighting technician and LD Benjamin Graff with 14 Chauvet DJ Intimidator Hybrid 140SR fixtures, which they skilfully deployed to create some impressive looks. By positioning eight Intimidator units
The Netherlands - The Analogues is an extraordinary band with an ambitious mission. The aim is to recreate, live, the last six studio albums of The Beatles using the same instruments, amplifiers, and arrangements, complete with live strings and horns. The band has tracked down and restored period instruments from all over the world, such as a rare Lowrey Heritage Deluxe Organ, as used on the introduction to Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds. To date, the band has conquered Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour, and will start touring The White Album from January 2018. Remko Luijten, Front of House Engineer for The Analogues, has been working with the band for two years already, and Ger Arts, monitor engineer, has recently joined the tour. Because of the extreme demands of this project, both engineers have selected SSL Live L500
Brazil - One of Brazil’s most renowned country folk bands, Guilherme and Santiago, has begun a new tour of South America travelling with a dLive S Class system at FOH with a GLD mixer on monitors from Allen & Heath. Formed 20 years ago, the band has released 17 albums, five DVDs, and has sold over a million records. The latest tour commenced in São Paulo, at the Villa Country venue. Provided by PA company, Torau Som e Luz, the FOH dLive system comprises a S7000 Surface with DM64 MixRack, whilst the monitor mixer is a GLD-80. “We chose dLive for FOH due to its precise dynamics,” explains FOH engineer Valmar Fernandes. “The audio quality of dLive is second to none.” “GLD is the perfect choice for monitors,” continues monitor engineer, Claudinei Monteiro. “The compact size of the mixer make it very practical for touring. GLD manages a tota
Hungary - The Volt and Balaton Sound Festivals are part of a series of major festivals in Hungary, held over the summer. Both have been serviced for a number of years by Capital Sound, and all continue to feature Martin Audio’s premium loudspeaker systems on main stages. Volt Festival is a massive multi-genre event set in Sopron over five days, with over 100,000 music-lovers attending the celebrations year on year. Known for attracting diverse and talented headliners over 25 years, its huge popularity has resulted in a massive European following. This year saw Linkin Park, Martin Garrix, Imagine Dragons, Ellie Goulding, Jesse Glynne, The Cult, Years and Years, Pendulum and Paramore appearing over the five days. As for Balaton Sound, this takes place on the shores of Lake Balaton, the largest in Central Europe, creating a beach party vibe 200 miles from t
USA - Determined to remain true to their musical roots, the organisers of the ARISE Music Festival have steadfastly avoided lengthening its name to include the word “art”. Yet even though there was no shortage of great music at the 2017 version of this event, including national acts like Ani DiFranco, Tipper and Lettuce, ARISE was almost as much about seeing as listening. From a flaming owl that warmed people at night, to a gigantic willow sculpture, to painters off stage doing live art interpretations of the music, this early August festival served up a variety of surreal and beguiling looks. Over at the festival’s popular Green Stage, Bryce Cherpelis contributed to the cornucopia of visual delights with a richly textured and vividly coloured lightshow anchored by a collection of Chauvet Professional fixtures and video panels. Uplighting his stage with fixtures positi
Germany - German band Adulescens recently performed a stunning silent concert at Marienplatzfest in Stuttgart, with over 1000 headphones and a binaural 3D mix powered by KLANG:fabrik. Many small festivals in residential areas have a common problem, particularly during the open-air season in summer. After 10 PM, they have to turn down the PA, just when vibe gets going. Silent concerts offer an interesting alternative, allowing bands and DJs to play throughout the night without any loud, intrusive PA. To go one step further, Adulescens’ tour manager and FOH engineer, Tobias Raunigk, teamed up with KLANG:technologies to deliver a binaural 3D listening experience that would not be possible with conventional headphone or PA sound. “We wanted to deliver something special as the next step up from silent discos in stereo,” says Raunigk. “With KLANG:fabrik you can
France - Robe moving lights were top of the spec list compiled by Frederic ‘Aldo, Fayard from Paris based visual design practice Concept K, who produced an elaborate lighting design for the 2017 Summer Stadium Festival staged at the Orange Velodrome in Marseille. The Velodrome is France’s largest football ground with a capacity of over 67,000 and the country’s second largest stadium after the Stade de France. This was the second edition of the one day Summer Stadium dance spectacular – following the first in 2015 – featuring an impressive line-up of electronic and EDM stars. It is organised by the venue itself. After the success of the inaugural event, Concept K was asked back to create the set, lighting and video design for this one, working to a brief of presenting something, fresh and different that would mark this apart from the myriad of high prof
USA - Industrial rock pioneers Nine Inch Nails (NIN), led by the charismatic Trent Reznor, are back on the touring circuit, with a series of summer and fall Festival dates. Their long serving lighting designer, Paul ‘Arlo’ Guthrie, has extended his association with German LED moving head pioneers GLP, and their solutions - in particular the new JDC1 LED hybrid strobe - dominate a full production inventory. This has been supplied by Curry Grant at PRG. In total, the LD has included 24 of these fixtures, which contain 216 white LEDs and 1320 RGB LEDs. These are supported by 15 of the versatile X4 Bar 20 battens and four X4 S compact moving heads used as a dynamic floor package. Guthrie has been associated with the band since 2013, joining them for their 2014 European dates, which was based on an original design concept by LeRoy Bennett. Today it is Reznor
Europe - Double Brit Award winning singer songwriter, Rag’N’Bone Man, spent the beginning of this year touring the UK and Europe. With his ever expanding fanbase, every academy-sized venue of the two-week UK section was sold out and he claimed the number one spot in many of the European shows, with the summer festival season following on. Front of House engineer Rob Sadler and monitor engineer Jamie Tinsley have both deployed DiGiCo SD7s throughout, supplied by rental company Nitelites. Both Rob and Jamie say that the SD7s are not a necessity for the tour, with input counts that could be handled by smaller consoles in the range, but they are very happy with the luxury the SD7 affords. The choice of DiGiCo, however, has specific reasons behind it. With six musicians on stage – Rory, AKA Rag'N'Bone Man, and five backing musicians - a full drum kit, two bass inputs,
UK - Philips Lighting reports that for the second consecutive year, its entertainment lighting technology has been chosen for The National Theatre's outdoor River Stage season, building on its long-standing relationship with the venue. Located on London's South Bank, the River Stage provides a mix of theatre, DJs, family fun, vibrant dance, outdoor cinema, workshops and live music acts. This diverse programme benefits from the Philips Entertainment Lighting product portfolio, which offers flexible, easy to access, low energy stage lighting that can evoke the appropriate atmosphere and character of each of the unique performance styles, while coping with all weathers. Lighting designer for the event, Huw Llewellyn says: "It's the diversity of performances that taxes us most. We require a portfolio of lights that work cohesively to realize all creative requests. We're ta
USA - OneRepublic is headlining the 2017 Honda Civic Tour, the sixteenth annual edition of the automaker’s summer tour, and Claypaky Mythos2 and Claypaky Sharpy Washes are along for the cross-country ride. The Honda Civic Tour kicked off in Kansas City, Missouri in July and will wrap after Labour Day in The Woodlands, Texas. The pop rock band will play 34 dates nationwide primarily in amphitheaters. It’s OneRepublic’s first tour since releasing the album, Oh My My last October. Production and lighting designer Mark Butts of LA’s Preset Productions partnered with director and co-production designer Raj Kapoor of LA’s Raj Kapoor Productions to create a signature look for the band. OneRepublic gave the creatives a lot of latitude to devise a “very clean, sophisticated, architectural look with a limited colour palette,” says Butts. Video plays a suppor
Australia - While Sydney Opera House regularly hosts the Sydney Symphony and Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Hall presents a huge variety of events, from comedy to awards nights to corporate functions. A need for flexibility, high demand leading to tight turnarounds, and a requirement to provide the highest quality results drive Head of Lighting Andrew Richards and his team to constantly improve their workflow and the tools they use. That’s why the Hall has installed four High End Systems SolaSpot Pro 1500s. Replacing six traditional profile fixtures mounted in the followspot room, at the rear of the auditorium with a throw of 36 metres to the downstage edge, the SolaSpot Pro 1500s have been chosen for the huge range of looks they can provide, and their sheer power. “We needed some flexibility,” said Andrew Richards. “Instead of sending crew into the roof to refoc
USA - Paul McCartney’s long-running One on One World Tour has added 21 dates in the US this summer and autumn, with Robert Juliat Dalis LED footlights helping to showcase the evolution of his music from the 1960s to today. The US leg of the ongoing tour kicked off in Miami in July and will conclude in Detroit in October. Lighting designer Roy Bennett is tasked with highlighting “a vast array of musical styles over the decades” during the course of the three-hour show. High-tech AV solutions, including layers of transparent video, LEDs and lasers, form a backdrop for the history of the former Beatle’s music but remain unobrustive to fans. “While we use many aspects of technology you never see them all at once, and they are never overpowering,” notes lighting director, Wally Lees. Upstaging provided the tour with 12 Robert Juliat Dalis 862S footlights.
UK - This year’s PLASA Show seminar programme both embraces the Show’s 40-year history and continues to provide valuable education across the most important and topical subjects in the industry today. This latest tranche of the Show’s free-to-attend seminar programme will have particular appeal for anyone in AV and lighting, those wanting to refine their social media interaction, boost their productivity with processes and apps or learn more about the Production Managers Forum. Two sessions that have the AV market firmly in mind will take place in the Audio & AV Theatre: Where does audio stand within today’s corporate environment?, chaired by AV Magazine’s editor Clive Couldwell; and Installations – you’ve come a long way, baby, chaired by Paddy Baker, editor of Installation International magazine. “I felt strongly that <
Record Breakers - The Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the International Festival have both had record breaking box offices in their 70th anniversary year. By Monday afternoon an estimated 2,696,884 tickets had been issued for Fringe shows, an increase of 9% on last year. The event saw 53,232 performances of 3,398 shows at about 300 venues. Edinburgh International Festival's sales topped £4.3m and audiences surpassed 450,000. The Edinburgh Book Festival also had a good year with a record footfall of more than 250,000 into Charlotte Square Gardens, the largest audience in its 34-year history. The venues for this year's Fringe included a swimming pool, a bathroom, a football ground, a tunnel and a racecourse with themes ranging from identity and grief to Brexit, Trump and the Syrian conflict. Shona McCarthy, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: "
South Africa - The Sneddon Theatre was host to a charity event to raise much needed funds for medical expenses for Themi Venturas, a local theatre practitioner and an industry legend based in Durban. The event was well attended by many key industry players, who generously donated money towards the drive. South African comedian and actor, Aaron Mcilroy, wore two hats on the night, one as friend to Themi and the other as a performing artist. “I had the privilege of sharing the stage with my long-time friend John Vlismas,” said Aaron. “It's incredible to think even though we have known each other for over 20 years until this day we have never shared the stage in a performance for the public. I find this strangely bizarre. “The evening was absolutely amazing! Not only was the audience brilliant but everyone in the entertainment industry had lined up to offer their
USA/UK - High Energy US punk rock band Blink 182 is currently on an international tour following the introduction of its new guitarist and vocalist Matt Skiba, and the release of the new California album. Jason Decter, front of house engineer for Blink 182 for the past eight years, has chosen the new SSL L200 Live console - supplied on the EU leg of the tour by PA systems specialist, SSE Audio Group, and in the US by Hi-Tech Audio via Rat Sound Systems - for the job of bringing the band's particular mania to the PA. Blink 182 is a three-piece band that, according to Decter, "fits nicely into 36 input channels... the drum kit, bass guitar, two vocals, and some playback tracks." It’s not a huge input list, so getting the kind of power and vigour that Blink 182 is known for from the stage to the audience, while keeping its edge, requires magic from all sides. Of course
South Africa - Set, lighting and AV designer, Wilhelm Disbergen, relied on a Hippotizer Boreal and a giant mirror to create something extraordinary for the ballet production Big City, Big Dreams, staged at the Joburg Theatre. The original showcase, directed by Fiona Ramsay, was a collaboration between three dance companies – the Joburg Ballet, Vuyani Dance Company, and Moving Into Dance Mophatong. Over 40 professional dancers adorned the stage as classical ballet infused with contemporary and street dance. The love story, with the city of Johannesburg as the backdrop, portrays a young man in the corporate world who falls in love with a dancer. An artistic and key focus of the set was a giant mirror (15m x 9m) suspended at a 45-degree angle over the white ballet mats below, enabling the audience to see the dancers from above. “I also projected visuals on the
South Africa - Queen of Bollywood in India, Shreya Ghoshal, took to the stage at Emperor’s Palace, Johannesburg on 20 August. Rental company Bass Mechanics supplied the full technical solution which included sound, AV and lighting, the predominantly Robe lighting rig controlled with a grandMA ultra-light. “One of the huge advantages of working on a rig with mostly one brand makes programming and designing simpler and easier to implement during a short period of time,” commented Sushil Patidar, owner and technical director of Bass Mechanics. “Time is always a challenge and as a lighting designer, we only have a certain amount of it to ensure all pre-planning is complete. The grandMA console, which ran through Nexus DMX Artnet, helped greatly with both implementing our vision and utilizing the rig to its full potential,” says Ravi Paima, lighting designer at t
