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Mexico - In a precursor to his current world tour, Sir Elton John played a series of benefit dates in South America and Mexico beneath a Martin MAC rig in support of Buchanan's Forever, a charitable organization that raises money for local community enrichment programmes.

Three intimate shows took place in late January in Caracas, Venezuela; Bogota, Colombia; and Mexico City. Buchanan's Forever, which also featured renowned Latin American musicians, selected Elton John to headline the cause-related musical experience (Jon Bon Jovi headlined the first edition of Buchanan's Forever last year).

The benefit shows followed a series of tour style shows that the artist performed in South America. Unlike the touring shows, which were full Elton John and band performances, the private Buchanan's shows were solo performances - Elton John and his piano.

Lighting designer for Elton John

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Lithuania - When White Light and theatre owner ATG announced the phased replacement of the Strand 500-series lighting consoles across ATG's UK venues with ETC's Eos and Ion consoles, the intention was that the 'retiring' lighting consoles would return to White Light to join the company's rental stock and to provide service support and spare parts for the many 500-series consoles still providing good service in venues around the UK.

One of those consoles has now embarked on a whole new chapter of its life - travelling from Milton Keynes to Lithuania where it has joined the Bohemieciai, a new opera company that is part of the Lithuanian Philharmonic Orchestra in Vilnius.

The donation was instigated by lighting designer Peter Mumford, who has lit several shows for the company and decided to try to improve their equipment stock in time for his next show, the musical Sweeney To

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UK - Pearce Hire provided power distribution, lighting and audio services to a series of events at the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA) in April for client JA Productions including the high profile launch of its Future Foundations Appeal attended by patron HRH Prince William.

The Future Foundations Appeal aims to raise £8 million which will be used to expand the site's education facility, Veterans Pavilion and central space where major memorial services can be held. These developments are part of an ongoing process to establish a living and lasting UK memorial arboretum. Based in Staffordshire, it will commemorate those who have given their lives in service of their country and society, offering a haven of peace, contemplation and hope.

Owing to the sensitive nature of the event, it was essential that there were no technical faults. Pearce Hire worked to its usual high

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USA - Audinate, Inc., announced that its Dante audio networking solution was used during the world premiere of the new Star Trek movie at the Sydney Opera House. The 150 million dollar Paramount Pictures film debuted with the stars in attendance last month at the red carpet event.

For the event, Audinate collaborated with Dolby and d&b audiotechnik to deliver a truly impressive audio video experience. The Sydney Opera House was transformed using Dante to impeccably transport digital audio from the media servers to over eighty speakers across the Concert Hall. Over 1500 people enjoyed Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound at the highest audio quality through the full showing of the movie.

Surround sound from the digital cinema projectors was transported via Dante through a complex network of Cisco switches and amps. The audio network reached all areas of the Concert Hall using fiber

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Ireland - HSBC has moved its Ireland headquarters to Dublin's Grand Canal Square - the new commercial heart of the city - and its AV systems were supplied by Electrosonic.

Completed in October and with a project value of in excess of £750,000, the new base contains 11 meeting rooms and two boardrooms, alongside a building-wide digital signage and employee information network.

A scaled installation, the AV systems have been specified according to the complexity required - the internal meeting rooms are equipped with high definition video conferencing, PC and laptop display, as well as DVD and tape replay with full remote control, whilst the main boardrooms support full video and audio conferencing.

For private conferences, the boardrooms offer multi-point microphone audio conferencing, and a dual, wide rear projection screen on which blended images can be displayed. For

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UK - Britannia Row Productions has purchased a third Midas XL8 Live Performance System. The purchase comes as one of the company's systems continues its world tour with Oasis, with a further two spec'd for Depeche Mode's Tour of the Universe which begins in Israel in May.

"Oasis went into rehearsals for their world tour last summer and will have had a Midas XL8 out on tour on monitors for nearly 15 months by the time they finish in October 2009," says Britannia Row's Mike Lowe. "That console, specified by their monitor engineer Nahuel Gutierrez, is now on the South American leg of the tour.

"Another Midas XL8 went into in SIR studios in New York with engineer Sarne Thorogood for Depeche Mode monitor rehearsals. Anthony King, the band's front of house engineer, also specified a Midas XL8, and as the Depeche Mode World tour will go into 2010, we purcha

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UK/France - Christie reports that it has been appointed by XDC for the third year running as the supplier of digital cinema projection solutions at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival, 13-24 May 2009. This includes the opening 3-D screening of Up, the new Pixar/Disney animated comedy adventure.

XDC has specified a Christie CP2000-SB projector to deliver the long-awaited 3-D presentation of Up, which takes audiences on an immersive journey into a lost world. Enhancing this inaugural screening, the CP2000-SB's in-built Christie Brilliant3D innovative technology "maximizes brightness and its single lens system reduces operating costs, without compromising on quality".

France is spearheading the digital cinema revolution in Europe with over 392 screens in 113 commercial theatres going digital as of early March 2009. Out of these 80 have been equipped with a 3-D s

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UK - A meeting aimed at covering the concepts of audibility and inaudibility is being organised by the Measurement & Instrumentation Committee of the Institute of Acoustics in London.

Did you hear that? - concepts of audibility and inaudibility on 23 June will look at where threshold levels are either suggested or legislated. It will also cover what may be subjectively audible to one listener may not be to another.

Other areas covered in the meeting will include: What in practice should those quantified thresholds be, how can they be measured and are they enforceable? Likewise, in some instances it may be prudent to ensure inaudibility, what should these maximums of audibility be? How can they be measured and could they be directed to one segment of the public?

Did you hear that?, being held at the Royal Society, London is a one day meeting, with papers from In

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UK - It didn't take a great deal of persuasion for the Scenic Solutions team at Stage One to head north to The Scotch Whisky Experience. Working for production company, the Continuum Group, Stage One was invited to the Edinburgh based attraction to provide all of the scenic and exhibition elements for the Experience's new Dark Ride installation.

Craig Hatto, projects director, Continnuum Group, said, "Stage One was the ideal choice. They undertook and immediately understood the inherent complexities in creating an experiential ride, taking immediate ownership of the set elements and integrating with the other specialist contractors. The team were courteous and sensitive to both the client and other contractors needs and with everything combined they made a complex and potentially high risk project appear to be a walk in the park."

Covering a 220m2 area, the ei

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UK - DiGiCo has announced the launch of its new and improved website.

"We haven't given our old site a bit of a facelift," explains marketing director David Webster. "We've completely re-designed it. It's now database driven to allow it to be quickly and easily updated and we've included more of the information we know our customers want and need."

This site includes offline and online software, allowing engineers to prep a show even before seeing a console and/or remote control it. Time saving documents such as pdfs of line drawings provide data to determine if a console is the right size for a particular location before additional information is downloaded. Consultants, specifiers and contractors can also download the latest dxf line drawings to include in their installation specifications. Brochures, high-resolution product images and logos are available

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UK - Creative & Cultural Skills (CCSkills) has reaffirmed its commitment to campaign openly and transparently on behalf of industry by publishing a comprehensive independent assessment of performance to date.

1000 creative and cultural employers were asked to assess CCSkills and pinpoint areas for improvement. The survey showed there continues to be strong support for a Sector Skills Council specific to the creative and cultural sectors - with over 80% of employers endorsing CCSkills.

Two thirds of creative and cultural businesses highlighted that the creative and cultural industries have specific, specialist needs and training should be more specific to these needs.

The most commonly cited reason for the presence of CCSkills was the need for a strong 'independent voice'.

A strong majority recognise the impact CCSkills has had on skills development; 79% of organisations fe

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Germany - The 83rd ADAC Ball took place 24 January 2009 in the Hotel Maritim, Berlin. Beneath the banner This is where Berlin dances, some 2,600 illustrious guests took to the floor and were treated to a programme of entertainment including a spirited set from pop legend Howard Carpendale. The evening was hosted by Kathrin Müller-Hohenstein of German TV's ZDF Sportstudio.

Berlin-based events service provider TSE AG, under the leadership of project manager Adrian Carlin, deployed audio systems from Electro-Voice in all three ballrooms. The main PA in the Saal Maritim comprised two line-arrays: one of eight XLD per side and a second centre hang of four XLE. Four Xsubs handled low-end while six EV QRx 112/75 cabinets served as front fills. Four additional XLE systems acted as side fills. The system was driven by fourteen TG7 amplifiers from Electro-Voice.

The syst

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USA The new Citi Field in Flushing, Queens, home of the New York Mets, has a new sound system. Over 550 EAW MK and AX series boxes fill the bowl of the 42,000-seat stadium, which opened on 13 April, 2009. The systems integrator was TSI Global Companies, LLC, and it was designed by consultants WJHW.

The key element of the massive and complex sound system is a customised version of EAW's full-range AX364-210 Arrayable Install Loudspeakers with 60x40 horn, modified to fire simultaneously forward, down and to the rear. A pair of 10-inch woofers was added to the cabinet, aimed downward to cancel low-frequency buildup in what is, essentially, an architectural bass trap.

Three of these precisely modified enclosures are installed at the clubhouse level, one of the most challenging spaces in a stadium of this design. Other notable aspects of the system include a large number of under-b

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USA -. Located on the popular Pine Avenue 'restaurant row' in Long Beach, CA, Sergeant Pepper's Dueling Piano Café features a sound reinforcement system from the D.A.S. Audio Variant catalogue.

Duarte, CA-based Total Concept Integration (TCI), a design/build firm that handles a broad range of commercial projects, designed and installed Sergeant Pepper's new sound system. According to Adrian Morales, one of the firm's partners, space was a huge consideration on this project. "This is a small, pub-like type of venue," said Morales. "With two pianos and a drum set up on stage, there really isn't a whole lot of room to spare. Initially, the owner envisioned flying a few conventional, non-powered loudspeakers that would be augmented by one or two subwoofers on the floor. When we asked him where he planned on housing the power amps, he realized this approach woul

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UK - The first Electro-Voice line array system has arrived in the Channel Islands. Stage 2 Productions, Jersey's biggest concert and event company, has completed its first shows with its new EV XLD compact line array, featuring the XCS312 flown subbass cabinets, and is already planning to increase its inventory.

Deploying the new system for high-profile productions like BRIT Award-winning singer-songwriter James Morrison and top TV comedian Al Murray, Stage 2 Productions has given the XLD cabinets a fiery baptism. Proprietor Rob Ritchie reports that "both events went really well, with the system performing fantastically. In fact, this was the only date on James Morrison's tour that used anything other than d&b J Series."

Stage 2 Productions has, for some time, operated in the upper echelons of event service providers. "But our old point-source system was just no

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UAE - Local people and international visitors enjoyed a vivid celebration of global cultures and musical traditions at Abu Dhabi's first WOMAD Festival, as event safety specialists TESS advised on procedures to create a safe environment for everyone.

Abu Dhabi had never hosted a festival of this sort before, so careful evaluation of crowd safety and production risks was a key part of the planning. The event featured two orbit stages at either end of the city's beach along the Corniche; hosting a spectrum of local and world music stars including Youssou N'Dour, Robert Plant and Khaled.

Kids' parades, artist-led workshops and world cookery demonstrations gave depth and helped entertain the huge number of children who attended. In addition a smaller event was hosted at the historic Jahili fort in the desert city of Al Ain.

The stages were supplied by Serious Stages and the cent

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UK - The UK tour of Strictly Come Dancing Live - the arena version of the popular BBC TV series - has all its lighting controlled by a grandMA full-size console for the first time.

The lighting design is by Mark Kenyon and the show was initially programmed by David Bishop during pre-production at Newcastle Arena. Mike Rothwell specified the grandMA and is the operator. He also did the 2008 Strictly Live tour, and this year decided to make the move to grandMA because, "It is such a stable, reliable system." It is the first full tour he's operated on the desk, but he was confident that going with grandMA was the right move, as he'd seen them in action on many other projects.

The lighting rig covers the large dance floor area and is based on five split trusses traversing the floor horizontally, and a central spine running vertically up the space, with anot

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USA - On a clear night, the Sovereign Tower in north Atlanta shines brightly in the sky, visible from up to 30 miles away. To achieve such a level of illumination for this luxury office/residential complex (the tallest building constructed in Atlanta in twenty years), CD+M Lighting Design Group chose six Falcon Static Arc 3k xenon fixtures by Alpha One.

CD+M principal Ted Ferreira and associate principal Hilary Wainer shepherded the project for Regent Partners and architect SRSS for over three years. Their work included lighting the building facade, interior lobbies, private resident's club and surrounding grounds. "Our criteria for selecting Falcons to light the façade was two-fold," explains Ted Ferreira. "First, they had to be rated for exterior, long-term use in all weather conditions. Second, we needed a lot of light. Not many products in North America meet

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USA - When the time came to create the setting for Sarah Brightman's Symphony tour, the design team turned to Tomcat to fabricate custom stage components and create the lavish settings that have become the hallmark of Sarah Brightman concerts.

The tour kicked off in November 2008 with dates throughout North America. The tour played a series of dates across Asia through April 2009.

For its part, Tomcat built a 'rolling stage', including a runway out into the audience. The concept makes load in faster and easier. The stage can be assembled in phases while the rest of the rigging takes place. Upon completion of the rigging, the stage simply rolls into place and is locked into position.

In addition, Tomcat provided truss frames for some of the video projection screens, made of 12" spigoted truss. This entire framework around the perimeter incorporates a mirrored fasc

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USA - The Auralex Acoustics HoverDeck, a drum isolator, will be employed on stage at the 19th Annual Chicago Drum Show, the world's largest and longest-running vintage/custom drum event of its kind. The exhibit and performance event is being held at the Kane County Fairgrounds in St. Charles, Illinois on 16 and 17 May 2009.

Auralex Acousticscontributed to this year's event by providing its HoverDeck for the show's clinic stage. The HoverDeck is a specifically engineered drum isolator that reduces coloration from floor resonance by decoupling the drum kit from the structure, resulting in a tighter, purer sound.

"My first use of Auralex's HoverDeck was at a backline gig at a major casino," says Rob Cook of Rebeats, a company specialising in vintage and custom drum-related resources and coordinator and producer of the Chicago Drum Show. "During set-up my drum tech

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UK - The inaugural PLASA Focus Show in Leeds on April 28-29 was a great success, beating the headiest expectations and the credit crunch. Anticipation had been high since PLASA Events announced the takeover of the event from AC Entertainment Technologies last year. The team had set out to continue the show's compact, user-friendly format while opening it up to the entire industry, broadening the marketing and creating new networking opportunities. By its close, the show had registered a total of 1,398 visitors (pre ABC audit).

Philip Norfolk of MA Lighting, which showed its new MA2 control surfaces, commented: "We've seen an excellent mix of students as well as serious clients, users and operators - a really broad spectrum of visitors. There have been good visitor numbers, high levels of interest and an excellent environment . . . and the time to spend with these people. Fo

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Montserrat - For those with recording aspirations in the 1980s, few studios held the same rock star appeal as Air Montserrat. A who's who of major artists, from The Police to Dire Straits and The Rolling Stones recorded at Sir. George Martin's residential studio complex until a hurricane in 1989, and the eruption of a volcano in 1995, destroyed not only the studio but also the heart of the Island community.

In response to the catastrophic events, the Montserrat Cultural Centre was built between 2005 and 2006 using funds raised by Sir George and Lady Martin. The focal point of the centre is the Sir. George Martin Auditorium, a 450 seater venue, which offers concert, cinema and conference configurations at the touch of a button.

An impressive range of equipment has now been gathered for the Cultural Centre thanks to the dedication of two previous Air Montserrat clients, Chris Ru

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USA - For decades, Shure microphones have been a mainstay of rock and roll stages, from the largest arenas and stadiums to the smallest bars and clubs. Now they're also appearing onstage in the virtual world, compliments of the Harmonix and MTV Games' best-selling music video game Rock Band 2.

"How could anyone create a game like this and not include the SM58 and SM57? That would be like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without the bread," said Chad Wiggins, Shure's wired products category manager. "We definitely feel that having our mics in Rock Band 2 adds a degree of authenticity for all of the people who'll play it as they dream of being Roger Daltrey belting out Pinball Wizard or any one of dozens of other rock stars. It's very cool to be included."

(Jim Evans)

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UK - If you haven't reserved your delegate place at Showlight 2009, you have only a few days left to do so! And this year's Showlight has so much to offer everyone, whether you work in the theatre, television, architectural, film or event lighting. From Beijing to James Bond, the Grand Mosque to media servers, Showlight 2009 will be truly international and truly educational, say organisers.

With an eclectic mix of lighting designers from all disciplines, suppliers, manufacturers, students and scholars, each Showlight is unique, providing food for the mind, soul - and body! Included in the delegate price of only £180 are refreshments and lunch every day, plus dinner on Sunday and Monday. What more could you ask for? Oh yes - and the visits programme on Monday afternoon, with a backstage look at Glasgow's finest theatres, a visit to Philips' local factory, culture in the for

  1. Abu Dhabi-based Flash triumphs
  2. Elation lights ice at Stockton Arena
  3. Victory Church celebrates first T Digital install
  4. Northern Light to host pyro safety courses
  5. London Light approved as ETC console dealer
  6. ESTA and USITT announce safety session
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