Jordan - The Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts, traditionally held in July, transforms the ancient city of Jerash into a lively and spectacular event. In December this year, after a three-year, pandemic-enforced absence, the festival was back in force with an impressive line-up of top regional artists including Tamer Husny, Marwan Khoury, Asi Hillani, and Rabeh Saqer to name but a few. For the eighth year running, Amman-based live production specialists, Triad Live Productions, were tasked with full sound and lighting production for the event. Their sound system of choice was KV2. “The setup this year was a little different,” explains Triad’s general manager, Amjad T. Marar. “In the main 5,000-capacity South Theatre, we were required to install a large truss structure on stage with a height of 16m. Ultimately, that worked to our advantage as we flew a VHD2.0
UK/USA - Clair Global, Eighth Day Sound and Britannia Row Productions supplied audio equipment and crew for Scottish singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini, as he embarked on a sell-out UK tour; his first in five years. The tour was handled by Clair Global account manager, Andy Walker, with assistance from Brit Row’s Tom Brown. The team, based in Twickenham, facilitated the delivery of a d&b audiotechnik KSL PA system from Eighth Day Sound’s inventory, as well as Solid State Logic and Allen & Heath desks, a host of outboard gear, skilled touring personnel, operations and tour support. “The KSL system is brand new to us as a tour,” says FOH engineer Ben Findlay. “It was available during the summer for a festival, and it sounded really good, so we decided to give it a go. It has a very authentic depth of balance, so you can have things quiet in the mix and the
Belgium - Agristo is a family business and a world player for the development and production of frozen potato products. Since 1986, the company’s name has been synonymous with potato-derived products. With more than 100 ‘potatoholics’ working at Agristo’s four high-tech production sites in Belgium and the Netherlands every day, the company needed a striking LED display solution for the new HQ building at its Wielsbeke production site, with Play AV supplying two complete setups of Leyard Europe MGP Complete Video Wall Display for the reception area and ‘the potato’ auditorium. Agristo’s strong connection to the potato growers meant the company wanted to emphasize on its collaborative spirit and over two decades of experience in the business. Play AV suggested Leyard’s fine pixel pitch LED video wall displays to help tell their corporate story by providin
Europe -Classic and crossover violinist David Garrett is an interesting artist to light, requiring a mix of treatments inspired by multiple visual genres, which is one of the many aspects – and challenges - relished by lighting designer Gerard Maijenburg who has worked with him for the last seven years. The European leg of Garrett’s current Alive tour featured over 200 Robe moving lights, picked by Gerard to energise his design. The creative process for developing the tour’s lighting ambience started with discussions with David who wanted a rock ‘n’ roll style wall-of-lights upstage of his band. With a classic black back cloth behind that and no video onstage, just two left-and-right IMAG screens, lighting was the primary visual medium utilised to establish all the emotion, atmosphere, and connections with the audiences. Ninety-two Robe Spiider LED w
USA - When the NFL began plans more than four years ago to move its headquarters from Culver City, California, to a new facility a few miles away in Inglewood, they had a vision for creating one of the world's most state-of-the-art, IP-based broadcast production facilities, and they carried that vision straight into the endzone. With its opening just before the 2021 season kick-off, the new NFL Media headquarters became the official home for NFL Network, NFL.com, NFL RedZone, the NFL app, and many other departments supporting the league’s media operations. This ultramodern, IP-based, 4K and HDR-capable production facility employs more than 1,000 people, and houses five main stages, all supported by numerous production-control rooms, audio-control rooms, and workstations. According to Bruce Goldfeder, vice president, broadcast engineering at NFL Media, this producti
Mexico - Steve Lieberman, owner of SJ Lighting has built a reputation throughout the world by defying expectations in his designs for major EDM festivals. If it seems like no two of his designs are alike, it’s because he strives to add a new and unexpected element to each one. “When we design an environment, it’s important to us that we have a visual element that stands out amongst the traditional components,” he explained. “The thing that really elevates a design from the predictable is the unexpected. This is what adds personality to a show.” On 5 November, Lieberman flashed his originality again at Beyond Wonderland Monterrey, an event produced by Ocesa and Insomniac, with a startling geometric design that featured 154 Chauvet Professional ÉPIX Strip IP fixtures with square frosted filters, which, like the rest of the rig, was supplied by Serpro Producc
Spain - Indie rock band Vetusta Morla has attracted a large and loyal following since it first emerged in 2008, so when the band members capped a whirlwind tour in support of its Latin Grammy-nominated Cable a Tierra album at Madrid’s Metropolitan Stadium, they were greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of 35,000 fans. The dynamic power and delicate subtlety of the music was carried throughout the jubilant crowd via a system of 240 Meyer Sound loudspeakers, including the new Panther large-format linear line arrays, provided by Fluge Audiovisuales of Madrid. “Meyer Sound has always provided us with unbeatable sound quality and uniform coverage,” says Iñigo Giménez, who designed and tuned the system for the concert and was audio crew chief for the tour. “All the different types of loudspeaker systems, including Panther, integrated perfectly.” A Meyer
UK - After a two-year hiatus, Manchester’s long-standing tradition as a musical epicentre is once again bolstered by the arrival of a ‘next-generation’ cultural destination, Canvas. Located just off Oxford Road in the heart of Circle Square, the multi-purpose space is a blank canvas featuring live music, club nights, a members’ lounge with events, as well as a seven-days-a-week bar open until 4am and a restaurant. Featuring the latest technology for visually and sonically led entertainment experiences, the sound is delivered via an L-Acoustics A Series system, specified and designed by L-Acoustics UK distributor, Audiotek, which was commissioned to supply AV requirements across the venue’s three main spaces. The team behind Canvas is not new to the entertainment industry, having previously founded two of London’s most prolific music establishments, The Pick
Australia - ITV’s I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here returned to the Australian jungle earlier this month, for the first time since the Covid pandemic saw it relocated to North Wales. Unusual Rigging was once again involved, providing consultancy and creating the brief for two aerial stunts. Unusual’s Robin Elias has worked with ITV on the hit show for years and, while the show was filmed in Wales, a team of Unusual riggers headed by senior production rigger, Sam Carter, were on set, rigging and operating the challenges. With the show’s return to Oz, Australian-based Tri-Point Rigging were once again contracted to manage and execute the project locally, with Unusual Rigging consulting with Tri Points’ Graham Dew & Damian Green, on two of the key challenges. Robin commented, “It’s a great pleasure to once again work with the I’m a Celebri
UK - In Tomb Raider: The LIVE Experience, teams of eight people experience an adrenaline-fuelled adventure in search of a powerful artefact in an approximately 30,000 m2 LIVE action course in London. On behalf of Little Lion Entertainment, Darkside Audio Visual was responsible for the planning and installation of the lighting, audio and video technology, and for this, the London-based integrator relied on a total of 166 spotlights from Cameo. Tomb Raider: The LIVE Experience moves through single and multi-level areas with one overarching goal: to immerse participants deeply in the story being told. In addition to the beautifully designed sets, actors also contribute to the adventure. The selected Cameo fixtures – from the Q-Spot, Studio Par, Root Par, TS and Thunder Series – are spread across all areas of Tomb Raider: The LIVE Experience. For e
France - Internationally acclaimed Franco-Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado is showing Amazônia, his seven-years-in-the-making photographic journey into the still-unspoiled heart of the world’s greatest and most awe-inspiring wilderness. Salgado’s work is fittingly celebrated at the Amazônia Exhibition at Palais des Papes in Avignon, which runs until 30 November. Designed by Lélia Wanick Salgado and accompanied by evocative music from Jean-Michel Jarre specifically written for the occasion, this experience features over 200 black & white photographs that reflect the striking complexity and beauty of the Amazon. Enhancing the power of the exhibit and making it even more transformative is a balanced lighting design by RT Events that features 166 Chauvet Professional fixtures. Subtle and discrete, their lighting manages to add to the exhibi
USA/Europe - The music of Phoebe Bridgers has been captivating an ever-growing fanbase since her first album release in 2017, with lighting designer Spike Kienholz Inglis of Spike Design having been lighting the artist since those early days. The LA-based singer / songwriter released her second album, Punisher, in 2020. With live events and touring disrupted at the time due to covid, she is now mid-way through a 2022 world tour which started in the US, before moving to Europe for a festival blast through the summer, and ultimately culminating in a UK headliner tour. For the US leg of the tour, Spike specified a full Robe moving light rig – with 24 x MegaPointes, 24 x Spiiders, 16 x Tetra1s and six Fortes – all supplied by Gateway Studios & Production from St Louis. Spike first encountered Robe’s products whilst touring Europe in 2014 and has be
UK - The untimely passing of Foo Fighters’ drummer, Taylor Hawkins, left the music industry in a state of shock, with some even speculating as to whether the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees would ever perform again. However the remaining members decided – with the blessing of Hawkins’ family – to hold two all-star concerts in tribute to their late friend, colleague and bandmate, which were held at London’s Wembley Stadium on 3 September and the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on 27 September. Britannia Row Productions, which has supplied audio equipment and crew to the Foo Fighters global touring activities for over two decades, were trusted to deliver audio reinforcement for this pair of mammoth televised shows. The six-hour marathon concert at Wembley Stadium was curated with a stellar line-up of artists to honour Hawkins’ life, including Liam Gallag
UK - Apes CloudPower amplifiers have been installed as part of a complete audio system overhaul at St Cuthbert’s church in Wood Green, North London. St Cuthbert’s turned to AV consultants and integrators, Noiseboys Technologies, to specify and install a new audio system for music amplification and speech reproduction that covered the church with better, clearer sound, and that had the versatility to be used in multiple orientations and settings. The church’s existing 100V audio system had been designed purely for speech amplification and no longer reflected the needs of a worship team which plays as a band with drums, keyboard, electric and acoustic guitars, and multiple singers. The old speakers positioned on the exterior walls struggled to provide coverage for the full congregation and the system lacked the flexibility to facilitate the church’s busy program
UK - Originally opened by the late Queen in 1983, Glasgow’s celebrated Burrell Collection museum was recently reopened by King Charles in one of his first engagements as monarch, following a six-year long, £68m refurbishment. With a bold focus on digital presence and interpretation, LCD screens from Leyard Europe, were paramount in the museum’s refit. Curated by Glasgow shipping magnate and art collector, Sir William Burrell and his wife Constance, the prestigious collection was gifted by the couple to the City in 1944, alongside funds for the construction of a museum to house it. After years searching for the appropriate site, the resulting building is a Scandinavian-inspired, award-winning design established in the city’s Pollok Country Park. Many of the Collection’s significant and unique objects have been in storage for decades or never been on permanent d
China - The work and creativity of one of the best known and most significant impressionist painters, Claude Monet, will attract all elements of art lovers in a new gallery concept presented in a special temporary venue erected at Hong Kong’s Xiqu Centre in the West Kowloon District. This is thanks to some genius imagineering and teamwork between international video mapping, immersive experience and digital art creative studio, Dirty Monitor, and ChillHoYeah Hong Kong, a new company with a passion for art, technology, and experimentalism. This collaboration was commissioned by exhibition organisers ChillHoYeah, a co-promoter with Dirty Monitor for En Voyage with Claude Monet which will run for three months at this site. This is the first full scale project by D-Mines, Dirty Monitor’s brand-new creative content production management division headed up
USA - The much anticipated Twenty One Pilots Icy tour hit the road this summer, offering lighting designer Tyler ‘Shap’ Shapard the chance to produce an elegant and imaginative lighting design based on atmospherically engineering the mood and vibes. A cornerstone of this design was 80 x Robe MegaPointes explained Shap who collaborated closely on this tour with co-designer and programmer Dayne DeHaven. Their creative process involved Shap producing the essential looks and building blocks for each number and Dayne completing the ‘nuts and bolts’ programming which they finessed together. Shap was also on the road running lighting day-to-day. MegaPointes are a personal favourite fixture of Shap’s and they have featured on the last two Twenty One Pilots tour cycles which included the immediately post Covid Takeover tour earlier in 2022, where the band played four
Belgium - TV and music personality Bart Peeters has recently concluded a series of 26 sold-out concerts at Antwerp’s 8,000 capacity Lotto Arena, selecting DiGiCo’s Q338 console as the centrepiece. A prolific touring artist, Peeters regularly performs in venues across the country and further afield in The Netherlands. The artist’s enhanced show, entitled Bart Peeters Deluxe - Live in the Lotte Arena, was devised to be located in one larger capacity venue to accommodate a more elaborate programme, delivered in several shorter runs over a year-long period, and recorded for a live album production. “I have been working with Bart since 2007, first as his monitor engineer, and from 2014 as FOH engineer,” explains engineer, Roel Snellebrand. “For the smaller shows and theatre venues, we use two SD12 96 consoles, one at FOH and one for monitors, which gives
Belgium - International show, visual and production design studio Painting with Light has enjoyed a busy summer and autumn back to full speed working on a wide range of projects and events embracing theatre, television, and live broadcast. The company is headed by Luc Peumans, who comments, “It was fantastic for our team and all our clients to be back doing live shows with real audiences after two years of pandemic restrictions. While this ‘dark’ period forced us to be imaginative and inventive in creating entertainment and engagement, there is nothing like feeling the buzz and excitement of shows packed with crowds, anticipation, and real human experience.” Tien Om Te Zien, a popular Sunday night VTM music show ran from 1989 – 2008 and was then rebooted in 2014 and 2021. The 2021 was such a success that the broadcaster revived the concept once again to run
Lithuania - Kaunas State Musical Theatre has been under reconstruction. UAB Sonus exsertus in cooperation with AB Light were responsible for the architectural lighting solution for the building's façade. Sonus exsertus deployed a range of the Italian-based DTS Lighting projects for this project. According to the concept designer Arvydas Buinauskas the client's goal was to give liveliness to the theatre and make it more playful during the dark hours of the day. Artistic lighting was designed with the aim of transforming the building to the theme of a certain event. One of the challenges for the designer was to first give the very idea of how lighting a building must be done, highlighting the unique elements of the façade in pastel colours, so that it would not be annoying and that it could blend into the urban landscape environment. With such a structure located in t
Portugal - The new cultural district in Porto, known as World of Wine (WOW), comprises a cluster of museums, restaurants, and bars that form an immersive journey through the region’s port production heritage. WOW’s management team decided they wanted to install a comprehensive, premium audio system to guide people through the various exhibits and deliver the immersive soundscapes that help make the venue different. Genelec loudspeakers were chosen for studio-quality sound, flexibility, and reliability. Over 400 Genelec loudspeakers are utilised across all the spaces. The brief was simple; to build an interactive experience that would attract, entertain, and educate tourists on various aspects of Portugal’s cultural history. Local Genelec distributor Garrett Audiovisuais secured the contract and specified an extensive list of Genelec equipment, working in tandem
Thailand - Standing more than 40 stories above the bustling city of Bangkok is Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok rooftop bar, equipped with ethereal gardens, live DJs and stunning views. The rooftop bar, Bar.Yard, mirrors the beauty of the city through futuristic designs and technology. With an abundance of ambient noise from the lively city below, the needs of DJs to foster an entertaining space for guests and the threat of inclement weather, Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok relied on Renkus-Heinz sound solutions to meet its needs while not distracting guests from the architectural beauty of the space. Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok is named for the maa-lai flower bouquet, a traditional gift given to guests in Thai culture. Working with Bangkok-based AV integration firm Vichai Trading 1983 and AV consultant Atkrist Co., Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok upgraded the rooftop bar’s audio, visual and con
UK - The Chai Wallahs stage has proved popular with up-and-coming acts as it tours around UK festivals. With a self-contained setup and its own roster of artists, Chai Wallahs has built its reputation around a quality experience for both bands and crew. The sound system has played a major role in developing this reputation, with sound engineer and system designer, Harry Bishop central to this process for nearly 15 years. “The stage is quite famed for its audio,” says Bishop. “The big feedback from the audience and from the bands has always been the quality of the sound.” Bishop had been using a solution from one manufacturer since the independent stage first hit the festival scene. However, he had grown increasingly disillusioned with the sound quality he was getting and started to explore different options. During this process he was introduced to TW Audio.
USA - Surrounded by the scenic views of Alamogordo, the 800-seat Christ Community Church was struggling to provide quality audio with their aging and original PA. With the decision made to upgrade their system, the task of finding a modern solution capable of delivering great sound evenly to every seat was given to technical director Jacob Pierce. With a big assist from industry experts Michael Garrison Associates (MGA), Pierce found the solution he was looking for with a custom Anna and Otto ADAPTive system from Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW). The new EAW upgrade consists of a total of 12 Anna loudspeaker arrays, four Otto subwoofers and eight EAW JF8 2-way loudspeakers. The eight JF8’s are used as front-fill speakers and are spread out evenly from the back of the platform in a trapezoidal pattern. The new EAW ADAPTive PA system is run through an Allen & Heath dLive con
