USA - When the multi-talented Nick Cannon announced that he was taking his hit MTV programme Wild N Out on the road, some critics wondered how well the fast-clipped, hip-hop improv comedy show would translate into a live tour format. They needn’t have worried. The hugely successful show (one of its episodes was the most watched in MTV2 history) is proving to be equally compelling on the road.
This was very evident when the tour rolled into Cleveland’s jam-packed Wolstein Centre on 25 November with Cannon and special guest Waka Flocka Flame of Oh Let’s Do It fame. Adding impact to the evening’s performance was an intensely bright lightshow designed by Marc Wasserman of 3 With 1 Grab Productions that was made even more dramatic by six Chauvet Professional Vesuvio RGBA LED foggers supplied by Audio Spectrum of Boston.
Show director Angel Perez of Fi

World - Within the past few months, numerous sound and AV rental company owners around the world have chosen the new Bose Professional ShowMatch compact line array system with DeltaQ variable-coverage technology as a go-to solution for their rental inventories.
In the United States, Total Production Group (TPG) of Cerritos, California, is an example of a full-service AV rental company that has adopted ShowMatch. Owner/partner Steve McAllister said going with a ShowMatch system was a very easy decision: “I’ve heard many different systems over the years, and I was very impressed by the coverage and clarity of the Bose ShowMatch system. ShowMatch is a great system for our company because it allows us to scale the rig for anything from a small corporate gig all the way up to stadium-size shows – and do it with amazing quality.
“It’s small and compact, and it's j

USA - The Denver Centre for the Performing Arts (DCPA) is staging an inventive and re-imagined version of Macbeth that features an all-male cast, EDM style music and modern design elements. Lighting the contemporary version of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy is Alex Jainchill, who uses LED lighting from Elation Professional to meet lighting challenges and create magical moments in the show, including special black light UV effects.
This modern version of Macbeth which takes place in the DCPA’s newly remodelled in-the-round Space Theatre and, is directed by Robert O’Hara, who has infused the story with fresh ideas and used the intimacy of the space to create an engaging production. Jainchill puts his own creative imprint on the play as well using Elation LED lighting fixtures - Satura Profile and Platinum Seven LED moving heads, SixPar 200 and Arena Par Zoo

Croatia - Singer, composer, musician Gibonni is one of the most popular and influential artists in Croatia and across the whole region, known for blending contemporary rock and pop with Dalmatian folk songs for a sound that’s gained him a huge following.
A recent show at Zagreb Arena featured another spectacular lighting design by Sven Kučinić of LumiLas d.o.o. who used Robe Pointes, MMX Spots and MMX WashBeam moving lights to bring the stage alive and keep the visual thrills and spills rolling for 20,000 excited fans who packed into the venue to enjoy a memorable evening.
Sven has worked as Gibonni’s LD for the last five years, and for this seminal show he collaborated with Olgierd Kamienski on the video design. The scenography followed a show theme suggested by Gibonni himself, where the main set feature was a life-size cross-sectioned boat mid-stage, complete

UK - Midas will supply full site power and distro to JSL Productions’ Battle Proms picnic concerts across five sites next summer.
With LEDs slashing lighting rigs’ requirements and audio ever more energy efficient, Symphotech, which has looked after technical production since the event started at Battle Abbey 30 years ago, commissioned Midas to contemporise the power process.
Symphotech director, Julian Spear, comments: “We work with Midas on a number of projects. It’s a proven main stage supplier at Jockey Club Live and Music Plus Sport, we know the quality of its kit, its people, its service, and the Midas touch will be a big benefit to Battle Proms 2018 and beyond.”
Dave Noble, managing director at Midas, says: “July/August is peak season, obviously, so winning this contract is testament to our ongoing investment in highest quality ma

UK - LED Installation shines bright after a new digital screen upgrade. Bluman Associates partnered with DOOH LED expert, Bob Kronman, to provide consultancy for the high-profile installation.
In 2015, BT expressed interest in replacing the existing LED screens, which due to age, no longer represented the brand to their highest standards. Partnering with Bob Kronman of Kronman Associates, Bluman Associates were commissioned to undertake an initial feasibility study of the refurbishment.
Environmental issues needed to be taken into consideration - the outdoor display is at the mercy of the UK weather at all times, facing high winds and extreme temperatures. There were several essential parameters the custom panels had to comply with - they had to be manufactured to fit within the existing rigging infrastructure, be optimised for resolution and brightness, have an IP ra

USA - Great deals on televisions and refrigerators? That’s nice, but for progressive music fans in the Boston area, the really big news on Black Friday was the album release party for the eponymous LP by Matthew Stubbs and the Antiguas.
Lending some eye-popping sizzle to the sold-out event at the Sinclair club in the heart of Harvard Square was a fast-moving lightshow by freelance visual artist and lighting designer Vin Pugliese that was supercharged by a Chauvet DJ Intimidator floor package.
Pugliese brought eight Intimidator Hybrid 140SR moving fixtures to the club, positioning them tightly on upstage risers. “I was looking to create coloured aerials we could use to accentuate the psychedelic timecoded visuals and live camera feed that would be projected on the center stage screen,” he said. “The Intimidators are punchy and jam packed full of features. Using

UK - Two Avolites Quartz consoles running the latest Titan 10.1 software were used by Scottish lighting, sound and AV specialist Black Light to control the 'surprise' lighting spectacular at the ceremonial handover of the new £1.35 billion Queensferry Crossing, the UK's tallest bridge.
The ceremony took place one week before the bridge's official opening on 4 September. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon led the ceremony, thanking the workers for their dedication and skill in constructing the crossing. JMP Productions designed the event and contracted Edinburgh-based production specialists Black Light to provide the lighting fixtures, control network, pre-production support and on-site team.
"Black Light works regularly with Jon Pugh from JMP to fulfil many of their events," says Thomas Ramage, project manager at Black Light. "Our team created visualisations fo

Russia - When Moscow’s original Luzhniki Stadium was demolished in 2013 to give way for the construction of a new stadium, it was with the 2018 FIFA World Cup in mind.
At the end of 2015, a new tender document was drawn up on behalf of the principals, The Big Sport Arena Luzhniki, for the 81,000 seat stadium, with the technological requirements detailed by Moscow integration specialists S-Pro Systems, together with the German company Broadcast Solution.
Selected by the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup bid as the venue for the Final, the Stadium will also be used as a heritage venue after the Championship.
At the heart of the new network broadcast transmission are some 57 Optocore and BroaMan fibre interfaces, designed in a fibre ‘star’ out of the ring topology, and supplied by Moscow-based distributor Audio Solutions. After the bid was accepted they became involv

Denmark - Aalborg Theatre is in the heart of Denmark’s attractive fourth largest city’s old town area. Established in 1878, it has a rich and colourful history and is known as a ‘heavyweight’ on the Danish theatre scene. This long standing critical fortitude was further advanced with the arrival of Hans Henriksen as artistic director in 2015, who had several key objectives including one to make the production programme more dynamic, cutting-edge and accessible.
One of the ways in which he’s achieving this is by changing the scheduling to repertory style, with several productions running simultaneously in rotation over several weeks, and this fundamental shift in turn demanded a different approach to lighting.
The installation of Robe DL series moving lights has helped complex shows to be quickly and efficiently turned around - de-rigged, re-rigged and re-lit

China - Zhi Yin Hao is a multi-dimensional live theatrical performance, created by the noted director and artist Mr. Fan Yue. The drift-style experience show is held on a steam ship that cruises the Yangtze River from its base in Wuhan City, China. A 1920s styled steam ship and two piers have been built to recreate Wuhan during an era when it was China's second largest city after Shanghai. Wuhan was often called ‘Eastern Chicago,’ due to its cosmopolitan atmosphere.
EZpro International was responsible for the creative design, installation and commissioning of the audio and video systems, which deliver an immersive experience for the performers and the participating audience.
The two-year, RMB 400m project was developed by the Wuhan Tourism Development Investment Group, together with Fan Yue. Determined to find the best audio system for the production, the d

China - China has been focusing on enriching its cultural landscape in recent years and the recently opened 50,000sq.ft Xiaguang Grand Theatre & Performing Arts Centre in Shijiazhuang is a shining example of this.
The complex, put together at a total cost of RMB380m (48.5m euros), includes a 1,200-seat theatre, a more intimate 600-seat multipurpose hall, a rehearsal hall, teaching rooms and offices. The theme for the building’s design is “creating harmony through spirit and song”, and it instantly became a landmark in the Hebei provincial capital.
Tasked with meeting the project’s desire for a world-class sound system, Beijing Pacific Budee and Shaanxi Lanyu Audio Video Technology teamed up to meet the demands. The choice was clear; Martin Audio’s line of products would be able to handle the rich repertoire of diverse performances.
For the main t

Columbia - When Pope Francis visited South America in September, full service Colombian rental company, Línea Estrategica, provided the audio system for his visit to Colombia, where over a million faithful braved rain and fog for the pontiff’s outdoor mass, held on the Olaya Herrera Airport in the city of Medellin, the third stop on his five-day visit to the country.
Ensuring even coverage across the site, which stretched to one kilometre in length and 200m in width, required meticulous planning and a vast L-Acoustics system that totalled over 300 cabinets.
Linea Estrategica used L-Acoustics proprietary 3D sound system design programme, Soundvision, to devise a system of 24 distributed arrays along the runway, each comprising 12 K2 topped with a K1-SB sub, plus five arrays of 10 Kara.
This relatively simple set-up required throws of no more than 80-90m which,

Australia - As part of Hobart’s annual Dark Mofo festival, the Red Bull Music Academy returned to present an industrial-scale, transcendental warehouse rave titled Transliminal.
Held in Hobart City Hall, the event showcased the dark, electronic underbelly of the subterranean club scene, and featured a stunning light show by audio-visual artist Robin Fox. Known for his mesmeric, future-forward, laser-driven light installations, Robin collaborated with Melbourne’s Additive Lighting who designed, pre-visualised and operated a disorientating and atmospheric light installation for the late-night music venue.
“Robin had been approached by Dark Mofo to create a very streamlined, dark and moody nightclub,” commented Tom Wright of Additive. “Robin is a laser artist, but he soon realized the project was more suited to a lighting installation.
“He

South Africa - In mid-October 2017, South African audiences enjoyed the return of the celebrated musical production of Evita – seen for the first time on South African stages since the 1980’s. After its premiere at the Montecasino Teatro in Johannesburg the production will be at Cape Town’s Artscape Theatre, before embarking on an Asian tour.
The creative team has striven to create a faithful recreation of the original West End production in all aspects – from the direction, choreography and musical direction to the building and creation of set, wardrobe and props. But while remaining true to the original, there is a great deal that has been updated technically, to make the current production a spectacular theatrical experience.
An extensive lighting rig, and state-of-the-art PA system recreate the imagery and feel of the original, coupled with projectio

USA - How many gigs can a 19-piece rockabilly band do in 48 days? The Brian Setzer Orchestra’s 14th Annual Christmas Rocks Tour is on a 35-date tour from 10 November to 28 December, which will be followed by concerts in Japan early next year. Highlighting the set is a 12-foot high marquee featuring 172 IMS Mk2 RGBW lamps.
“The IMS LED lamps are very easy to address,” says Joe Golden of Gallagher Staging. “They are extremely bright, with rich, warm colours and are extremely durable – a must for a rapid-moving tour such as this one. Driven by two IMS Universe Drive DIN Rail units, conveniently mounted in the set, the IMS lamps work seamlessly with incandescent lamps on a 3-channel chase. With so many load-ins and strikes in a short time, the reliability of IMS was as much a consideration as its versatility. The clients are extremely happy with the results. We

UK - Lighting rental production company Lite Alternative has added the multi award-winning Chroma-Q Color Force II LED batten to its stockholding - using the fixture on a number of high-profile European concert tours and events to date.
The Color Force II was central to lighting designer, Steve Baird's scheme for the 16-date European leg of the Day Breaks tour for nine-time Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter, Norah Jones . Playing to various sized venues and outdoor festivals, Color Force II 48 units were placed on the floor to uplight a huge white voile cyclorama in subtle pastel colours - providing the perfect visual backdrop in texture and mood for each song.
In addition, during an 18-date European tour by American alternative rock band, Interpol to celebrate the 15th anniversary of their acclaimed debut album,Turn on the Bright Lights Color Fo

USA - Media serving and display technology company 7thSense Design delivered updated video technology for the 2017 production of the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes, presented by Chase.
The full system technology upgrade has transformed the world’s largest proscenium theatre and has enabled video content to be displayed on all eight of the venue’s proscenium arches. 7thSense has provided video systems for Radio City since 2011.
A total of 34 7thSense Infinity Media Servers output two channels each of single mode fibre 12G-SDI at 4096 x 2160 60fps 10-bit 4:2:2 resolution, into an Evertz EQX 12G fibre router and EMX multi-viewer system, offering A-B source redundancy with clean switching and monitoring before heading out to facility fibre distribution.
For the first time ever, digital projections extend from the stage to all eight

Finland - Kenneth Greve’s ballet production Land of Kalevala is currently being staged at the Finnish National Opera, with set, projection and lighting designed by Mikki Kunttu (profiled in LSi November).
The performance focuses on milestones in Finland’s history and incorporates a combination of diverse art forms.
For lighting control, Kunttu used the opera’s grandMA2 system and an MA 3D system for previsualisation.
“I always work with grandMA2 because the console plays a very central role in the process of transforming the production from design to reality,” said Kunttu. “grandMA2 helps me to concentrate on the creative elements of the show, right through from the stage rehearsals to opening ni

Dominican Republic - Luxury resort Luxury Bahía Príncipe Fantasia needed excellent design skills along with reliable luminaires for a permanent light installation.
Located at the heart of the Caribbean and focused on providing entertainment experiences, the resort turned to Javier Álvarez’ Madrid-based installation company Capicúa to create ‘magical’ lightshows.
“With the Dominican Republic’s challenging weather conditions of constant humidity and severe rain, we had to use SGM luminaires,” said Álvarez.
Faced with a job to transform this luxury resort into a hub for shows and international artists, lighting designer Manuel Vicente chose a mix between architectural fantasy spaces, show lighting, and video mapping. Especially thrilled about the versatile P-5 POI, Vicente and Álvarez were able to mount a magical fairytale light installation for th

UK - Engage Works, the full service creative technology agency, reports that it worked behind the scenes with Landsec, the UK’s largest listed commercial property company and owner of London’s Piccadilly Lights, to create an innovative charitable campaign, #PiccadillyOn, to mark the build up to the switching on of the famous Light’s on 26 October, following nine months of renovation work.
The #PiccadillyOn campaign was devised by Engage Works for Landsec, with the intention of creating a community spirit ahead of the launch, whilst raising money and ‘bringing colour to life’ in aid of Barnardo’s – the UK’s largest children’s charity and Landsec’s national charity partner for 2017.
Launched on 15 September, #PiccadillyOn invited people from around the world to sponsor a unique colour ‘chip’ for a minimum donation of £2. Th

Europe - Lighting designer James O'Neill and video designer Mark Cunniffe combined their extensive skills with the latest technology from Avolites to provide the production design for the current tour by Irish pop-rock band, Picture This.
With O'Neill controlling his lighting rig with his tried-and-trusted Avolites Arena console, and the video content run through Avolites Ai media server operated by Tim Hornung, the band's European tour is showcasing the cutting edge of light and video control.
O'Neill, who was responsible for both set and lighting design, created a raised performance area backed, flanked and fronted in LED screen. The production's wraparound surfaces featured a mixture of rich video content developed through a close collaboration between the band, Cunniffe and Tom Readdy of Yes Please Productions.
"Looking at the stage head-on or from an angle

UK - For the second year in succession, AvensysLive provided a Martin Audio MLA Compact PA for the Lingfield Park Resort Fireworks Display in Surrey, marking the beginning of a new three-year contract with the site.
The company’s operations manager, Angus Galloway, confirmed that they had specified MLA Compact as best fit for purpose for the event, and will continue to deploy it at the site in future. Stating his reasons, he said, “It meant we could use the Display software to ensure audio levels outside the audience area were kept to a minimum. We also love the power, sound and clarity that MLA Compact provides.”
The service company fielded 16 x MLA Compact elements and eight WS218X subwoofers, rigged in four stacks, each comprising four MLA Compact and a pair of WS218X. The stacks were placed on LiteDeck decking system at 1.2m in height, evenly spread along th

UK - Stage Electrics has supplied a custom-built Stage Management desk to The Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton. Located in the heart of the midlands, Wolverhampton’s oldest running theatre, The Grand presents a wide range of major touring productions every year. After their stage management desk of 20 years was no longer suitable for their needs, Ray Tizzard of The Grand, turned to industry experts Stage Electrics for a custom designed replacement.
Stage Electrics’ Paul Lucas, liaised with The Grand to establish the requirements of their new Stage Management desk. Once specifications and drawings were signed off and an inspection of the existing infrastructure was undertaken, the Stage Electrics in-house team then went into production of the desk.
The facilities of the desk are a Theatre Cue 16 channel cue light master station, 12 individually addressable cue light ou

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