USA - Pink Talking Fish create their own rock and roll spree every time they take the stage, fusing the sounds of Pink Floyd, The Talking Heads and Phish into a transformative musical mix. This was evident when the band played their two-and-a-half hour show at the Jericho Drive-In in Glenmont, NY, with renditions of Phish’s Simple, Pink Floyd’s Happiest Days Of Our Lives/Another Brick In The Wall Part 2 and Talking Heads’ This Must Be The Place. Keeping pace with the band every step of the way on their outdoor musical odyssey, was a Vin Pugliese designed lightshow that featured 12 Chauvet Professional Rogue fixtures supplied by High Peaks Event Production. “We flew six Rogue R2X Washes on the downstage truss and had six Rogue R1 Beams hung on the upstage truss,“ said Roger Sharp, president of High Peaks. “Vin combined these with his own
Belgium - Architectural lighting firm Magic Monkey and system integrator NetherLED recently collaborated to illuminate Deutsche Bank’s Belgian headquarters in uptown Brussels with an animated display powered by Martin Exterior Wash outdoor LED lighting fixtures. Located at the corner of a high-traffic intersection in Brussels’ uptown district, the nine-story building designed by architect Maurice de Maet features three street-facing façades lined with 59 columns. To make the building stand out during the holiday season as well as the rest of the year, Deutsche Bank hired Magic Monkey and NetherLED to design and install a state-of-the-art architectural lighting solution. To provide dazzling illumination, precise control and all-weather reliability, Magic Monkey and NetherLED selected Martin Exterior Wash 100 and 200 outdoor-rated RGBW colour mixing wash lights. “
USA - First established in 1936 as Glad Tidings Church, Good News Church, located atop the hill at 75th and Hickory in Omaha, Nebraska, eventually chose to modernise its name to better reflect the language of current times. Much more recently, that same impetus to remain fresh and relevant also prompted the church to modernise its sound system with the addition of a DiGiCo SD12 mixing console and KLANG:fabrik immersive IEM mixing solution, both supplied by the local office of Conference Technologies. According to Good News band leader Aaron Ott, who has also served as the lead keyboard player there for the past 13 years, the church took on an extensive update of its audio facilities, upgrading everything except the loudspeaker system of its 750-seat auditorium, which was built in 1975 following the destruction of the previous worship space by one of the worst tornadoes
USA - Since its start in 2013, Faith Family Church in Baytown, TX has seen continued growth, quickly outgrowing its roots as a portable house of worship. Land was acquired, a campus was planned, and a 60,000sq.ft. facility with a 1400-seat sanctuary was opened in early March 2020. The integration of the church’s audio, video and lighting systems across the main auditorium and several ancillary rooms was handled by worship AV specialists Ellis Pro Media, a Continuant company. “This was a design-build, and great client to work with,” says Austin Hess of Ellis Pro Media. “We knew that Electro-Voice would be a great solution, especially paired with the new Dynacord IPX series amplifiers. It’s a product we wholeheartedly believe in, to the point where many of the designers and staff at Ellis Pro Media have EV products in the churches we attend.” A combination o
Spain - Madrid’s Teatro Real, the most emblematic theatre in Spain, incorporates GoldenSea UV Ultraviolet-C disinfection products, supported by Madrid-based Stonex, to guarantee the well-being and health of its artists, workers, and spectators. This tried and tested solution is a complement to traditional cleaning and ensures 99.9% virus inactivation. From the moment it reopened its doors, the Teatro Real has adopted all the mandatory and recommended health measures specified by the Community of Madrid: limited audience capacity, the use of hydroalcoholic gel for cleaning hands, and the mandatory use of masks during the entire performance is the new way to enjoy culture in Spain. In addition, the theatre has taken the initiative to reinforce its disinfection protocols with ultraviolet-C light technology, applying it across many areas within the theatre as an extra s
USA - The 29th series of the popular TV dance competition Dancing With The Stars (DWTS) returned to ABC this month with new host Tyra Banks and 178 x Robe MegaPointes on the lighting plot as part of lighting designer Tom Sutherland’s precision-crafted epic look for the first series performed without a live audience. It is being broadcast until the end of November from CBS Television City, West Hollywood, California. Tom’s company DX7 Design was initially asked to develop lighting for the 2019 season by executive producer Andrew Llinares. He, Tom, and director Phil Heyes - who has been on DWTS USA for five years - have also all previously worked together including a while back on X-Factor in the UK. The set - including the extensive video elements like a giant LED panel chandelier filled with lights - was designed by Florian Wieder. Felix
UK - Like many events, the BBC Proms, which turned 125 in 2020, had to undergo a significant re-conception in format due to COVID-19. Once again returning to its home at the Royal Albert Hall, the season this year combined live performances with archive footage of past festivals. However, for the first time, no guests were in physical attendance for the live shows and instead the audience tuned in via TV or radio from their homes. Technical solutions specialist White Light (WL), with strategic partners ELP and SFL, supplied the lighting and video elements for the Proms 2020 Live run. While planning commenced prior to the pandemic, the creative and technical teams, led by production manager Steve Nolan, began collaborating virtually during lockdown to find a solution. A range of options were explored, enabling the festival to go ahead in accordance with guidelines, resu
Italy - Situated at the foot of Mount Rocchetta near Italy’s Lake Garda, the Bastione is a fortress built in the early XVI century. It is one of the symbols of Riva del Garda and overlooks both the city and the lake itself. A project run by the municipality of Riva del Garda, aiming to make the bastion even more attractive and accessible to all was recently completed. A new panoramic glass lift that starts from the centre of Riva del Garda travels 200m to the foot of the bastion, where a new restaurant has opened its doors. The breath-taking panoramic view that can be enjoyed from the lift is even more extraordinary from the terrace of the Bastione Lounge & Restaurant itself; the elegant venue is open from morning to night for lunch, dinner, happy hour and musical entertainment. To create the appropriate atmosphere for this exceptional location, manager Alf
USA - 5 Words Media (5WM) is a US systems integrator based in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 2011, principally as a design/build company for houses of worship, its team also designs and installs audio, lighting and AVL systems regionally across the entertainment, education and corporate sectors In recent months, 5WM has been working through a programme of audio installations in houses of worship using Coda Audio loudspeakers. Whilst the challenges of the Coronavirus have impacted the audio industry as never before, owner and design principal, Daniel Gourley and his team have worked tirelessly within regulatory constraints to install the systems whilst churches have been temporarily closed. A recent initiative by 5WM was its #FreeChurchAV contest which invited churches across the US to pitch for a new AV system by telling their story and highlighting the benefits that upg
Japan - When LD&K purchased a former theatre with the intention of converting it into a live music venue, there was no question about the fixtures that would make up its lighting rig. The company, which operates ‘live houses’ throughout Japan, had almost always used halogen fixtures, and it was set to do the same at its newest venue, the 1000 Club, located just three blocks from the bustling Yokohama train station. That was until its management sat down and talked to the team at Hibino Lighting. Surveying the 1000-capacity room, Hibino recommended that, given the limited power supply available, it would make more sense to install Chauvet Professional LED fixtures. LD&K was hesitant, but trusting its vendor it agreed. As a result, when the club opened (as a livestream venue) in August, it featured a powerful and versatile lighting rig comprised of 56 COLORad
Poland - When the new $1.9m Koenigsegg Gemera supercar was officially launched to the Polish market last month, the VIP event included a lighting rig created using more than 50 ADJ fixtures. Providing mood lighting while the VIP guests arrived, the rig was then used - together with low-lying fog from an ADJ Entour Ice - to create a high-impact reveal for the star of the show. The Gemera is marketed by the Swedish high-performance sports car manufacturer as the world’s first ‘Mega-GT’ (grand tourer). The limited production car is a four-seater with a hybrid engine and spacious interior, but offers sports car performance. Capable of going from 0-100km/h (62mph) in just 1.9 seconds, and with a top speed of 400 km/h (249mph), if offers the true sports car experience to the driver and up to three passengers. Since it was first announced at the beginning of the year, t
Austria - The Vienna State Opera has replaced its 20-year-old Amptown Washlights with 70 SolaWash 1000 High CRI from High End Systems. The upgrade was a challenge, as the new LED spotlights must be able to reproduce the characteristic old-fashioned light qualities of their predecessors and illuminate new productions in a contemporary way. The State Opera House has almost 200 repertoire pieces in its programme and the spotlights are in use for almost every piece. Robert Eisenstein, vice-director of lighting at the Vienna State Opera, comments: "We had the pleasure of getting our hands on the first SolaWash 1000 in Austria. Together with Preworks and ETC, we were able to realise this project professionally, by implementing our own programme. Many companies presented us with a spotlight and offered to make the necessary changes by hand. With almost 200 performances and n
UK - Shure supports Kings Daughters, an all-female British band, merging rock guitars and powerhouse vocals into epic anthems. Shure supplied the new SLX-D wireless system sporting a Beta58 microphone, alongside PSM300 In-Ear monitors and a selection of Beta-series wired microphones. The kit provided helped to ensure production values on the launch of their first live streamed gig to celebrate their second single, Dancing in the Rain, produced by Brian May, to honour those lost during the UK national lockdown. The girl band joined the movement - Keep New Bands Alive and Gigging- supporting emerging bands to take the stage and perform gigs, live streamed to the world from new venue, Warehouse V. The aim is to entertain the public at home who are missing out on gigs and to encourage the viewers to donate whatever they can to help new bands on their musical journey.
UK - Following the sudden death of its legendary landlord Louis Hayle – more commonly known as Dutty Ken – the future of reggae venue, the Star & Garter in Montpelier, Bristol, was cast into uncertainty. The pub had already been saved from the hands of the tax man a few short years ago thanks to a vociferous crowdfunding campaign, and in the months after Dutty Ken’s death, fears surfaced that it would be sold and converted into flats. This threat, which could be seen as indicative of a wider phenomenon that has swallowed a number of the UK’s most well-loved venues in recent years, was enough to call the local community to action once more. With this new campaign succeeding in saving the Star & Garter for a second time, another stalwart of the Bristol music and events scene, Malcolm Haynes, stepped in to take ownership of the situation. With
South Africa - Heartfelt Arena, a 4,500-seater venue in Pretoria, and technical supplier AJR Audio have stood together in protest by hosting events, without making a profit, to prove how shows can safely continue during the Covid-19 pandemic. In July, Eugene Pienaar from Heartfelt Arena and Altus Janse van Rensburg, owner of AJR and the venue’s in-house technical supplier, hosted a drive-in church service which saw 210 cars attending the event. In August, the team took it further. They applied tape on the venue’s floor to mark out blocks and walkways. A table with chairs was placed within each block. Each block would host a family. They then held five sold-out shows for Neverland Circus, a circus that combines the traditional Brazilian, South African and a few international circus acts, also known for reaching out to less privileged communities and charities across
USA - When professional basketball resumed in the US during the coronavirus pandemic, the NBA protected its players by establishing a ‘bubble’ isolation zone at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida. Although the general public was not permitted in the stands at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex where the games were held, fans were glad to be able to watch the season’s televised final games and the playoffs once again. Fuse Technical Group, which supplied all the court video systems, provided four programmers with an arsenal of grandMA hardware to play back and trigger various assets and effects during the games: five grandMA3 full-size units with one MA NPU (Network Processing Unit) plus two grandMA2 full-size and one grandMA2 light consoles, the latter as backup systems and the tech desk. Three basketball courts were created in the sports complex with gi
USA - Tom Sutherland was back on the set of Dancing with the Stars recently, lighting his second season of the American reality dance competition for the ABC network. Lead designer at DX7 Design, Sutherland, who used Elation lighting on last season’s show, again turned to Elation fixtures to light the myriad of dances while finding a visual solution to fill empty audience space. “There were some challenges this year as there was no audience, which usually plays a big role in the show. Nobody, especially in television, likes black holes,” said Sutherland. “When you have an expensive set that looks like a million dollars, you don’t want to sacrifice that by a few dodgy shots. With HD cameras and 360-degree looks we have to make sure we have all our bases covered.” Dead space on the set was something Sutherland was especially wary of when lighting this
Sweden - Visual design studio PXLFLD recently deployed Hippotizer Media Servers from Green Hippo to provide the visual backdrop for a secret party and live performance by singer-songwriter Veronica Maggio. Conceived by Red Bull, the exclusive event, staged at the Nobis Hotel in central Stockholm, was available only to fans who completed a treasure-hunt-like series of tasks. Nikolaj Brink, Maggio’s lighting designer and a recent addition to the PXLFLD team, was responsible for the event’s show design, and called in his colleagues to deliver the show’s visual playback elements. But with the limitations imposed by Covid-19, this was a show with a difference. PXLFLD’s Anders Granström explains, “The stage was built in the hotel’s grand lobby. To maintain social distancing, the audience enjoyed the concert from their hotel rooms, looking down at the perfo
USA - New England audio production company, Paddle Out Productions is in the middle of a 16-week contract with M.E. Productions at the Cheshire Fairgrounds drive-in music venue - a huge open field, allowing up to 425 cars parked in every other space - hosting performances from the likes of Guster and Grace Potter. To ensure every spectator could enjoy the live performances, Paddle Out Productions deployed its recently expanded Martin Audio WPM system. Organising such an event in a large and socially distanced space has had its challenges for the events team, and Ryan Burhans of Paddle Out Productions admits that in a space like Cheshire Fairground, sound quality and audience coverage were his top priorities. “I was nervous with the size of the field that we weren’t going to fill those ‘rock and roll’ shoes that are expected now and again,” he explains. “For examp
Italy - The Green Carpet Fashion Awards (GCFA), organised by Italian fashion body, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana and sustainability consultancy, Eco Age, traditionally presents a star-studded celebration of sustainability in the fashion industry during Milan’s Fashion Week. This year, the Awards’ ethos of togetherness was upheld with a revolutionary show designed by NorthHouse incorporating cinematic footage with augmented reality, visual FX and hologram technology provided by AHRT Media. The show was directed by Giorgio Testi and produced by Livia firth and Pulse Films. NorthHouse, a creative studio focused on design and direction for live shows, put forward the concept to overcome the restrictions in place due to the global pandemic. The studio’s ideas saw Milan’s La Scala transformed into a vibrant magical garden. Founder and creative director o
France - Silence is often elicited by the sight of the Louis Vuitton Foundation building, Frank Gehry’s stunning architectural gem in Paris. Soaring skyward like the giant sails of a great ship, the distinctive structure inspires a quiet, cathedral-like reverence through the sheer power of its design. Inside the expansive auditorium section of Louis Vuitton Foundation, silence is not only a natural response to the room’s beauty, it also quiet desirable - enriching the experience of hearing performances by internationally renowned artists like Yuja Wang, and Vladimir Spivakov that take place within its walls. It was with this desire for utter quietness in mind that Prodster recently installed 14 Chauvet Professional Maverick Silens 2 Profile fixtures inside this performance space. The 560W fanless fixture operates in complete silence, making it well-suited for this
Greece - The National Theatre of Greece (NTG) staged three acclaimed performances of Aeschylus’s The Persians - first produced in 472 BCE - in July at the ancient Epidaurus open-air amphitheatre, complete with a fully socially distanced audience - of 4,500 instead of the usual 10,000 capacity, who enjoyed the drama and energy of live performance in this classic tragedy. Lighting designer Christina Thanasoula chose Robe LEDBeam 150s to add flexibility and multiple options to her design, placing 10 of the fixtures in the footlights position around the front of the stage floor. All three shows, directed by Dimitris Lignadis (artistic director for the NTG), were fully sold out, and the second night’s performance was live-streamed worldwide with support from the Greek Ministry of Culture in partnership with Google Greece as part of the 2020 Athens and Epidaurus
Japan - Bringing out the beauty and diversity of the underwater world, Art Aquarium hired TSP Taiyo to integrate and install a Martin by Harman lighting solution that delivered stunning visuals and a mesmerizing experience for guests. Since its inception in 2007 and subsequent shows every year after, the Art Aquarium has emerged as a summer tradition in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. However, stretching beyond the base of Nihonbashi, Art Aquarium producer and artist, Hidetomo Kimura, has seen his exhibit on display in countries around the world. The shows take place every year with previous locations including Milan, Italy, Shanghai, China, Nihonbashi Mitsui Hall, Kyoto’s Nijo-jo Castle and the 21st-Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. To enhance the exhibit, Art Aquarium hired TSP Taiyo to integrate and install a Martin Professional lighting solution that ‘provided u
Belgium - Allen & Heath Avantis and SQ mixing systems have been installed as part of a major update of Music Centre De Bijloke in Gent. The venue reopened in September, resuming its role as a focal point for classical music in the region following a one-year refurbishment. Although Music Centre De Bijloke has been hosting performances since 1988, the building dates all the way back to 1228, when it served as a hospital. A team of experts has enhanced the experience for performers and audiences in the main performance hall, going so far as to lower the floor and install extensive wood panelling to bring its unruly acoustics into the twenty-first century without detracting from its medieval oak ceiling and stone walls. With the acoustics finely honed, the venue turned to its AV partners, City Sound Rent, to identify a mixing system capable of delivering excelle
