British indie rock band Glass Animals continued their global Tour of Earth headlining some of the biggest venues of their career, including Madison Square Garden and London’s O2. The band’s unique show is supported by Ayrton lighting fixtures, a zactrack SMART automated follow spot system and grandMA3 consoles, all brands which are exclusively distributed in North America by ACT Entertainment. The tour kicked off in Atlanta in August and will wrap up in Australia and Hong Kong at the end of the year. “Glass Animals are incredibly kind and humble people and are very involved with the creative process. Their input…
Author: James Robertson
Willis Underhill, Diamond Rio’s Gallatin, Tennessee based lighting designer, used Capture and CuePoints to program his show. When running the show as he did October 19 2024 at the Columbus Civic Center, he busked over his cues to add depth and spontaneity his looks. It worked to perfection that night as he created a warm inviting party atmosphere inside the big venue with his fast-moving bursts of bright light. The ChamSys MagicQ MQ250M (supplied by CLD) that Underhill takes with him on the road, made it easy to busk portions of his show. “This console allows me to add busking…
Las Vegas-based independent lighting designer Gregg Maltby used an array of Ayrton fixtures and a pair of grandMA3 light consoles for legendary artist Peter Frampton’s The Positively Thankful Tour, which led up to his induction ceremony at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in October. Ayrton and MA Lighting products are exclusively distributed in North America by ACT Entertainment. OSA International, Inc. in Nashville was the lighting vendor for the tour, a role they played for Frampton’s 2023 North American tour, which Maltby also designed. “I had used Ayrton fixtures before and knew they’d be really bulletproof on the…
Matthieu Larivee and the team at Luz Studio designed Jason Aldean’s 24-city Highway Desperado Tour, which concluded October 5 2024 at Georgia’s Macon Amphitheatre. Appreciating that the lower parts of the stage are where most eyeballs (and most phones) are focused, they strove to make this area as fan and camera friendly as possible by incorporating multi-level fascia risers into their design. “The risers were the start of the design,” said Larivee. “I wanted to focus on the lower part of crowd POV. This is where people are mainly watching, and this is the main background of the pictures on…
Lighting Designer Whitney Hoversten is shaping the visual spectacle of Bruno Mars’ shows using Elation PROTEUS series lighting. From his eight-year residency at Park MGM in Las Vegas to selling out stadiums worldwide, Hoversten has employed the market-leading IP-rated PROTEUS lighting to enhance and complement the global superstar’s dynamic performances. For over a decade, Mars has reigned as one of the music industry’s most successful artists, with a string of hits spanning multiple genres and 15 Grammy Awards. Unsurprisingly, demand for his performances is at an all-time high. 2024 began with seven sold-out shows at the Tokyo Dome in Japan,…
YouTube star Noami Jon recently went on her first major headline tour at concert venues across Germany. Jon’s sound engineer is Flo Herkert, who has been working with her since her first ever gig. Herkert is responsible for the front of house mix and also oversees the on-stage monitor mix. A keen advocate of KLANG, Herkert bought Germany’s first KLANG:konduktor immersive in-ear-monitoring system in 2017, followed by a :vokal system and is now using his KLANG:vokal+ system with a DiGiCo SD11i for the Villain of your Dreams Tour. “I’ve always been interested in new technologies and KLANG immediately caught my…
In 2020, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s newly appointed Director, Carlos Acosta, went on a ‘discovery mission’ to learn about the company’s home city. Amazed by the stories, culture, and diversity from within in Birmingham, he commissioned a series of three new productions including a look at the unique sounds and history of metal icons, Black Sabbath. Comprising the work of three composers led by Christopher Austin and three choreographers, led by Pontus Lidberg, the ballet’s story was written by the award-winning Richard Thomas, lit by Lighting Designer KJ, and heard of over three acts through a Britannia Row Productions PA delivery.…
Designed for the creation of piercing aerial effects, ADJ’s new Ultra Beam Bar 12CW is a compact linear entertainment lighting fixture that features 12 cool white LEDs. Each LED generates a narrow beam of bright white light and when all 12 are lit simultaneously the fixture creates a ‘curtain of light’ effect. The LEDs can also be controlled independently, allowing animated chase patterns running across one or more fixtures to be programmed. The Ultra Beam Bar 12CW features 12 by 20-Watt 6200K (cool white) LEDs which each output a distinct beam of light with a concise 5° beam angle. Smooth…
Elation has hired professional brand strategist Braven Greenelsh as the company’s Chief Marketing Officer. In addition to being an entrepreneur and award-winning thought leader in brand development, Greenelsh has a strong background in corporate identity and product design. He has collaborated with the Elation team for many years and contributed to the success of several of Elation’s top brands, including PROTEUS and Obsidian Control Systems. Toby Velazquez, CEO of Elation and President of the ADJ Group, shared his thoughts on the new hire. “We have always valued our brand as a vital part of our business, and as we…
Poland-based sound provider Gigant Sound/Letus, Europe’s largest Outline GTO inventory holder, was once again entrusted with delivering the sound for the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole, one of the most prestigious music events in the country. Along with the Sopot Festival, it ranks as one of the two most important cultural events in Poland, celebrating the achievements of Polish songwriters and performers over the past year. The festival takes place in the legendary Millennium Amphitheatre, a venue where every Polish artist aspires to perform. This iconic site has hosted the Polish Song Festival since 1963, making it one…
Shure has announced Axient Digital PSM – its first digital wireless in ear monitoring solution that exceeds the needs of today’s top-tier touring acts and large-scale productions. Axient Digital PSM has been designed and developed to meet the demands of touring professionals and rental houses, ensuring RF and spectral efficiency that caters to the rapidly evolving wireless landscape. This new digital in ear monitoring system is Shure’s first Wireless Multichannel Audio System (WMAS) enabled product line, empowering audio professionals to adapt to a wide variety of environments. With its forward-looking design, Axient Digital PSM represents a long-term investment for tours,…
In early 2024 Luciano delivered 11 concerts across Germany, Austria and Switzerland with his Seductive tour. This breathtaking stage show was made possible through the use of PIXERA, the media server system from Austrian high-tech pioneer AV Stumpfl. The complex and captivating Seductive tour not only offered an unforgettable experience for the audience but also set a new standard for stage shows worldwide. The entire show was run via timecode and lasted just under two hours. In the pre-programming at REC Tec’s in-house studio, the lighting design was integrated with the video content to create a unified visual experience. Throughout…
Following almost 10 years of success organising large indoor events, REBELLiON – the RAW Hardstyle sub brand of promoter REBiRTH – ventured outdoors for the first time this summer. The one-day REBELLiON Outdoor festival took place at Almere near Amsterdam and attracted thousands of visitors who enjoyed music performed across five stages. Lighting for the four largest performance areas was provided by production company Spectrum AV, which extensively utilised ADJ fixtures drawn from its significant rental inventory. These included Vizi Beam CMY moving heads and Jolt Panel FXIP LED fixtures, which are recent investments for the company, as well as…
As the festival season hit high gear in 2024, the TT+ AUDIO GTX line array system by RCF took center stage, delivering an unparalleled audio experience that had sound reinforcement professionals and festival-goers alike raving. Designed with cutting-edge technology and engineered for peak performance, the GTX PA system is redefining soundscapes at festivals around the U.S. and around the globe. To begin its festival tour, the TT+ AUDIO’s GTX touring concert system showcased its durability and performance with powerful Dominican rhythms at one of the largest Latin festivals in the U.S., the Baila Conmigo Festival, held across three days in…
RF Venue has announced a new and exclusive distribution partnership for the UK and Ireland with CUK Group. The new arrangement will improve access to RF Venue products for integrators and live sound providers. Stock will ship directly from CUK’s East Kilbride distribution centre, with customers purchasing in their local currency, whether that be Pounds or Euros. “CUK Group are a perfect fit as a distribution partner. Not only do they have a strong presence in both the live and installation markets, but they also share our philosophy when it comes to customer support with the ability to provide the…
Produced by Euforia Festivals, Tranceformations is one of Poland’s largest EDM Festivals. It takes place annually at the Centennial Hall, a UNESCO-listed building in the charming city of Wroclaw, capital of Lower Silesia. The historic venue, built in 1913 to a design by architect Max Berg, holds 10,000 people beneath its 42m high x 67m diameter dome. This was the location for the sixth edition of Tranceformations which hosted a stellar line up of international Trance music artists including Aly & Fila, Brinary Finary, Jordan Suckley, Nilsix, Thrill Seekers, Solarstone, Genix, Marcus Schulz, A.D.D.A, Roger Shah and Simon Paterson. Lighting…
Martin Audio has appointed Simon Honywill as its new Market Development Manager for Live Sound, Production, and Immersive Audio Markets. With an extensive career spanning over two decades in sound engineering, Simon’s transition into this strategic role is set to propel Martin Audio into new markets while further solidifying its leadership in live sound and immersive audio technology. Honywill’s appointment follows a long and successful association with Martin Audio. His contributions to sound engineering across major global events, particularly in the UK festival scene, have earned him a stellar reputation. “I’m utterly thrilled about this new role,” he said. “After…
Rock in Rio is a flamboyant celebration of music, held in beautiful Rio de Janeiro every two years. Started in 1985, the festival has a worldwide reputation of excellence, not just in the artist line up, but the festival site itself. The choice to use DiGiCo consoles for the main front of house systems is down to artist preference, explains Peter Racy, Rock in Rio’s front of house (FOH) system manager and mix engineer. “We are seeing a dominance of DiGiCo consoles being used by artists on the main stage,” he said. “The choice of consoles for the festival is…
