The Netherlands - Dutch national airline KLM celebrated 100 years this month, making it the world’s oldest airline and the first airline still operating under its original name to reach its centenary. To mark this landmark occasion, Hangar 10 at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam was cleared out to host multiple days of a spectacular KLM Experience event, where guests were treated to an impressive overview of KLM’s past, present and future. WIcreations, working for technical production suppliers United Productions, used their new WImotion system and new proprietary MCA automation control to animate a massive LED video wall which split into three sections and tracked across the stage. The screen was the centrepiece of the event’s show. A special movie was screened taking an in-depth look at KLM’s development over the decades and its pivotal role in the hi
France - The Cartel des Mines is an annual three-day sporting event that was created in 1962 at the initiative of the École des Mines de Paris engineering school. The occasion brings together teams from European Mining Schools (Paris, Douai, Nantes, Alès, Albi, Saint-Etienne, Nancy, Madrid, Vigo, Oviedo, Turin, Bochum, Krakow and St. Petersburg), as well as the Emines-School of Industrial Management in Benguerir (Morocco), to compete in different sporting disciplines before enjoying evenings of entertainment. The 2019 edition of the Cartel took place in Albi and drew some 2,000 students each night. French technical services company, SC Management, was on hand to provide the audio reinforcement for the associated festivities, which included a rousing opening ceremony at the Sainte Cécile cathedral square and evening parties at the Parc des Expositions exhibition cent
Czech Republic - The opening ceremony of the 2019 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) featured a gravity-defying vertical dance performance with large-format projection and eight aerialists from Jednotka Rychlého Nasazení (Rapid Action Unit) who were creatively directed by brothers Michal Caban & Simon Caban, universally known as ‘Cabani’. To light this choreography, they chose 24 x Robe MegaPointes, which were installed, together with custom trusses, motors and a bespoke people flying system into the Great Cinema Hall at the Thermal Hotel in the Czech spa city. The MegaPointes were delivered by Prague-based rental / production company, AudioLight Service and operated by LD Ladislav Horak. Cabani is an innovative boundary-challenging dance and physical theatre group founded by the brothers whilst they were at college 25 years ago. Since t
USA - Front of House Engineer Sean Quackenbush and Maryland Sound International recently deployed JBL VTX A Series Line Array Loudspeakers at Brandi Carlile’s Madison Square Garden performance. “The coverage is the most important thing, so everybody is getting the exact same show that I'm hearing at the mix position,” said Quackenbush. “We wanted to make sure there was coverage from the front row to the top row of the arena, and have the tonality stay the same from front to back. With some manufacturer’s boxes, they throw a long way but the actual sound of the mix drastically changes, whereas with this system, the sound was the same from Row 1 of the floor to Row Z of the balcony upstairs.” For the performance at MSG, Quackenbush and MSI deployed a JBL audio system including 64 VTX A12 loudspeakers, 12 VTX S28 subwoofers, 12 VTX G28 subwoofers, an array of
USA - When creating the lighting design for Killswitch Engage on the band’s co-headline North American tour with Clutch, Cody James had a simple goal in mind. “I wanted to go back to the KSE’s roots,” he said. “My plan was to give the guys much more solid colours and bold looks.” James’ plan was well-founded, given the retrospective nature of his Grammy nominated client’s most recent (and sixth) studio album Disarm The Descent. James’ design included eight multi-functional Chauvet Professional Maverick MK Pyxis fixtures that were used to transform venues of widely different sizes and configurations. “The idea was to create powerful looks that fit any location, whether it was a live music venue or a festival,” said James. “There were four different layouts for the floor backstage, and we would decide which design we would use for
USA - At the 1,300-seat sanctuary at Eastmont Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, pews wrap around a stage that is much wider than it is deep, and a large balcony overhangs much of the main floor in a similar wrap-around design. With the deep overhang, good sound reinforcement for Eastmont’s orchestra and choir would be challenging under the best of circumstances. To replace a failing system, AVL integration firm Emmaus Media & Design, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, worked with Eastmont to design and install a high-fidelity Danley Sound Labs sound reinforcement system. Danley’s point-source pattern control allowed Emmaus to hit every seat with high-intelligibility, high-SPL coverage that varies by no more than 1dB. “In addition to its regular Sunday services with orchestra and choir, Eastmont hosts a lot of touring acts,” explained Tim James, owner of Emma
UK - AV technology pioneer Peerless-AV and LED manufacturer Absen have teamed up to install an LED video wall in the showroom of Mulgari Cars, bespoke styling and tuning body shop for performance and luxury vehicles. Mulgari wanted a video wall solution that would enable them to advertise their services to new and existing customers via a medium befitting its supercar studio image. LED was the most suitable choice for its design flexibility, narrow pixel pitch, high contrast in ambient light, 24/7 performance and low power consumption. Absen N Series high bright panels and an easy-assemble, custom LED mounting system from Peerless-AV were chosen for the project. Bracknell-based Mulgari Cars is owned by Iain Campbell, a former director at AV distributor Midwich Group. “The LED video wall has successfully addressed our visual goals,” says Campbell. “We have an in-h
UK - This year’s Cool Britannia at Knebworth Park built on the success of last year’s inaugural event, and now looks to have become a consolidated festival. Capital Sound were again brought in to work alongside production manager Keith Morris, with whom they have historically partnered on the Rewind festivals - and as was the case last year they equipped both the Main and Ministry of Sound stages. Both presented star-studded line-ups with James, Embrace, Sleeper, Basement Jaxx, The Coral, Starsailor, Fun Loving Criminals dominating the main stage and Danny Rampling, Seb Fontaine, Goldie, Norman Jay, Phil Hartnoll and Graeme Park the MOS Stage. Capital Sound’s Robin Conway noted, “The biggest upgrade this year was that we were able to fly the MLA side hang stage right, thanks to the redesigned structures, whereas it was ground stacked last year. This not o
USA - Kansas have announced the fourth and final leg of The Point of Know Return Anniversary Tour, with a lighting system supplied by Bandit Lites. With the third leg of the tour currently traversing the country, the group is performing the eponymous sextuple-platinum album in its entirety to near capacity and enthusiastic audiences through Spring of 2020. “It’s exciting how popular the Point of Know Return Anniversary shows have been,” comments Kansas lead vocalist Ronnie Platt. “When we wrap up this fourth and final leg, we will have played nearly 100 of these shows over nearly two years. We have worked hard to give audiences a memorable musical experience with this tour. We are excited to continue it with the final leg of the tour, then see what we come up with next.” Lighting designer Scott Pearson had no boundaries when building the lighting for the sh
France - Amate Audio’s new X212AF advanced three-way line array was FOH for Boris Brejcha at the Positiv Festival on 5 September in the Roman Théâtre antique d'Orange in southeastern France. Sound hire company DIDO Music supplied an all Amate Audio FOH system, comprising left / right stacks of just five X2121AF line array elements together with two further X212AF / X218WF pairings for front-fills, flooding the 9000-capacity filled Roman amphitheatre with sound. The festival line up, featuring Nicolas Cuer and Reinier Zonneveld, was headlined by Berlin DJ and producer Boris Brejcha: purveyor of his own genre of ‘hightech minimal’ techno and man in the Viennese carnival mask. (Jim Evans)
USA - This summer, Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry unveiled a new daytime backstage tour based around the new, purpose-built Circle Room theatre. Hosted by Opry members Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, a 14-minute long immersive media experience takes fans on a journey through nearly 100 years of Opry history, seen through the eyes of the musicians who played on the famous stage, and features archival footage and concert-like special effects. The Circle Room serves as the centrepiece of a $12m Opry House expansion and renovation project aimed at enhancing the guest experience. This production marks the opening of the new backstage tour, which continues into the renovated Opry House Lobby, featuring a custom lighting element made with Gibson guitars and a special media presentation. As the introduction for the new tour, The Circle Room experience is dominated by LED conce
UK - British pop-rock band The 1975 embarked on a two-year world tour, A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships, with a firm focus on the fan experience: what they see, hear and feel – whether in the front row or the gods – is paramount. With drum and bass, ethereal pop and pulsating rock performed in venues ranging from regional halls to big city arenas, the production team required a flexible, powerful and clear sound solution. As a result, the tour is one of the first to take the d&b KSL System on the road. “Musically, this band is very eclectic, so you really need a sound system that covers all of those genres and styles,” says Jay Rigby, front of house engineer for The 1975. “Lead singer Matty Healy and drummer George Daniel produce their own albums - they know exactly how they should sound live and they have the technical expertise to communicate
China - The Mida Performance Store in Changsha, the capital city of China’s Hunan province, is a new concept that offers a high-spec live performance venue, bar and social media experience for music lovers. It provides an open stage for anyone wanting to give free rein to their singing talents in front of an appreciative audience of their peers, and the entire performance space is equipped with Genelec 1032C and 4030C loudspeakers for a high quality audio experience for both performers and audience members alike. The concept has proved hugely popular with customer flow reaching 120,000 in the first month of opening followed by 200,000 in the second month. On the Store Member’s Day, performance waiting time exceeded three hours. Much of the popularity is attributed to the superlative quality of the Genelec audio experience that forms an integral part of the concept. From
Spain - Since starting the business in 2015, the group of young entrepreneurial friends who formed Madrid’s successful Lalala Group has already opened 12 bar/restaurants. The latest, on the city’s fashionable Calle de la Princesa, features a Yamaha audio system which is keeping both customers and the city council happy. Lalala Group calls its venues ‘modern beer houses’, which all follow a core theme, but each has a different personality. Located in one of Madrid’s most popular areas, the latest Lalala Group venue - Alboroto - has a spacious dining area, two bars and a cocktail menu complemented by a choice of music which encourages patrons to enjoy upbeat, celebratory nights out. DJs maintain a lively atmosphere from Wednesday to Saturday, with live performances at weekends. Being in an area with many bars and clubs, Lalala Group wanted to ensure that Alboro
USA - As part of ongoing renovations, Nashville’s Hutton Hotel recently completed work on a new live music venue, alongside Writers Studios production rooms conceived by musicians Dierks Bentley and Ryan Tedder. Spearheaded by L.A.-based GreenLight Media, Nashville-based British acoustician Michael Cronin was hired to bring the venue and the two production rooms to fruition. Cronin subsequently brought in Clair Solutions, who worked closely with Cronin and the venue to spec the AV system – a key part of which involves components from Bose Professional, including ShowMatch and RoomMatch Utility modules. The 5,000sq.ft Analog music venue and cocktail lounge, which takes up the footprint of a former parking facility and is two stories high in the centre section, usually seats 160 but has a maximum capacity of 300. The hotel wanted the venue to reflect its intimate vib
USA - Madison Square Garden has welcomed just about every conceivable kind of music act in its storied history, but it’s doubtful that the famed arena has ever hosted a concert with a scenic set quite like the one Vulfpeck used for its recent show. With a mix of well-worn chairs, ottomans tapestries and thrift shop lamps, the set for the band’s concert looked more like the kind of apartment inhabited by college kids, than a funk music stage. Formed by four students at the University of Michigan’s music school, Vulfpeck recorded their first song in an Ann Arbor living room. They had the exact furniture from that room shipped 622 miles from their college town home to Manhattan for their Madison Square Garden debut. The ‘living room’ provided a nice touch that captured the engaging style of Vulfpeck. At the same time, though, it also presented a challenge for Ch
UK - London based Kudos AV arrived on the Data Strategy stand at London’s PLASA 2019 exhibition to confirm its order of a two-bay QC-Check 660 Workstation, incorporating PAT-4 and CAB-5 test equipment from technology partner, Out Board. Kudos AV is an event management company delivering full-service event production with high quality audio, visual, lighting and staging solutions. Data Strategy’s QC-check will provide the company’s stock and inventory system with increased levels of efficiency as well as safety. QC-Check will interact with the company’s existing inventory management system, to automatically request and log product test updates from the workstation’s in-built industrial PAT and Cable inspection equipment from Out Board. One of the big advantages of the QC-Check system, Kataria explains, is its capacity to “aid the management of assets”. He
The Netherlands - Guido’s Orchestra, the popular Dutch ensemble that fuses pop and classical music, performed their annual open-air concert in Kerkrade at the end of June. As this also happens to be the home town of ADJ Europe it was fitting that a lighting rig consisting entirely of ADJ’s fixtures – including 186 recently-released IP-rated outdoor units – was used to illuminate the performance which ran over two evenings and featured a number of guest performers. Billed in full as The Maestro & The European Pop Orchestra, Guido’s Orchestra is the brainchild of conductor, violin soloist and composer Guido Dieteren. Having toured throughout Europe and North America as part of numerous traditional orchestras, Guido formed his own ensemble with the intention of performing the most famous melodies of all time from both the classical and pop worlds. Every summ
Australia - The 2019 Victorian State Schools Spectacular: Made of Stars was staged at the Melbourne Arena and filmed by Channel 7 for later broadcast. The annual live arena production showcasing the talent of students across the state of Victoria featured a large complement of Claypaky lighting fixtures, which helped students working behind the scenes gain real-world experience with top-of-class, professional luminaires. Some 200 schools participated in Made of Stars, where performers included daredevil BMX riders, skaters, acrobats, circus artists, musicians and hip-hop dancers. The three-hour show featured the arrival of a spaceship and a send up of the fashion industry. The yearly production is an invaluable performing arts opportunity for students in Victoria from primary school to grade 12 and has become a rite of passage for top young talent. PRG Au
USA - Brigham Young University-Idaho (BYU-I) has taken delivery of Robert Juliat Lancelot 4000W followspots for its three theatres as part of a complement of lighting fixtures. BYU-I, formerly known as Ricks College, is located in Rexburg, Idaho and offers programmes in liberal arts, including the sciences, engineering, agriculture, management and the performing arts. The university is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. BYU-I’s theatres host theatrical productions and concerts staged by students and visiting artists. BYU-I Center, the largest of the theaters, seats 15,000; the Hart Auditorium is a three-quarters arena that seats 3,700; and the Snow Drama Theater, the smallest venue, seats 400. The new fixtures were acquired from Barbizon Light of the Rockies in Denver as part of the lighting replacement cycle, notes
UK - Located in the heart of Mayfair, Novikov Restaurant & Bar was the first restaurant to be opened outside his native Russia by award-winning multiple operator, Arkady Novikov. Extending over three floors with two restaurants and a basement lounge bar, Novikov has enjoyed considerable success since its opening in 2011 and remains one of the favourite haunts of London’s glitterati. When the venue decided to upgrade the sound system in the Lounge, they turned to Toby Jones at Middlesex Sound & Light for advice. Jones recommended a KV2 Audio system to deliver the nightclub feel that Novikov was looking for. “When I visited Novikov at their request to see what could be done, I saw straight away that KV2 would be the ideal solution, but I didn’t want them to take my word for it,” says Jones. “I insisted on a demo in situ so that they could compare with their
UK – Prolights Panorama IP Airbeam moving beams recently lit up North Yorkshire’s skyline with big air looks for Harrogate 1571, part of Harrogate Welcomes the World celebrations supporting the UCI Road World Cycling Championships and acknowledging the spa town’s heritage. The lighting installation was commissioned by Harrogate International Festivals, an arts project that has helped to ‘revolutionise’ the cultural landscape for the North of England. To celebrate the waters that have made Harrogate a tourist attraction since 1571, when William Slingsby discovered natural mineral springs in the local Valley Gardens, these wells and the town’s iconic Harlow Hill water tower were illuminated for a stunning light show over a series of evenings. The project’s lighting designer, James Bawn of Element 3 Design needed an IP65 fixture with a very bri
UK - In September, Entec renewed its acquaintance with the exhibitions division of media group Future plc to deliver sound and lighting equipment to the two-day UK Guitar Show and the London Bass Guitar Show. Centred around the sprawling Gear Hall, the show saw Entec liaise with production manager Pete Witham to equip five stages that hosted a diverse programme of stellar musical performances, showcases and masterclasses. September’s event was Entec’s fourth for Future in just over a year. “Entec was mainly given the contract because it was able to provide a complete range of sound, lighting and some elements of staging, unlike the other companies we approached,” said Pete. Along with a host of leading microphone models and wireless equipment distributed amongst the performance areas, the audio specification for the main auditorium included a Midas PRO1
Norway - When the summer-long Foynhagen Festival last year adopted Martin Audio’s MLA Compact PA, the complaints it had experienced after experimenting with different systems over the previous four years ‘evaporated’. Although the festival site - located in downtown Tønsberg, 90 minutes outside Oslo - is picturesque, overlooking a harbour and bars on one side and residential buildings on the other, noise spillage was one thing the festival didn’t need. And so the event’s PA supplier Spekter A/S invested in a Martin Audio MLA Compact after a system demo had established proof of concept. Lorry Kristanesen from Atendi A/S, Martin Audio’s Norwegian distributor, confirmed that having established a winning formula last year, the rig again comprised eight MLA Compact per side with four MLX subs across the front in a broadside array. Spekter also supplied 12 x Mar
