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Europe - LD Luke Edwards is currently touring with Berlin-based Danish singer songwriter and keyboardist Agnes Obel.

The live touring campaign for the newly released Citizen of Glass, Obel's third album, started gently with a six-week bus-and-trailer tour around Europe.

Needing to make a serious visual impact with a few versatile lights that would take up minimal space, Luke specified six Robe DL4S LED Profiles and six of the new Spiider LED washbeams as a floor package, which packed down neatly for stowage in the trailer with the backline.

Positioned around Agnes and her four-piece band on a riser layout created by stage manager Wayne Chapelle, these 12 fixtures provided the bulk of the show lighting, augmented with elements from the different house rigs at each venue.

As quality and quantity of house rigs varied greatly along with the sizes of the venues f

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USA - Grand Canyon University, located in Phoenix, Arizona, is on a mission to build 10 new sports venues in the next two years. They kicked off their 10-in-2 initiative with GCU Stadium, a state-of-the-art soccer stadium that boasts a new EAW QX sound reinforcement system designed and installed by Sound Image's Tempe, Arizona-based office.

"The president of the university really likes using audio to generate energy for the fans," explains Ben Davis, project manager, Sound Image. "He wants all of their sporting events to be high energy - the EAW QX system hit all of their check marks for what they wanted for the stadium."

After reviewing the University's public bid, Davis put together a design based on EAW QX loudspeakers that fit their criteria. He also included an EAW SB2001 subwoofer option for consideration now or in the future. The school was so impressed, they decide

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Australia - Eighth Day Sound, an early and influential member of Adamson Systems Engineering's global network, has further expanded its inventory with a substantial investment in Adamson E-Series and S-Series products for their Australian base in Sydney.

Headquartered in Highland Heights, Ohio, with offices in Los Angeles, London, and Sydney, Eighth Day provides sound reinforcement for top tours and festivals around the world. Subsequently, the company has invested heavily in Adamson products in recent years to keep up with the global demand for high-performance audio systems.

"Having Adamson available globally has been a part of our strategy since day one," says Jack Boessneck, executive VP with Eighth Day Sound. "With the acclaim it is garnering around the world, we have to be prepared to meet the growing demand."

Members of Eighth Day's Australian team travelled to

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USA - The Bowery Ballroom in New York's Bowery section of Manhattan houses an Elation LED lighting rig and attracts a wide variety of musical talent from well-known acts like Coldplay and The White Stripes to up and coming talent. Housed in a 1920's Beaux Arts building, the Bowery Ballroom is a memorable date on any band's touring calendar.

On 3 November, American pop duo Capital Cities played a pair of shows at the venue as part of their fall 2016 tour. Capital Cities production designer Noah Sharp, who also runs lighting for the band, had eight Satura Spot CMY Pro LED moving head spot luminaires, eight Platinum Wash ZFX Pro LED moving head wash lights, and six ACL 360 Bar LED battens at his disposal for the shows, supplied for the Bowery Ballroom install by Christie Lites.

"I was very excited when I saw that the lighting rig was all colour mixing fixtures," said Sharp, w

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UK - In demand lighting and production designer Steven Bewley selected the award-winning Claypaky Mythos and Sharpy to create signature lighting looks for alternative rock band Nothing But Thieves on their debut album tour, which ended with a show at London's 02 Academy Brixton.

For the tour's UK leg, Bewley, whose recent production design for rapper Wretch 32 received significant recognition across social media, enlisted 32 x Mythos and 10 x Sharpys from audio and lighting production specialist Nitelites.

"More and more bands are asking for lighting looks that create a strong visual impact across social media platforms," explains Bewley. "I was mindful of this when I took the reins on the design for Nothing But Thieves. I programmed the show on my own set-up and sent them through videos on how it could look. Luckily I pretty much nailed it the first time and we ended up w

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USA - Grasshopper Off the Green is a lively Irish pub in Morristown, New Jersey. It manages a cozy feel despite its size: Grasshopper spans three stories that patrons regularly fill to capacity.

The dark wooden décor suggests a much older establishment, but Grasshopper Off the Green came into being only t12 years ago. Its current sound system, built around Renkus-Heinz loudspeakers and subwoofers is even younger than that, with an update in 2011. But the amps that went in with the loudspeakers couldn't keep up with the pub's near-constant use, so local A/V integrator Starview Satellite replaced them with reliable, cost-effective, high-fidelity KLR-3200 and nX 3.02 amplifiers from U.S. amplifier manufacturer Ashly Audio.

"They've got a ton of stuff going on at Grasshopper," said Rich Trombitas, regional sales & product manager with A/V manufacturers rep firm Cardone,

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USA - Since its founding in 2001, Reflect has been at the forefront of creating digital experiences that help their clients maximize sales and strengthen brand loyalty. The company recently relocated its headquarters to a new facility in Richardson, Texas designed to fully showcase the scope of their innovative solutions.

Wanting to make an impact from the moment clients walk in the front door, Reflect created two visually dynamic LED displays using FLEXLite NXG technology from Nashville-based PixelFLEX.

"As we were designing our new facility, we wanted to showcase the innovative technologies we are leading with in the field," began Chas Thornhill, CTS, Reflect's Senior Systems Engineer. "Since our previous location didn't really say a lot about us as a company, we wanted a more modern look and for the space itself to showcase what we do at Reflect. Knowing that the first

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Israel - Ronen Najar, one of Israel's leading lighting and visual designers has brought his imagination and style to the latest tour by Israeli singer Avram Tal, supporting his latest studio album Now Life.

At the Tzora Kibbutz near Jerusalem, Robe BMFL Spots were at the core of the design.

Between eight and 12 Robe BMFL Spots - depending on the size of the venue - are rigged upstage on the rear truss. These have been newly purchased especially for the tour by rental company Hakol Bakol based in Pardes Hana. This is their second Robe purchase and it was prompted by Ronen's specification.

The stage design for Avram Tal - known for his distinctive voice and powerful stage presence - also features five scenic metal flowers which are flown at the back, and have integral moving beam lights and some static LED blinders fitted in the petals.

Ronen specified BMFLs b

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USA - Notorious for their musical improvisation, extended jams and surprise gags, Phish returned to the stage for their annual New Year's Run at the famed Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York.

On 31 December, after performing for three hours, Phish began revealing their surprise New Year's gag at 11:30 pm with a musical production of Petrichor, a track from their latest album Big Boat, accompanied by choreographed dancers, 16 kinetic LED umbrellas that floated above the stage and synthetic rain, made of small crystals, which fell from the ceiling of The Garden.

At the stroke of midnight, as if the kinetic LED umbrella performance wasn't enough, Phish literally made it rain cats and dogs (balloons) as they wished their fans a Happy New Year. With the Garden buried in a mass of colourful balloons and confetti, Phish successfully finished their set with

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UK - Clarke Peters' jukebox musical Five Guys Named Moe, featuring R&B pioneer Louis Jordan's greatest hits, has been delighting audiences at the Festival Square Theatre, Edinburgh. Called a Christmas Carol in zoot suits, the dazzling new production of the hit West End and Broadway musical features a cabaret set that includes 32m of the new Digital RGB FloppyFlex by Firefly.

"The rear wall of the set is a slice of an old vinyl record," explains LD Philip Gladwell, "and we use FloppyFlex to simulate the record's grooves, programmed to give a spinning effect. We chose Digital FloppyFlex to bring the scenery alive and achieved fantastic results. The smooth movement and vibrant colour is exactly what we needed. I can't think of another product that could deliver such a stunning effect."

Production electrician Gareth Clowes adds, "I highly recommend FloppyFlex. It

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Turkey - LITEC has announced the appointment of Eramita as their new distributor in Turkey for LITEC truss systems, EXE-Rise chain hoists, EXE-Drive controllers and EXE-DST automation equipment.

Eramita's founders are people with an extreme amount of enthusiasm and extensive knowledge of the show and events industry, especially in the area of culture and art centers. They provide their clients with leading audio, video, furniture, lighting and textile products.

General manager of Eramita, Seha Tekinalp, said, "It is with great pleasure that we enter this new partnership with LITEC, a leading-edge company in trussing and rigging. Collaboration is a core value and key constituent of our vision. Turkey is a quickly growing country with a dynamically evolving market. With the help of Eramita, I'm sure LITEC will play an important role in the Turkish entertainment segment."

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USA - Panasonic and Walt Disney Parks & Resorts have announced that Panasonic Visual Systems will be the 'Official Projection Technology' of Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida and Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.

As part of a long-term agreement, these Disney properties will have access to the latest in Panasonic's market-leading projectors with advanced image processing and lens solutions.

The aim of pairing Disney's limitless creativity with Panasonic's leading-edge projection technology, is to provide guests of Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort with even more amazing and new entertainment experiences.

"Panasonic is delighted to work with Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort in exploring new ways in which its high-performance projectors may be used to support the Disney storytelling that has captured the hearts of mi

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UK - Tascam UK has announced that with immediate effect, it has taken over the UK distribution of ART pro audio products. ART (Applied Research and Technology) has over 30 years' experience of designing and manufacturing signal processing equipment for the pro audio and music industry.

Used extensively from the studio through to live performances, the ART product portfolio includes vacuum tube preamplifiers and compressors, innovative graphic equalizers, a wide-range of microphones and headphone amplifiers and a full complement of useful tools designed for stage and studio use.

Speaking of the new distribution agreement, Neil Wells, general manager of Tascam UK, said, "We are delighted to be distributing the excellent range of ART pro audio products. Not only does the range offer outstanding value for money but also the quality level very much suited to the professional st

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USA - Elation lighting gear is a staple of SJ Lighting designs and the successful relationship continued this past fall on a number of top dance events produced by Insomniac.

SJ Lighting is one of our industry's top production design firms with demanding clients like Insomniac Events, headed by CEO Pasquale Rotella, calling on Steve Lieberman and his team to create spectacular environments for some of the US.'s top festivals, year after year. With the dance music festival season now extending well into the fall and growing globally, EDM revellers can party nearly year-round. Dreamstate, Escape Psycho Circus and EDC Orlando, all fall festivals that included Elation gear, are three successful examples of EDM's continued expansion.

This year's Dreamstate expanded to four stages with new stage designs and enhanced production to go along with the costumed performers and high-en

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Belgium - Every December, visitors from throughout Europe visit the old market square of Belgium's largest city, Antwerp, to enjoy one of the continent's most tradition-rich and colourful Christmas festivals. Adding to the warm Yuletide ambiance is the glowing lighting display that adorns the gothic buildings surrounding the square. At the heart of this panorama of light is the magnificent 123m tall Cathedral of Our Lady illuminated by 50 Chauvet Professional COLORado 1-Quad IP fixtures.

Supplied by S2 RENT, the LED wash fixtures were positioned on the balconies of the tower, a UNESCO protected site that has stood proudly in the centre of the Antwerp since 1521. According to Joery Gysen, production director at S2 RENT, the COLORado fixtures were an essential part of his company's vision for transforming the historic tower into the centrepiece of the square's Christmas lighting

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Germany - One of the issues of great concern in the events industry is that of safety during productions. From 20 to 22 June 2017, taking place in Hall 23, the Safety in Action stage programme will take a broad look at principal hazards and preventative measures and have information and practical tips on how to successfully and safely organise and hold productions and events.

The programme is aimed at everyone involved in organising productions and events. Over a period of three days the audience will witness everyday situations augmented by practical, in-depth, educational and fascinating lectures.

On the afternoon of 21 June 2017 the professional association representing administrations (Verwaltungs-Berufsgenossenschaft - VBG) will hold a workshop on dance rehabilitation specifically aimed at dance instructors. The organisation tamed, Tanzmedizin Deutschland e. V. will a

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Canada - Canada's MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta has recently purchased a 32 channel Legacy Plus console for their upcoming studio space.

"As an educational facility, MacEwan wanted to choose a brand that fits with their philosophy of how audio engineering should be taught," says David Kotch, studio designer and owner of Criterion Acoustics. Kotch is serving as the principal architect for MacEwan's studio.

"The school strongly believes in API's brand, and in the analogue console market, we fully believe API is the best out there."

Construction on the studio is underway, and is expected to be completed Spring of 2017, with hopes of students utilizing the Legacy Plus console in the Fall 2017 semester.

(Jim Evans)

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USA - Nutramax, the maker of dietary joint supplements for pets and people, is known for its emphasis on supporting employees through team building. A good example of this is its tradition of all-embracing Christmas parties. These carefully planned affairs include bountiful food, beautiful decorations, top flight entertainment and, this December, a stunning light and video show by Image Productions Services, using Chauvet Professional fixtures and LED video panels.

"We've done the Nutramax Christmas party before and it's always a lot of fun," said Tyler Lussier of Image Production Services, who designed the lightshow. "From an entertainment standpoint, this event -- which was produced by Michael Yorkell (also of Image Production Services) -- is much more elaborate than your average corporate party.

"Last year, the party featured Cirque Dreams Holidaze on stage. This year,

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USA - After surpassing more than three decades on the road, the Red Hot Chili Peppers show no sign of slowing down. In fact, the band is doing just the opposite, as they wrapped up their four-month European leg of The Getaway Tour and began their North American leg in San Antonio last week. With probably the largest kinetic light installation in touring history, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have lit the path for a new concert-goer experience.

Rewind to 1 September, 2016, the Chili Peppers opened The Getaway Tour in Budapest, Hungary. The energetic, funk rock band revealed a larger than life, kinetic light installation that hung above the audience while the Chili Peppers performed a wild jam on stage. Fast forward to 5 January, 2016, the Chili Peppers light up North America, performing to another sold out crowd at the AT&T Centre in San Antonio, TX.

Last week, the Peppers didn

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UK - London-based rental company Colour Sound Experiment was the first in the UK to purchase Robe's brand new Spiider LED WashBeam moving light - with 30 being delivered directly after the PLASA expo in London in October.

These went straight out on the Placebo Retrospective tour, with show visuals designed by Jvan Morandi. The tour is a showcase of the band's ground-breaking work from 20 years at the forefront of indie and alt.rock.

"We were very excited to be the first in the country with Spiiders," enthused Colour Sound's Haydn Cruickshank (H), "I think they have great potential and I was really pleased that Jvan could integrate them into his design which - as we would all expect - is refreshing, ambitious and different."

Jvan has worked for the band for 11 years and is known for his innovative 'out-of-the-box' designs, of which this is no exception, bringing a raw b

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USA - NEP Group has completed the acquisition of Creative Technology's parent company Avesco.

Based in Pittsburgh, USA, NEP is one of the world's largest outsourced production partners supporting premier content producers across the broadcast and live events industries.

Alongside Creative Technology (CT), NEP operates four other live events businesses focused on Large Screen Display. These comprise Faber AudioVisuals and Mediatec Solutions in Europe along with Screenworks and Sweetwater in the US. All businesses are expected to retain their existing identities.

The senior management teams will remain unchanged with Graham Andrews leading CT's US and Asia Pacific businesses.

Dave Crump will continue to lead CT's UK, Spanish and Middle East operations and will in due course take over management of the Mediatec Solutions business in the UK and the Faber AudioVisuals b

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UK - POLARaudio has created a new division within the POLAR group to complement its Integrated Solutions and MI/Retail divisions. The Professional Audio division will "better serve new and existing clients in the hire, events, broadcast and rental sectors". The company has secured the services of experienced industry professional, Nick Turner, who joins the company as the new division's UK sales manager.

With more than 10 years' experience at Adlib Audio's sales and installations departments, Nick brings extensive knowledge and detailed understanding of the requirements of the audio industry. During this period, he worked closely with the installations team on projects including theatres, live music settings and education establishments, gaining valuable insights and forging close relationships with many technical managers at high-profile venues.

Nick Turner looks forward

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UK - Event policing specialist TSG has achieved ISO 9001 certification, the international benchmark for business quality.

To gain the accreditation TSG had to demonstrate its dedication and commitment to meeting customers' needs, operating efficient management processes and delivering consistent, good quality products and services.

ISO consultancy QMS oversaw an analysis of the TSG business model, followed by a two-stage formal assessment before awarding the company with ISO 9001 certification.

Danny Littlechild, technical specialist consultant at QMS, comments, "By achieving ISO 9001 certification, TSG is able to demonstrate to customers and suppliers that the systems it has in place meet the high standards set out by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).

"I was very impressed with the TSG management team's commitment to establishing clear proc

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