Italy - More than 70 Claypaky lights were used to illuminate the inaugural Eurovolley match at the Verona Arena. The project was conceived by Mequadro Service’s lighting designer Andrea Coppini and the company owner Emanuele Mazzi, with support from Claypaky product specialist Alessandro Melegaro. The event marked the return of top sporting events to the temple of Italian opera, which was transformed into an open-air sports stadium in less than 24 hours. Emanuele Mazzi explained how the idea for this rig came about: “We were asked to include something awesome for this unusual event. In addition to illuminating the field, we put together lighting effects on the stalls and the audience, and created beams visible from afar to make the Arena look even more impressive.” “To create these effects, we chose the Skylos and the Arolla Aqua," Andrea Coppini continued. "We
Spain - Lightware Visual Engineering has announced significant changes to the operation of its Lightware Iberia office, effective from this month, further strengthening Lightware’s presence in the Iberian region. Donald De Witte, a seasoned professional with extensive experience in the ProAV industry, will take on the role as regional director Spain and Portugal for the Lightware Iberia office. De Witte joined Lightware as the director global partner strategy in May 2023, bringing with him over 25 years of experience gained while working as a business development manager at Cisco, where he specialised in collaboration services. Lightware has had a successful presence within the Iberian market since 2017. Thanks to the consistent growth in the region, the company has decided to establish a dedicated office to serve the Iberia market. With a commitment to further expan
USA - ADJ has appointed Image Marketing as its manufacturer’s representative for Southern California. Image Marketing was founded by Bob Rufkahr in 1980, and since then has represented some of the most prominent manufacturers in the AV and lighting industry. The company offers a variety of services tailored to meet the needs of their dealers and manufacturers. Since inception, Image Marketing's mission has always been to represent quality products from manufacturers and to act as a conduit between manufacturer and dealer with the end goal being to ensure that both entities achieve sales and profit growth. Today, Image Marketing is led by Bob’s son, Tony Rufkahr. “At Image Marketing, we are thrilled to partner with the ADJ Group and represent ADJ, Eliminator Lighting, Avante Audio, Accu-Cable and Accu-Stand in Southern California,” comments Tony Rufkahr.
South Africa - Rental and production company Sound Stylists has invested in 24 Robe Painte moving lights, the first part of an order that has been delivered via South African Distributor DWR, with more to follow soon. The new moving lights join around 300 other Robe luminaires in the Sound Stylists inventory and will be used on their diverse mix of corporate shows and events. Owner and founder Kevin Glover explained that they are in the process of consolidating and rationalising the lighting kit as work has steadily returned after the pandemic. They specifically wanted a compact LED fixture with shutters, and “something bright, reliable and with plenty of features to service indoor venues with a headroom of around 6 or 7m”, a size and level that constitutes a lot of their work. They have also enjoyed a long history with Robe, purchasing the original Co
UK - The original Sugababes made their moving O2 homecoming on 16 September. The 15,000 fans in attendance on that Saturday night not only eagerly embraced that chemistry, they expanded on it as well, creating a warm, emotional glow that transformed the entire arena. Ed Warren felt the energy too. “I just loved how the whole thing came together,” he recalled. “It wasn’t just the lighting, but also the choreography, the music, the lasers, the confetti - and most of all, the beautiful harmonies of the three iconic singers.” As the show’s lighting and stage designer, he supported the stars’ performance with a production that reflected the redolent moods that ran through every song in their 90-minute set. Running his Colour Sound Experiment supplied rig on his ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M Stadium, Warren created myriad looks that ranged from flashy disco-like
USA - Joshua Schultz wasn’t overly enthused about lighting a show against a large, deeply rippled curtain background for his client, Turnpike Troubadours when they performed at New York’s historic Beacon Theatre. That quickly changed, however, when he saw how this billowy background played off against light. “I was sceptical, but I quickly fell in love with having another canvas to incorporate looks onto, said Schultz. “Too many times having just a black backdrop deadens the stage. This curtain added another dimension.” A big reason why the curtain worked magic for this Top 20 country rock band from Oklahoma can be found in Schultz’s inspired colour mixing. Overlaying light in subtly different shades of the same colours, he created deeply nuanced and redolent monochromatic looks that beautifully complemented the music and the venue. “I like to think
USA - Lighting designer Kyle Kegan of Voyage Productions enthusiastically embraced a full grandMA3 platform for lighting control whilst DJ duo Two Friends delivered two hi-energy sets in the Sahara Tent at the 2023 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. Kyle, who works with many high-profile international clients, adapted the lighting design and showfile he had created for Two Friends’ recent tour to work with the Sahara Tent production lighting rig, collaborating closely with Michael Sheck who was the LD and helped program the show. Their show was based around the same spaceship DJ booth designed by Kyle and built by Dark Moon Design for the tour, complete with over 3,000 LED pixels across 24 DMX universes all running through their grandMA3, plus some onboard practical lights. All of this was integrated with Coachella’s house rig which was coincidentall
UK - When Entec Sound & Light was asked to provide technical services for Afrobeats legend Wizkid at the near 63,000-capacity Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, it found itself making one of the first deployments of the new weatherproof impression X5 IP Bar from GLP in a concert setting. The Nigerian Made In Lagos star became the first African artist to headline a concert at London’s largest club stadium. But it was his LD, Shepherd Lowrey, who had specified GLP battens. Expecting to see the older impression X4 Bar 20s, he discovered Entec had gone a step further and lined up the next-generation impression X5 IP Bars: “What a pleasant surprise when I arrived to a rig full of X5 IP Bars… like stomping the gas pedal of a Porsche 911!” Referring to it as “the spice”, he adds: “It provides that little sizzle of excitement.” Entec project manager Patch Cle
Hungary - The Sziget Festival celebrated 30 years in 2023, earning its place as one of Europe’s largest, most popular and diverse music and cultural festivals which is staged annually in August on Óbudai-sziget (Old Buda Island), a leafy green 108-hectare island on the Danube just a stone’s throw from central Budapest. Robe moving lights had a big presence this year across three major performance areas - the Main Stage, the massive FreeDome Tent and the dropYard rap stage - as well as on some of the other venues around the site that hosted over 1,000 performances on the ‘Island of Freedom’ as it’s known for the duration. Headlining the Main Stage this year were a host of internationally acclaimed artists like Imagine Dragons, David Guetta, Billy Eilish, Florence + The Machine, Lorde and Macklemore, plus a plethora of other top level artists, together with ev
Switzerland - Follow-Me has partnered with Swiss company cast Switzerland SA. Formed in 2009 and established as an independent trading company in 2021, cast Switzerland SA has two locations in Switzerland to provide sales and support to both the Swiss German and Swiss French regions. Managing director Michel Vuilleumier and business development manager Swiss German area, Peter Häusler, head the team at cast Switzerland AG. With his extensive background in lighting and technical operation, Häusler approached Follow-Me seeing the advantage in Follow-Me systems for both designers and operators, merging art and technology for follow-spot and tracking solutions. Luca Idone (Swiss German) and Lionel Métraux (Romandie) strengthen the team for cast with their technical knowledge and support in assisting all customers. Follow-Me systems give you full independence and creativ
Italy - The Tones Teatro Natura, a former quarry in Crevoladossola provides stunning scenic surroundings for concerts and other performances. Work on this distinctive venue, which is located in the former Cava Roncino, began in 2020 during the pandemic lockdown. The permanent open-air site, which is a project by Tones on the Stones, opened in July 2022. Surrounded by the roughhewn quarry, the beauty of Tones Teatro Natura was on full display during a recent concert by the CM Orchestra, an ensemble of 60 musicians with a repertoire that crosses various eras and styles. Enriching the occasion was the guest of honour, Mario Biondi. Accenting the scenery were the colours of a refined lighting design by Nicolò Damiani of MG Service, using Chauvet Professional fixtures distributed by Zalight. Service was provided by Marco Gervasio and the team at MG Service. “I used
Spain - ETC distributor Stonex selected ETC stage machinery and lighting to complete the Lekuona Fabrika Cultural Centre in northern Spain. Prodigy P2 hoists, QuickTouch+ controls as well as ETC luminaires were selected for the project. Based in Errenteria near the north coast of Spain, the Lekuona Fabrika is a multifunctional cultural venue which frequently hosts exhibitions, festivals, productions and more. The venue is a 613m² open-plan flexible space that can be divided into three rooms offering up to six different configurations using movable walls and retractable seating bleachers. Due to coastal laws the Lekuona Fabrika has a height restriction as it is located next to the river. In addition to this, its technical director and creator of the project Javier Cruz explains: "There is also the issue that we lose even more height because of the movable walls that cl
Georgia - A wide range of Claypaky lighting fixtures dominated the rig at the recent Imagine Dragons concert at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi. 62 Claypaky Arolla HP, 32 Sharpy Plus, 12 Mini B Aqua and six Sharpy Plus Aqua were provided by Black Sea Arena for the event. Grammy Award-winning Imagine Dragons are currently on their fifth world tour. Their appearance in Tbilisi was part of Starring Georgia, a two-year campaign promoting the country as a venue for entertainment events. It showcases diverse visiting artists who demonstrate the ability of music to unite people of different generations. Bruno Mars is the next to appear in the Starring Georgia series. Imagine Dragons performed before an audience of more than 30,000 at the stadium. The new stage, also from Black Sea Arena, was transported to the venue on 35 trucks for the show. “Imagine Dragons wa
Italy - The Mario Del Monaco Municipal Theatre in Treviso was an appropriate venue for the Angels for Angela charity concert, which took place on Saturday 24 June 2023 and featured Angel City Chorale. K Service provided audio and lighting products for the occasion, including eight Showtec Phantom Hybrid 12R moving light beams. The concert was organised by La Musica di Angel Onlus with proceeds going towards music therapy projects at a local hospital. Angel City Chorale is a choir that hails from Los Angeles and is perhaps best known for its performances on the 2018 edition of America’s Got Talent where it reached the semi-finals. With more than 180 members, the choir performs songs in a wide variety of music styles including classical, gospel, jazz, pop and world music. The programme for Angels for Angela included gems This Is Me from The Greatest Showman<
UK - Gary Numan, celebrated reaching an impressive 1,000th gig milestone by performing three consecutive shows at London's Electric Ballroom. To mark this remarkable journey, lighting designer David Howard was enlisted to create an immersive backdrop that encapsulated every essence of Numan's career. Independent lighting designer David Howard boasts a diverse portfolio spanning music tours, special events, and more. From working with artists like Jo Quail and The Hoosiers to contributing his expertise to prestigious events like Glastonbury and MCM Comic Con, Howard's creative flair knows no bounds. First introduced to wysiwyg whilst studying at university in 2013, David Howard instantly recognised its transformative potential. The lighting design software opened doors to unprecedented creative possibilities, enabling him to turn abstract design concepts into tangible
Australia - Prolights' Astra Wash37Pix lights illuminated DJ Golden Features tour, a project curated by lighting designers Nicholas Bechen and Ben Kocsis. This collaboration was made possible thanks to the contribution of Ei Productions, the supplier of lighting equipment for the tour. "Golden Features, his manager, and I spoke a lot over probably two years about ideas and thoughts and what his intentions were for this tour," commented Nick. "We had a fair idea we would have to scale it back from the get-go, so we didn't go big and made it work pretty well in the end. I'm really happy with it. We seem to have walked away from the tour with a pretty decent show; the quality of the music being delivered helps make big lighting look and feel easy." Ei Productions provided the gear for Sydney's Hordern show, giving Nick a chance to use Prolights Astra Wash37Pix with 11 uni
USA - Vari-Lite has announced that the premium Neo X5 console is now shipping, making the entire line of consoles from Vari-Lite available to purchase. The Vari-Lite Neo X Series is a family of high-performance lighting consoles designed for mixed-use applications such as performing arts centres; stadiums and arenas; houses of worship; studios; schools; touring rental; and more. The Neo X Series includes the 15-fader Neo X15 and the newly shipping Neo X5. “Feedback on the Neo X Series has been great,” says Jon Hole, global product manager, Vari-Lite Controls at Signify. “Customers speak highly of the professional-quality hardware and premium features of the X15, with a strong response across a variety of markets, and we’re excited to begin shipping the smaller X5 to our customers as well.” The Neo X5 is a high-performance lighting console running the powerfu
Germany - NicLen continues to rely on Cameo: with its latest investment in the Zenit Z180 G2 LED PAR spotlight, the leading dry hire provider is expanding its lighting technology portfolio with a powerful and versatile PAR all-rounder with RGBW COB LED, motor zoom (10°to 40°) and an IP65 protection rating. The RDM-enabled Cameo Zenit Z180 G2 is based on a long-lasting 180W RGBW COB LED, which, in combination with 16-bit technology, enables homogeneous, high-resolution colour mixing and seamless dimming behaviour. The motorised zoom operates in the range from 10° to 40° and effortlessly covers both sharp, narrowly focused beams and broadly diffused areas. Thanks to its six selectable PWM frequencies and IP65 rating, the Zenit Z180 G2 is suitable for use with film cameras as well as in outdoor applications. The complete PAR package is rounded off by colour temperature corr
Danish lighting designer Johnny Thinggaard was asked to create a production design for popular Danish pop / soul artist Lukas Graham’s The Pink Tour, for which Johnny presented a clean, modern, and stylish environmental concept, with three striking perspective related scenic walls covered in fabric and with integral LED pixels along the tops, enhancing the depth and dimensions of the performance space. Johnny’s original idea was based on his love of side angled photography and images that reveal details and spatial elements of the background. He also wanted something that was architecturally bold, but essentially simple in expression. For the first part of the tour, he used Robe T1 Profiles as front follow spots, running on a RoboSpot system, which worked brilliantly. When it came to the festival section of the ongoing tour, Johhny wanted to add some more po
Belgium - The Royal Theatre of La Monnaie / De Munt in Brussels has selected ETC’s Eos Apex consoles to upgrade the control of the lighting in its 1,150 seated space. ETC dealer, Controllux specified the lighting for the Muntschouwburg venue which showcases a variety of performances from opera and classical music concerts to dance shows and more. Following positive reviews and feedback from international lighting designers, the lighting team at the theatre wanted to see which console would best meet their needs and invited - amongst others - Controllux’s Kris Noerens to demo ETC’s Eos Apex. Lighting operator Julien Bier - who brings decades of experience in the industry - describes why Apex was the preferred choice (so much so that they selected two Apex 10 consoles): “Eos software is extremely flexible, making it particularly well-suited to the type of venue
UK - In a world where live events are increasingly seeking sustainable solutions, Netherlands-based CrowdLED is proving that eco-consciousness and entertainment can harmoniously coexist. The live finals of the 16th season of TV talent show Britain's Got Talent, filmed at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, stand as a testament to this commitment. When the show’s producers sought to create a “memorable spectacle” by lighting up the audience sustainably, they turned to CrowdLED. Embracing the challenge, CrowdLED deployed 3,000 reusable LED wristbands, illuminating 18,000 attendees across six shows. The result was a visual feast, with the audience's energy beautifully reflected and amplified by the pulsating wristbands. The complexity of the Eventim Apollo as a venue - known for its challenging cabling and rigging - was easily navigated thanks to CrowdLED's wi
UK - GLP has reported its best PLASA Show footfall for a number of years. According to the head of GLP UK, Simon Barrett, this was partly because of its unmissable stand - immediately inside the entrance - but also because it placed a clear focus on promoting the new impression X5 product family integration - and the quality and integrity of light emanating from its new colour engine. But equal focus was placed on GLP’s highly professional, and ever-expanding, technical and customer support team. The sophistication was manifest in Andrew ‘Twiggy’ King’s choreographed lightshow, which demonstrated the entire impression X5 Family. This included the impression X5 Wash, impression X5 Compact, X5 IP Bar, X5 IP Maxx and impression X5 Bar 1000 - the last two being shown in the UK for the first time. This was played out to Ludovico Einaudi’s haunting and beautiful Diven
Spain - El Brunch Nuestro De Cada Dia (Our daily brunch) is an event that took place in Santa Cruz de Tenerife on the island of Tenerife on the 6 May 2023. The sound system and lighting fixtures were provided by Musicanarias Audiovisuales. The event took place on the Plaza Alisios, an area at the back of the Auditorio Adán Martín that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. Starting at 1pm and finishing at 10pm, the event saw performances by Andee, We Are Trash, Bobby Bob and La Maldita. The Plaza Alisios is often used for events and presents unique challenges when it comes to putting together the perfect sound setup. For this event, Musicanarias Audiovisuales relied on an active line-array system by DAP's Odin Audio Systems. The eventual setup was the result of careful analysis of the area to ensure that the Odin setup chosen made optimal use of the system’s excellent soun
Vietnam - Hanoi’s prestigious Ho Guom Opera House has a new Unity dimming and power switching system from LSC Control Systems at the heart of its technical installation. The extensive new LSC system is part of a recent major investment in the theatre’s technical infrastructure - a state-of-the-art specification which makes the new venue the most technologically advanced in the country. The flexible Unity system from LSC offers a choice of free-standing, prewired cabinets (96, 72, or 48-circuit models) providing high-performance dimming and power switching with advanced control and monitoring, suitable for any application using the latest video, audio and lighting equipment. It was because of this flexibility and peace of mind that the Unity system was chosen. The modular possibilities of its spec to suit specific needs, with the availability of either a PTFD dimmin
