South Africa - The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), featuring Phil Bates, brought four decades of their blend of orchestral rock to South Africa recently, playing concerts in Johannesburg and Cape Town - with Robe moving lights featuring on both shows.

The Johannesburg gig was staged in the 2,800 capacity Centre Court venue at Emperor's Palace Casino, Kempton Park, with Kevin Stannett from Crosslight asked to light the show by promoters AfroAsia Events.

Although Kevin - also the regular LD at Emperor's Palace - had last year specified 12 Robe Robin DLX LED Spots for their main venue, for concerts in the arena there is a bare stage, so all technical production has to be outsourced. For this show, lighting kit was supplied by Pan Tilt Lighting run by Kurt Du Preez.

Four 15m wide

USA - The OCA Alliance, a global consortium of companies developing the Open Control Architecture (OCA) as a media networking system, will demonstrate its flexible and robust standards-based open control of devices for the first time at this year's InfoComm, set for 18-20 June at the Las Vegas Convention Centre.

In booth C11547, the Alliance will exhibit some of the first products implementing OCA from its member companies with technical experts on hand to explain and present the technology.

"There has been significant work on the OCA control protocol to date, the InfoComm show is a great opportunity to present the results of that effort to the industry and to the public," said OCA marketing workgroup chairman, Marc Weber of d&b audiotechnik.

"For the first time in the history of the OCA Alliance, we will have a public booth at the InfoComm exhibition. The pub

USA - Czech Republic-based lighting manufacturer Robe Lighting has strengthened its technical service department in the United States with the addition of industry professional Ambrose Gumbs, who has joined the company as technical service department manager.

With increased sales and product recognition, Robe's goal is to provide clients with first-rate technical support as the company continues to expand.

Gumbs was most recently with Martin Professional for nearly 14 years, where he started out as bench technician and soon specialized in lighting console and PCB repairs. As a member of the technical support and training team, Gumbs has extensive industry experience and is excited to be joining the Robe family.

"This is an awesome opportunity for me to be part of something great that is happening within this Industry." Gumbs said. "I'm very happy to be here at

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ETC Halcyon Silent

High End Systems Halcyon Silent builds on ETC’s legacy of fanless automated fixtures by incorporating features from the highly sought-after Halcyon family. Halcyon Silent perfectly balances silent operation with brilliant output of 18,400 lumens and high-impact features. 

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USA - To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the appearance of The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Recording Academy, AEG Ehrlich Ventures and CBS presented The Beatles: The Night That Changed America - A GRAMMY Salute.

Featuring many of today's top artists performing songs made famous by the seven-time GRAMMY Award-winning group, the production also included footage from that landmark Sunday evening along with various presenters discussing the worldwide impact of The Beatles. Behind the scenes, it was designer Matt Firestone who was charged with bringing the events lighting to life while working on an extremely tight production schedule; which he did relying on VL3500 Wash, VL3000 Spot and VL3500 Spot luminaires from Philips Vari-Lite.

"For the production, we mainly needed both backlight and a floor package that could compete against the large video wall

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New Touring Series by Gravity – Every Scratch Has A Story

When the stage heats up, you need equipment that can keep up without compromise. The Gravity Touring Series has been specifically designed to meet the highest demands – for rental companies, professional musicians, concert organizers, and large event venues. Premium materials, exceptional durability, and impressive longevity make these products stand out. Whether on tour, in constant use, or under the toughest conditions: the Touring Series delivers maximum reliability and performance – every day, on every stage.
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USA - The latest addition to the PLASA Focus regional event series is hailed a success, providing over 600 attendees with access to the latest entertainment technology and an impressive line-up of seminars delivered by industry experts.

Exhibitors have been speaking enthusiastically about the quality and number of people they saw at their booths. Frank Brault, industry product specialist at Nemetschek Vectorworks comments, "We met with all of the regional contacts we were hoping to connect with. It's been a fantastic show!" Phil Ion, director of CORE Lighting, adds, "We saw a wide variety of interested customers from a much wider geographical area than we expected, and all quality leads. It's been well worth exhibiting."

The relaxed environment PLASA Focus shows are renowned for, providing attendees with an ideal setting to network and do business in, was m

UK - This year, popular British TV series Celebrity Big Brother evicted each voted out participant along a 'catwalk of shame' under the piercing, bright spotlight of the Clay Paky Sharpy.

Prolific award winning lighting designer, Gurdip Mahal, was tasked with providing a stand out lighting design for the show, which was watched by more than 3m viewers across the UK. Mahal opted for the high-impact effect of the Clay Paky Sharpy in order to deliver a strong rock concert style atmosphere.

"When I set out to design Big Brother my brief was to make it look like a enormous and exciting outdoor event - a cross between a live concert and a TV show," Mahal explains. "I needed lights that would cut through the ambient lighting and be bright enough to make a dramatic impact outside. The Clay Paky Sharpys fitted the bill perfectly."

Mahal used 32 Clay Paky Sh

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AZOR® SP2 IP - Compact IP65 Spot Profile Moving Head

Compact design and IP65 protection for indoor and outdoor applications: the new AZOR® SP2 IP is the ideal solution for open-air events and outdoor theatres that require a powerful, weatherproof lighting system. An optimal partner for lighting designers and event service providers looking for a versatile LED show light in a compact housing.

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UK - Orbital Sound is planning a unique line-up of innovative international pro audio brands on Stand No: 74 at the ABTT Theatre Show 2014 (Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London, 11-12 June), featuring products from Flare Audio, d&b audiotechnik, HME, Clear-Com, CSC, and TheatrePro, as well as the launch of the Orbital's new distribution product range, the Nemesis brand of theatre-specific audio playback and control solutions. In addition, Orbital is presenting a special version of its acclaimed "Mixing Musicals" training course as part of ABTT's seminar series, focusing on the practical skills and theory behind best-practice FOH mixing for modern musicals.

As Flare Audio's distributor in the UK and Eire, Orbital is showcasing the brand's extensive range of radically different loudspeaker designs - on show at ABTT for the first time. Based on the theory of Waveform In

UK - At the recent PLASA Focus event at The Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, Cadac showed the latest V2.1 software update for its flagship CDC eight digital live production console.

Updating further the many V2.0 features and additional functionality within console automation, V2.1 further enables VCA group deployment, with pressing of the SELECT button on a VCA deploys the VCA group members on the console surface. Switching between input-driven and mix-driven Fader Follow is enabled at a touch of the screen. It is now possible to view and access single input channel contributions to multiple busses, or a single bus' contributions from multiple inputs when in Fader-Follow mode.

New features already incorporated in version 2 software - launched at Prolight+Sound in March - include individual channel section isolation and global automation safe in the console snapshot automation

Portugal - An Allen & Heath GLD digital system, comprising a GLD-80 mixer and accompanying AR2412 and AR84 remote I/O racks, have been installed in Casa da Cultura Mestre José Rodrigues auditorium in Portugal's Douro Valley.

The multi-purpose venue, which hosts a variety of events including theatre, live shows, congresses and town hall meetings, needed to upgrade its audio system. The house engineer specified a digital console with recording capabilities that would be practical and flexible.

"After installation, feedback from the engineer was that there was a great improvement in sound quality and all the staff were very impressed with how easy it was to operate," comments Marcos de Matos from Allen & Heath's Portuguese distributor, Avitel. "The house engineer was also very impressed with how practical setup was, and as they host a lot of outdoor shows, t

Adding to the "experience" in Justin Timberlake's 20/20 Experience World Tour are 75 Solaris LED Flares. These award-winning, RGBW wash/strobe/blinders - in a single unit! - provide over 33,000 lumens each in a variety of applications.

By specifying the multipurpose Flares, lighting designer Nick Whitehouse reduced the overall fixture count for the tour, saving space, energy, labor, and freight, while at the same time gaining features and improved performance! Positioned on the stage, back wall, and overhead, the compact Flares can be used where conventional lights will not fit, e.g. hidden in the stage and other tight spots. The Flares were provided by Solotech of Montreal and Las Vegas.

"We tested the Flares on the JT-JayZ promo tour and loved the output and features," says Whitehouse. "Having used them to light the audience in entire stadiums, I knew they

UK - Franz Ferdinand has been performing to sold out venues across Europe since the start of March.

The band's established lighting designer, Cormac Jackson helped to develop their artistic vision involving a different way video can light the stage. Production manager, Bob O'Brien approached long time friend Mark O'Herlihy of PRG Nocturne to supply the video and custom designed products for the creative video solution.

As on previous tours Franz Ferdinand show their personality by using various production elements. For this tour they chose to experiment with the way they use video on stage. There were three custom-fabricated screens made of a reflective UV material, Mark refers to them as almost like "rotating, vertical, venetian blinds". These were the main target for the projectors to hit. Adding to these reflecting screens, the backline amps were also covered with

Vietnam - Nineteen Club, Hanoi's hottest new club and bar, situated right in the centre of the Vietnamese capital, has set a standard for other clubs to emulate, thanks to its Martin Audio sound system.

Venue owner, Vu Anh Phong, first decided to visit Ho Chi Minh city in the south, in order to learn the reason behind the phenomenon success of some of the more famous clubs. He immediately noticed that a common factor was Martin Audio sound systems that appeared to attract a clientele seeking a higher grade of entertainment. "The fact that Martin Audio contributes to these clubs' dramatic success, with the considerable number of guests visiting every night, was evident," he said.

Vu Anh Phong contacted Pham Duy Duc, director of well-known club installers Duc Proaudio Company, who provided a proposal, basing his design on Martin Audio components for Nineteen Club. It w

UK - Five Production Arts students from City College Norwich recently lit the exterior of London's prestigious National Theatre during its 50th anniversary year, after winning leading British drama school Rose Bruford College's Junior Ready Steady Light competition.

The 'prize' was coordinated by the National's head of lighting resources, Huw Llewellyn - and a pair of SGM's G-Spot LED all-weather spots were ready to test the creative abilities of the fortunate students - selected by Llewellyn and provided by SGM UK.

The students were given advanced training to allow them to gain a more in depth understanding of the software used to light the iconic theatre on London's South Bank before being given full creative rein, as they lit up the Theatre nightly between 26 April and 2 May - in three-minute sequences starting at sunset.

Huw Llewellyn first saw the G-Spot immersed in wat

South Africa - For the second year running Pretoria based Blond Productions are supplying full technical production - lighting, video and sound - including Robe moving lights - and design for the popular South African TV talent competition, Clash of The Choirs.

The 10 'final' performance episodes this year involve seven hand-picked choirs performing several different pieces of work each week. The show is being recorded in the Victory Theatre, Orange Grove, Johannesburg and is broadcast twice weekly by Mzansi Magic. It is again expected to be one of the 'most watched' series on SA television and highlights the country's propensity for vocal talent.

Lighting for this year's show is a co-design between Peter Rieck - who did the first series - and Ryan Lombard, both of whom specified the Robe Robin MMX Spots and Robin LEDBeam 100s.

The Victory Theatre, built in 1929 is a

UK - Having been appointed premier UK stockist for RCF's new Media Professional Loudspeaker Installation Series, Leisuretec Distribution promptly announced an official 'open day' launch for customers at their Bedfordshire HQ on 20 May.

According to managing director, Cliff Dounting, discussions with the Italian manufacturer to add the versatile Media Series to the portfolio had begun at the beginning of the year.

"There has been a long standing relationship between Leisuretec Distribution and RCF UK's Phil Price that stretches back more than 20 years - and that was a great foundation to build upon.

"RCF has a strong brand name in the industry - synonymous with high quality and excellent value for money, both of which we at Leisuretec regard very highly. We see this as a great opportunity to go confidently to the trade and promote these qualities to our clients.&quo

South Africa - Ultra Worldwide, one of the world's premier electronic music festivals, has hit South Africa with a colossal line up of dance music superstars and jaw dropping pyrotechnics controlled by LD Travis Yeatman using an Avolites Tiger Touch console.

The EDM extravaganza, headlined by Dutch producer and überstar Tiësto, was the eighth international edition of the festival and its first South African incarnation, with the chaos kicking off in Cape Town before moving on to Johannesburg. Fireworks for Africa teamed up with Yeatman to create explosive visual spectaculars that pumped up the party animal audiences, with Yeatman's Avolites Tiger Touch console as the control system.

The awesome pyro displays included the use of 12 Channel Red Back Dimmers for controllable hot power channels to trigger the CO2 jets and Stadium Shot streamer canons and the 6m flame units come

UK - Backstage Academy students are currently confirming work placements for the summer season and invite employers to get in touch if they need extra skilled people to support existing crew teams.

The students, who are half way through the Academy's 16-month FdA Live Events Production, are available to work in June, July and August and are seeking either ad hoc events work or three-month placements.

Most students have already gained experience at live events in a variety of backstage roles and all have completed modules in Introduction to Working in Live Events Production, Concept Design & Presentation, Staging, Live Sound, Lighting and Live Visuals.

During the Introduction to Working in Live Events module, students undertook a range of industry-based certificates to prepare them for working safely on site: Event Safety Passport; Emergency First Aid; Stage Pyrotechnics; Pra

USA - Bandit Lites has kicked off its busy 2014 festival season with the CounterPoint Music Festival, where more than 60 artists including Outkast, Foster the People, Pretty Lights, Matt & Kim, and St. Lucia performed on one of the events five stages across Georgia's Kingston's Down 5,000 acres.

The lighting coordination for the three day event was managed by 3srCreative, a new design firm comprised of designers Seth Jackson, Nathan Scheuer, Brent Sandrock and Jack Rushen, who had worked together previously on Selena Gomez's tour. CounterPoint provided a new set of challenges to overcome, as a tour typically consists of one artist, one concept, one designer and (hopefully) one cohesive vision, but a festival can have upwards of eight or nine of those each day.

"The lighting design for the music stages was designed to provide as much variety and flexibility as possible giv

USA - For the past 35 years, the 7,500-seat multipurpose Bicentennial Centre Arena in Salina, Kansas has hosted everything from concerts, theatre, circuses and civic events to rodeos, basketball, roller derby and home games for the local Salina Bombers, champions of the Professional Indoor Football League. But while the venue has undergone a number of changes over the years, the original sound system remained in place until Parkway Communications recently installed a new L-Acoustics ARCS Wide and ARCS Focus loudspeaker rig - aka WIFO - for the city-owned venue, which is managed by Philadelphia-based Global Spectrum.

"Global Spectrum, L-Acoustics and Parkway Communications did a super job of quickly getting a high quality sound system for the Bicentennial Center ordered, installed and ready for prime time," says the City of Salina's city manager, Jason Gage. "This

USA - Christie Lites is opening a Chicago office in Fall 2014. Hard on the heels of a very successful first season for Christie Lites New York, the CL management team has committed to this new full-service warehouse location in the Chicago suburb of Woodridge, Illinois. Details will be announced as they develop in late summer.

This new location in its multi-office rental network marks #14 for this stage lighting and rigging rental company - a number that CEO Huntly Christie considers to be a very auspicious one.

With this addition Christie Lites is adding to an already impressive list of primary locations across North America, including major entertainment centres as Toronto, New York, Orlando and Las Vegas.

The new 50,000sq.ft Woodridge shop will follow the standard model set-up as the rest of its facilities. The design allows space for efficient equipment testing and maint

UK - With an ever-increasing number of end users, Yamaha Commercial Audio UK has taken steps to improve its product servicing, training and customer support by appointing two Yamaha Approved Service Centres.

From Monday 19 May, Yamaha will outsource servicing of the majority of its products to the Yamaha Approved Service Centres (YASCs), which are SSE Audio Group and Berkshire-based Broadcast Service Centre.

In addition, Yamaha is appointing two freelance service engineers to carry out on-site repairs, both for land-based users and the cruise ship market.

"As our product portfolio grows, we are under ever-increasing pressure to continue the high levels of customer service that end-users have come to expect. This new organisational structure will allow us to continue delivering the highest level of support to our growing customer base," says Karl Christmas, sales &

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