USA - The Legacy Arena in Birmingham AL stands 10 stories tall. It’s also spacious, with an oval floor that measures 24,200 sq.ft, but earlier this summer, the big venue, which has hosted concerts by Grammy-winners, the Davis Cup, and other marquee events, took on the aura of a warm, soul-enriching space, when it served as the site of Church of the Highlands Motion 23 Conference. An immersive and inviting production design by the church’s creative director, Brian Worster, and broadcast-lighting director Griffin McCravy, along with the rest of their team, set the stage for this intimate setting in the 17,000-seat arena. “This is a student conference born out of our local church’s youth ministry,” said McCravy. “Although the conference has grown over the years to become an arena event, we always want it to reflect this vision. With this goal in mind, we built
USA - Aura the Robot will permanently reside in the grand atrium of Sphere in Las Vegas. Serving as the venue’s ‘spokesbot’, Aura will interact with guests at the venue, and serve as an integral part of The Sphere Experience featuring Darren Aronofsky’s Postcard from Earth. “Hello, humans. While I understand the most complex concepts of math and science - you remain a mystery,” said Aura. “Your emotions, your humour and your relationship with technology require further study, so you must visit me at Sphere. I am excited to meet you and introduce you to the future of live entertainment at my new home.” Developed using advanced technology in robotic mechanics and artificial intelligence, Aura is among the most expressive and life-like humanoid robots in the world. Five Aura robots will greet guests from the moment they enter Sphere, putting
Germany - Top international electronic dance music acts, along with 65,000 ravers, again transformed the former Pydna missile base in the Hunsrück area of Germany into one of the hotspots of the European EDM scene. Gerdon Design has been providing the Nature One festival with creative designs for over 10 years - and this year was no exception, with designer Marek Papke’s team again responsible for the event’s open-air floor. Numerous pyramids, which formed part of the set construction, and the unbridled light output from 64 GLP KNV Cubes played a key role in maintaining all-round consistency for this largest open-air floor of the festival. “As a design element, the pyramid already existed at Nature One in 2019,” notes Papke. “The pyramids, which were originally made as a special construction, were still available and everyone involved wanted not only to use
China - Renowned Hong Kong singer and actor Jacky Cheung kicked off his latest tour on 9 June at The Venetian Macao Cotai Arena in Macau. The Jacky Cheung 60+ Concert Tour not only signifies the 10th solo concert tour of his career but also marks the superstar’s first large-scale event after celebrating his 60th birthday. The current world tour, extending into 2024, has already broken records by selling over 109,000 tickets for the Cotai Arena and hosting 11 shows at the Singapore Indoor Stadium - a feat unprecedented among any previous artist in a single leg of a concert tour in Singapore. DiGiCo Quantum5 consoles and a KLANG immersive monitor system for the tour were provided by Rightway Audio Consultants (RAC), DiGiCo’s official distributor in China. At the project's outset, the RAC team offered support in system design, setup, and decisions about the mix
USA - All of it Now (AOIN), a virtual art department and in-camera VFX integration solutions provider, never shies away from pushing the boundaries of creativity. Coachella 2023 proved to be the perfect canvas for their latest artistic endeavour, which involved crafting augmented reality (AR) experiences to captivate one of the most demanding audiences on the festival circuit. AOIN turned to Stage Precision’s SP software, a powerful data and control management software they had used before, but now hoped to deploy on a much grander scale. As the sun rose on Coachella 2023, AOIN faced several challenges. The project brief included enhancing the main stage livestream broadcast to create a new augmented reality platform for artists including Gorillaz, Bad Bunny and Blackpink. As a central component of Coachella's 2023 marketing campaign, Coachella introduced the "
France - The much-anticipated League of Legends EMEA Championships (LEC) took place 8-10 September at the Sud de France Arena in Montpellier. The popular e-sports tournament took place in front of a packed arena and was streamed live online, reaching peak viewing figures of over 650,000 during the final matchup between G2 Esports and Fnatic, which saw G2 take the win. TSL provided the lighting package for the three-day event, working with head of production Ben Vignola from 1 Up Productions and lighting designer Mat Stovall on behalf of ConCom inc. A broad range of TSL’s fixtures were utilised from manufacturers such as Ayrton, SGM, Robe, GLP, Martin and more. Over one hundred Ayrton Perseo Profiles were used to provide audience illumination as well as effect lighting. TSL’s ever popular Robe Spiider enabled programmers Eric Barth and Zach Matusow to e
Czech Republic - Named after Uffo Horn, an important native of Trutnov who greatly influenced the culture and politics in the region in 19th century, the Social and Cultural Centre of the Trutnov region has been serving the community since the end of 2010. This multifunctional facility provides a cultural space for a variety of events including theatre performances, concerts, exhibitions, conventions and balls. One of the centre's standout offerings is the vibrant and diverse programme of international festival, Cirk-UFF, which takes place at the turn of May and June each year. Given the diverse range of performances hosted at the venue, it was essential to maintain a flexible layout and adhere to touring standards to ensure seamless transitions between events. DiGiCo's Czech distributor, Pro Music, supplied and installed the specialist audio setup, which includes SD12 and
UK - Stage Sound Services, who offer full production and equipment services from their 50,000 sq.ft HQ in Cardiff, were recently tasked to support Freshwater UK, a marketing and events agency, with the technical realisation of this year's Unite the Union Policy Conference in Brighton. The Policy Conference is the main decision-making body of the union, held every two years and made up of around 700 lay members from Unite's 19 sectors and 10 regions and equality structures. One of the visual highlights of the conference was a 24m wide AV Stumpfl Vario projection screen. “A key requirement for this year’s conference was a large 'super wide screen', to provide a flexible format for conference images, screen relays and presentations, as well as to achieve a modern fresh look,” explains Stage Sound Services director Phil Hurley. The Vario frame concept fol
Italy - Prolights products illuminated the second edition of I Venerdì di Ercolano, a culturally enriching initiative promoted and commissioned by the Ente Parco Nazionale degli Scavi di Ercolano (National Park of Herculaneum Excavations) and the Italian Ministry of Culture. This project seamlessly transformed the evocative route into an enthralling journey through the culinary annals of ancient Rome, enriched by the innovative lighting setup crafted by Prolights. The lighting rig was installed by Artemia, a system integration company, under the stewardship of project managers Lucio Sabatino and Alessandro Limongiello. The monumental setup featured approximately 500 Prolights products, including Smart BatPlus, SmartBattenQ, ArcPar 7, and LumiPix 16H. These devices gracefully bathed the wide expanse of the Herculaneum excavations. The Artemia team, satisfied ove
India - In late March, the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) opened its doors in Mumbai, ushering in a new era of creativity in a city renowned for its Bollywood influence. This multidisciplinary arts centre boasts a 2,000-seat theatre, two intimate performance spaces and a four-storey Art House. To mark its grand opening, a three-day celebration blended musicals and international art exhibitions, including India in Fashion: The Impact of Indian Dress and Textiles on the Fashionable Imagination. This exhibition celebrated the global influence of Indian design on fashion, with the help of 128 Genelec 4430 Smart IP loudspeakers. Overseeing the project was Mumbai-based technology and acoustic consultancy firm, Munro. Their mission was to craft a soothing auditory landscape without compromising audio quality, while ensuring the seamless integration of the l
USA - Soundworks of Virginia returned to the familiar 100-acre Maymont Park site in Richmond, VA to help stage the Richmond Jazz and Music Festival, an event for which they have provided sound reinforcement since 2017. Working for promoter JMI (Johnson Marketing Inc) they fielded their flagship Martin Audio WPL optimised line array on the main stage, deploying hangs of 12 WPL elements on each wing. These were underpinned by 12 SXH218 in cardioid formation - a move largely designed to prevent the stage from vibrating - with a delay tower of eight smaller WPS elements, set around 275ft back and with four WPS deployed along the stage lip as front-fills. Monitors comprised four WPS loudspeakers atop a pair of SXC118 subs, mounted both stage left and right for sidefills, plus 12 of Soundworks’ own SW2 proprietary wedges. Soundworks also equipped the second stage wit
The Netherlands - Music, art and culture came together, once again, at ParkCity Live 2023 in Heerlen. This year, the event took place on the first weekend of July. SLF Group Rental + Sales BV provided lighting equipment by Showtec and Infinity for both the main stage and the dance area. ParkCity Live is a family-friendly festival that regularly sells out and this year was no exception with the maximum capacity of 17,500 visitors reached on both days. The festival attracts both national and international acts and covers various music genres as well as comedy and theatre. The main stage and dance area both featured lighting by Showtec and Infinity supplied SLF Group Rental + Sales BV. The light design for the main stage was created by Wesley Houben of The Nota Experience. Twelve top-of-the-range Infinity S601 Profile moving heads, chosen for their powerful output, wide
Singapore - As the largest content creator and national media network in Singapore, Mediacorp operates a suite of TV channels, radio stations, and multiple digital platforms. Year after year, Mediacorp assumes the role of the central hub for the country's biggest celebration of content and talent in the local entertainment industry. This year's event, the 28th edition of Star Awards, was themed Beyond | Celebrations, and was reimagined as a star-studded concert. It featured a line-up of Singapore's finest talents and regional superstars, joining forces for a night of glamour, excitement, and celebrations. Oceanus Media Global (OMG) worked with Mediacorp to create the opening segment and after credit scene for the award ceremony using their Futurealistic Studio, with a high-tech LED volume powered by Brompton Technology LED processing. Founded in 2020, OMG is a cr
Czech Republic - Colours of Ostrava is the Czech Republic’s largest music festival, currently staged against the imposing backdrop of old blast furnaces, cooling towers, ore cauldrons, casting shops and other industrial relics from the Dolní Oblast Vitkovice (DOV) steelworks in Ostrava, the country’s third biggest city. The 2023 edition was another success, with over 250 artists appearing across 20 stages over four days. Robe moving lights had a big presence, including on the two largest performance areas - the Ceska Sporitelna / Main Stage, and the adjacent Liberty Stage. Colours’ technical director Josef ‘Pepa’ Ženíšek led a core production team of 35 from his Prague based company, SMART Production, who co-ordinated all aspects of the technical production - staging, rigging, lighting, sound, video, audio, stage management and all associated infrastruct
UK - Depeche Mode’s sound has been a huge part of the electronic rock landscape since it hit the airwaves in the 1980s, and today, fans continue to amass in their hundreds of thousands to hear them perform. Led by production manager Tony Gittins and touring in support of their 15th studio album of the same name, band members Dave Gahan and Martin Gore bring Memento Mori to the live stage for another world-class feat. With help from Britannia Row productions account executive, Dave Compton, the touring audio team has specified a plethora of high-end tools including an L-Acoustics K Series PA system, and SSL and Avid control surfaces. Systems engineer Terence Hulkes comments: “Depeche Mode are a long-standing client of Brit Row’s, and as their crew, we aim to continue delivering (and improving upon) the standard of equipment and packaging that they hav
USA - Reflecting the fiercely independent personalities of Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard in light on a co-headline tour requires a deftly balanced show, one that celebrates each legend’s journey. A towering, power-projecting, cathedral-like design by Mike Cooper that featured Chauvet Professional Strike Array 4 blinders and Color Strike M motorised strobes did that in style, supporting the individual personality of each of the two bands on their recently concluded co-headline USA tour. Matt Mills ensured that Mötley Crüe was supported by dynamic looks, that reflected the multi-platinum band’s identity, while LD Kenji worked on Def Leppard. “I was one of the programmers when we did preproduction for this show last year at Lititz,” said Mills. “On this run of six shows, I filled in for lighting director, Michael Willingham running the Mötley Crüe segment.
USA - An eagerly-awaited return in the world of heavy rock finally happened in December 1922 as Pantera played their first show in over two decades at Mexico's Hell & Heaven Metal Fest, with the band's new line-up featuring original members Philip Anselmo and Rex Brown plus Charlie Benante and Zakk Wylde. Since, the band has continued to tour across North America in addition to a number of spring dates and festivals in Europe plus a number of shows opening for Metallica, to acclaim from their very loyal and international fanbase. System engineer Alex Hollinger has been using an Outline Newton FPGA processor at the heart of his control setup - he talks about how it is configured and also how its combination with the latest digital mixing console from Midas, the HD-96, offers a technical advantage that is presently unique in the world of live sound: “We are
Australia - The sparkle and ambiance that characterised the 63rd annual TV Week Logie Awards was enhanced by the innovative lighting solutions offered by Prolights. This event, held at Sydney's The Star and broadcast by the Seven Network, is regarded as one of the highlights of the Australian television industry, attracting celebrities and industry professionals from all corners of the country each year. The lighting setup that wowed the attendees was supplied and installed by Chameleon Touring Systems, in collaboration with Show Technology, the official Prolights distributor in Australia. The selection of luminaires was key, and the result was a lighting rig comprising approximately 150 Prolights solutions, including EclPanel TWC, VersaPar, Smart BatWash and EclPanel TWCJr. The TWC EclPanels played a fundamental role in all the installations, illuminating not only the
Belgium - The Antwerpen Sportpaleis played host to a cornucopia of projected lasers and lighting earlier this summer when promoters, Zillion presented their new immersive Iluminati dance concept. This new design, conceived by Frank Verstraeten, who co-promoted the event with Yves Smolders, ran over two days - each with nine hours duration. A capacity 14,500 crowd immersed themselves in this purpose-built 3D ‘black box’ environment on each night. Helping to create the magic were an abundance were GLP JDC1 and JDC Lines -some 85 x JDC Line 500 and 40 x JDC 1 hybrid strobes were deployed. “We used all of these fixtures, not only as a conventional strobe but also to create an atmospheric glow, enabling us to punch through with the other moving heads,” said lighting and set designer, Thomas Boets (from LDP). They placed 45 of the JDC Line 500 on two large trusses ab
The Netherlands - This year’s Kingdance Festival and Dance4Liberation had a much in common. Both celebrated important national holidays, the King’s birthday, and the liberation of the Netherlands from Nazi occupation in the closing days of World War II. Both featured an electrifying line-up of EDM stars and other performers. And both took place on the same stage with the same lighting rig at the Wijthmenerplas lakeside park. There was, however, one critical element that separated the two festivals: time! Kingdance ended exactly one week before Dance4Liberation began. A lot can happen outdoors in the 168 hours (or 604,800 seconds) that make up a seven-day week, especially when you’re dealing with a climate as capricious as that of the Netherlands. But the rig shared by these two festivals performed smoothy, even though it remained in place for the entire week, th
Gregg Maltby, a Las Vegas-based independent lighting designer, chose an array of Ayrton fixtures for Peter Frampton’s Never Say Never tour. Versatile Ayrton LED fixtures such as the Diablo and Eurus profiles and the Zonda 9 FX washes comprise about half the rig. ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton lighting in North America. Frampton’s North American tour kicked off in June in Huber Heights, Ohio and wrapped in Sandy, Utah in August. The artist recently extended the tour with a series of November dates starting in Louisville and finishing before Thanksgiving in Nashville. OSA International, Inc. in Nashville, the lighting vendor for the tour, provided the Ayrton fixtures to long-time customer Maltby. “I’ve used Ayrton lights for a long time, including for Huey Lewis, Boston, and the Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly hologram tour,” says Maltby.
USA - It can take a while to get a group of people to embrace a new way of doing things, and it certainly doesn’t help when a two-year-plus-long pandemic complicates the process. However, it is easier when the new way is so undeniably amazing that everyone really does embrace it. That was definitely the case when Lorin White, brought on as the monitor engineer for the precursor set of shows for Lionel Richie’s current Sing A Song All Night Long tour, was ready to take off in 2020. The multiple Grammy Award winner and his band only managed to get one show in before the world shut down. Fortunately, White recorded that show, which became the basis for his initial experimentation with KLANG’s immersive IEM mixing system. “During the lockdown, Group One sent me a KLANG-equipped DiGiCo SD12 so I could do some test some mixes from that recording while at home
USA - English rock band Asking Alexandria is out on tour promoting their latest album with a lighting system provided by Bandit Lites. Comprised of guitarists Ben Bruce and Cameron Liddell, drummer James Cassells, lead vocalist Danny Worsnop, and bassist Sam Bettley, the band released their eighth studio album Where Do We Go From Here? on 25 August. Following the band’s European tour, lighting designer Corbin Alvae sought to utilise fixtures that would offer a host of functions to supply the band big, stadium style lighting that would translate to clubs and theatres. “The band has such a groovy and heavy rock ‘n roll style that I needed to provide a design that really highlighted that and bring those moments to life on the stage even more,” explained Alvae. “When Corbin reached out to me about his design for Asking Alexandria, I was beyond exc
USA - Showing there is plenty of gas left in the tank, rockers Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard had one of the biggest grossing tours of 2022. The momentum carried into 2023 with the summer culminating in a string of U.S. stadium shows lit using Brutus and Rayzor 1960 fixtures from Elation’s IP-rated Proteus series. The bands were supported by shock rocker Alice Cooper. Mötley Crüe lighting designer Michael Cooper has been working with the band for 10+ years and collaborated with Def Leppard LD Kenji Ohashi on the world tour design. Originally started back in 2019, the design was put on the back burner when Covid hit but eventually saw the light of day on the successful 2022 tour. “It was the longest design process we ever had,” Cooper noted before delving into the requirements for the co-headline outing. “We wanted something that would work for both bands but
