USA - “Colour has always been a huge part of our design process,” says Dayne deHaven of the work that he and his collaborator at the District 5 design studio, Tyler Shapard, have been doing for rock-pop trio The Band Camino. Ironically, on the band’s recently concluded 25-date tour, the show begins in virtual darkness, as eerie electronic sounds resonate over a blacked-out stage. That’s only fitting, since the tour was called Screaming in the Dark, a nod to the group’s latest hit album The Dark. However, once the band breaks into Afraid of the Dark the first tune in their 30-song set, colour reigns again in all of its powerful mood-making glory; this time, with help from some distinctive UV flourishes. Starting off slowly, with no front lighting, deHaven and Shapard, along with touring LD Alec Molinaro and light tech Sean Mines, build a
The Netherlands - Ryan Schaminee is a Netherlands-based freelance gaffer and lighting board operator who also works internationally on a wide variety of commercial, television and some film projects, utilising various Astera products almost every day. He finds the Astera ranges reliable, highly flexible and appreciates the great quality of light, all attributes that assist him in thinking quickly and laterally to come up with inventive and cool looking lighting solutions that are spot on. For a recent commercial shoot for Versuni - home to some of the world best known and domestic appliance brands - Astera HydraPanels enabled Ryan to do just this. He needed to back-light a large 2m-high by 4m-wide cabinet structure which was built in Westerpark Studio, Amsterdam to showcase an impressive array of awards that have been won by various Versuni brands. The cabinet wa
Denmark - Arvid Müller's Charles Tante, the perennial favourite classic Danish comedy film based on the 1892 play Charley’s Aunt by Brandon Thomas, has been reborn as a new stage musical by Mads Æbeløe Nielsen, Nikolaj Tarp, Claus Reenberg and Rob Hartmann. Set in the year 1900 and performed in the classic environs of Denmark’s Fredericia Musicalteater, the production ran from 15 September to 15 October 2023, under Per Toft Lehmann’s skilfully designed lighting, which blended the subject matter and its location perfectly. Incorporated into Lehmann’s rig were 20 Ayrton Diablo S profiles chosen for their versatility and compact dimensions. “The Fredericia Musicalteater is a classic, old-school venue with fly bars, red curtains and traditional seating and facilities, so we had to be careful in our choice of fixtures,” he explains. “We
Spain - The Medusa festival offers a DJ line up from all around the world embracing a lively mix of dance genres in a seaside location at Cullera beach in Valencia by the mouth of the Jucar River. The 2023 event was enjoyed by over 250,000 people across six days of sun, smiles and superlative music. This year’s main stage production and lighting design by Eduardo Valverde and a team from his design studio Experiencias Visuales (EV) included 72 MegaPointes and 12 BMFL WashBeams. These lights were at the heart of a spectacular visual environment created for this key area of the festival, which featured five stages of entertainment action. It was EV’s first time designing the Main Stage for the event organisers, Andreu Piqueras and Javier Crecente, and the setting was evolved working closely with Brok Décor who co-ordinated the construction and setup of the impressi
UK - A zactrack PRO system is integrated with the lighting and sound control for Nicholas Hytner’s acclaimed stage production of Guys and Dolls, currently running at the Bridge Theatre in London. Bunny Christie’s innovative staging concept and Paule Constable’s provocative lighting has transformed the theatre’s auditorium into a promenade environment, complete with 14 stage lifts which are utilised throughout for the show to denote different locations - bars, clubs, lounges, street corners, etc. - as the cast conveys the serious 1950s New York hustle. The audience is positioned in different positions surrounding all the action and Paule’s associate Rob Casey explained that to key light all these characters effectively in this created space, they needed around eight follow spots that could reach multiple positions. Given these circumstances and the exce
UK – Berkshire-based Full Production provided the design and installation of the latest Treetop Golf destination. Sited at Metrocentre shopping centre in Gateshead, the new themed attraction includes over 400 luminaires and an immersive audio system with 140 loudspeakers. The regular service supplier to Treetop since 2020, Full Production has lived up to its name by carrying out the design and installation of the audio, lighting, show control and visual infrastructure. Following Full Production’s work at its most recent site, in Birmingham, where its critically acclaimed design and installation significantly raised production values, Treetop was fully convinced to enhance the new Metrocentre site even further. As well as being able to run standalone for 14 hours a day, seven days a week – the multi-faceted system would also set a new bar for visitor experiences, employ
France - Nikki Beach Saint Tropez is a restaurant and beach club located on the Pampelonne beach on France’s Côte d'Azur. Part of an international group, Nikki Beach Saint Tropez ‘attracts a celebrity crowd with laid-back poolside sets from leading international DJs’. Local AV technology specialists Colorsonic have a long-established relationship with Nikki Beach and know the venue well. To achieve powerful, full-range sound for guests without disturbing neighbours, president and CEO Gérard Giraudon and technical director Christophe Orlando proposed a Nexo ID84 system to sound designer and acoustician Claudio Fabiani. A total of 18 of Nexo’s ID84 column speakers are discreetly positioned around the venue, with bass extension provided by four ELS400 1x12-inch subs, in a design that achieves excellent coverage of the club, without bleeding into the surrounding
UK - The recent Channel 4 reality show Don't Look Down brought together nine celebrities for a thrilling six-week adventure in support of Stand Up to Cancer. The show, hosted by Paddy McGuinness, followed these stars on a journey to conquer their fear of heights through vertigo-inducing high wire training. The grand finale took place at the iLondon Stadium, where the contestants faced a heart-pounding tightrope relay challenge, 100ft high and 650ft across. Limelite Lighting installed a large number of Showtec Helix S5000 Q4 LED washers to provide light throughout the stadium’s grandstands and around the pitch. The cast included soap actress Beverley Callard, footballer Anton Ferdinand, presenter and Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt, sports presenter and Love Island finalist Chris Hughes, French footballer David Ginola, motoring expert Charley Boorman, TikT
Canada - Metal music fans who packed venues in 33-cities for Motionless in White’s just-concluded Touring The End Of The World tour of North America enjoyed galactic themes. Channelling his fascination with all things galactic, Alex Mungal opened a window to an array of looks in support of the band’s 18-song set by drawing inspiration from Star Trek’s Romulan and Klingon warships. “I grew up watching a lot of Star Trek and Doctor Who, so it’s no surprise that I draw on the architecture and set design from those stories,” said Mungal, owner of Alien Lites. “For this tour, we based our overhead truss configuration on the wing-shaped warships. This gave us a lot of different angles to direct light from. We had glowing light coming in from the sides of the giant wings. Also, the control centre of the ‘space craft’ in this configurati
UAE - Italian luxury fashion house Bulgari recently relied on the power, brightness and reliability of Digital Projection’s Titan and M-Vision range to give Dubai’s Gate Building a serpentine makeover in celebration of the 75th anniversary of its Serpenti collection. Founded in 1884, Bulgari is famous for its luxury jewellery, watches and accessories. This year, the brand celebrates the 75th anniversary of Serpenti, a snake emblem that has exalted almost every Bulgari watch and piece of jewellery, with a worldwide tour. Between 15 and 24 September, Dubai played host to Serpenti: 75 Years of Infinite Tales, a celebration of the grandeur of Serpenti’s heritage. At the heart of the milestone event held at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) gate, was an immersive projection mapping show, implemented by Dubai-based projection mapping expert company Artabe
France - K System beaconless 3D tracking system for live experiences earned positive reviews from performers, technical staff and visitors alike this summer at various festivals, and the popular Poupet Festival, with its 100,000 punters over 14 days was no exception. Taking place in the idyllic surroundings of the Vallée de Poupet (in western France’s Vendée), Festival de Poupet launched in 1987 and has grown into one of France’s best-loved boutique festivals. The 2023 edition took place over June and July and featured performances from leading French and international acts, including American singer-songwriter and two-time Grammy Award winner Ben Harper, jazz trumpet prodigy Ibrahim Maalouf, and rap royalty Orelsan. Thomas Maindron, director and programmer of Festival de Poupet, explains that he was first introduced to K System, developed by French start-up Naos
Germany - The 2023 Lollapalooza Berlin event at Olympiapark in the heart of the city was notable for an impressive artist line-up as well as being a major Robe moving light installation, with almost 500 Robe fixtures - over 75 on the Alternative Stage, over 125 on Main Stage North and over 250 on Main Stage South, plus some on Perry’s stage. Lighting production was delivered to the Main Stage North by rental specialists TSE, Main Stage South by Media Resource Group (MRG), Alternative Stage by Sound Projekt (SPS) and Parry’s stage by Colour Sound Experiment. Robe’s On the Road show truck was also on site, located backstage left at Main Stage North, as for the first time at this event, TSE located their WYSIWYG pre-vis studio in the truck -offering all lighting designers access to the service. With all-day personal support by Thomas Heydthausen from Berlin-based pr
Europe - Andrew Liddle, the longstanding designer for New Order since the band's emergence from Joy Division in the early '80s, turned to Elation’s powerful Proteus Excalibur narrow-beam moving head to create stunning, laser-complementary lighting on the band’s recent tour across mainland Europe and the UK. Recognised as one of the most influential bands of its era, New Order continues to enhance its legacy, captivating audiences with a timeless fusion of music and visually gripping performances. Andrew specified the Excalibur for the tour and says the choice came from a chance suggestion from Ryan Knutson at Brown Note Productions in Denver that eventually led to New Order utilising the fixtures on a short US tour this past March. “Since then, they have become an integral part of the show,” the designer says, “working to expand into the audience the looks b
Germany - Since its opening in October 2023 in the presence of German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German Film exhibition has been on display at the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site at the Völklingen Ironworks in Saarland. The industrial hall on the grounds of the UNESCO World Heritage Site is dominated by gigantic blowing machines and flywheels and presents more than 125 years of German film on 100 large screens, combined with over 350 original exhibits. In order to provide flexible lighting for these - and future - exhibitions, the Völklingen Ironworks' sponsoring organisation invested in a modern lighting technology setup consisting of Cameo P2 FC LED profile spotlights and Zenit W300 LED wash lights. “The Gebläsehalle is an extraordinary industrial hall with a very special atmosphere,” explains Udo Treimetten, who, together with Mario Es
Romania - One of the country’s most popular festivals, the three-day Summer Well event, recently celebrated its 12th edition in spectacular style. Promoted by SC Livada Advertising and held annually on a picturesque 24-hectare meadow and forest site outside Bucharest, Summer Well peaked last year when Arctic Monkeys were headlining. However, it emulated this success in 2023 when Florence and the Machine, Röyksopp and Yungblud headed a line-up of 30 artists, featuring both international bands and DJs. Production manager since the first festival is a self-confessed fan of GLP lighting fixtures, Vlad Darie, who runs Film Location. So impressed was he when the JDC1 hybrid strobe first came out that he decided to invest personally for smaller shows he was producing, later adding Fusion Stick FS16 Z, followed by Fusion X-PAR 12Z and impression FR1. JDC1 in particular had
Australia - BBC Earth Experience is an immersive exhibition that promises to transport visitors on a journey through the natural world, narrated by David Attenborough. Following the popularity of the inaugural BBC Earth Experience in London, the attraction has recently opened a second site at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. HIVE’s BeeBlade and BeeBox products were chosen to bring this captivating experience to life through seamless media playback. “We are introducing a new technological era into the industry with the BeeBlade series, and when TDC in Australia contacted HIVE for the BBC Earth Experience in Melbourne we could not have been any more excited,” recalls Mark Calvert, co-founder at HIVE. “The natural world, preserving it and the beautiful documentaries of David Attenborough have inspired the entire HIVE team for many years.” Produced
China - Nanxun Ancient Town, one of China's six renowned ancient towns south of the Yangtze River, is a repository of cultural riches. Considered one of the best-preserved ancient towns in the region, Nanxun dates back to the South Song Dynasty and is home to over 750 years of history and architecture. Both international and national tourists flock to Nanxun to experience the magic of yesteryear, and a recent night tour project aimed to elevate the visitor experience through the installation of a light and sound solution. Kgear, part of the Italian-based K-array group, was chosen to provide an audio solution that could deliver reliable, high-quality audio in an outdoor environment. The project, led by leading culture and sports audio and video integrator, Dafeng, was multifaceted, demanding a comprehensive sound system to cover an extensive tourist route extending appr
USA - Located outside Philadelphia, PA, Sesame Place is a theme park and water park based entirely on the Sesame Street TV series. It is one of 12 theme parks operated in the US by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. One of the main attractions, popular for hosting a variety of shows, including meet and greets with the characters, is Abby’s Paradise Theatre. It is here that system integrators Illuminated Integration - based across the State in Harrisburg - recently installed a Martin Audio CDD solution to meet the request for a comprehensive upgrade to the theatre’s aging PA that was failing to meet the requirements for either coverage, output or clarity. At the same time, Sesame Place asked the integrators to carry out an assessment of the audio in other event spaces and theatres, as well as a parade route. At Abby’s Paradise Theatre the client required a
USA - Since he signed with Warner Music Nashville in 2021, Wyoming native Ian Munsick’s star has risen rapidly. He’s earned more than 100m global streams and been named one of Spotify’s inaugural Hot Country Artists to Watch. This year, his rapid rise is reflected in his tour itinerary, which has taken him from a western honky-tonk bar one night to opening for Morgan Wallen in a stadium the next before headlining his own arena shows. You can also see that narrative written in how his tour sound has evolved. Beginning this year, Munsick’s sound team was bolstered by the addition of a dedicated monitor engineer, after they transitioned to a pair of DiGiCo Quantum225 consoles, supplied by Clair Global. Seth Hewson was Munsick’s initial front-of-house engineer when the artist’s burgeoning career was still using what Hewson describes as a “Clair ‘band-in-a-
USA - Antonio Herrera Pérez, better known to the world as Mexican music superstar Junior H has released eight studio albums, four of which have reached the Top Ten on the Billboard charts. Junior H’s talents are on full display on his current Sad Boys USA tour. Supporting his passionate blend of music is a lively and dynamic light show by Arturo Sanchez. Working for JCA PRO, its CEO Ignacio (nacho) Zamudio, and his son Josh Estrada, along with lighting tech Luis Fernando Marins, Sanchez has created a show that reflects the inspired style and stage presence of his gifted client. Like the music of Junior H, the stage production is bold and engaging with immersive 3D video walls accented by bright colourful lighting. Contributing to the latter are over 100 Chauvet Professional fixtures. Included in this group are 24 Color Strike M motorised strobe/blinders, 24 Maverick
Denmark - The historic Østre Gasværk Theatre in Copenhagen is the first theatre in the world to secure the rights to produce, conceptualise and perform Another Brick in The Walls - Part 5 as a piece of musical theatre. Based on the Pink Floyd double album of 1979 - which is still the third largest grossing album in the US, almost 45 years after its release - Another Brick in The Wall, Part 5 is an extension of the three original album tracks - Part 1, 2, 3 - and Part 4 that was enacted as an opera in Montreal in 2017. Having premiered to great acclaim in Copenhagen on Friday 22 September 2023, the new Danish staging is an ambitious one with a large cast of singers, dancers, musicians and aerial artists. The production will also be staged in Musikhuset Aarhus, with a premiere slated for 5 January 2024. Lighting designer, Jeppe Lawaetz, cho
South Africa - Playing a dual role as a lighting designer and programmer for shows such as Idols, The Voice, RMB Starlight Classics and countless others, South African Andre Siebrits recently acquired an Ultimate Ears UE Comm, specifically the Ultimate Ears 11 Pro model, from DWR Distribution. The decision has been pivotal for him, particularly considering his concern for the long-term health of his ears. Andre first became curious about Ultimate Ears Comm in 2017, starting the conversation with many people including Jaco Beukes from DWR. UE Comm is the result of a collaboration between UE and In-House Sound with features like noise-isolating in-ear monitors with a purpose-built microphone, guaranteeing crystal-clear communication in any production environment. “Ultimate Ears are reputed for their outstanding sound quality, at least that's what I
USA - The first ever Power Trip music festival was considered epic before it even took place. Six of the world’s best known heavy metal and hard rock bands gathered to play on one stage, and 4Wall, Paradox and Elation had the honour of lighting the event. Metallica, Guns N' Roses, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Tool (subbing for Ozzy Osbourne) all played at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, California, 6-8 October, where up to 80,000 fans gathered each day. Power Trip marked the first concert in seven years from AC/DC. Some 80 Proteus Maximus, 18 Proteus Excalibur, 84 DTW Blinder 700 IP and 80 DTW Blinder 350 IP luminaires from Elation, were all used by the lighting design team at Paradox Production and Design and 4Wall Entertainment, led by 4Wall account executive and production manager Dallas Gaspar. 4Wall also supplied additional lighting packages for the I
Hungary - Robe moving lights were used in three major locations for the massive 2023 St. Stephen's Day celebrations in Budapest, a public holiday celebrating the foundation of the Hungarian state more than 1000 years ago, which this year attracted over 1.5m spectators to the banks of the Danube watch the main large format projection and drone show. Multiple events were staged throughout the country’s vibrant and beautiful capital city on the day, with technical production - lighting sound, visuals, staging - for the 2023 event co-ordinated and delivered by the Visual Europe Group (VEG), working with 12 sub-companies. The three main areas in which Robe fixtures were used were the riverside Road Movie Live concert stage with an all-action line up of top Hungarian artists running over three days of the holiday weekend; The Parliament Building, where Robe Fortes support
