Europe - In early 2016, Status Quo announced their final electric tour, the appropriately-named Last Night of The Electrics, for which London-based Capital Sound deployed their Outline GTO C-12 rig. Long-standing FOH engineer Andy May agreed to use the system following a recommendation from Dave Roden (who used it for The Stereophonics during the summer) and has subsequently taken to it.

"The Status Quo 'sound' is so well-known that nearly anyone with a passing interest in music from 60's / 70's / 80's will recognise a Quo song, even if they don't know the title. The band are very 'brand aware' and play the card well. I try to mix the show the way I would want to hear it, nice and punchy with lots of vocals so the crowd can sing along.

"The GTO C-12 has easily accomplished that task. The system sounds even across the whole spectrum and didn't seem to shift its tonal balanc

UK - Chichester Festival Theatre reports a successful outcome after investing in two MDG ATMe haze generators and two MDG theFAN digital units, supplied by leading creative and technical solutions specialists, White Light.

"The main driving factor behind our investment was the need for greater controllability than the on/off capability offered by our existing AtmosphereAPS units," says CFT's head of lighting and technical manager, Sam Garner-Gibbons.

"We have a purpose-built atmosphere generation system that sites the generators and fans above the rear of the audience and ducts CO2 gas through copper pipes to gas canister storage locations back of house. The units are placed front of house so the venue's air handling system pulls the haze across the stage to create the optimum coverage.

"Because we are a very exposed venue, any fan noise and or excess haze output perco

UK - Software provider Stardraw.com has announced 2016 to have been the company's best year ever since its incorporation in 2000. The news follows the announcement last year that 2015 had already been a record year for sales and usage stats of Stardraw.com's award-winning design and documentation software, Stardraw Design 7.2, and 2016 has been better still.

"Obviously, we're delighted," said Stardraw.com CEO, Rob Robinson. "We had already recorded close to 25% growth during 2015, and we were up nearly another 20% again over the course of 2016. Our usage stats bear out the same story with an average of 10,000 sessions per month opened during 2016 which increased to a staggering 15,000 per month in 2016. That we should be enjoying this kind of growth in what has been a precarious year in so many other ways is particularly gratifying.

"There are doubtless a number of factors

France - Innovative and cutting edge French artist / music producer DJ Snake rocked the Paris Zenith with an incendiary set and a spectacular new visual design by Romain Pissenem of creative production company High Scream ... utilizing a lighting rig of nearly 200 Robe moving lights including 64 of the new Spiider LED wash beams, 80 x Spikies, 32 x Pointes and 11 x BMFL WashBeams.

Lighting was programmed and directed by UK based Rob Lister who has worked as DJ Snake's LD for the last year and has a long-standing working relationship with Romain and High Scream from visiting Ushuaia Ibiza with DJs Axwell & Ingrosso ... for which Romain is also the production / show director.

Tickets for this landmark Paris show by the hugely popular and proudly French electronic music guru sold out almost immediately so the pressure was on for all to produce a truly amazing visual and sonic

Final Curtain - The curtain is coming down on the most celebrated circus in the US, the Greatest Show on Earth, run by Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey. After 146 years in the business, the owners said declining tickets sales and high operating costs were to blame. Activists who campaigned for decades against the travelling circus's animal acts welcomed the news.

"After much evaluation and deliberation, my family and I have made the difficult business decision that Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey will hold its final performances in May," said a statement from Kenneth Feld, CEO of Feld Entertainment, the family business which has run the circus since the late 1960s.

Sep Outside Love - A life-size bronze statue of Cilla Black has been unveiled outside Liverpool's Cavern Club as the venue celebrates its 60th anniversary. The club, credited with launching

Korea - Total Korea Lighting & Sound (TKLS), one of the leading rental companies in Korea, has recently purchased 24 of GLP's award-winning X4 Bar 20 revolutionary lighting battens from GLP.

The fixture is the first purchase of GLP solutions by Total Korea, but it has already found immediate success for the company, having gone straight onto a major production which will be running in Seoul until March 2017. The opera Aida has placed all the fixtures onto a four-month production run.

Mr Shin, Owner and CEO of Total Korea, stated that he had been extremely happy with the X4 Bar 20. "This is our first purchase of GLP - we are very impressed with the quality of the product, and confident that the X4 Bar 20 will prove to be highly successful in our rental stock going forward. We are also very pleased with the service from the GLP staff and look forward to working with them in

USA - In October 2015, Pulpit Rock Church in Colorado Springs received extensive water damage due to several days of heavy rain that unfortunately fell during a re-roofing project. With almost every room damaged, including their main worship space, Pulpit Rock underwent a building renovation that included a house lighting upgrade to Elation Colour Pendant LED color-changing downlights.

The new design for the non-denominational church's main sanctuary called for a warm, inviting atmosphere that allows everyone to worship however they feel comfortable. Design/build company SOA of Colorado Springs (secondopinionaudiollc.com) steered the church in the direction of the Colour Pendant fixtures, a dynamic lighting solution that replaced outdated fluorescent architectural fixtures.

"The project architect had spec'd white light LED pendant fixtures for the space to replace the fluo

USA - The new 28-story Oceana Bal Harbor condominium has elevated the art of luxury to a new level, quite literally. This is readily apparent as soon as one steps inside the gleaming understated, but elegant, structure, which is located at the northern edge of Miami Beach Island. Inside its two grand lobbies, with their 22' vaulted ceilings is a multi-million dollar collection of 10 modern art masterpieces, including the dazzling liquid gold Pluto and Proserpina statue by the world-renowned sculptor Jeffrey Koons.

The grand opening of such an extraordinary edifice calls for more than a mere ribbon cutting. Argentinian art collector Eduardo Costantini, who developed the $1.3 billion sellout condo, celebrated its completion recently with an A-list event orchestrated by ACT Productions that featured star-studded entertainment, an art show and celebrity appearances. In conj

UAE - When the touring version of the musical Les Misérables arrived at the newly opened Dubai Opera in November 2016, members of Showforce's experienced team of stage crew and event staff were on-hand to assist. Running from 17 November until 2 December, there were 18 performances in total and as the first show of its kind to be held in the UAE, it was hailed a huge success.

Working directly with the team at Dubai Opera, as part of its on-going contract with the venue, and long-standing client, Sports & Entertainment Solutions, the Showforce team supported the touring production throughout the load in, the three-week run of sell-out performances and subsequent load out.

Initially, a team of 10 crew members was tasked with the unloading of no less than 17 40-foot shipping containers, that had arrived in Dubai from Singapore, the previous stop on the tour. Dur

UAE - Cutting an elegant swathe through the city, the new Dubai Canal opened with a spectacular ceremony hosted by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai. When it came to providing the ultimate in fanfare, drama, and excitement, creative agency and show producers Prodea Group, engaged the services of Protec.

"With such a prestigious opening spectacular nothing can be left to chance," said Paul Flint, head of production international team for Prodea. "The delivery of this event by Protec did exactly that; their attention to detail was superb."

With over three kilometres of canal side to cover, the provision of equipment was huge, as Protec's project manager for this event Simon Travis explained. "Prodea is an Italian company, they brought a clear creative vision for the event. The brief they gave

The Netherlands - Philips Lighting, a global leader in lighting, has announced that its stage lighting will be used in the next leg of Justin Bieber's rapturously received 'Purpose' world tour. Lighting designer Cory FitzGerald has declared the multi-functional Philips Vari-Lite VL4000 BeamWash luminaire as 'essential' for the redesigned 2017 leg.

"There's going to be a few changes when the tour continues next year as we will be heading to outdoor venues and stadiums," said lighting director Nick van Nostrand, who is in charge of realizing FitzGerald's design out on the road. "The show is going to be reworked and we are currently making decisions on what's going to come with us. Cory has stated that the Philips VL4000 BeamWashes are high up on the list. There's not anything else out there that's a good substitute for all the roles it performs in the show."

"The VL4000 Beam

USA - All four ETCP examinations will be given on one session at USITT in St. Louis, MO on the morning of Saturday, 11 March, 2017. The deadline is quickly approaching. Interested applicants must submit their application, along with supporting materials and fee, to the ETCP office no later than 14 February, 2017. The ETCP office is located at 630 9th Ave, Suite 609, New York, New York, 10036. USITT members and employees receive a $100 discount on examination fees.

Candidate information, including eligibility requirements and applications, is available on the ETCP website (http://etcp.esta.org/usitt2017.html). Materials can also be mailed by contacting Meredith Moseley-Bennett, ETCP certification manager, at 212-244-1505 or etcp@esta.org.

ETCP provides evidence of technical proficiency and professionalism in the industry. Having ETCP Certification shows which technicians ar

USA - For many, Christmas Eve is an evening of reflection and celebration with loved ones, and Bandit Lites was proud to help facilitate a special programme from Berea College entitled Listen! A Musical Celebration of Christmas.

The holiday concert was broadcast Christmas Eve on CBS affiliates and featured performances from both students and faculty members including the Berea College Folk Roots Ensemble, Concert Choir, Jazz Ensemble and Bluegrass Ensemble along with a reading from a copy of the St. John's Bible, the first handwritten and illuminated Bible published since the invention of the modern printing press.

Naturally, the Berea Chapel was not designed with the intention of being utilized as a television event space, meaning lighting designer Mark Carver had to fashion a lighting system that would fit the venue, compliment the various music stylings and trans

UK - S+H Technical Support supplied a large quantity of its LED Starcloth to be used as a complete wrap around the stage and audience seating for a one-off Christmas Special of the popular 1980's comedy games show Blankety Blank which was hosted by David Walliams and broadcast by ITV on Christmas Eve.

The show was recorded in Studio 1 of London Studios in Waterloo, central London in front of a live audience of 400, with a set design by Joshua Grace who specified the starcloth.

"We wanted the familiar, cosy feel of a starcloth background, something festive and Christmassy - and a little camp!" he explained, and the S+H ShowLED RGB product met all criteria with a flourish of style.

Having the cloth colour changing and twinkling brought that special touch of "perfect LE (light entertainment) Christmas magic" to the show commented Joshua. It gave the production team

USA - Gareth Emery has been on quite a roll. Following his No.1 iTunes Dance hit Drive, which garnered over 26mYouTube views for its official video, the English house DJ/ producer launched Electric For Life, a weekly Trance radio show that's broadcast on Sirius XM and online. Recently, the multi-talented Brit has taken his programme from the airwaves to the road with a sold-out Electric For Life tour.

On 31 December, the EFL tour was in the place to be on New Year's Eve: New York City. Emery performed at the waterfront party and concert spot Brooklyn Hanger as part of RPM Present's Big Week NYC. Lighting up the concert and flowing with Emery was a massive, colourful and fast-moving light show created by Kevin Mignone of KM Productions that relied on a rig dominated by Chauvet Professional fixtures.

"There was a wide variety of Chauvet fixtures throughout the

Bahrain - A daily crowd of over 10,000 came together at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir for the 2016 edition of the annual BIC National Day Festival. The event, which ran from 14-17 December at the circuit featured the Kingdom of Bahrain's biggest fireworks display and performances from major Arabic stars including Khalid Fouad and Abdallah Al Rowaished.

Bahrain's Maestro Sound & Light provided audio production services for the festival and technical director Kiran Tauro decided that, considering the event's prestige and elite list of performers, an Adamson Systems Engineering solution was the right sound choice.

"For the crucial mid-high requirements of Arabic artists these days, the choice of PA was obvious," touts Tauro. "We all leaned towards the Adamson E15, which in my opinion has the best possible mid-high performance than any other box on the market. Co

Europe - Evago AG, German event infrastructure provider, has acquired 100% of the shares in Mojo Barriers' global crowd barrier business.

The Evago Group, which includes German full service event company B

UK - Camberley Theatre, a thriving performance venue in Camberley, southwest of London, has recently undergone extensive refurbishment, including significant additions to its in-house lighting. A new installation of Elation Professional fixtures, supplied by Yes Events Ltd, provides maximum flexibility for this multipurpose community space.

The 408-seat theatre has replaced its house lights with the high-power, colour-controllable Colour Pendant LED downlight. The 41-degree, totally silent LED unit provides rich saturated colour wash to the auditorium for show use, as well as bright white light for maintenance. Visiting shows now have full control of the colour of the entire venue, meaning they can more easily immerse the audience in the performance.

In addition to the Colour Pendants, the venue has turned to Elation for its on-stage colour too, where 16 SixPar 200 LED Par

UK - Patrick Hamilton's Gaslight is currently being revived for a UK tour. The Victorian thriller opened last week at Birmingham's New Alexandra Theatre and is now visiting venues across the UK. White Light was called upon to provide the lighting equipment for this production.

This latest revival of Gaslight stars Kara Tointon (Pygmalion, Mr Selfridge, EastEnders) and the lighting designer is the award-winning Howard Hudson. "Somewhat fittingly for this particular show, the actual gaslight used throughout plays an important role in the overall narrative," says Hudson, "largely as it signals the movements of the main character as he journeys to the various spaces throughout the play. The conceit is that, as he turns up the gaslight to move around, the other lighting within the space dims. Therefore, achieving that genuine feel of gaslighting w

Europe - Allen & Heath's dLive S Class digital mixing system has become the mixer of choice for Travis's FOH engineer, Jon Lewis, following several months of extensive touring.

The band embarked on a European tour in May 2016 to promote its new album, Everything At Once. The tour was followed by dates on the worldwide festival circuit, finishing in December with a run of arena gigs back in the UK.

"I was very excited about getting to take the dLive out on tour," explains Lewis. "The first thing I noticed about the dLive is the quality of the pre-amps. Travis use a lot of acoustic guitars throughout the set, both 6 string and 12 string, and with the dLive pre-amps the amount of detail and warmth you get is incredible. It really allows you to push certain instruments in a mix that you couldn't do with a lesser quality preamp."

Lewis specified a S7000 Surface with

The Netherlands - Light, both literal and metaphorical, plays a crucial role throughout the musical Hair, which plays out against the backdrop of the tumultuous and colourful 1960s in New York. Nowhere is this more evident, perhaps, than in the show's intense visual climax, which sees the ultimate prevalence of light over darkness.

Luc Peumans and his team at Belgian creative design practice Painting with Light captured the spirit of Hair's finale on the show's recent Netherlands tour, which was produced by Stage Entertainment, with an intense light display that featured 14 STRIKE 1 multi-formatted fixtures from Chauvet Professional. With their warm white glow, the LED fixtures were instrumental in evoking a natural sunrise for the thematic conclusion, which played out to the music of the iconic Hair anthem, Let the Sunshine In.

"Given that the conclus

UK - When the profits from a 1400-capacity, multi-room venue are used to provide opportunities for young people, it needs to maximise revenue by attracting the highest possible calibre of performers and clients. This is the case at the OPEN Youth Trust in Norwich, where a new investment in Yamaha digital mixers has ensured it has the technical specification to match its ambitions.

Founded in 2005, OPEN aims to make a difference to seven to 25 year olds through support and a wide range of free activities. Money for delivering these is raised through its multipurpose venue, based in a 50,000 ft2 former bank building, which hosts live music, conferences and other events.

The venue first opened its doors in 2009, with the original audio system based around Yamaha M7CL and LS9 digital consoles.

"It was important for us to have mixers that were flexible and visiting engineer

Germany - On 15 January 2017, German-speaking households discovered It Takes Two, the new show broadcast by RTL. In the new five-part music show series, nine celebrities compete in a singing contest. Supporting them are three professionals, who accompany the amateurs as mentors. The five-time jazz award winner Tom Gaebel, the Austrian pop rock singer Christina St

UK - Source Distribution has taken on the exclusive distributorship of Vicoustic - a leading provider of acoustic treatment panelling and products - for the UK.

Vicoustic was founded in Portugal, 2007, by César Carapinha, with the aim to pioneer market-leading acoustic treatment products that combined outstanding performance with the highest quality materials and attractive, modern design. The company has gone from strength to strength, with Vicoustic clients currently including the BBC, ITV, Sony, Microsoft, the SAE Institute and many more.

Vicoustic products cater for multiple market sectors which include music and broadcast, home cinema, and building and construction, offering complementary and unique products in each, available in multiple colours to suit the broadest range of environmental installations. Vicoustic has invested in building integration on an inte

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