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UK - The Star Events Group installed a Vertech stage and supplied the rigging used by the Stereophonics to rock Cardiff's Millennium Stadium this December, for the final date of their European Tour, with support acts Ocean Colour Scene and Feeder.

The band's European tour took in 28 dates before its curtain down in Cardiff, with a total of 18 sell-out gigs in the UK. Having played a range of arenas on the tour, the shift up to a stadium sized show for their 'home crowd' of 52,000 meant a significant increase in the scale of the show for production manager Neil Macdonald. Where possible Macdonald stuck with the main tour suppliers for the finalé show (sound system from Capital Sound, lighting from VLPS London, catering by Eat to the Beat), however to create a visually spectacular

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UK - Lighting designer Bill Sheldon is using an Avolites Diamond 4 Vision console on the current UK arena leg of the Meat Loaf 'Couldn't Have Said It Better' tour, which has been on the road since summer 2003. The Vision is the most powerful in the current Avolites range of consoles, designed for controlling large shows with lots of moving fixtures.

Sheldon has worked with Meat Loaf since 1989. He and FOH sound engineer George Wehrlin are now the longest serving members of the team apart from Meat himself. Sheldon has always been a keen Avolites user, his first encounter with an Avo console was back in 1995, when he first used a Diamond 2, and he's not looked back since.

For the current tour, he jumped at the chance to take the new console on tour. The Vision was specially purchased by Creative Stage Lighting in North Creek, New York state. It was the first D4 Vision to land

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Sweden - Italian lighting manufacturer LDR has provided special versions of its Canto 1200 MSR followspot to light up Stockholm's most important shopping centre façade. Located in the heart of the city, close to the central square, 'Ahlens Holm' is the reference point for shopping in the whole city area. The new, permanent installation is one element of a campaign to boost the shopping trade during the dark Swedish winter.

The original idea of the lighting designer was to empathize and renew the external façade by matching the original building design with three stripes of light. After having approached various companies, inviting them to throw suggestions about the project, Madeco (LDR dealer) and Abstract Teknisk Design were selected for the project as they came up with a cost-effective solution and could match the customer's needs.

The original project was first realized

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Indochine X PixMob Fan Immersion

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's - 40 thousand LED pixels on a ceiling!!! Indochine's whirlwind tour transports fans to another level of the live experience - immersing them from floor to ceiling with PixMob's X4 wristbands, and an LED ceiling made entirely of its NOVA Minis! With the vision of Indochine's creative team, PixMob used its LED fan-technology to turn attendees and venues into an ocean of effects, and a starry sky of LED magic. Très très cool!

Read more about the Indochine tour in the latest issue of LSi

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Italy - An Outline sound system consisting of self-powered Micra Reflex enclosures and KW-15 subwoofers (Kanguro system) was chosen for installation in the innovative multimedia flagship stores opened in Milan and Rome by Telecom Italia, Italy's national leader in the information and communication technology field and one of the most solid industrial groups in Europe.

Naomi Campbell and Ettore, the "talking" dog in the group's publicity spots, were at the inauguration of the Milan store in December. Mauro Sentinelli, general manager of TIM, and Giuseppe Sala, general manager of T.I. Wireline, were at the Rome event in Piazza Colonna, the square that hosts the Italian Parliament. The aim of these two new venues, designed as 'multimedia workshops', is to present in an innovative way all the new products of the Group (Telecom Italia, Tim and Telecom Italia Media), includi

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UK - Adlib Audio has completed its latest installation for the high profile Living Room bar/restaurant brand in Leeds for owners Living Ventures. The Living Rooms all feature high standards of audio quality. Major emphasis and attention to detail is paid to getting it right for sounds and music within in the venues, and it's regarded as an essential ambience builder, whether in the background or a live performance from DJs or pianists.

Adlib has already installed sound systems in several other Living Room venues - and were asked to supply their winning formula again for Leeds. Adlib's Andy Dockerty explains: "The challenge in Leeds was that the venue was previously a large, soulless office block divided into many small rooms by plasterboard walls and false ceilings. Getting the space from the bare site to the finished product was a major operation - and the space is now com

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Austrialia - Jenolan Caves is Australia's premier cave system, located approximately 200km west of Sydney in the Blue Mountains world heritage area. Once a year, the enormous Grand Archway, which forms the entrance to the caves, is closed to traffic to make way for the annual Carols in the Caves spectacular. The event is in its 11th year and attracts thousands to its two annual shows.

Lighting designers Richard Neville and Clint Dulieu returned to the caves in 2003 with a lighting design to complement the visually stunning show. Neville remarked: "The actual show is relatively small and almost amateur in nature, so it's up to the lighting to really make the event special." The lighting for the Carols is such an integral part of the show that each year a choreographed lighting display is featured to show off the capabilities of the rig."

Neville a

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UK - Mission Pro is launching the briefcase-sized TecSonic portable PA system with product shipping during the second half of January. TecSonic is aimed at on-the-road executives and salespeople, corporate and educational presenters, or anyone looking for a high-quality portable PA solution.

Hotels, sports centres, schools and colleges can also benefit by providing multi-use rooms with PA, without the need for an expensive installed system and, for AV rental companies, the opportunity to offer an simple to use, cost effective package. The TecSonic package is a groundbreaking lightweight system that combines a specially designed full-range panel loudspeaker with an efficient mixer-amplifier. It features all necessary accessories for providing a sound reinforcement solution for PA presentation and background music applications. For easy and safe portability, the complete system is

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USA - A new US talk show, On-Air with Ryan Seacrest, has debuted with HES fixtures in the rig. The show debuted on 12 January on the Fox network with High End Systems' new ColorCommand in the set. Lighting designer John Conti specified the dichroic colour-changing Par/washlight fixtures after seeing a demo at High End Systems' Los Angeles office.

The hour-long show, which airs weekdays live from a studio at the Hollywood & Highland complex in Los Angeles, takes a different format from most talk shows. It's described as a daily news magazine/variety show focusing on entertainment news, celebrity guests and live performances, but it's also heavy on fan interaction, by way of instant polls, countdowns and instant messaging: for example, select fans are given video camera access to do their own interviews and reporting for the show at celebrity events.

The premiere show on

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UK - Described by the Daily Mail as "visually one of Kylie's best" the princess of pop Kylie Minogue used a one-off concert at London's Hammersmith Apollo to launch her latest album Body Language. The show took the same amount of design time, preparation and production as a whole tour and incorporated Paris street scenes, huge steel constructions and a motorbike to boot.

Stage Technologies, in conjunction with The Rigging Partnership, provided the scenic wow factor for the show with an automation system to complement the starlet's visual extravaganza. For her grand entrance they used four Big Tow winches to lower her onto the stage on a mechanical girder, as characterized on the Body Language album cover, with a further two monster LED screens tracking up and down stage. With four thousand screaming fans and a number one from the album already under her b

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UK - Two AFI boom lifts were among 13 hired by Concert Lights Ltd to help it install rigging for lighting, sound and video for a banking conference held recently at the NEC in Birmingham. Concert Lights of Bolton in Lancashire required 13 machines to carry out the installation work because the conference was held in three different halls within the NEC.

Working on a phased basis over 10 days, the company used the boom lifts to attach over 300 electric motors to the roof of the NEC in order to lift the structures that support the lighting, sound and video equipment. The AFI machines on hire to Concert Lights had working heights from 5.7m up to 25m. One of the largest machines - the Haulotte H25 TPX boom (see above picture) proved to be particularly versatile because its rotating jib enables the operator to gain better access by manoeuvring the cage into different positions in rel

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UK - Stagecraft has made a major investment in new hire equipment to enable organizations to use cutting-edge sound and lighting technology in their performances. The company has seen a significant increase in the demand for professional lighting, sound and staging equipment during 2003 and is currently working on installations in schools, event management for music and drama festivals, and on conferences in South Africa.

The Hire and Live Events department was recently responsible for the creative design and technical management of seven major events over three weeks. One of these included a 1920s themed event for a 60th birthday celebration. "Centred around the art deco period, this was a great event to work on," commented technical director Mike Naish. "Our team was involved from the very start of the planning stages. We designed the invitations, set, lighting

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UK - The Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) has appointed the senior management team for the New Wimbledon Theatre, as the venue prepares to re-open next month. The venue closed in June 2003 and was taken over by ATG in September.

Among the newly-appointed team is general manager Maralyn Sarrington. Most recently, she was general manager of Hampstead Theatre, where she supervized the organization's move to a new, multi-space public venue following its successful Lottery bid. From 1996 - 2001, she was general manager at Shakespeare's Globe, which included managing its opening season in 1997.

David Holder has been appointed theatre manager, in charge of front-of-house services and customer care. David has spent the last four years with ATG, as theatre manager of the Theatre Royal in Brighton and before that, as customer services manager at its flagship venue - The Ambassadors comple

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USA - A.C.T Lighting Inc, the North American distributor of MA Lighting, Zero 88 and Artistic Licence, has announced that Mike Falconer is to leave the company at the end of the month. Falconer, who many in the UK will know from his time at AC Lighting in High Wycombe, has worked in technical sales and support at A.C.T and has been a key member of the company's support staff under technical manager Mario Collazo.

"Mike has been a valuable member of our team", said Bob Gordon, the company's president and CEO. "I am sorry to see him go, but I wish him the best and I hope to continue our close personal and business relationship."

Falconer is leaving the company to pursue a career in technical writing and is starting his own company called Doubleplusgood Media. "Writing has always been a passion for me and something that I have enjoyed immensely" sai

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UK - XL Video is supplying the controversial RNT/Out of Joint co-production of The Permanent Way with video hardware. The production's video elements have been co-ordinated by Dick Straker of Mesmer Productions, who devised the video system in conjunction with designer Bill Dudley, and XL Video's project manager Malcolm Mellows. The Permanent Way has just opened at the National's Cottesloe Theatre. The hard-hitting David Hare work highlights the post privatization mis-management of the railways in the wake of recent rail disasters like Paddington, Hatfield and Clapham.

Bill Dudley - with whom XL Video has also worked on Hitchcock Blonde and The Coast of Utopia - decided to use video as a scenic and narrative vehicle to denote times, locations, ideas and thoughts. Video provides a simple, practical and highly effective solution to deliver a number of m

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UK - Summit Steel co-ordinated all production rigging elements of the show that celebrated the naming of Cunard's new flagship ocean liner, the Queen Mary 2. Summit also supplied a specialist video screen tracking system for a large LED screen supplied by XL Video.

The 1,132 ft long, 17 deck, 150,000 tonne vessel - the largest liner in the world - was officially named by Her Majesty The Queen at Southampton Docks. Summit was working for event producer Robbie Williams. The 2200 plus VIP audience, royal box and the event stage were all encased in a customized ESS 'theatre', located on the dockside, just adjacent to the ship. The rear stage 'wall' was made from a transparent material, and the structure was strategically angled to line up with the ship's bow. A stylish kabuki drop revealed the QM2's name on the bow - through the back wall - acting as an atmospheric stage backdrop.

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UK - PLASA Media has learned that six key members of the Flying Pig Systems team based at High End Systems (HES) Europe's London headquarters, have resigned from the company. The six include company co-founder and designer of the Wholehog, Wholehog II and Wholehog III consoles, Nick Archdale and product manager Richard Mead.

Richard Mead told PLASA Media: "After so many years it is sad to be leaving Flying Pig. I don't think it is a decision any of us took lightly, and I am disappointed that it was not possible to find a way forward acceptable to all involved. All of us are very proud of everything we developed at Flying Pig and want to thank everyone in the industry who has worked with us and been so supportive over the years."

He added: "Right now we are all taking a long-overdue break and exploring various opportunities. We have always enjoyed working togeth

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USA - GAMproducts Inc has introduced the new Inno-Four 575W followspot, which uses the ellipsoidal optics and zoom focus mechanism of the ETC Source Four. The fixture is mounted on a ball bearing swivel yoke for smooth operation, and can be truss- or stand-mounted. It offers many automatic accessories such as a colour changer and dowser which, as an option, can be controlled from the followspot or from a light board.

The Inno-Four features balanced smooth and tilt operation and high intensity performance with only a 575W HMI lamp, whose light output is superior to that of 2500W HMI followspots for medium-throw applications. The lightweight 8lb ballast is completely silent and features instant hot restart with no audible starting noise, even at very close range, say GAM. It is also compact and lightweight, making it suitable for tight places such as a truss location and for trou

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UK - VLPS Lighting Services has announced the arrival of industry veteran Philip Norfolk. He has taken on the role of regional sales manager, joining Simon Roose and Colin Brooker. Norfolk will be looking after the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia territory.

Simon Roose, European sales manager commented: "Of course, Philip is well known in the industry and is a valued addition to our sales team. Sales of Vari-Lite Product have grown rapidly since the launch. With the most recent success of the VL3000 Series and the imminent arrival of the quiet version of the VL3000, the timing of Philip's appointment could not be better."

Norfolk commented: "Vari-Lite have always had the passion to create truly innovative product and has their core in providing lighting professionals with the perfect tools for the job. I am delighted to join the team here at VLPS sales and look forw

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Brazil - Martin Professional's Brazilian distributor, ProShop, has delivered the company's new MAC 550 profile spots to rental company LPL, who immediately put them into use on two prestigious events. One show featured Brazilian musical legend Roberto Carlos, who performed for 150,000 spectators in Rio de Janeiro's Maracana Stadium and an estimated television audience of 50 million people.

LPL delivered 24 new MAC 550 profile spots for the show. Mounted on vertical risers between large columns on a massive stage, the 550s provided everything from energetic pop-laden looks to more subtle, mood-generating impressions. Days later, the MAC 550 helped ring in the New Year on Brazilian television TV Globo's taping of its annual New Year's Eve show. Broadcast on 31 December, the show was expected to draw an audience of some 80 million. LPL supplied a host of MACs to TV Globo, the world

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UK - Theatre and broadcast sound specialist Orbital Sound has recently collaborated with JFMG to create a new frequency plan in the UK. Designed to ease RF licensing nationwide, it has also been devised to augment the potential of RTS Telex's range of BTR 700 and 800 wireless intercom systems.

Paul Gill, principal engineer at JFMG Ltd explained: "The old frequencies were creating frustration for users who found that we couldn't issue a licence at many venues due to the risk of causing interference to TV reception. With the increasing popularity of the BTR wireless intercom it was imperative to find a solution that better meets the needs of the industry but safeguards other services."

The foundations for this breakthrough were presented at a meeting recently hosted by Orbital at their central London HQ. Given clear understanding of the operational deployment and the

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USA - Crown International has named Larry Baker as market director for Portable PA, Recording and Broadcast. The appointment was announced by Mark Graham, Crown's vice-president of marketing and product development.

Baker brings diverse experience to the position, with more than a decade of business development and strategic marketing experience with major consumer and high tech B2B companies. He has spearheaded numerous product line strategies including re-establishing RCA audio products in the US, launching the distribution and sale of GE Communication products internationally, and establishing Unicru as the leading hiring management system in the US. Larry received both his BS Chemical Engineering and MBA from Purdue University.

"We are excited to have Larry join our team," said Mark Graham. "Larry's extensive skills in market analysis and business developmen

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