Business

Details
Puerto Rico - After 35 years, eight Grammy Awards and 110m records sold worldwide, heavy metal trailblazers Metallica have nothing left to prove. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, who are 61st on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Artists Of All Time, aren't resting on their laurels, though. This month the band is slated to release its tenth studio album, Hardwired... to Self-Destruct.

In advance of this release, Metallica kicked off a Latin American tour, opening with a 26 October concert at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, followed three days later by a Saturday night concert at the Parque Bicentenario in Quito, Ecuador. Chauvet Professional fixtures added to the excitement at both venues.

At the 18,500-capacity Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot, the Metallica rig included 49 Q-Wash 560Z-LED moving heads and

Details
Australia - Elite Event Technology in Canberra provided a full turnkey design and technical production solution for Canberra's 2016 Fashfest extravaganza, staged at the National Convention Centre.

The lighting rig for the main showspace was designed by Darren Russell who needed a flexible and versatile range of fixtures to help deliver the high expectations of everyone involved, so he based this around Robe moving lights - BMFLs, Pointes and LEDWashes - plus a selection of conventional lights.

Darren says that with this many Robes on the rig this year, they could be properly creative with lighting over and above the traditional requirements for fashion events. "The brief was actually to make it more theatrical and edgy this year, so lighting played a much bigger role than previously," he explained.

Fashfest was the vision of founders Clint and Andrea Hutchinson in 2013

Details
Italy - With Showlight 2017 only six months away, plans and preparations are well underway for the next instalment of this industry-favourite lighting quadrennial which takes place from 20-23 May in Florence, Italy.

The first tranche of speakers was announced at PLASA London with Jeff Ravitz, Mikki Kunttu, Al Gurdon and Luc Peumans named as just some of the illustrious designers who will present papers. A list of speakers to date can be found on the Showlight 2017 website and will grow as others are confirmed. The next selection of speakers will be announced early in the New Year. For the first time this year, all papers will benefit from simultaneous Italian translation.

Always quick to go, exhibitor spaces for Showlight 2017 are now almost sold out. The latest companies to join the fun and take up residence around the Palazzo dei Congressi are Altman Lighting, Ayrton, Ci

Details
UK - Based on the movie starring Tom Hanks, Michael Rose and Idili Theatricals Limited in association with the Bord Gais Energy Theatre Dublin, is presenting a Theatre Royal Plymouth production of Big The Musical.

The show opened at the Theatre Royal Plymouth in November 2016 to excellent reviews, with shows at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre Dublin running across December and into New Year 2017. The production is directed and choreographed by Morgan Young.

Having worked with the team on a highly successful production of Elf The Musical in 2015, PRG XL Video's theatre account director, Peter Marshall was contacted by Michael Rose to provide lighting and video technology for the new production of Big The Musical.

Preparing for the new show, production manager, Hugh Borthwick visited PRG XL Video's facility at Longbridge, Birmingham. He explains: "Simon

Details
Germany - The AIDAprima, the latest addition to the AIDA Cruises fleet, was christened in Hamburg on 7 May 2016. The ship's many attractions include the Beach Club with Caribbean feel for 365 days a year, and the Four Elements area with water slides and climbing walls, not to mention first class entertainment.

Marcel Dias Vieira, AIDA Cruises entertainment technology supervisor, explained the basic reasoning behind the lighting choices and why they chose Claypaky moving heads. The lighting rig includes Claypaky Alpha Profile 800 STs, as well as many other MALighting products - a grandMA2 full-size desk, two grandMA2 light consoles, two grandMA2 replay units, and one MA Network Processing Unit (NPU).

However, the AIDAprima also boasts professional level technology in all other areas, such as the moving stage elements, LED screens, sound system and ship's TV studio. The effo

Details
Canada - Known as the birthplace of Manitoba, Upper Fort Garry in Winnipeg is a significant site in Canadian history. Although the original fort was largely demolished in the 1880s, its remaining Governor's Gate and an area of surrounding land was gifted to the city by the Hudson Bay Company "as a public park forever".

Overshadowed by surrounding buildings and nearly forgotten, recent development pressures rekindled interest in the site and led to the inspired vision of a $19m heritage park and interpretive centre for Upper Fort Garry.

A 400ft commemorative wall of naturally rusting Corten steel has been built, with integrated LED lighting by Daktronics and sound by Inland Audio Visual. Marking the height, depth and location of Upper Fort Garry's original west wall, its sculptured layers scribe three continuous lines tracing the history of Western Canada and of Upper Fort

Details
USA - For many in the Chicago area, an annual trip to see Ilumination: Tree Lights at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle has become a wintertime tradition. Now in its fourth year, the magical mile-long walk in the woods with its dramatic lighting and colour-changing illumination is a whole new way to experience the Arboretum in winter.

John Featherstone, principal at design group Lightswitch, is the lighting director and creative director for Illumination, and often uses Elation Professional fixtures in his designs. This year, he had the opportunity to be the first anywhere to use Elation's new weatherproof Proteus Beam moving head and incorporated several of them into the show as a harsh outdoor winter test for the recent LDI award-winning product.

"We've had a great working relationship with the Elation team and have relied on Elation fixtures as part of our 'secret sa

Details
UK - Raynes Park High School, London, is a mixed comprehensive school for 12-16-year-old pupils able to accommodates up to 1400 pupils. Currently employing 120 members of staff Raynes Park High School offers pupils access to an on-site Autism Centre, SEND Department, Sixth Form and Sports Centre.

The paging systems implemented by Clarity in Sound, Light & Vision allows staff at the school to page zones individually or call-all zones. Pre-recorded or live announcements can be made in all the separate buildings which includes a newly built the Sixth Form block, a sports hall and the D&T building, in addition to sports fields and playground areas.

Clarity in Sound Light & Vision Ltd installed a Cloud DCM-1 Digital Zone Mixer alongside several Cloud 100V multichannel amplifiers across eight zones. In addition to two Cloud PM-8SA paging microphones, a Sennheiser wireless radio

Details
UK - VME used its flagship Martin Audio MLA System to the full at the Manchester Arena recently, for Anthony Joshua's latest IBF World Heavyweight Championship defence live on Sky Sports Box Office.

From their 48-box MLA inventory the Manchester-based service providers can rig differently configured systems to suit venue size and technical requirement, with the EQ tailored accordingly. According to VME head of sound, Mark Cleator, the challenges of reinforcing a live Sky Sports broadcast, in-the-round production for promoters Matchroom Boxing, are entirely different to a conventional rock show.

"Each venue is completely unique," says Mark, "and the rig has to be up in the air within three hours. We share a couple of cable bridges with lighting but all our hangs are double motored to reduce the need for having to tie off arrays, which really helps the rig time."

Manches

Details
UK - Drapes, LED, video and special effects specialist S+H Technical celebrated its tenth season supporting the BBC's popular hit series Strictly Come Dancing with drapes, starcloth and a variety of other 'soft goods' and effects.

S+H was again working with BAFTA Award winning set and scenic designer Patrick Doherty - who is a regular client - helping realise his vision for a spectacular magical environment which he creates for the series, featuring some well-known-and-loved classic 'ballroom' visual elements peppered with a touch of the contemporary.

This season, Ilfracombe, Devon based S+H supplied around 2000 Pea-Lights for the regular weekly Strictly episodes which were broadcast from Entree Studios.

These Pea-Light strings were integrated into the set walls of Patrick's design, together with around 1000sq.m of sumptuous red velvet starcloth from S+H's stock

Details
USA/Europe - Netherlands based Martin Garrix is among the hottest DJ/musician/music producers of the moment, currently playing events and festivals worldwide, sharing his sounds and building a vast international fanbase.

He premiered a large part of his debut album this year during a main stage set at ULTRA Miami which was also the first show to feature a new production design by Michael Fullman, creative director of LA-based design and interactive technology specialist, VT Pro Design.

The lighting specification for this design is based on Robe moving lights, with 28 x BMFL Spots and 68 Pointes topping the rider. Currently, the tour is working as an 'advanced' design, with all kit provided worldwide by local vendors.

The BMFL Spots make up the bulk of the overhead fixtures while the Pointes are mainly located on the multi-tiered deck. Between them, the two sets of lumi

Details
USA - It was a once in a life time performance as. Bandit Lites provided the lighting for the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum 2016 induction ceremony. The evening, which featured performances from Peter Frampton, Kenny G, Bruce Hornsby, Steve Warnier, Melinda Doolittle along with the inductees at the Municipal Auditorium 24 October, saw Garth Brooks and his band, The G-Men, inducted as Hall of Fame Performers.

Bandit Lites is not only Garth's lighting vendor of choice since he began touring, but counts him as a cherished member of the Bandit Family. Utilising Mark Carver's design from previous inductions, lighting director David 'Gig' Butlzer was able to craft an evening fit for the musical icons being honoured.

Bandit supplied VL 3500 Spots, VL 3000 Spots, VL 3500 Washes, GLP X4S and a Grand MA 1 full console for control. Additional inductees included the late musician

Details
USA - Stevie Nicks has gone solo for the 24 Karat Gold Tour playing more than two dozen arena dates in North America before the end of the year. Production designer Paul Guthrie of Toss Film & Design Inc in Minneapolis chose 88 Claypaky Mythos fixtures for the lighting rig. He previously deployed Mythos on tours for Miranda Lambert and Macklemore.

Nicks's latest tour, in support of her album, 24 Karat Gold - Songs from the Vault, launched in Phoenix and will wrap in Los Angeles. While the singer/songwriter appears as a solo artist, she tapped the Pretenders to open for her - delivering a powerhouse show for ticketholders.

A veteran of Nicks's tours, Guthrie endeavoured to "create something new and a bit more modern" for her new show. "Stevie enjoys using video content so the tour features a lot of video on an LED videowall backdrop and L-shaped scenic pieces," he ex

Details
UK - London's Southbank Centre has been transformed into a wintry Nordic landscape this festive season, complete with a giant Norwegian tree, Scandinavian decorations, and an installation of more than 50 floating Christmas trees, rigged by Unusual Rigging.

Ailve McCormack, site design project manager for Winter Festival, explained: "The balcony installation is one part of the overall site design which was done by Hemingway Designs. It's not something we have done before so we needed to know that the companies we worked with were some of the best in the business. Unusual Rigging was recommended to me by a colleague. They got involved after the initial idea had been formed, but before we had figured out how exactly we wanted to hang the trees from the balcony. Their knowledge and know-how was just what we needed at this stage."

The brief supplied by Hemingway Designs was tha

Details
UK - The contents of the internationally-renowned Fountain Studios in Wembley, north London, will come under the hammer after the recent final of the 2016 X Factor brought the curtain down on 90 years of film and broadcasting history.

The studio has been sold to property developers, and sound and vision equipment, lighting, scenery and memorabilia are all being offered in an online sale between 30 January and 7 February. The sale is being organised by auctioneers Charterfields (www.charterfields.com) and a viewing day is being held on 1 February.

Among the broadcast equipment for sale are Sony HDC cameras, pedestals along with various control units and pan and tilt heads; vision mixers; sound desks and microphones; lighting desks and a large quantity of hoists and pantographs.

In addition, there is also a selection of scenery and drapes, dressing room furniture,

Details
China - KLANG:technologies has announced the appointment of Beijing Huahui Audio Technology Co Ltd (Huahui) as its distributor in China. Established in 2003, Beijing-based Huahui is a professional audio company that provides a comprehensive range of services, including consultation, design, installation, technical support, training and sales.

The company has an impressive portfolio of high-end brands, including L-Acoustics, Midas, Milab, Klark Teknik, t.c.electronic, Point Source, Focal, Adam, Canare and Sennheiser. Operating across the broadcast, studio, fixed installation and live markets, Huahui is focused on its technical ability and customer support and is ISO9001 certified.

KLANG:technologies aim is to create the perfect in-ear monitor sound for musicians, enabling them to work with greater ease and focus on their performance. Its KLANG:fabrik and KLANG:vier 3D perso

Details
Second-hand Probe - Websites that sell second-hand tickets are to be investigated by the competition regulator in the UK. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) probe follows an initial review of the four main secondary ticketing websites - Get Me In, Seatwave, StubHub and Viagogo - that aimed to ensure they improved the information they provided about tickets on their site.

There are concerns that if information is not clear, people are at risk of being turned away at the doors because of restrictions placed on some resold tickets. The CMA said one website was not fully complying with their undertaking and it was "actively pursuing" it to ensure its obligations are met "in full".

The watchdog said its wider investigation would result in enforcement action if providers fall foul of consumer protection laws in areas such as clear seller information. It was also checkin

Details
Belgium - Apart Audio has announced the release of its CM Design Series speakers, which the Belgian brand has created to offer simple, elegant integration into all interior environments.

A thin edge grille and integrated neodymium grille fixing magnets ensure that the new series is both unobtrusive and easy to install, with Apart's Quick Fix connectors used for speaker connections - avoiding the need for junction boxes and reducing installation time and costs. Clear power tap labelling on the speakers' transformers also aids quick and easy set-up.

The two-way CM Design speakers are available in both 6.5" and 8" sizes, delivering power outputs of 60W and 100W respectively.

(Jim Evans)

Details
USA - With the recent opening of WildPitch Music Hall, downtown Atlanta is home to a new nightlife destination. Best described as an underground dance club that offers live music for special events, WildPitch Music Hall features a variety of established and emerging special guests from across the electronic music spectrum. The new club also represents D.A.S. Audio's first permanent U.S. installation of its recently introduced SoundForce Series loudspeakers.

Global Audio Systems of NY, NY was the AV design-build firm contracted to handle the installation of the D.A.S. Audio SoundForce loudspeaker system at WildPitch Music Hall, with local support from Platinum Sound Atlanta. Owner Jason Ojeda, ultimately installed a system consisting of several prominent models from the SoundForce Series line. He discussed the project and his reasons for choosing D.A.S. Audio.

"The room at

Details
USA - Similar to many worship families across the United States, the congregation at the First Baptist Church in Thomasville, Georgia, recently underwent a sanctuary renovation to offer both contemporary and traditional worship services.

Working with Thomasville's S&L Integrated on a complete audio, lighting and LED video renovation, the church wanted to make sure that while the technical systems received an update, the traditional aesthetics of the sanctuary were not affected. Desiring a solution that would enable the use of a dynamic LED video system for the contemporary services while discreetly hiding it for the traditional, S&L Integrated teamed with JR Clancy to create a roll-up LED video system using FLEXCurtain HD from Nashville-based PixelFLEX.

"We've developed a wonderful relationship with First Baptist Church over the years, so when they approached us about conc

Details
Russia - Nobel Hall, the main auditorium of Moscow's Financial University, is a multipurpose space within this prominent and prestigious educational facility.

Equipped with a Martin Audio W8LM Mini Line Array, the hall, which operates under the Government of the Russian Federation, is capable of hosting 1,350 people. The opening was timed to coincide with the First Moscow International Economic Forum and has since been used for many world-leading scientific conferences and seminars.

This hall is also used for various forums and events, involving numerous creative teams of the Financial University and prominent guest performers, while a university tradition includes hosting two lectures from Nobel prize winners every year. Thus perfect speech intelligibility and highest quality of music reproduction were key requirements during the design process - and Martin Audio products

Details
Russia - The three-act melodrama Simon Boccanegra is characteristic of Giuseppe Verdi's determination and modernity. It was staged at the Bolshoi Theatre, which is fitted with a number of Claypaky lights, and broadcast live on a giant screen in front of the theatre itself. This Verdi opera rounded off the La Scala summer tour in Moscow.

Simon Boccanegra is an opera by Verdi based on a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, inspired by the play of the same name by Antonio Garc

Details
USA - Even those with only a passing interest in the performing arts are familiar with The Nutcracker. A holiday tradition with many families, the show accounts for some 40 percent of ticket sales for ballet companies in the US. Tchaikovsky's score, with its sprightly melody punctuated by occasional staccato cords, is instantly recognizable to almost everyone, as is the stoic little nutcracker character at the heart of the ballet's storyline.

The adventurous spirit of this Christmas classic is alive and well in the Continental Ballet Company's 2016 production of the show at the Bloomington Centre for the Arts' Schneider Theatre. Lending an added and very evocative dimension to the production is a vibrant lighting design by Joseph Bingham, using a collection of CHauvet Professional Rogue R2 Washes supplied by Monkey Wrench Productions.

For Bingham, using the Rogue fi

Details
China - This past May, Adamson's Chinese distributor Real Music launched a national education and demonstration programme to promote the new S-Series amongst the brightest up-and-coming show service providers in the nation. The results of this effort has now lead to the introduction of 12 new S-Series partners in the region.

David Dohrmann, Adamson's technical director Asia Pacific, will head up in-depth training this month for these newest customers in Xi'an and Beijing, and he is excited for the next phase of the partnership with Real Music.

"The extensive after sales support and training facilities they offer to their client base is the natural progression of this campaign and will provide a solid foundation to further strengthen the Adamson brand in China," he said. "It is a model we will continue to implement with our partners and their contacts across the globe."

  1. Yamaha backs Merry Motown Christmas Concert
  2. Community partners with Schneider Audio Concept
  3. Artistic Licence at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre
  4. Claypaky breaks through on Glass Animals tour
  5. AC-SP creates LED system for historic hall
  6. Star wins Ramblin' Man contract
Page 326 of 1813

Latest Issue. . .