Austria - Now in its 19th year, the three-day Krone-Fest has been running in the Austrian city of Linz since 2001. This year, once again the free event saw more than 70 acts appearing on 13 stages in different squares spread throughout in the city centre. Promoted by KOOP Live-Marketing and Upper Austrian Kronen Zeitung, a total of around 400,000 people gathered across the duration to hear artists such as Darius & Finlay, Status Quo and Milow headline on the respective days. Last year, a Martin Audio Wavefront Precision Compact (WPC) loudspeaker array featured on the second Herberstein stage but this year the scalable resolution and control technology was also promoted to the Sparkassen main stage in the Linzer Hauptplatz (main square), where a WPC system was provided by rental company Z-VT. “The threshold was set at 100dB in the audience areas with Z-VT’
Germany - The German theatrical tradition has always relied on colourful and vivid productions to convey the intricacies of the nation’s intricate language and rich culture. For more than two centuries, this tradition has flourished at the Stadttheater Aschaffenburg, which has played host to countless seminal productions since first opening its doors in 1811. As part of a long term renovation of this bastion of German theatre, Siegbert Blattner, technical director at Stadttheater Aschaffenburg, oversaw the creation of a modern and versatile lighting system that is comprised entirely of Chauvet Professional fixtures, including 26 Maverick MK3 Spots, 28 Maverick MK2 Washes, 56 Ovation E-930VW variable white ellipsoidals, 10 Ovation E-260WW warm white ellipsoidals and 34 Ovation F-915FC Fresnel units. The Stadttheater Aschaffenburg traditionally presents audiences wit
UK - Antony Gormley Studio enlisted the expertise of Unusual Rigging for the sculptor's recent exhibition at the Royal Academy. Gormley's retrospective, which ran until 3 December, has wowed art lovers and novices alike, having been designed to put 'the visitor centre-stage'. It was spread across 13 rooms, all calling for physical and imaginative participation from those who visited the Academy to see his work. Robin Elias, technical director, Unusual Rigging, comments: "This was Unusual's first foray into the Royal Academy. Antony Gormley Studio contacted us based on previous successful collaboration sand, of course, we were delighted to be able to bring our know-how - both to the artworks themselves and the beautiful Royal Academy building." The centrepiece of the exhibition was Body and Fruit in the Central Hall. "The piece centres around two huge rusty stee
USA - As the year draws to a close, Bandit Lites continues its annual tradition of giving back to its local community by participating in the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree programme. It is an event the entire office enjoys, as it builds comradery and refocuses the season on giving to those less fortunate. Bandit Lites team members are provided funds and time to come together to shop for those in need. HR Coordinator Cori Link organises the efforts in Nashville by coordinating the staff, transport and Angel Tree drop off, while Lisa Fodge spearheads the Knoxville staff’s efforts. “It’s great working for a company where the owner gives the employees the ability to give back,” says Bandit Lites general manager Mark Steinwachs. “You can forget how easy to get wrapped up in our world worrying about the next prep and the next gig until you are off doing something
Denmark - Nanna-Karina Schleimann has become one of the first sound designers to make use of DPA’s new 4560 Core Binaural Headset Microphone, which gives sound technicians, vloggers, film makes and YouTubers “an accurate and reliable tool to capture authentic 3D audio in realtime”. This new headset allows film, theatre and online content creators to capture exactly what each ear is hearing so that those consuming the content on headphones can experience full immersive sound. The headset features a pair of 4060 Core Miniature Microphones that are mounted on ear hooks and sit just outside the user’s ear canal so that the mics capture the sound being heard by the person making the recording. The ear hooks are attached to a flexible headset that is simple to fit, comfortable to wear and can be easily adjusted to suit the dimensions of each individual head. Earlier
Czech Republic - Dance music fans returned to the O2 Arena in Prague, the home of popular trance party Transmission, to enjoy a line-up of Ferry Corsten presents System F, Blastoyz, Darren Porter, Thomas Coastline, Giuseppe Ottaviani, Key4050, MaRLo, Cosmic Gate and many more. Adding to the occasion was lighting designer Bas Kemper, who likes a dynamic and flexible palette of lights. For this show his spec’ featured over 100 Robe moving lights, with 72 MegaPointes, 19 BMFL Blades and 48 LEDBeam 150s incorporated into the rig. Kemper works closely with a diverse team, including visual artists Vision Impossible who develop the show narrative and create all the screen content, to bring the production alive, uniting all the technical disciplines of lighting, lasers, video and staging. This year’s concept featured a semi-circular stage design that Kemper had conc
Switzerland - Pop-rock band Hecht entertained 13,000 fans at Zurich’s Hallenstadion in an energy-fuelled visual and sonic extravaganza which included zip-lining keyboardists, crowd surfing, inflatable pink flamingos and several tons of confetti. Show and lighting designer Roger Staub was asked to create a big, vibrant and memorable show to end their current touring cycle riding high on their chart-topping third studio album Oh Boy and assisting him to make a massive impact were 98 Robe MegaPointes and 60 Pointes. Roger is also a video content creator and his elegant design combined the media of lighting and video, proportionately putting the band right at the centre of the action on a large (18 x 8m) semi-transparent LED screen. Visually, Roger wanted to create simple and powerful statements and a clean performance space. To keep focus on the band, he p
Italy - Every October for the past five years, over a thousand musicians have gathered together in Italy to perform as the ‘biggest rock band in the world’. Yamaha digital mixing has featured each time, with a Rivage PM10 digital mixing system making its debut in 2018. This year the event moved to Linate Airport, Milan, where a Rivage PM7 system was added for the first time. The scale of Rockin’1000 That’s Live means that the sound has to be managed by a highly professional team. Yamaha Music Europe’s Italy branch were on site in Milan as technical partners, with Alessandro Arturi, Marco Giovanetti and the rest of the crew facing the major task of mixing FOH and monitors for over a thousand singers, guitarists, bass guitarists, drummers, keyboard and wind players. The event’s biggest digital mixing system yet comprised a Rivage PM10 with CS-R10 and CS-R10-S
USA - Keeping pace with Andrew Peterson’s gently winding performance of Behold The Lamb Of God as it weaves its way through a mix of words and music is a supple lightshow designed by Winn Elliot and operated by Jessica Sanders. Elliot and Sanders’ blend of brightness, colour and shadows was on full display Sunday 1 December when the 20th edition of the popular holiday tour played to a sold-out crowd at the Von Braum Civic Centre in Huntsville. Helping them create their flow of evocative looks was a collection of 16 Chauvet Professional Maverick MK2 Spot fixtures supplied by 44 Designs. Flown on upstage, midstage and downstage truss, the 440W moving fixtures were used to spot performers in all sections of the stage as the Christmas narrative unfolded. During dramatic moments, the Maverick MK2 Spot units turned up the intensity level with sweeps and overhead
France - The Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel, the well-known islet in Normandy, provided an enchanted venue to Laurent Voulzy’s concerts in September. The popular French singer and song-writer performed here for the first time accompanied by a keyboard player and harpist. Lighting designer John Artonne enhanced the atmosphere by using Prolights Starkbar1000 to illuminate the stage and create a set of aerial effects. “Choosing Prolights Starkbar1000 fixtures was a no-brainer for me,” says Artonne. “Among all the products I have seen were those who convinced me the most in terms of light output and effect possibilities, to such an extent that we had the chance to see up close its great potential even when Mont Saint-Michel was shrouded in thick fog. My team was enthusiastic about this choice too. “It’s always a pleasure working with this brand. Thanks
USA - While he officially retired from touring after his 2012-2014 Cowboy Rides Away tour, George Strait was one of the first headliners at Fort Worth’s new Dickies Arena, playing two back-to-back, sold-out shows in late November. With those shows and others now being mixed on a DiGiCo SD12 96 desk at front of house, Strait stays at the forefront of live sound technology. Commissioned by Epicenter Productions of Dallas, the console was acquired by George Olson, who has been with Strait since 2004. “It was the SD12’s compact size, and the power that it packs into that footprint, that really convinced me to go with it,” says Olson, who bumped up the console’s channel count from 72 to 96 with DiGiCo’s latest software, increasing its desirability as a rental unit for his GP Productions company when he’s not using the desk for shows with Strait. “Wh
USA - Although Louisville residents have long associated the term ‘Triple Crown’ with Kentucky Derby thoroughbred horse racing at their own Churchill Downs, this year’s Trifesta may well pose a legitimate threat to that reigning royal trio title. Produced by Los Angeles-based Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP) - the concert promoter behind popular US music festivals like Sacramento’s Aftershock, Columbus’ Sonic Temple and Charlotte’s Epicenter - a Trifesta pass served as the golden ticket to get into three large Louisville music festivals held on consecutive weekends during September, each of which utilised an L-Acoustics K Series loudspeaker system deployed by Brown Note Productions (BNP) of Thornton, Colorado. Staged at the Kentucky Expo Centre’s Highland Festival Grounds, the inaugural Hometown Rising festival packed in more than 70,000 country music fans ove
UK - Silent Disco King, a leading provider for wireless headphone events, helped deliver the biggest ever silent disco event at Lowlands festival. Back in 2017, the festival organisers wanted to increase the size of their silent disco to 10,000 headphones and needed a suitable supplier. Having visited the company’s UK head office, Lowlands turned to Silent Disco King, who, in August 2018, delivered a silent disco for the festival with not 10,000 headphones but 20,000 headphones. In August this year, the supplier provided 30,0000 headphones to light up an arena with three channels of music, keeping festival goers dancing until sunrise as customers were able to switch between two DJs or the on-site radio station. Seven technicians and supervisors from the Silent Disco King team were on site to help set up and manage the event, with a local crew of 90
UK - Anna Valley has announced their purchase of over 500sq.m of 3.9mm Unilumin LED, making the AV and entertainment technology company one of the biggest suppliers of single-batch high-resolution LED in the UK. The purchase was motivated by increased demand for super-sized screens for projects like X Factor: Celebrity 2019 where 200sq.m of Anna Valley’s new stock was used to create the digital backdrop for the live final at the SSE Arena, Wembley. The improvement in LED resolution and the increase in the computing capability of video processors and servers has prompted a surge in demand for large screens to display ultra-high-resolution content for live events and broadcast shows. However, in order to achieve image consistency across these video walls, they have to be built from LED panels that are not only from the same supplier, but from the same production batch
World - Twenty-four Astera AX1 LED battery powered wireless ‘pixel tubes’ played their part onstage with rock band Muse during their action-packed Simulation Theory world tour, which has just played its final show in Chile, having been on the road since February. The AX1s were used in just one song - Algorithm - for maximum impact. They were placed in custom angled holders on the sides of a long runway / thrust during the blackout, and at the start of the song formed 12 illuminated pillars of light behind lead singer / guitarist Matt Bellamy, who was playing keyboards on the B stage right in the centre of the venue. The tubes were then picked up by a troupe of Ninja performers who used them in bō staff-style to make geometric formations and accentuate their distinctive robotic movements as they moved along the walkway and across the stage. Two conjoi
Europe - Two years ago, after Thomson Cruises (part of TUI) had rebranded to Marella Cruises, the instigation of a refurbishment programme of the fleet saw UK technology company tedav (part of The Entertainment Department), awarded a long term contract to provide entertainment and comms systems, starting with the conversion of Mein Schiff 1 to the Marella Explorer luxury ship. Audio and networking components deployed through the many entertainment spaces and general deck areas were sourced from the Harman Professional Solutions catalogue via UK distributor Sound Technology. tedav’s successful audio design template - along with the addition of Martin from Harman lighting - was adopted and expanded when the company returned to Navantia Cadiz Shipyard in Spain 12 months later to begin work on their second project - the Marella Explorer 2. And with technology having move
USA - Rapper Logic toured 26 cities across North America this fall on his The Confessions of a Dangerous Mind tour with lighting design by Mitchell Schellenger and lighting supply by Volt Lites of Burbank, California. Schellenger employed a rig of Elation Professional Artiste Monet moving heads as the workhorse fixture in his design and says the powerful, multi-purpose LED profile was just what he was looking for. Schellenger had visited the Volt Lites shop in LA to demo the Monet and found the fixture’s multiple capabilities to his liking. “I didn’t want to use the typical wash, profile, beam configuration,” he says. “I wanted this to be a simplified look and by doing so I needed a fixture that was capable of doing a lot of things with the power and capacity to light the entire show from above. The Monet just made perfect sense.” On the Logic show,
Austria - An Allen & Heath dLive mixing system recently provided audio support for the 200th anniversary of one of the leading financial institutions in Europe, Erste Bank. Held at the Wiener Stadthalle, the event saw more than 12,000 in attendance and with nearly 80 musicians performing, including an orchestra, big band and choir, the event presented several challenges, requiring several mixing consoles with the ability to handle over 120 inputs and 44 monitor outputs to both wedges and IEMs. Additionally, an extensive Dante network was used for shared access to wedges and wireless systems, track playback via DAW and connections to the main PA. Supplied by live production company, Habegger Austria, FOH comprised a dLive S5000 surface equipped with a Dante card for stem playback and PA feeds, and a DM32 MixRack fitted with a gigaACE card for the digital split to th
Italy - The Parma Città Della Musica festival is new, but its Romanesque setting was decidedly historic. Set in the Parco della Citadella of this ancient northern Italian city, the festival’s inaugural edition had the walls of a 16th century citadel serve as the backdrop for its stage. Accenting this setting was evocative lighting from over 60 Chauvet Professional Maverick fixtures supplied by Fumasoli Audio and Lights Rental. Gustavo Boetti, lighting manager for Fumasoli, built the lighting rig with the evocative nature of the festival’s setting firmly in mind. His goal: create a rig that would lend itself to theatrical looks. The lighting designers for the festival’s co-headliners, pop icon Antonello Venditti and Italian rap star Salmo, both made use of his rig to support their clients with compelling scenic panoramas on stage. Utilising deep pools of light
UK - For the UK tour marking the 40th anniversary of Gary Numan’s career as a solo artist, lighting designer Luke Edwards called on the power and clarity of the VL2600 Profile luminaire from Vari-Lite. The tour, which completed at the end of October, played 24 UK venues. “Although this tour was to celebrate the fact that Gary has been touring for 40 years, he is still very much an artist in the present,” says Edwards. “So we’re using the newest technology, with a large video wall and stage set design for the size of venues we are playing.” Placed on tiered risers upstage, 14 VL2600 Profile fixtures created strong gobo looks through the band, as well as beam and mid-air effects. “I was looking primarily for brightness and clarity, which the VL2600 Profile handles particularly well,” he explains. “I would have thought they were a discharge lamp source,
South Korea - The largest jazz festival in East Asia has selected Amadeus’ newest speaker Series including Diva M², Maestro II, as well as bespoke stage monitors which are to be released in 2020. SSL Live L500 consoles were featured at the event as well. Jarasum Festival has hosted over 2m attendees since its inception in 2004 and featured performers from 55 countries on its stage. Over 200,000 spectators attended the 16th Jarasum Jazz Festival in October. Elan Tech is the South Korea-based production company in charge of both sound equipment and technical production for the event. Located in the Gapyeong region, northeast of Seoul, the festival site is an island surrounded by a beautiful city near the mountains and the banks of the Bukhan River. The yearly three-day festival features all types of jazz including swing, fusion, bossa nova, bebop, as well as world mus
UK - Light Fantastic Production Services once again supported CoppaFeel with a full production package as well as taking on the overall production management mantle for Festifeel 2019. The work being done by CoppaFeel raises awareness of the signs and symptoms of breast cancer particularly amongst young people. Held at House of Vans London, deep within the arches below Waterloo Station, Festifeel is the charity’s annual music and comedy festival that flies the flag for the work they do and highlights the help they provide. Having provided a full production package, including lighting, audio, rigging and video, LFPS transformed the underground venue with a vibrant, creative mix of colour and projections throughout the urban interior. The lively look provided an appropriate backdrop to a host of musical performances that included Bombay Bicycle Club, James Bay a
USA - ZZ Top recently wrapped up a tour celebrating their 50th year as a band with a lighting package provided by Bandit Lites. Comprised of Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard and Dusty Hill, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band formed in 1969 and have sold more than 50m albums worldwide Lighting designer John Lucksinger conceived a classic par can rig made up of moving lights to give the band the authentic rock look of yester-years. “It’s been a fun time,” says Lucksinger. “Three guys on stage. No real frills. Just guys playing great music. It has been different in that the last few tours I was behind the console for where we had a lot of trucks, huge video walls, and lots of lights. This is just a plain and simple rock show. The band doesn’t like movement in the lighting, so the show is mostly big rock looks with hits of lights and colour chases. I’m just trying
Italy - At the Vittoriale degli Italiani (The Shrine of Italian Victories) it is possible to discover the bow of the Puglia cruise ship immersed in the promontory in the middle of the trees. There is also a MAS 96 anti-submarine motorboat used for the Beffa di Buccari (a military raid led by D'Annunzio in the Croatian bay of Bakar), as well as the poet's cars and the SVA biplane used in 1918 for his propaganda flight to Vienna. Overlooking the Garda Lake is the spectacular amphitheatre with about 1500 seats, designed to replicate the ancient structure of a Greek amphitheatre in a seductive setting, surrounded by the Alps. Architect Gian Carlo Maroni was sent to Pompeii to study the Greek theatre and began work in 1934, completing the building after the poet's death in 1952. In the summer months, the theatre manages a prestigious season of shows, including Tener-a-Men
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