France - Un Violon sur le Sable (A Violin on the Sand) attracts up to 50,000 classical music lovers from all over France and beyond to what is essentially a free festival of three major orchestral concerts plus a solo recital on the beach at Royan on the Atlantic coast. This year’s event took place over four evenings in the final week of July, with Nexo STM as the main FOH system, deployed by local production services company Black Line Event from Fouquebrune. With additional hangs of speakers up and down the beach to cover an unusually wide lateral crowd, the main line arrays on either side of the stage each comprised of nine STM M46 main modules flown side by side with nine STM B112 bass extension modules, plus an additional three STM M28 omni modules on the bottom as down-fills. Nine STM S118 subs were ground-stacked beneath each array in a cardioid configur
Japan - Held annually over two days along the banks of the Shinano River in Nagaoka City, Nagaoka Fireworks Festival resumed in August after a three-year break. The spectacular show was accompanied by Martin Audio WPC and WPS line arrays, which were adopted as the main sound system. The festival was inaugurated as far back as 1879 and since World War II has been held annually on 2-3 August, with the hope of achieving world peace. In 2019, it boasted a record 1.08m spectators around the world, making it one of the three major fireworks festivals in Japan. Although the main audience area spans approximately 500m x 200m, the height of the sound system is limited to under 3m in order not to block the view of the fireworks. To meet this requirement, multiple small systems were installed and distributed over the entire audience area. MIC LLC and Yokinsha Co. both broug
Mexico - In June, the show Hasta que se nos hizo! was presented at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City where renowned Mexican singers Lucero and Manuel Mijares delighted the audience with a litany of hits from over 40 years in the entertainment industry. Axel Rebollo, in charge of lighting and production design for the show, used Elation Professional’s 51,000-lumen Artiste Mondrian LED profile FX moving head, along with Chorus Line 16 and Protron 3K Color, to highlight the set and ran the show using an NX2 console by Obsidian Control Systems. “A great thing about working with the Artiste Mondrian is its LED source, which is efficient and produces a very powerful output,” stated LD Axel Rebollo. “I also like its optics, the wide zoom range it offers and how versatile it can be thanks to its gobos, prisms, colour system and all the tools it features.”
USA - Following a lengthy five-year touring hiatus, North American fans of OneRepublic were justifiably thrilled to catch the Colorado Springs-founded band on its recent Never Ending Summer Tour, which stopped at more than 40 arenas, theatres, amphitheatres and pavilions between early July and mid-September. Equally elated were FOH engineer Justin Ripley and monitor engineer Dave McMullin to be manning their mixes on a pair of DiGiCo Quantum7 consoles provided by Nashville’s Spectrum Sound, which supplied the control and PA packages for the tour. For over a year, Spectrum has also been equipping the production team with a pair of DiGiCo Quantum338 consoles for the band’s many non-tour-related shows. “We’ve been out for most of this year, including seven weeks in Europe during April and May, but we’ve always had a good number of one-offs in between,” says Mc
USA - Californian quartet Marca MP’s lively blend of banda, mariachi, and ranchera has an uplifting effect on fans, getting them on their feet, dancing, stomping, and singing along, as everyday concerns seem to float away with the music. Frontman Pedro (El Chato) Vargas exemplifies the buoyant spirt of the band with his magnetic stage presence. But Vargas’ smile wasn’t the only thing shining when Marca MP took to the stage for their long-awaited show at MGM Grand this summer as part of their Lo Que Fuera Un Sueño Tour 2022. Glittering along with their spirited performance was a dynamic Gus Martinez-designed lightshow that filled the big concert space with intense flashes of audience lighting and strobing that ran in sync with the music. Like the music itself, Martinez’s lightshow was characterised by its energy and motion. Weaving light and video together, he
Portugal - Europalco, one of the largest providers of solutions for events and shows in Southern Europe, was the global provider of the United Nations World Ocean Conference held at the emblematic Altice Arena stadium in Lisbon. The five-day event, organised by the governments of Kenya and Portugal, was attended by more than 7,000 participants and brought together 25 heads of state and government and a hundred ministers. Europalco dedicated a team of 141 people (120 technicians, five project managers, eight purchasing managers, and eight logistics operators) to the event, providing a comprehensive solution. The Portuguese company was in charge of setting up the stages, providing all the furniture and all the technology necessary for the event. It also oversaw sound and lighting, screens, video, and live transmissions, as well as teleprompter tools, simultaneous transla
Thailand - Powersoft’s crossover X Series amplifier platform is powering a 40-box speaker system providing sound at the newly refurbished Chonburi Stadium in eastern Thailand. Chonburi Stadium was built in 2009 to host the 39th Thailand National Games, held in Chonburi in December 2010. The stadium is now home to Thai League 1 football team Chonburi FC, nicknamed the Sharks, who play both domestic and international home fixtures in the ground, located around 50 miles east of Thai capital Bangkok. The replacement of the original audio system (the choice of equipment having been driven by budget considerations) was part of an ongoing upgrade of the 13-year-old stadium’s facilities that also included improved lighting, new seats and a re-turfed grass pitch. Tasked with improving intelligibility for both speech and music, system integrator Asavasopon used Modeler
USA - Austrian Audio mics were on tour with another major act earlier this year when Jon Bon Jovi kicked off their 2022 spring North American tour in Omaha, Nebraska. Travelling throughout the Midwest and South, stopping in 15 cities along the way, the New Jersey rockers performed music off their latest album, Bon Jovi 2020. The playlist included classic hits like You Give Love a Bad Name and Wanted Dead or Alive plus one ot two surprise tracks. FOH engineer Bill Sheppell and Bon Jovi’s longtime friend and recording engineer Obie O'Brien were responsible for the tour's sound and recording. The pair made extensive use of Austrian Audio microphones with OD505 active dynamic vocal mics. Austrian Audio OC18 condenser microphones were used on the drums while a CC8 small-diaphragm condenser was used on the hi-hat and percussion. O’Brien and She
Italy - One hundred Claypaky Sharpy Plus Aqua fixtures were deployed at the Venetian Arsenal from 31 August to 10 September 2022 for the Campari Boat-In Cinema event at the time-honoured Venice International Film Festival. Campari has been the main sponsor of the festival for the past five years, during which it has organised a whole series of events to promote dialogue between established filmmakers and emerging talent. Among the best-known initiatives is the screening of some of the films in competition with the audience watching from the water on small boats or platforms in the scenic Arsenal basin. A spectacular live performance opens the evening after an apéritif and welcome dinner for a select audience of about 180 people. This is followed by a film screening on the big screen. After the film, the evening firework party begins for a larger audience of about 1,500 peop
Finland – The annual Miss Finland pageant was broadcast live on TV from Helsinki’s Valkoinen Sali hall in September, with contestants ‘strutting their stuff’ backed by LED screens driven by Hippotizer Karst+ Media Servers. The event, which crowns a winner who will go on to represent Finland in the Miss Universe competition, draws healthy viewing figures and sparks conversation on social media. It claims to promote not only outer beauty, but mental strength and charity work showcasing the women of today. Helsinki-based Capital AV was commissioned by Miss Finland organiser, Finnartist Ltd, to create and operate the visuals for the event and design the staging inside the Valkoinen Sali venue, which was built in the 1920s. Capital AV’s Capital Creative arm designed and constructed a triangular catwalk from the hall’s existing stage, allowing the contestants to
Singapore - Showtec, one of the largest rental companies in South East Asia, has purchased 40 Ayrton Domino LT luminaires from Total Solution Marketing Pte Ltd, Ayrton's exclusive distributor for Singapore. The fixtures were subsequently used for the prestigious Singapore National Day Parade on 9 August 2022. Showtec is one of the top professional entertainment technology companies in South East Asia and carries a very extensive range of equipment for every kind of event. Its inventory is backed by a team of highly proficient technicians who achieve fantastic results for everything from intimate concerts to large scale outdoor events. Henry Ang, founder of Showtec, chose Ayrton Domino LT both to boost his rental stock and, specifically, for the National Day Parade. “We chose Ayrton Domino LT after a lot of research comparing it against other major moving light brands
Korea - Officially opened in March this year, Seongnam-si Atrium was built on the site of the old Civic Centre next to the Seongnam Medical Centre building in Taepyeong-dong, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si. The building’s 4943sq.m spans six floors, four of them below ground, it features a 645-seat grand theatre and a smaller 200-seat theatre, both with access to a DiGiCo Quantum 338 and Quantum 225 mixing console, as well as offices for local art groups. Following a ground breaking ceremony in March 2019, the name Seongnam Atrium was confirmed in November 2019 through a contest to name the venue and a preference survey of Seongnam-si’s citizens. The name means the central garden of an ancient Roman house and denotes a creative culture and arts space that connects with the citizens. DiGiCo’s Korean distributor, Soundus, became involved with the project in June 2021. “
Belgium - This past summer, community centre and local theatre GC De Kroon in Bocholt invested in a new Elation LED lighting package just in time for the new theatre season. The new energy-efficient lighting upgrade includes both stage and house lighting fixtures, a dynamic system that will serve the local performance community well into the future. The transition from conventional lighting to LED lighting was high on the city council’s agenda and Jasper Hendriks, technician at the theatre, was tasked with looking into the newest available technology. According to Jasper, the 400-capacity theatre had several good reasons for wanting to upgrade their lighting system. “One issue was with the conventional 1 kw and 2 kw lighting we had – there was simply no more spare parts for them,” he explains. “Another reason is the local dance schools and associations that
France - DJ, music producer and creative live experience imitator Michael Canitrot presented another innovative Monumental show, this time in front of the Cathedral Notre-Dame of Laon in the city of Aisne in the Hauts-de-France region of France. A special musical performance was created for this event which was presented in collaboration with design collective AV-Extended led by Jérémie Bellot, featuring a giant video mapped projection show onto the front of the Cathedral’s imposing 56m-high façade, supported by a light show designed by Mikael “Mika” Trochu utilising 56 x Robe moving lights. This followed Michael Canitrot’s 2021 Monumental Tour, a series of site-specific performances staged at some of the most spectacular heritage landmarks and monuments around France. Robe Fortes and MegaPointes were chosen for their power, brightness, and impact as
Czech Republic - Australian electronic dance music combo Rüfüs Du Sol is currently in the midst of a world tour that has taken them throughout Europe before heading over to the US and terminating in Australia (via New Zealand) at the end of the year. The group has enjoyed huge success in their native Australia and has since relocated to Los Angeles to further their international reputation - clearly now well established as the band has just received a 2022 Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording for Alive, the lead single from their fourth studio album, Surrender. As part of their European tour, the trio recently played a sold-out gig in Prague at the 3,000-capacity Forum Karlin using KV2’s flagship VHD5 system. Rüfüs Du Sol’s relationship with KV2 began in earnest in early 2021 when KV2’s technical support director for the APAC region, Angu
UK - Creamfields North celebrated its 25th anniversary in style in the village of Daresbury - its home since 2006. The site in Cheshire again played host to the dance event, and with it a selection of global DJ superstars over August Bank Holiday weekend. The biggest EDM event in the UK, hosting 250 artists over the four days, it comprised up to 12 stages, two of which were serviced by Capital Sound (a Solotech company) who have a long history of supporting the event, both in the north and south. Headliners this year included Calvin Harris, David Guetta and Hardwell amongst others, all performing alongside the likes of Becky Hill, Bicep Live, Eric Prydz, Patrick Topping, Pete Tong, Martin Garrix, Jax Jones, Scooter and Armin van Buuren. All the performances were DJ playback, and as is customary, each of the stages changed name on a daily basis. Working alongside
USA - Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun, better known as Twenty One Pilots, have released six studio albums, including last year’s Scaled and Icy, which nabbed the Top Rock Album prize at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards. After an extensive European festival run earlier this year and the duo’s international Takeover Tour in late 2021, Twenty One Pilots is now out on The Icy Tour, its second North American trek supporting the album. Clair Global has been serving as the artists’ touring sound reinforcement provider since January and is carrying an L-Acoustics K2 system for the current arena run. “I’ve worked on a number of K2 systems in the past and have really enjoyed their tonality,” says Kenny Sellars, who has been with the band since 2016, first as a systems engineer, then taking over FOH duties in January of 2019. “Twenty One Pilots’ show is significan
China - Spanning more than 100 acres and welcoming almost 10 thousand visitors each day (with nearly 20,000 visitors on holidays), Unique Henan: Land of Drama is recognised as ‘the world's largest fantasy city’. This self-guided, multi-media and immersive live performance experience tells the 5,000-year history of Chinese civilization around the Henan region. A range of dramatic, full-immersion, panoramic storytelling encompasses 21 theatres and dozens of outdoor spaces, including 56 maze-like courtyards, multiple themed restaurants and food and beverage areas, and employs more than 800 performers. The attraction’s construction took four years to complete and cost nearly $930m. The facility’s many lighting, video, and sound systems are controlled by a mix of pre-programmed, synchronised, time-code-based presentations, audio-triggered routines, as well as live p
USA - The Congressional Medal of Honour Society returned to Knoxville to celebrate and pay tribute to the sacrifices made by Americans around the world. Bandit Lites was honoured to donate a lighting system for the gala, where more than 30 recipients of the Medal of Honor gathered to “reconnect with each other, solemnly commemorate those recipients who have passed, conduct Society business, and engage the local community”. “When asked, ‘what is the greatest event you have ever been involved in,’ my answer is simple: The Medal of Honor Celebration,” said Bandit chair Michael T. Strickland. “Other than the birth of my sons, this is hands down the event that is the most important moment in my life. We are honoured that this is our second time illuminating this amazing event, and these fine men are the true American Heroes. No other star shines as bright. To be in
Czech Republic - Located on the outskirts of Karlín near Florenc in Prague, the Musical Theatre Karlín (Czech: Hudební divadlo Karlín) is one of the oldest and theatres in the Czech Republic. With its lively entertainment programme predominantly consisting of operettas and musical productions, the 141-year theatre was built by the city and is its largest theatre after the Prague State Opera. As part of a major update to the technical infrastructure of its main stage, the Musical Theatre Karlín has recently invested in DiGiCo’s Quantum 7T with EX-007 fader expansion surface, supplied and installed by DiGiCo’s Czech distributor, Pro Music. The theatre’s main auditorium previously featured a large format analogue desk. It had served the venue well for many years, but the theatre’s team knew it was time for an update. As the venue also has a smaller stage whic
Italy - The concert area of Parma’s Parco Ducale hosted a number of prestigious concerts this summer, including performances from Andrea Bocelli, Zucchero and Sting. A K-array Firenze-KH7 system with Firenze-KS8 subs was used for sound reinforcement within the performance space, chosen for its sonic qualities and for the precision available when controlling the sound. The sound engineers accompanying the artists were impressed by the definition and linearity of the system; a characteristic that allows for focussing and refining individual sounds with even greater precision that works perfectly for venues where complete control is required. The Parco Ducale is a historical park in Parma, covering over 200,000 m2, located in the Oltretorrente district near the Parma river. For the past three years, a concert area with a stage has been set up next to the palace and has
USA - “We are deeply grateful and savouring every nano-second of this,” Flea proclaimed to fans at the start of one Friday night show on the Red Hot Chili Peppers Global Stadium Tour. It’s a safe bet that everyone in the sold-out arena knew exactly how the bass guitarist felt. None of them would have traded that moment either, as they joined the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band on a two-hour musical odyssey that wove its way through classic hits and new material, with plenty of spontaneous jams thrown in. Reflecting the open exhilarating spirit of the music every step of the way has been a sweeping, panoramic light and video show by Scott Holthaus and Leif Dixon that includes over 250 Chauvet Professional fixtures supplied by Premier Global Productions. Like the music of the clients it supports, the production design seamlessly blends various parts into a magnific
UK - Having routinely specified Martin Audio’s MLA Compact PA for festival shows where sensitive offsite noise has been an issue -along with the smaller MLA Mini on corporate events - Bristol based SWG Events has continued its long tradition. Best known for servicing a number of stages at Glastonbury with Martin Audio solutions the production company recently provided sound reinforcement for the second year to the Hampton Court Palace Festival, having worked for the production company that runs HCPF on other shows. In addition to the single large stage, which featured two main hangs of eight MLA Compact and six MLX, they also provided BlacklineX on a small bandstand in the East Front public picnic area prior to the show. This year’s line-up included UB40, Elbow, George Benson, Jack Savoretti, McFly, Kacey Musgraves, The Human League, Michael Ball & Alfie
UK - The summer of 2022 was a huge moment for the city of Birmingham, as it played host to the 2022 Commonwealth Games, as well as the competing athletes from 72 nations. Taking place in the newly updated Alexander Stadium, the opening and closing ceremonies colourfully book-ended the largest multi-sport event held in the UK since London 2012, and was broadcast live to billions around the world, in addition to a 30,000 strong live audience. Both productions delivered a high-octane, multi-genre and multi-cultural tribute to the history, culture, and pride within the region, featuring a now infamous 10m-tall mechanical bull, and musical performances from West Midlands artists like Duran Duran, Dexy’s, Apache Indian, Beverly Knight, Goldie, Jorja Smith, Laura Mvula, Panjabi MC, UB40 and Black Sabbath. Positioned to light the festivities was Al Gurdon of Incandescent Des
