Supporting the diverse marathon at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (there were 14 inductees, plus an array of special guest performers) was a flexible rig from 4Wall Entertainment that featured 457 CHAUVET Professional fixtures. The production design for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2023 Induction Ceremony was crafted by many hands. The stage designer was Bruce Rogers. On the lighting side, there were designer Allen Branton, lighting directors Felix Peralta, Kevin Lawson and George Gountas, as well as head gaffer Alex Flores. The compelling video content was created and managed by Bianca Moncada and…
Author: Alicia Pollitt
An array of stars gathered on sunday, November 26 2023 to celebrate the life and legacy of the late Michael Gudinski at Mushroom 50 Live. Each performer was reflected in a lighting design that featured 60 of the new CHAUVET Professional COLORado PXL Curve 12 motorised battens from Showtools International. Gudinski founded Mushroom Records in 1972. Over the years, he recorded, promoted and nurtured a generation of transformative Australian stars like MacKenzie Theory, the Skyhooks, The Choirboys and Kylie Minogue among many others. Honouring his legacy, the Mushroom Group recognised Gudinski’s half-century of achievements by holding Mushroom 50 Live, a…
JP Ridgard is an avid user of Obsidian Control Systems’ ONYX lighting control platform and in 2023 turned to the brand’s NX4 lighting console for the Lowveld Gin Fest in Mbombela, South Africa. Ridgard, a freelance lighting engineer, orchestrated an array of dynamic lighting looks that complemented performances throughout the two-day festival. The NX4 is a full-featured console in Obsidian’s ONYX lighting control platform. One of the standard features of the NX4 that JP finds especially useful is its 10 motorised Main Playbacks. “These were particularly useful for executing precise movements and controlling aspects such as Speed Masters, Size Masters,…
Free Your Mind: The Matrix is the dance-based reimagining of the cult 90s movie franchise, created specifically as the opening event for Manchester’s new cultural space within Factory International. Sound design is by Gareth Fry, who specified TiMax SoundHub to handle the complex spatial audio requirements of The Warehouse. The production moves from the smaller theatre space in Aviva Studios after the interval and significantly scales up into the 21-metre-high Warehouse, with its aircraft hangar proportions, Fry explained, “In such a big space, with that audience-performer configuration, imaging is critical.” TiMax provided support to deal with what Fry described as…
Backup Tech acknowledges the individuals whose dedication and adventurous spirit have helped to bolster the charity’s fundraising efforts. “We extend our heartfelt appreciation to everyone who has gone above and beyond to support our cause, from the passionate participants to the generous donors and committed supporters,” commented Backup’s Jess Allan. “Together, we can truly impact the lives of individuals within our industry.” November saw ‘Black Hole – End of Time,’ by award-winning lighting designer and musician, Paul Alty, return. Over three nights, the event raised funds for Backup Tech as well as the host venue, Old Christ Church in Liverpool.…
Focusrite has announced the acquisition of UK-based Sheriff Technology Limited, trading as OutBoard, the company behind both TiMax immersive audio solutions and OutBoard stage rigging motor control products and PAT4 enterprise electrical safety testing. Founded in 2001 by Robin Whittaker and David Haydon, OutBoard is a UK-based company specialising in entertainment technologies. Under the OutBoard brand, the business designs, manufactures and sells industry standard rigging control products for live events, together with enterprise-level safety test, preparation and quality management for global rental companies and venues. Their solutions are commonly used across European markets and feature at BST Hyde Park concerts,…
The technical team at the Luisenburg Festival once again used weatherproof spotlights from FUSION by GLP this year. 24 FUSION X-PAR 12Z, 24 FUSION Stick FS20, 12 FUSION SuperNova SN70 and four GLP impression X5 washlights formed part of the lighting design for the 2023 season, with the Sticks FS20 having been specified for the third year in a row. The lighting of the rock stage is redefined year after year based on the performance plan as Michael Lindner, assistant to the festival’s technical director (Fabian Schröter), explained: “As an open-air stage, we use around 80% weatherproof material that stands…
L-Acoustics is the platinum sponsor of the Audio Engineering Society (AES) International Acoustics and Sound Reinforcement Conference in Le Mans France from 23 to 26 January 2024. Arica Rust, a member of the Education & Scientific Outreach division at L-Acoustics is co-chairing the conference. The conference organising board consists of members of the AES Technical Committee on Acoustics and Sound Reinforcement, among others: Arica Rust, Manuel Melon, Adam Hill, Elena Shabalina, Marcel Kok, Hannah Goodine, Etienne Corteel, David Williams, Peter Mapp, Eddy Bøgh Brixen, and Pierrick Lotton. The event will be hosted at and is being developed in partnership with…
The Austrian AV technology manufacturer AV Stumpfl will present its AnyShape projection screen technology and the latest PIXERA 2.0 software features, as well as their new PIXERA GEN 2 media server hardware at the upcoming ISE trade fair in Barcelona, Spain. AV Stumpfl’s screens sales director, Jan Walter, explained the importance of AnyShape technology: “Projection screens can be so much more than just passive rectangular surfaces, they can be a vital part of immersive storytelling experiences. If you can visualise it, there is a good chance that our team can build it. AnyShape is a major development that allows for…
163 Robert Juliat Dalis 862 footlights took part in the unique Chiroptera show, a collaborative project by JR, Damien Jalet and Thomas Bangalter. “We worked closely with the three artists behind the project, and came up with a very specific lighting concept,” commented Antoine D’Halluin, associate director of Concept K. “We had to use lighting to serve the show while ensuring all the technology required for such a creation remained invisible to the audience. We therefore deliberately decided on a minimalist use of light sources to concentrate on the human element and bring this creation to life. The Dalis footlights…
Alec Morris from Anthrolight Productions in the UK embarked on a North American tour this fall with English guitarist and ex-Genesis member Steve Hackett, illuminating the performances using an NX1 lighting console from Obsidian Control Systems. The 31-show tour, Foxtrot at 50 kicked off on October 3 in Montreal and concluded on November 18 in Los Angeles. It marked Morris’s first time designing and operating lighting for the legendary guitarist, with Tour Manager Adrian Holmes overseeing the logistics. Morris began designing lighting on a Martin LightJockey and M-Series consoles years ago, transitioning to Obsidian after Elation took over the console…
The Turnpike Troubadours are continuing their US “A Cat in the Rain Tour” with Ayrton Zonda 9 FX and Zonda 3 FX LED moving head washes, Bora LED beams and washes, and Khamsin LED profiles dominating the rig. ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton Lighting in North America. Nashville-based independent lighting designer and programmer Joshua Schultz has been working with The Turnpike Troubadours for the last two years. In designing the tour he wanted to “keep the focus on the band and not go over the top with a gigantic rig. We have to be able to scale…
For Strictly Come Dancing’s Lighting Director David Bishop created a special opportunity for two NRG students to join the 2023 show’s ‘Strictly Blackpool’ lighting crew. The two NRG students, Clara Sousa-Shaheed and Charlie Bailey, received a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into creating a production. Clara studies the BSc (Hons) Event Production at Confetti Institute of Creative Technology in Nottingham and Charlie is on the Theatre, Festival and Event Production BA (Hons) course at Bath Spa University. “My time in Blackpool was invaluable. I am so inspired and in awe of the week and the work. Collaborating with an accomplished…
Slovenian indie rockers Joker Out recently played a sold-out performance at Ljubljana’s Stožice which was lit by Klemen Krajnc, part of the Blackout design studio. 100 Robe luminaires breaking down as 32 MegaPointes, 64 Spiiders, 19 LEDBeam 150s and 13 FORTES plus a number of strobes and LED floods. The starting point for this gig was the LED screens when the band chose a direction on this, which was that they wanted a semi-circular upstage screen to define the stage space, he followed on with the lighting. The upstage screen was masked into an elegant semi-circle, and in front of…
The recent integration of an Allen & Heath dLive system into Kaylee Bell’s Boots ‘N All tour brought about a great transformation for both the renowned New Zealand singer-songwriter and her band. Kaylee Bell’s Front-of-House Engineer and Production Manager Joshua Anderson described the arrival of the dLive system supplied by Jansen Pro Audio as a game changer for both him and the performers. “Eliminating the task of maintaining show files for multiple consoles has saved me endless amounts of time and has brought a whole new level of consistency to everything,” said Anderson. In a notable shift, the band’s monitoring…
Brompton Technology’s Tessera LED processors powered customised video content at the Royal Exhibition Building for the inaugural 16-day Now or Never festival, where performances explored the adventurous and diverse nature of digital creativity. The historic 19th century Royal Exhibition Building is a World Heritage listed venue and was built as part of the international exhibition movement of the late 1800s. It was the stage for several events as part of Now or Never 2023, with Gig Control responsible for the entire design of the lighting, audio and visual elements. The Royal Exhibition Building welcomed a rare gathering of some of…
Organisers of the Hope Fellowship Church’s Hillfest Christian music festival added a thrust to their main stage. This configuration brought their star-studded lineup of artists closer to the audience, but it also necessitated some modifications in front lighting. “With the stage having a thrust, we needed to position fixtures to light performers farther out, away from the stage than our downstage truss would allow,” explained project manager, Martin Lyons. “We used the Maverick Storm 1 Washes placed up on the hill by FOH to wash the thrust. Their zoom range allowed us to have a great wash from a far…
Pooh’s Friends Forever tour utilised a collection of 96 CHAUVET Professional Color STRIKE M motorised strobe-blinders, which were imported by Zalight with service by Agoro. Campana arranged 66 of these fixtures in a matrix of 11 structures positioned behind the LED wall. The remaining units were hung on overhead and side truss structures. Running the lights was Francesco De Cave, who worked with the band on their 2016 Reunion Tour. “I had already collaborated with Pooh,” said De Cave. “When I started interacting with them, they immediately appreciated my way of working, and an excellent relationship was immediately created. They…
