UK – panLab Console, the new spatial audio solution from Innovate Audio, enabled a surround sound performance at London’s Southbank Centre on 4 November, when cellist and composer Peter Gregson presented a performance of his 2021 album, Patina, in the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer. Patina was written and recorded for spatial audio, so a live surround sound presentation was a natural step – albeit one that required a touch of audio innovation. Called Patina 360, the presentation, in which Gregson was accompanied by the Carducci String Quartet, was planned by sound engineer Brett Cox, with help from one of the Southbank Centre’s senior sound technicians, Tony Birch. Birch explains, “Our head of classical music, Toks Dada, invited Peter to stage the piece in the Foyer as one of our series of late-night classical events. The
South Africa - The 2023 Brixton Light Festival in Johannesburg delivered its third – and largest to date – event filled with the magic, mystery and imagination evoked by light. It started during the covid lockdowns as a community-led and driven art-based lighting experience to unite the already tight-knit, lively and diverse neighbourhood of Brixton. The goal is to celebrate the spirit and importance of community, and the power of art and empathy. Sound designer and Brixton resident Fried Wilsenach from Working Dog helped implement several lighting installations this year, including one illuminating the impressive Sentech Tower, a landmark that dominates the Brixton skyline and that of the surrounding Auckland Park suburb. The Tower is part of SABC’s (South African Broadcasting Corporation) broadcasting HQ which is also located there. Fried in turn asked lightin
Canada - Matthieu Larivée and the team at Lüz Studio have been relentlessly pushing the envelope of late, driving technology in new directions to transform stages in ways that would have been unimaginable not long ago. So, it should come as no surprise that following their widely acclaimed work on last year’s Jason Aldean tour, when they turned the entire upstage wall into a stunning 3D video screen, these creatives dramatically changed their plans for 2023. Unlike its predecessor, this year’s just concluded Highway Desperado Tour had a production design that was dominated by a single vertical, centre stage video screen. Measuring 24’ high by 18’ wide by 6’ deep and angled at 20-degrees, the 8mm blow-through wall displayed captivating IMAG images and dynamic patterns accentuated by pixel mapped light from Chauvet Professional Maverick Storm2 BeamWash fixtures, wh
Colombia - They knew her as Carolina Giraldo Navarro in her native Medellín, Colombia, but the world now knows her as platinum global recording artist Karol G. She’s the multi- pop culture icon, and trend-setting powerhouse who’s at home with reggaeton, Latin trap, sertanejo, and other genres that are creating a new artistic front in global music. She recently completed the US leg of her headlining Mañana Será Bonito tour. It kicked off in August at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and made stops in Pasadena, Miami, Houston, Dallas, and East Rutherford, NJ, and will continue later this year in Medellín, on 1 December, and on to Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara early next year. It’s a non-stop whirl that needs a console that can keep up with her and the show, and that’s what they found with a pair of DiGiCo Quantum338 consoles, supplied by tour vendor C
South Africa - Future Menus 2023 by Unilever was recently held in Durban where top chefs from around the world encouraged local chefs, restaurants, and hotels with ideas to create modern comfort foods to boost the use of wild and pure foods, incorporate mindful proteins when cooking and to create low waste menus. Insane Sound was commissioned by experiential company Matriarch to supply both the full technical, which included the use of their new Absen Neptune NT 2.9 Lite series screen, as well as the manufacture and installation of the complete set. For Vimal Rawjee, who started Insane Sound in 2004, business has always been about a personal commitment; to go the extra mile and to offer professional equipment with quality in mind. The Covid-19 pandemic put a major strain on his company when the live events industry took a large knock, and soon after, Insane Sound’s
Italy - Prolights products illuminated the Marrageddon festival, a celebration of Italian hip-hop, conceived and hosted by hip-hop artist Marracash. With two dates between Milan and Naples, the festival hosted a line-up that included Fabri Fibra, Salmo, Guè Pequeno, Lazza and Madame, attracting more than 130,000 tspectators. To support such a large entourage of guests it was necessary to design a lighting setup that was up to par with the live performances of the festival; the lighting design was entrusted to Giorgio De Cassan, alongside Lorenzo De Pascalis, who oversaw the entire artistic direction of the festival. For the lighting setup, the team relied on rental company Mister X Service, selecting a wide range of equipment, including 130 Prolights projectors: 40 Sunblast 3000FC, 50 Astra Wash19Pix, and 40 VersaPar.
USA - California punk rockers The Offspring’s FOH engineer, Greg Bess, chose Britannia Row Productions for 2023 audio solutions, culminating in a US autumn tour. Bess has worked with The Offspring for 26 years, yet his relationship with Britannia Row dates back even further - four decades and counting. “The first time I contacted Brit Row was in 1979, when I wanted to drop in on Pink Floyd’s The Wall tour,” he begins. “I’m proud to say that I’ve now known Bryan Grant for longer than I haven't.” Fresh from summer festivals, The Offspring - whose members comprise lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bryan ‘Dexter’ Holland, bassist Todd Morse, drummer Brandon Pertzborn and lead guitarist Kevin ‘Noodles’ Wasserman - embarked on a North American tour in support of 10th studio album Let the Bad Times Roll. Venues included Irvine’s F
USA - Right from the start, Papa Roach fans at Newark’s Prudential Centre knew that the trailblazing metal masters were going to be coming at them in full force. Walking onto a dark stage, the band started to play Between Angels and Insects as the background behind them suddenly erupted with strobing images from a massive video wall that ran almost the entire width of the stage. The menacingly raw and powerful images on the wall were repeated on the extended riser, making the band members on it look as if they were being absorbed into the foreboding video. It was exactly the kind of evocative narrative that German lighting designer Mathias Kuhn and the band from northern California envisioned when they sat down to plan the production for the Revolution Live tour in support of Shinedown. “Video is by far the biggest part of the show,” said Kuhn. “The band
UK/USA - Three leading West End/Broadway theatre lighting designers are using GLP’s new impression X5 Wash - all supplied by Paul Anderson at Sparks Theatrical Hire - to light current or upcoming shows. Leading the charge was Paule Constable, who originally requested them for Guys and Dolls at London’s Bridge Theatre. This has been followed by Tim Lutkin, who is responsible for lighting The Crucible at the Gielgud Theatre, and Paul Pyant, who is in production for Noises Off at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. “These are three highly respected designers,” observes Anderson, himself a premier theatre lighting design specialist. “Early on in the [Guys and Dolls] process we approached Paule to see what equipment she would desire. As she had just lit a show on Broadway where she used the impression X5s, she requested them.” Sparks o
Malta - Manta, a luxurious poolside Mediterranean experience in the heart of Sliema, opened this year with a 1 Sound audio system. Black Box Pro is the AV integration company that was contracted for this project. Black Box Pro signed on to be 1 Sound’s exclusive distributor in Malta earlier this year making this their first project to include 1 Sound shortly after signing. This lido and restaurant offers a captivating ambiance, and breath-taking views on the Mediterranean Sea. This restaurant called for elegance in every aspect and especially durability regarding the loudspeaker installation. The 1 Sound units are IP55 and saltwater resistant with stainless steel 316 accessories and hardware. Black Box Pro was the first to install 1 Sound’s newly released Cannon C8s for Manta which offers tranquility and lively entertainment with an in-house DJ, saxophonists, and
UK - Celestial delivered a spectacular drone show on 4 November in partnership with Frome Town Council for a fundraiser event in the place of a more traditional fireworks display. The ticketed event saw over 7,500 people gather to see the drone show. Close Encounters of the Frome Kind was an extra-terrestrial extravaganza that celebrated the colourful character and quirk of Frome with its blend of innovative drone light show technology, UFO intrigue and touch of celestial magic. The show was designed and delivered by Celestial who, since their last Frome display (the first with a live audience), has gone from strength to strength delivering shows all over the world for some of the biggest brands, including Eurovision, London New Year’s Eve and many more. The company, based in Frome, specialises in aerial storytelling, performed by hundreds of brightly colour
USA - The annual Billboard Latin Music Awards is the biggest night of the year for Latin American music and this year lighting designer John Daniels employed a selection of Elation lights to create captivating effects and aesthetic looks on the show. Aired live on 5 October from the Watsco Centre in Coral Gables, Florida, Daniels creatively incorporated Elation Proteus Rayzor Blade, Proteus Excalibur and Smarty MAX luminaires as some of the most impactful lights on the event. Daniels, in his fifth year working the show, designed lighting looks for 16 performances from top talent like Bad Bunny, Peso Pluma and many others, as well as numerous award presentations. The Elation luminaires played key visual roles in his lighting design and were instrumental in the dynamic camera looks created throughout the show. Lighting supply for the event was from 4Wall. Opting f
USA - Ed Sheeran’s record-breaking international Mathematics Tour is as much a display of artistic and technological prowess as a testament to the impact a single performer can have - when supported by the right technology. Which, here, includes an expansive Clear-Com system supplied by Major Tom. Typically, artists of Sheeran’s status tend to add more players, more instruments, and a fair bit of backing tracks to satiate their audiences' demands. As ever, Sheeran takes a different approach, creating a grand spectacle utilising innovative and unique staging and production elements while primarily performing alone, using a custom loop setup to generate accompanying sounds live in the moment, ensuring no show is the same. Mathematics plays out on five stages placed around the floor of the venue, usually a stadium: one centre stage with a revolving rim allowing
USA - Front-of-house and monitor engineer Cooper Davis (The Regrettes, No Vacation, The Happy Fits) has chosen the Waves eMotion LV1 Live Mixer and Waves plugins for American singer songwriter Gus Dapperton’s 2023 world tour. Cooper explains why he chose the Waves eMotion LV1 for this tour: “Superb sound! This is a club tour carrying audio and lights in a single trailer, so the audio package had to be compact, yet powerful. And this LV1 is definitely powerful.” He continues: “Another advantage of using the LV1 mixer is the ease of use and its advanced engine. Operating the LV1 is quick and effective. The console is very user-friendly and the layout is customisable. Working on the console is like a free-flowing movement of listening, decision making and executing. Furthermore, the ability to scale the size of the system up or down depending on the needs of the s
Croatia - A feature of this year’s Špancirfest, a Croatian street festival held every August since 1999 in Varaždin, was the appearance of the tribute band, The Croatian Pink Floyd Show. An array of Claypaky Sharpy X Frame/FD and Midi-B fixtures illuminated the dynamic live show. Špancirfest took place throughout Varaždin’s city centre and featured various street performers, theatre shows, stand-up comedy, concerts and more. The Croatian Pink Floyd Show is a project led by producer and sound engineer Johnny Grudić who founded the band in 2016 and launched performances two years later with the mission to give the audience the most authentic Pink Floyd experience possible. That's where Dino Petrina stepped in as a lighting designer. Production manager Denis Fulir was responsible for the show on the main stage with production by Croatian rental company IVAS Grou
Czechia - Christie RGB pure laser and 1DLP laser projectors lit up a host of spectacular projection mapping exhibits at Signal Festival in Prague. Christie technology - including Griffyn 4K50-RGB, M 4K25 RGB, and 4K10-HS projectors - featured in four exhibits at the festival of digital and creative culture, where international artists created a unique collection of rich and colourful experiences for attendees to enjoy. “We were thrilled to collaborate with Christie, a brand synonymous with high-end projectors and visual innovation,” says Martin Posta, founder and CEO of Signal Festival. “This partnership is more than a meeting of minds; it’s a fusion of visionaries committed to pushing the boundaries of digital and immersive arts. With Christie’s cutting-edge technology, the Signal Festival delivered unparalleled experiences that captivated and inspired, solidifyin
UK - CJP Broadcast Service Solutions, systems integration, production and content digitisation specialist, has handed over a new virtual production environment at Solent University Southampton. The project involved creating an existing studio space into a very large, high performance, flexible environment which will serve students across a range of disciplines. To provide the sort of facilities students will see in their working lives after graduation, the studio is equipped with the most widely used professional tools. The virtual volume is formed by a 10m x 3m LED wall, with a 4m x 2m ceiling, using AOTO RM2.3mm and MxH3.7mm LED panels powered by a network of Brompton video processors. The screen displays virtual graphics generated by a multi-node Mo-Sys VP Pro XR server, the third university to utilise this system. At the heart of the VP Pro XR is the Unreal Engin
Finland - Singer Kaija Koo celebrates an impressive 40-year career as one of the country’s most popular artists, and anniversary activities have included staging a massive show at Helsinki’s Olympic Stadium. The high-profile one-off event featured an elegant and eye-catching production design evolved by the combined talents of Ari Levelä (set & video) and Pekka Martti (lighting), who chose to use a full grandMA3 system for lighting and video control. The two have worked together as a visual team since 2016 and enjoy the creative benefits of pooling ideas and experiences to produce unique shows and spectaculars. This show followed an arena tour they completed at the end of 2022 featuring four powerhouse Finnish female singers, one being Kaija Koo. Her management team was clearly impressed with their work and invited Ari & Pekka to present a design fo
USA - The ascent of bluegrass guitarist Billy Strings from van-and-trailer gigs to A-level arena touring is a testament to his mastery of traditional styles as well as his expansion of the genre into new realms of rock-influenced extended improvisations. On the current leg of his 2023 amphitheatre and arena tour, Strings is enveloping his growing legions of jam-band fans through a robust system based on Meyer Sound Panther large-format linear line array loudspeakers. As with all recent tours, the system supplier on this outing is Nashville, Tennessee-based Major Tom US. The regular tour schedule took a pause at the end of September for the third annual Billy Strings Renewal Festival in the mountain valley of Buena Vista, Colorado. Here, with the timely arrival of custom cabling and infrastructure from EMG, the tour’s complement of Panther loudspeakers became one of
Italy - It may not have rivalled the 200,000 or so spectators who used to watch chariot races there in ancient times, but the 70,000 fans who turned out at Rome’s Circus Maximus for Imagine Dragons’ show recently constituted a pretty good-sized crowd. Making the only Italian stop on their Mercury World Tour, the Grammy- winning band from Las Vegas, didn’t disappoint. Reflecting the mood of music and the stage ebullient persona of the band was a lively and upbeat light and video show by the Milan design studio Blearred that featured 100 Chauvet Professional Color Strike M motorised strobes from Zalight with service from Agora. The Color Strike M fixtures were arranged on the upper frame of the three LED walls, as well as being aligned across the entire width of the stage deck and fixed to the trusses of the delay towers. From these positions, the multi-for
USA - Floridian rockers Tedeschi Trucks’ summer 2023 tour staging was dominated by soaring horizontal LED battens which displayed pixels of video content, driven by Hippotizer Karst+ MK2 media servers. The battens were interspersed with LED fixtures to create a dazzling series of audience blinders, colour and sweeping effects to set the scene for the band’s brand of American blues rock. The lighting design and programming was delivered to the tour by Infinitus Vox, headed by Tony Caporale, who used a Hippotizer Karst+ MK2’s NDI feed to his Depence R3 pre-viz software. This meant that during pre-production, he could view all of the lighting and video design together, before controlling the Media Server via a grandMA3 console. “Since pixel mapping was the main focus here, the Karst+ MK2 was the right Hippotizer for the job,” says Caporale. “It offers flexibi
The Netherlands - The Essential Festival in Oost-Maarland became a centre of music and light on 16 September, thanks to Matrix Event Support. The festival, which featured a line-up of renowned dance DJs, regional artists and singers, was set against the picturesque backdrop of the river Meuse. Using Showtec and Infinity fixtures, Matrix Event Support brought the magic to life with their spectacular lighting designs that illuminated both the Main Stage and the Hard Dance Stage. Commissioned by Heijnens Audio - Light - Vision, Matrix Event Support left festival-goers in awe with their mesmerising lighting design at the festival. The Main Stage, a focal point of the event, was bathed in a vivid spectrum of colours with 50 Showtec Spectral M800 Q4 Tour RGBW LED spots. Sixteen Showtec DWE Audience Blinders and five Showtec Stage Blinder 4 DMX audience blinders were strateg
Europe/USA - Hailed as an ‘atypical pop star’ for her genre-bending musical styles, Rosalia Vila Tobella, known as Rosalía, is a Spanish artist who wears multiple creative hats, including as a singer/songwriter, producer, actress and musician. With an impressive tally of 11 number-one singles in her home country, 12 Latin Grammy Awards, plus a host of other prestigious accolades throughout her music career, Rosalía is widely considered one of the most successful and influential Spanish vocalists of all time. FOH engineer Ricky Ashford, who has been working with the singer for almost two years, has relied on a DiGiCo Quantum 338 and Quantum 225 digital mixing console for her latest Motomami world tour, which took in 68 dates at stadiums and arenas in Europe, Latin America, and North America, with Rosalía’s presence also gracing stages at world-renowned events
India - The Prolights EclPanel TWC series shone in a recent television commercial featuring the Indian cricket player, M S Dhoni, thanks to the lighting services provided by Light Craft & Sound Pvt. The lighting setup included over 150 projectors, including the EclPanel TWC and EclPanel TWCXL by Prolights. This dynamic configuration provided a vivid and dominant light source, transforming the television set into a truly enchanting environment. In the context of this installation, 50 EclPanel TWC fixtures were mounted on a truss and covered with snapbags to ensure even light diffusion. The entire structure was then lifted above the set using pulley systems, creating a surprisingly bright and captivating atmosphere. Additionally, eight EclPanel TWC XL soft lights were arranged in a linear structure to replicate a vibrant and radiant daytime atmosphere. Sa
