Staged at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, it was EDC Las Vegas' 20th anniversary, and nearly 350 Robe fixtures - 212 Pointes, 83 x BMFL Spots and 38 x BMFL WashBeams - graced Steve Lieberman's epic design for the circuitGROUNDS stage.
As the main production stage of the event, the star-studded line up included Armin van Buuren, Martin Garrix, Afrojack, Eric Prydz, Kaskade and numerous others.
Steve and the team from SJ Lighting presented a completely new visual concept that incorporated lighting, video and set / structural design. The architecture was based on an enigmatic 360 degree coliseum look - classical lines with industrial attitude - a provocative, interesting and exciting environment to host some of the best DJs and music producers on the planet.
With an impressive arena width of 470ft, the stage measured 250ft wide with headroom / heights of between 80 and 100ft at different points. The space was comprised of a series of geometric bridges and towers constructed from trussing and custom metalwork, supplied - along with the full technical package - by AG Production Services. Their Las Vegas facility is conveniently located at the LV Motor Speedway!
The intricate superstructure also provided positions for rigging the lights. The bridges were built from roof trussing, so fixtures were hung along the bottom rails, whilst on the towers, lights were hung on out-rigged pipes.
Most of the surfaces were clad in LED video panels, so bright, high-impact fixtures were essential. The Pointes and BMFLs were dotted all over the set and both worked extensively and relentlessly throughout the three-day event.
Steve programmed and operated lighting for many of the shows himself, working closely with his FOH team of Benjamin Rehm and Maxwell Robin who also took care of running the pre-visualization suite and helped accommodate numerous guest LDs working with their various artists all of whom utilized the rig for a number of memorable sets.
Robe moving lights were also integral to the cosmicMEADOW Stage, specified by Andre Beekmans of Netherlands-based The Art of Light who created the visual design for this space, using 33 BMFL WashBeams which were supplied by Solotech. Performers included Marshmello, Flux Pavilion and RL Grime.
(Jim Evans)
