USA - Toby Keith continued his sold out touring tradition in 2011 with yet another production from show producer Seth Jackson. Jackson, manager TK Kimbro, tour manager David Milam, production manager Ashley Swan and lighting director Eddie 'Bones' Connell have worked with Bandit Lites and VP Michael Golden for many years. The partnership between the parties is more like family than a traditional relationship.

The current Locked and Loaded Tour has performed around the globe sold out audiences everywhere and the tour continues into 2012.

Jackson cooked up a heavy metal look for Keith this year, with the heart of the stage being a 60ft wide wall of Bandit 5 x 5 Blinders that is 8ft tall. The base washes are provided compliments of Infinity Wash XL's along with the popular GRNLite Moving Wash, which provides limitless, deep, saturated colours. There are also GRNLite PARs t

New Zealand - The past couple of months have been extremely busy for Oceania Audio & Lighting in New Zealand with the Rugby World Cup and its associated events. There is no let up for the Oceania crew as many corporate and touring events deferred until after the World Cup are now underway.

"For the past few months my turnover has been up 150% for this time of year," commented Simon Garrett, Oceania's general manager lighting. "And of course no one would commit 100% to what they wanted - they just assume we can pull something out of a hat."

Garrett took measures well in advance to prepare for the onslaught, purchasing new Jands HPC12 series dimmers (with contactor bypass) as well as additional Jands power distribution units and HPX dimmers. The HPC12 "continues the Jands tradition of building rugged and reliable dimmers and provides an innovative soluti

Spain - Christie has announced the opening of a Spanish branch in Madrid. Christie's new office is located in Boadilla del Monte, a town just 14.5 kilometres outside Madrid, and right next to Ciudad de la Imagen, an office and audiovisual leisure complex which is home to many TV channels, audiovisual producers, multiplexes, postproduction companies, film schools, audiovisual industry associations and film archives.

With a total surface area of 500sq.m, the new branch hosts a large showroom displaying Christie's latest technologies and products, including projectors and videowalls. It also has several rooms set aside for staging live demos, commercial meetings, seminars and training courses, plus a space dedicated to technical services. The new facility is also available to Christie's clients and partners for their own use.

Christie's Iberic branch will be headed by Marcos Fern

USA - A large complement of Clay Paky Sharpy moving heads welcomed the start of the pro football season at the NFL Kick Off 2011 Presented by EA Sports, the high-energy, pre-game concert which aired live on NBC from the parking lot at Lambeau Field, home of the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.

"The tradition of the NFL Kick Off started in Times Square in 2001 as a pre-game public event tying entertainment and sports together," says Spike Lloyd, the show's lighting designer. "This year the concert in Green Bay featured Kid Rock, Maroon 5 and Lady Antebellum. It started at 3pm and went until 6:30."

Lloyd deployed 36 Sharpy moving heads, which he acquired from Atomic Lighting in Lititz, Pennsylvania. "We used them at the back of the stage as floor lights very tightly packed and directed upstage of the band on a scenic piece shaped like a skat

South Africa - The musical quiz South African television show, Noot vir Noot (Note for Note), is as popular as ever 20 years down the line. Blond Productions were approached four years ago to give the show an edge by adding a modern technical twist, and this season they included their new 12 Robe MMX fixtures to the production. The show is programmed on a grandMA ultra-light and incorporates a further 12 Robe 250s.

Blond were originally called in by Stemmburg Television to give the show a 'wow' factor. Noot vir Noot is produced and run by its original team, camera men included, and for Blond it has involved working with Alasdair Richards, who does the generic lighting.

"Every second season (comprising 24 episodes shot over a two week period), we've tried to give them something new," said Christian Ballot of Blond Productions. Ryan Lombard from Blond was

UK - LED screen brand Pixled has significantly expanded its range of portable, lightweight screen surfaces.

The P-6 is a high resolution lightweight dynamic tile, offering 2000 Nits of brightness, available with either white or black faced SMD's, and a true 6 mm, budget friendly product, suitable for rental and staging companies and fixed installations.

Flex-10 is a newly developed ultra-thin flexible display module, currently available in 6 and 10 mm resolutions for convex and concave fixed installations. The bendable Flex-10 LED display opens many new possibilities for LED usage, says the company. It can be bent and flexed to fit curved surfaces of almost any shape or form, both convex and concave as well as horizontally and vertically.

The F-50C/F-75C/F-150C Soft Curtain LED "makes ideal stage backdrops and has great imaginative potential including for the cladding o

USA - LSC Lighting Systems had a busy and successful exhibition at LDI in Orlando where the prototypes of two new models of the new Clarity LX console range were shown for the first time in the USA.

Following on from the initial preview of the Clarity LX300 console at PLASA in London in September, on show at LDI for the first time anywhere in the world was the Clarity LX900 console and it received wide acclaim.

The Clarity LX range comprises three models, the LX300, LX600 and LX900 all with touch screens, multiple programmers, unlimited undo/redo, Fader Ident TM for playback mode indication, media server integration, LED pixel mapping and innovative Rig Schematic patching, that allows importing of rig or venue images to overlay patched fixtures making fixture selection both quick and easy.

Built on the already debugged Clarity PC/Mac software base that has been in the market

UK - Martin Professional's EMEA sales organisation has announced the hiring of Ritchie Reed as account manager focusing on theatre sales in the UK market.

Reed brings with him extensive experience in the UK theatre lighting market, which includes a detailed understanding of all aspects of lighting design, as well as practical experience in purchasing, inventory and management.

His new position as account manager at Martin UK began on 21 November and encompasses developing and managing business in the theatre lighting segment while maintaining direct contact with lighting designers and companies that supply the theatre production industry.

Reed joins Martin from Selecon Lighting/Philips Entertainment where he held a position in lighting technical sales, providing product training, technical support and lighting installation specification while overseeing the implementation of

UK - London-based creative lighting and event design practice Renegade designed all the technical production and co-ordinated equipment supply - including lighting, video and visuals, set and scenic elements plus sound - for the high profile SHINE 2011 Benefit Dinner.

This was staged at Old Billingsgate Market, one of London's premium event venues. The evening featured a gala dinner for 500 guests, complete with charity auction, rounded off by a performance by Chic - headed by guitarist Nile Rogers. The event raised money for the charity, which supports additional educational initiatives encouraging children and young people to raise their achievement levels.

Renegade has worked closely with SHINE for the last eight years, producing all their live events. Each year for this special event, Renegade's Nick Gray comes up with a fresh and inventive visual theme for the evening.

France - The Tree Rings installation on the Champs-Elysées in Paris sees 200 trees each encircled by three specially created rings of LED lighting that add drama, movement and colour to the natural organic form of the tree.

In daylight hours, the inner lights of each ring emit a soft glow of light, and mirror garlands sparkle as they move freely in the breeze. At dusk, vibrant programmed displays begin, using both the inner and outer lights, continuing until 2am. The entire scheme is programmable to create vastly different effects; precise shifts in colour and tempo can be created, to focus on one tree or to create a sequence or group effect, with over 80,000 000 possible combinations of effects per tree.

The Tree Rings installation is scalable, from a lighting effect on individual tree to the orchestration of a light show involving every tree along the entire avenue. C

Czech Republic - Wireless Solution Sweden AB was a sponsor for the recent Scenofest event in Prague. Scenofest is the educational project of OISTAT (International Organization of Scenographers, Theatre Architects and Technicians) and the Prague Quadrennial.

Scenofest, which was held during the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space, included workshops in a wide variety of artistic disciplines; more than 70 artists and professional leaders from all over the world; and more than 1500 participants ? both students and professionals from across the globe.

Visitors to the Prague Quadrennial had the opportunity to enjoy the performances entitled Six Acts transforming locations around the city of Prague into spaces for site-specific performances and installations realized by students under the leaderships of Pavel Štoura?, Roma Patel, Louise Ann Wilson, Rolf Abderh

World - The Red Hot Chili Peppers have embarked on an epic World Tour with four grandMA full-size and a large complement of Clay Paky Sharpy lighting fixtures accompanying the band. The tour comes on the heels of the release of the band's tenth studio album, I'm With You.

Premier Global Production, which serviced the band for their last world tour, has returned as the lighting vendor for the new tour working with lighting designer Scott Holthaus.

Holthaus uses four grandMA full-size, one running video from Catalyst and D3 servers and the other running lighting, two grandMA full-size are back-up. "They are wonderful, powerful machines - I used the grandMA on every tour and they always work great, never a problem," he says. "Of the 275 shows I did on the last tour, I only went to our spare desk once."

He praises the grandMA's "sound operating sy

UK - Ross Ashton and The Projection Studio's Crown of Light projected artwork on Durham Cathedral- created for the 2009 Lumière - is back by popular demand for this year's four-day festival of light event, which is curated and produced by Artichoke for Durham City Council.

Lumière 2011 features the work of dozens of artists, lighting designers and community groups in 35 installations, bringing a "sparkle of magic" to the medieval city.

Says Ashton, "It's a real testament to the piece and very flattering to be asked back with the same show. It's also extremely rare for the same creation to be requested again in its entirety, offering those who enjoyed the experience the first time around the chance to do so again, a new audience the opportunity to see it for the first time plus real value for the producers."

(Jim Evans)

UK -The Buddah Lounge in Romford has been transformed into a vibrant nightclub. Brett Newton of Pro Effects installed 20 Chauvet fixtures to update the once drab location. Eight MiN Spot RGBW moving heads and four Intimidator Scan LED 200 scanners add energy and movement. Two Circus fill the dance floor with multi-coloured effects, piercing the fog generated by two Hurricane 1800 Flex foggers. SlimPAR 56 wash the stage in saturated hues.

Newton faced challenges often found in smaller clubs-low ceilings, which meant little head room for truss and lighting fixtures that are easily touched-as well as a tight budget. He divided the intimate space into four zones, placing two MiN Spot RGBW movers in each. To fill some awkward corners just off the dance floor, Newton utilized four Intimidator Scan LED 200 scanners. The compactness of these fixtures allowed them to remain discreet and

Denmark - The provincial city of Herning in the heart of Denmark's Jutland peninsula is home to Jyske Bank Boxen, which, since opening in 2010, has become one of the country's premiere venues for concerts and events. The 15,000 capacity 'Boxen,' Denmark's largest indoor arena, opened with a Lady Gaga show in October of 2010 and hasn't looked back.

A steady stream of national and international stars has added Herning to their touring schedules. Seeking to support the wide variety of performances and special events, arena owners Messe Center Herning A/S (MCH) contacted Martin Professional Scandinavia about a new night-time lighting design.

"The whole idea was to create an arena of international status and capacity and MCH wanted a lighting scheme that would express this while creating a landmark for the entire region," states Anders Birch, sales manager at Martin Profe

In Harmony - The UK government has announced its first ever national plan for music education in response to Classic FM managing director Darren Henley's review of the sector. Henley's review, published earlier this year, made 36 recommendations for the minimum expectations of what any child going through the English school system should receive in terms of an education in music. One such recommendation was that there should be a comprehensive national plan for music education.

Launching the scheme, Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove claimed it "will deliver a music education system that encourages everyone, whatever their background, to enjoy music and help those with real talent to flourish as brilliant musicians" while culture minister Ed Vaizey said that the new resources would help "provide our fantastic creative industries with the next generation

UK - The website for the unique event that is Showlight 2013 has gone live. Whether you are a Showlight virgin, or a regular attendee, this is the ideal place to learn more about this three day quadrennial conference and exhibition, say organisers.

"For the first time, the website contains edited highlights of previous papers, capturing both the serious and the humorous side of Showlight. The clips bring the 2009 event to life for those who didn't attend - and are a great reminder of some excellent presentations for those who did. So, if you've thought about presenting a paper at Showlight, but weren't sure how it all worked, now you can see exactly what others have done!"

If you have an idea for a paper, you can register your interest at www.showlight.org/present If you are interested in being an exhibitor at Showlight 2013 and would like to know more, go directly t

USA - Registration is now open for Focus: Tech, the live event production workshop running alongside PLASA Focus: Austin 2012, at the Renaissance Austin, on February 19-22 2012.

The 4 day hands-on workshop offers a limited number of aspiring lighting designers, sound engineers, and video designers the chance to design and run a live concert, which will be performed in front of Austin's entertainment technology community, at PLASA's first North American regional event.

Beginners and professionals at the early stages of their careers are invited to take part in the event, which will see industry experts Richard Cadena, Brad Schiller, Chad Yeary, and Damon Lang pass on their tips and tricks for success to Texas' new talent, with prizes for the best designs.

Eminent production manager Ola Melzig, who's accolades include the Eurovision Song Contest, will be production-managing th

Indonesia - LumenRadio's wireless CRMX technology played a major part during the opening ceremony of the 26th biennial South East Asian Games (SEA Games) held in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia. The games featured athletes from 11 nations competing in almost 600 hundred events in 44 disciplines ranging from well known international sports such as football, cycling, and tennis to regional favorites like Pencak Silat, Sepak Takraw, Vovinam, and Wushu.

The opening ceremony at the Gelora Sriwijaya stadium in Palembang on 11-11-11, the date chosen for its special numerical sequence, was held in front of more than 40,000 spectators in addition to the hundreds of millions viewing the live broadcast. The official presentation of the athletes and speeches by government officials and other dignitaries were accompanied by extensive segments of lively entertainment designed to display the

Germany - Theatre Bonn, a large repertory venue in the former German capital, has taken delivery of 50 of ETC's newest LED fixture - Selador Desire - and 10 Selador Classic Lustr LED units as part of a massive refurbishment project.

The fixtures complement around 900 fluorescent fixtures in various sizes and colours; 900 PAR cans; 70 moving lights, 50 HMIs with shutters and scrollers.

Max Karbe, head of lighting at the theatre, explains,"The first time we worked with Selador products was for the Brazilian contemporary dance company Grupo Corpo. They brought a large number of Lustr fixtures with them; we could see that they worked really well, and were really impressed. We had already decided that we wanted a high output, energy efficient LED fixture for our rig.

"Ludwig Krauss, ETC's regional sales manager for the German speaking area, arranged for us to test 10 Se

Czech Republic - Two of the Czech and Slovak Republic's most talented visual creators - director of photography Philip Havelka and lighting designer Martin Kubanka are collaborating closely to produce a dynamic visuality for Barrendov TV's newest popular live music production, To Je Nas Hit (What is My Hit).

Robe moving lights are the main fixtures being utilised - including Robin 600 LEDWash units - which along with over 100 other new Robe fixtures are among the latest Robe investment by Bratislava, Slovakia based rental company Q-99, which is supplying all the show's lighting, scenic LED and video elements.

The show is broadcast live every Monday night from Studio 2 of the Barrandov Complex in Prague. This is one of the largest film studios in Europe and also one of the oldest and most famous, dating back to 1933.

(Jim Evans)

UK - SGM automated lighting and new generation strobes have been used exclusively to provide the high octane dancefloor effects in a new five-storey leisure complex in Lincoln.

Operating under the 'Home' umbrella, the new complex boasts six different trading themes (and two outside smoking areas) - starting with The Lounge Bar & Kitchen, a ground floor restaurant / bar with all-day trading. But it is on the second floor - in the space which originally served as a NAAFI Ballroom - that six SGM Idea Scan 250, four Idea Beam 300 and six Idea Wash 575 heads have been imaginatively designed into the overhead rig by SGM UK's Ian Kirby and installed by Over Audio of Liverpool.

These are joined by four of the new SGM X-5 LED strobes about which resident LD Richard Whiteley comments, "I couldn't wait to get my hands on these - and I can see what all the fuss has been about. This p

UK - Entertainment lighting specialist White Light recently welcomed two new companies to the White Light Family of exclusive manufacturers - Core Lighting and Interactive Technologies.

Core Lighting manufactures a range of fully weatherproof, battery-powered, wirelessly controllable LED uplighters designed to allow rapid deployment by removing the need to run cables to fixtures, as well as removing the ugly clutter and safety hazards of those cables.

Core's fixtures range from 1200 lumen to 2500 lumen output using efficient LED light sources - either red-green-blue-white for a vibrant range of colours, or white only when the maximum possible light output is required. The fixtures use lightweight but powerful lithium polymer batteries and integrate wireless control with Wirelesss Solution W-DMX systems; water resistant to IP65standard, they are suitable for parties, weddings,

UK - Blitz is sponsoring the UK Event Awards, to be held at Wembley Stadium tonight (30 November). The awards are now in their second year and aim to recognise and reward the very best event organisers, industry suppliers and event marketers in Britain.

On the night, guests will also try and break the Guinness World Record for The World's Longest Relay Cheers!

Blitz is supplying all the event technology including sound and lighting, G-LEC LED wall, and ViewLite modular set system complete with custom graphics panels.

Munir Samji, Chairman at Blitz, commented, "As one of the UK's leading Staging and AV Rental Companies, we feel that recognising and celebrating excellence in our industry is important and we are proud to be sponsoring the UK Events Awards. It looks set to be a great and fun-filled evening."

(Jim Evans)

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