Lighting Designer Chris Kuroda used a diamond motif for Ariana Grande’s The Honeymoon Tour, deploying Clay Paky Stormy and A.leda B-EYE K20 fixtures to deliver a sparkling, jewel-like look. For Grande’s first international tour, she played 88 dates worldwide in support of second studio album, My Everything. Kuroda, who is also Lighting Designer for Phish and Justin Bieber, designed the touring rig for the North American and European legs of Grande’s tour as well as lighting for individual shows in Asia and South America. VER supplied the fixtures for the touring rig. Prior to the start of the tour Kuroda sat…
Author: Stewart Hume
An hour after the famous New Year’s Eve ball dropped in Times Square, a gleaming multi-coloured celestial structure located almost 800 miles away welcomed 2016 by moving in the opposite direction. Chi-Town Rising, Chicago’s first countdown NYE celebration, featured a 70ft star that rose on a downtown high rise until it reached 360ft at the stroke of midnight. It was accompanied on its upward journey by the sound of the multi-Grammy winning band Chicago, fireworks and a lightshow that featured a variety of high output fixtures. Among these fixtures was a collection of Nexus 4×4 COB LED panels from Chauvet…
PRG announced it has closed its acquisition of assets from DigitalSound Production Services. PRG will use these assets to strengthen and expand its inventory across a variety of its locations including its Los Angeles and PRG Paskal Lighting facilities. Having filed for chapter 11 protection on 30 November 2015, DPS immediately sought court approval to sell its assets. After a broad solicitation of offers from multiple production technology companies in a sale ordered by the Bankruptcy Court, PRG has successfully acquired the bulk of DPS’ lighting and film equipment assets. The purchase of DPS’ well maintained, quality equipment will enable…
LED screen experts digiLED launched the first in a series of three education days at its renowned LED showroom, The Pixel Depot. With 100% attendance and two further fully reserved days already in the calendar for 2016, the demand by AV integrators for more information about how to handle enquiries for LED screens seems apparent. The level one foundation course was designed to start the LEDucation of AV integration experts, who are already selling complex multi-technology solutions to end users, but have previously had little or no exposure to LED displays. The aim of the foundation course is to transfer…
ArKaos has produced a new accessory, which instantly integrates the latest version of its renowned GrandVJ software with one of the industry’s most popular MIDI controllers, the Akai APC40 mkII. The new GrandVJ cover is a durable plastic overlay, which fits the face of the Akai APC40 mkII controller precisely. All the GrandVJ 2.1 features from the pre-installed MIDI template for the controller are clearly printed on the cover. The illuminated Akai control buttons remain clearly visible through special transparent sections of the cover. With glow-in-the dark elements for more effect, this is a perfect combination of practicality and style.…
Lighting Designer Luc Peumans of Painting With Light has cast Clay Paky Mythos and Sharpy Wash 330 fixtures to play a starring role in his design for a Dutch stage production of Whitney Houston cinematic classic The Bodyguard. The musical, produced by Stage Entertainment, opened in September 2015 at the Beatrix Theatre in Utrecht. Peumans specified 24 Clay Paky Mythos’ and 36 Sharpy Wash 330 fixtures from Ampco Flashlight and used them to swing his looks from the intimate during the more tender scenes, to the big and bold for the numerous concert moments. Peumans explained: “The narrative is well…
Lighting Designer Matt Ford of Magic Lantern Creations in Woodland Hills, California selected Clay Paky Mythos fixtures for variety show Best Time Ever, on a rig controlled by full-size MA Lighting grandMA2 consoles. A.C.T Lighting is the exclusive distributor of both products in North America. Featuring live performances, mini game show segments, sing-a-longs and pre-recorded pranks, Best Time Ever scored with audiences eager for a different kind of entertainment. “It was incredibly important to have a rig that was extremely flexible because it was a live variety show,” he explained. “On most reality competition shows there is a lot more…
Colour Sound Experiment supplied lighting and LED screen to a series of Public Service Broadcasting UK concerts supporting the release of their Sputnik/Korolev EP via Lighting Designer Francis Clegg. Clegg, part of creative visual design and programming collective MIRRAD, produced a lighting design for the short but popular and much-anticipated UK tour, which followed on from summer festival work. A completely new live show concept was evolved for this, with production based on the Brixton Academy gig and adaptable to fit the other venues. The band plays instrumental music, taking samples from classic public service information films, archival footage and…
Procom Middle East has been named K-array’s exclusive distributor for United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Yemen, Egypt and Lebanon in the Middle East region. Based in Dubai, Procom has consolidated the distribution of top professional audio and lighting brands since its establishment in 2010 with a catalogue that covers a full range of professional equipment including, audio, lighting, video, truss, cables, connectors and power distribution equipment. Offering superior expert and specialised technical support for all its products, Procom will provide K-array customers with training and after sales support along with access to ample stock…
Lighting and visuals rental company HSL supplied lighting kit – over 300 fixtures – and crew to the UK arena leg of electro rockers The Prodigy’s The Day is My Enemy tour. HSL worked in close collaboration with Lighting and Show Designer Andy Hurst, and also with live video specialists Video Illusions who supplied cameras and LED screens. The Prodigy’s visual experience was physically large, appearing as a maelstrom of colour to classics like Firestarter and Smack My Bitch Up as well as material from the new album. The set and visuals maintained some base common elements as they have…
Eleven of Showsec’s management team have become the first company employees to receive the new Bachelor of Arts Degree in Applied Professional Studies in Crowd Management, while a twelfth member became the latest graduate to be awarded a Foundation Degree in the same subject. The achievement of BA Degrees by such a significant number of Regional and Area Managers was more ground-breaking progress for Showsec, which came as a direct result of substantial investment and a productive partnership formed with the University of Derby’s Business Centre. “Personal development is a fundamental part of our commitment to driving the business forwards and…
The US Hip Hop act Jurassic 5 was on the road again with a 2015 US and European tour. Rappers Chali 2na, Akil, Zaakir aka Soup, and Marc 7, plus DJs Cut Chemist and DJ Nu-Mark brought their energetic mix of vocals and decks to stage, along with some inventive toys that included Chemist’s record-guitar and Nu-Mark’s record-necklace. The band’s FOH Engineer, Aron ‘M-Sound’ Mandelbaum, was travelling with an SSL L300 live console and ML 32.32 Stagebox, using them on 18 tour dates, including five festivals. Inputs for the main show included all vocal mics (and spare), plus the outputs from…
Motion control systems manufacturer Kinesys is to welcome guests to its dedicated training facility in Atlanta, Georgia, in an event that will run from 25-28 January 2016. The event is reported to offer both product awareness and free operator training for those who want to know more about automated rigging for the entertainment industry. This event has been designed to cover the operation and implementation of Kinesys equipment and will showcase a broad range of products that will appeal to individuals and companies involved in the increasingly popular discipline of automation / motion control. The invitation is open to lighting…
Swedish PA company, Parashoot, completed a European tour with Norwegian singer songwriter, Ane Brun, using Allen & Heath’s new dLive system to manage FOH and Monitors. Parashoot’s recently purchased dLive system, comprising the flagship S7000 Control Surface and DM64 MixRack, was immediately deployed on the tour, mixing both FOH and monitors on the same console. “I have been using iLive endlessly over the last five years, and on the last two Ane Brun tours, culminating in over 200 shows. The timing of the dLive release couldn’t have been better. The anticipation of more FX and more buses, made it the unchallenged…
Unusual Rigging and Engineering has appointed Denis Bramhall as its new Managing Partner. Denis, who has been with Unusual Rigging for 15 years, will be taking over from Alan Thomson, who is retiring after nearly eight years in the Middle East region. The appointment will become effective early in the second quarter of 2016. Denis joined Unusual in 2000 from Tomcat, as Operations Manager, taking on the role of General Manager in 2014. Based at the company’s Northamptonshire headquarters in the UK, he has overseen the company’s expansion, including the opening of a new 1200 sq metre facility in Autumn 2015. …
Revellers coming to the Amphitheatre seeking an immersive experience on New Year’s Eve found what they were looking for at the lofty two-story club, which has become a familiar stop on the EDM circuit. Adding to the atmosphere was a sea of overhead balloons colorised by a collection of COLORado and COLORdash fixtures from Chauvet Professional. Lighting Designer Brett Lorins of Brett Lorins Design brought the Chauvet fixtures to the high profile club just for NYE at the behest of his friend, Amphitheatre LD Rick Sheppard. “It was something that Rick and the club’s owners had discussed,” said Lorins. “In…
Australian progressive metalcore band, Northlane, completed a sold out homecoming tour carrying an Allen & Heath iLive monitor system. The monitor system comprised an iDR-32 MixRack with iLive Editor app for control. Following the band’s hugely successful 2014 tour supporting UK metalcore giants, Bring Me the Horizon, who own an iLive-R72 monitor system, Northlane decided to invest in their own compact iLive for touring. Northlane purchased an iDR-32 MixRack to operate their touring in-ear monitor rig. By setting up the mix over a wireless connection with the iLive Editor app, the band was able to maintain a consistent monitor mix in…
Close to You: Bacharach Reimagined, is a dynamic, uplifting and magical journey through over 30 of Burt Bacharach’s classic hits and features a sensational cast of talented actor/musicians presenting a unique audio requirement in a West End Show. Tasked with supplying audio production were Stage Sound Services and, having been introduced to the world of KV2 Audio by noted Sound Designer Richard Brooker, the company had no hesitation in supplying a complete KV2 Audio solution. Originally running in the Mernier Chocolate Factory, London before transitioning to the Criterion Theatre in Piccadilly, the sound design team of Brooker and associate Tom…
