TAIT has acquired Airworks. This strategic acquisition strengthens TAIT’s commitment to delivering fan experiences by expanding its creative range and production offerings for renowned global performers and live events with Airworks. Since starting in rock ’n’ roll in 1978, TAIT has pushed the boundaries of concert and live event production for the world’s biggest artists. Today, the company has expanded its services and evolved beyond concert touring, bringing creative expertise and engineering innovation to theme parks, world expos, global theatres, festivals, and fan experiences worldwide. Founded in 2002, Airworks has earned a reputation for producing visually stunning, large-scale inflatable works…
Author: Jacob Waite
What was the idea and inspiration behind the creation of the three-way active line array? MC: “The VIO L1610 now stands as the brand leader of our core business – small to mid-sized line array systems. Historically, the brand began developing powered line arrays two decades ago, and we’ve carried on that legacy with the launch of VIO over 10 years ago. This model targets the dual 10” format – a compact, powerful system designed with ease of use in mind. It’s flyable by a single person. Our early prototype was the two-way VIO L210, followed by the improved version–…
What challenges did you face bringing GX 3+ to the market? “A challenge faced during development was working to ensure that we can guarantee the increase in power requirements for the NVIDIA Blackwell GPU architecture, which has a maximum power consumption of 600W. This has meant that we have had to validate a new power supply unit (PSU), as well as managing the increased cooling requirements. Beyond that, development has been smooth, incorporating extensive validation across GPU, CPU and motherboard types, together with rigorous environmental testing for heat, shock and drops. This level of testing goes beyond standard server requirements…
As flightcases wheel back to warehouses following another whirlwind summer season, Concert Stuff Group (CSG) cemented its reputation as one of the ‘go-to’ names in full-service event solutions. With its headquarters based in North Carolina, CSG capped off the summer in style, delivering five back-to-back concerts at Chicago’s Soldier Field during the final week of August, featuring Oasis, My Chemical Romance, The Lumineers, and a double-bill of System of a Down. Just over eight miles away, CSG’s sister companies – G2 Structures and Guardian Barrier Services – were simultaneously working their magic at Wrigley Field, constructing the live infrastructure for…
It’s been some time since Mumford & Sons hit the road with an arena production, with their last, the Delta Tour, wrapping up in early 2019. Covering the show at Manchester’s AO Arena back then, one element all the crew mentioned at the time was the flexibility the band brought to their live offering – with changing setlists and instruments, as well as one or two trips out into the crowd, being common occurrences. Suffice to say, despite the break and the release of a new album, these hallmarks remain. The difference this time around is several new faces joining…
Neg Earth Lights believes that being ‘job-ready’ is about more than just technical skills. As an employer, the proudly independent lighting and rigging specialist values those who align with its culture and demonstrate a desire to learn – through reliability, attention to detail, and the ability to offer a quality service and collaborate across the teams that make up the live events sector. Millie Weston joined the CAD and Fabrication departments at Neg Earth Lights after discovering the placement programme during her search for a route into the industry following a Fine Art degree. “I was eager to explore how…
In a bid to further foster meaningful dialogue and exchange within the professional audio ecosystem, Sennheiser and Neumann open their doors to the industry press. With over 37 global journalists in attendance, Sennheiser’s 80th Anniversary International Press Trip was designed as a journey through the past, present, and future of the Sennheiser Group – a celebration of 80 years of innovation, independence, and a passion for sound. By hosting the experience across two locations – the Sennheiser headquarters in Wennebostel and Neumann’s home in Berlin, Germany – the brand aimed to showcase the shared DNA that unites the Sennheiser Group…
When Oasis announced their long-awaited return on 27 August 2024, the news instantly struck an emotional chord with live music fans worldwide. As tickets vanished swiftly and speculation swirled around support acts and production details, a dedicated team of touring professionals, creatives, and rental specialists were quietly assembling behind the scenes. Their mission: to deliver a production that not only exceeds expectations but is, above all, ‘biblical’. In response to overwhelming demand, Oasis added extra dates across the UK and Ireland before heading to North America, Australia, South America, and Asia. Support acts included Cast, Richard Ashcroft, Cage the Elephant,…
For the past decade, Portman Lights has quietly built a reputation as one of the most recognisable names in creative lighting design, the sort of kit that instantly adds warmth, texture and a bit of theatre to any space. Once the secret weapon of music video directors and touring LDs, Portman’s unique style is now finding a new home across TV, advertising, film, corporate events and live productions alike. At Artisan Productions, we have been using Portman fixtures across our events for some time, and we are proud to now stock the full range for dry hire and in-house production.…
A familiar name to readers, Lighting Designer Elliot Baines of Spiral is no stranger to Glastonbury Festival. Aged just 10, he was already busking shows at Worthy Farm. Fast forward to 2025, and the creative speaks to TPi’s Jacob Waite to reflect on his latest Glasto milestone – designing the lighting for electronic music duo, Maribou State’s headline set on the festival’s third-largest stage. This project was realised in collaboration with creative directors Unlimited Dream Company (UDC), lighting supplier Liteup, video vendor iMAG, and West Holts stage supplier DPL Production Lighting. What was your role on this project? “For shows…
What really makes light feel right? Lighting designer and neuroaesthetics researcher, Jason Ahn is challenging conventional wisdom with an approach that draws on neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy. In his new Routledge-published book Neuroaesthetic Stage Lighting Design: What Makes Good Light, Ahn offers a framework for understanding audience perception – and why applying neuroaesthetic principles could transform how live events feel, not just how they look. What inspired you to write Neuroaesthetic Stage Lighting Design? “Every creative field has its own unwritten rules – for example, ‘in this situation, this arrangement and colour combination works best.’ I was curious to know…
A year on from Dua Lipa’s headline appearance at Glastonbury Festival, and hot on the heels of multiple sold-out nights at Wembley Stadium, TPi headed to Anfield to catch up with a well-travelled touring production crew championing a culture of innovation and care on and off stage. Ahead of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA)’s backstage tour, while walking through the tunnel pre-show, Tour Director, Pete Abbott shared how he has worked with Dua Lipa since 2016 – initially through tour management and direction, which evolved during lockdown into creative and show direction. During the student open day at…
Stageco steel and ROE Visual LED screens played a pivotal role in one of the most significant live music events in Dutch history – DI-RECT’s farewell concerts at Rotterdam’s De Kuip stadium, home of Feyenoord. Tasked with delivering this historic production, Sightline Productions engaged Stageco to provide staging infrastructure and the build while Creative Technology (CT) Netherlands selected ROE Visual’s Black Quartz LED panels to create an impressive production for 145,000 fans. The concerts marked the final chapter in De Kuip’s legacy as a live music venue. Over nearly five decades, the stadium has evolved into one of the Netherlands’…
On the Summer Solstice, Pulp’s latest arena tour had its curtain call at Manchester’s Co-op Live with a bold, visually rich show that fuses nostalgia with innovation. Featuring bespoke lighting, wacky-waving arm-flailing inflatable tube men, AI-enhanced visuals, an orchestra, and sentiment-rich design, the production celebrates the band’s legacy while pushing creative boundaries. In keeping with the title of the band’s new album, the aim was the addition of more production and originality. “The creative direction from the band is more about what’s artistically interesting and tells the stories in the songs,” Production Designer, Douglas Green said, recalling the project’s creative…
When Katie Melua’s technical rider specified L-Acoustics for her performance at Poland’s Energa Ladies Jazz Festival, they did so because her performance demands precise sound coverage at controlled SPL levels across the challenging 4,500 capacity Polsat Plus Arena. The response came through a strategic partnership between Polish rental company Krupski Sound and L-Acoustics Certified Partner Audio Plus, deploying flagship L2 arrays that transcended the venue’s difficult acoustics and marked a defining moment for regional sound production capabilities. The 21st edition of Europe’s only recurring festival dedicated to female jazz artistry, which has brought together over 110,000 attendees and 600+ performers…
For Lighting Designer, Tom Edwards, 2025 has been a year of bold moves and creative breakthroughs. Freshly freelance after nearly a decade with one of the UK’s leading production houses, Edwards has stepped into the unknown with a clear goal: to strike a better work-life balance while elevating his design portfolio. One of his first major solo ventures? An immersive headline show with Jamie XX at the brand-new LIDO Festival in London, as TPi’s Jacob Waite discovers… You recently made the move to go freelance, what spurred this and how have you find acclimatising? “I did! I’d worked at a company…
On the road in support of the release of their seventh studio album, Clancy, Twenty One Pilots made their much-anticipated return to the touring circuit on 15 August 2024 at Denver’s Ball Arena. Over a year, multiple continents and 73 shows later, the production’s curtain call took place at The O2 arena in London with TPi on site to meet the team powering The Clancy World Tour. Enlisted by the band in January 2024 to take this new tour on the road, experienced Production Manager, Matt Doherty’s brief was to work with production design collective District 5 to build a…
It’s not every day that an invitation lands on your desk to witness one of the most striking live shows in recent memory. However, when it does – and it features automation, layer upon layer of drapery, special effects and pyrotechnics, eclectic video content, and a Flashdance-inspired ‘rain shower’ moment – it’s certainly a gig worth attending. With cutting-edge technology at its core, creativity and coordination played key roles in Shirin David’s SCHLAU ABER BLOND Tour 2025. To meet the artist’s creative vision, Production Director, John Pryer and Production Manager, George Doherty of 24/7 Productions advanced the project – enlisting…
