Lighting

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Europe - WildSun-S25 is the colour-mixing cousin of Ayrton's WildSunK25 wash light. The new full-colour model packs 217 highly efficient single RGBW LED emitters into a compact moving head and punches out 60,000 lumens of light. This output rivals that of 4000W HMI luminaires fitted with colour filters, but with far greater flexibility of use and lower maintenance, says the company.

WildSun-S25's four-colour mixing is based on an ingenious arrangement of emitters combined with a holographic filter, which optimises the colour mix to create an infinite palette of pastels and saturated colours. Its LED emitters are distributed over six 60° segments with the colours in each 36-diode segment capable of being individually controlled.

The filter also protects the fixture under extreme conditions, for example, the dust and sand within multi-sport venues, and the transmitting l

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USA - ETC continues to expand its Unison Echo line of products with the new Echo Expansion Bridge. "We're thrilled about continually expanding the capabilities of Echo control systems," says ETC architectural market manager Bryan Palmer. "It's an exciting time at ETC."

Buildings and venues that want to expand current Echo control systems will find Echo Expansion Bridge is a solution. Each Echo Expansion Bridge can contain up to four Echo segments, each segment supporting the existing Echo maximum of 16 spaces with each space allowing up to 16 zones of control. This means that Echo control systems are now able to include up to 64 Echo devices, such as Inspire® stations, occupancy/vacancy sensors, light sensors and output products.

"Echo Expansion Bridge lets users combine smaller systems together to make a larger Echo control system," explains ETC architectural product

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USA - Production and lighting designer for country music veteran Alan Jackson's 2016 Still Keepin' it Country tour, Craig Rutherford of Blueshift Design, was looking for something that could do more than the ubiquitous beam light and found it in Elation Professional's multi-functional Platinum FLX.

Alan Jackson is one of the most successful country artists of his generation having sold over 80m records worldwide with 35 songs hitting number one on country music charts. As an encore to his successful 25th Anniversary Keepin' it Country tour of 2015, Still Keepin' it Country started in April and will play festival and arena dates until November. Nashville-based Elite Multimedia Productions is handling all the lighting, video and LED for the tour.

Rutherford, who has been with Jackson for over two years says, "I wanted to use something with gobos and colour mixing that comple

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USA - Rock band Kansas is about to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the multi-platinum album Leftoverture right on the heels of the release of a brand new album Prelude Implicit, their first album since 2000.

The Dust in the Wind super group is currently gearing up for the celebratory fall tour (which will feature the entirety of Leftoverture performed in sequence, in addition to other hits and new songs) with a spring tour that included a lighting package from Bandit Lites.

Lighting director Scott Pearson took special care to make sure the look of the show was one that both the band and the audience would recognize, buy using Bandit supplied Martin MAC Viper Profiles and GRNLite LED battens all controlled by a Martin M6 console.

Combining those with local 120k, 8 racks ACLs, ellipsoidals, blinders and spots, Pearson describes the look of t

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South Africa - The principal event in the Gauteng theatre calendar came to a dazzling climax in April, when the winners of the prestigious Naledi Theatre Awards were announced to a packed audience at the Lyric Theatre, Gold Reef City, Johannesburg. Set and lighting designer Robert Hoey from Dream Sets incorporated a Robe rig for a glitzy look and feel. This year Robe Lighting, DWR Distribution and Dream Sets assisted as sponsors for the event.

The winners include Kevin Stannet - Best Lighting Designer for Nataniel's After Animals, who wins a trip to Prague and a visit to the Robe factory thanks to Robe and DWR.

Executive director, and creative director for the event, Dawn Lindberg, said of this year's awards, "The standard of excellence gets higher and higher each year, making the judges' job of selecting winners almost tortuous. All the nominees are winners in our

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USA - A new and unproven programme that opens against the season debut of the NFL's Sunday Night Football, the US Open Men's Finals and the return of Fear of the Walking Dead might not be expected to draw a large audience, but Univision's La Banda defied expectations by pulling in 2.6m viewers in the US and earning the distinction of being the most tweeted about program in its time slot when it premiered on 13 September. It helped that the Simon Cowell-produced reality show, which searched for the next Latin boy band, had stars like Ricky Martin on its panel of judges, was brimming with vibrant young talent, and featured a scintillating Tom Sutherland-designed lightshow.

Sutherland and lighting director/programmer Craig Caserta used a large and varying collection of Chauvet Professional fixtures to spice up the set and support the performances of the aspiring you

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Argentina - Since 1963, the Fiesta de la Vendimia (Grape Harvest Festival) has taken place at the Frank Romero Day Greek Theatre, located in Mendoza's General San Martin Park in Argentina.

The event is organised by the local government of Mendoza (with support from the Argentinian national government) and this year the Mendocinos again turned out in force, with around 40,000 (including many wine connoisseurs) assembling every night over the four days.

The company who tendered successfully for the technological infrastructure was Merino Producciones, headed by Carlos Merino. This was the fourth time they had been entrusted with the sound - and for the first time this year they were also awarded the lighting contract.

The person responsible for designing the spectacular lighting and special effects was Mariano Velasco. He made good use of nearly 250 PR Lighting fixtures

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Chile - Clay Paky's Chilean distributor, Valook, showcased more than 80 units of the company's latest fixtures as part of an open day event for local rental and production companies, theatres, lighting designers and TV representatives.

Organised by Valook - which has been a Clay Paky distributor since 2014 - the event was held on the rooftop of Santiago's 64-storey Costanera Centre Tower, which opened in 2013 and is the tallest skyscraper in South America.

On show were Clay Paky's Mythos, Glow Up, Scenius Spot, Sharpy, Sharpy Wash, B-EYE K10 and K20, Stormy and Stormy CC fixtures. The event was introduced by the Valook staff, accompanied by speeches and product demos by Clay Paky's Francesco Romagnoli and Massimo Piccinini.

"The open day was a very luxurious and sophisticated event, where only the most important and well known exponents of the Chilean show business ind

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The Netherlands - The Koninklijke Schouwburg, or Royal Theatre, in The Hague has recently taken stock of a large number of Robert Juliat 614SX 1200W tungsten profile lanterns, supplied by Robert Juliat's project partner for the Netherlands, Controllux, in a major refreshment of its lighting inventory.

Built at the end of the eighteenth century as a palace for Prince Charles of Nassau-Weilburg, the beautiful building of the Koninklijke Schouwburg was transformed into a theatre in 1804 and is now one of the oldest theatres in The Netherlands. It hosts a programme of international theatre productions, musicals, cabaret and dance, in addition to a season from the award-winning Amsterdam Baroque Opera, and plays from its own national theatre company, Het Nationale Toneel.

Having undergone extensive refurbishment from 1997-1999 to modernize the venue, it was apparent that, 15 ye

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UK - Utopium has invested in new lighting and rigging equipment to expand its creative possibilities and offer improved energy efficiency and the highest quality performance.

This investment has bolstered Utopium's already extensive inventory, increasing its choice of modern LED lighting and the latest rigging equipment available to production companies, lighting designers, venue managers and event organisers.

Utopium's range of new products includes SGM P-2 LED RGBW Floods, Martin MAC Quantum Profile LED Moving Lights, Chauvet Rogue R1 LED Moving Wash Lights, Robert Juliat Roxie LED Followspots, SGM G-Spots LED IP65 Moving Profile, SGM Q-7s LED IP65 Strobe / flood / Blinder and ProLights Z8 LED IP65 Wireless Battery Battens.

Utopium's Colin Bodenham comments, "We have expanded our range to match clients' creative requirements. LED technology brings improved sustainabi

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UK - The Huntingdonshire Charity Ball has been organised by Le Mark's Kirsty Fisher, the partner of the late Dave Cartwright.

Dave, Le Mark's national business development manager, tragically suffered a stroke in June 2015 and passed away one month later. Kirsty wanted to commemorate the anniversary of Dave's passing and at the same time find a way to thank and support both the Woodlands Centre at Hinchingbrooke and Addenbrookes Hospitals, which battled to save his life.

After discussing with friends and colleagues Kirsty's decision was to ensure it was a true celebration of Dave's life and the idea of a VIP Charity Ball was born. Forming a group under the heading of 'Friends of Huntingdon Charity' the event has grown and grown.

Kirsty says: "It's been incredible. Once people knew of the plans and the charities that would benefit, local business people came forward and

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UK - Chaos, craziness, excitement and anticipation all give Macklemore & Ryan Lewis gigs an edgy vitality. A turbo-charged whirlwind of energy, politics, clever and meaningful lyrics and some great music, accompanied by impressive lighting and visuals.

Their just released new album The Unruly Mess I've Made follows up 2012's Grammy award winning The Heist with the band embarking on a major new world tour. The lighting and visuals design is by Paul 'Arlo' Guthrie and the rig includes Robe BMFL Spots and PATT 2013s.

Arlo has worked with production manager Chris Fussell for some time, and was invited on-board to produce a stage design for this new album cycle, a process that started in late 2015 with numerous discussions around ideas from Ben Haggerty (Macklemore) and Ryan Lewis who really wanted to step up the production from their last tour.

The lighting a

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Online Fraud - Music and sports fans trying to secure event tickets lost more than £5m to online fraud in 2015, councils have revealed. Customers who fell victim to ticket fraud lost an average of £444 per transaction, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said. It urged social media sites urged to do more to prevent the problem as they were used for almost half of the scams.

Councils have warned that the problem is increasing, with total losses up from £3.35m in 2014. Officials say that summer could be "ripe for criminals to exploit desperate fans", with a series of sporting events, festivals and Wembley concerts by Beyoncé, Rihanna and Bruce Springsteen all expected to be targeted by fraudsters.

Grounded - Eagles of Death Metal have been dropped from two French music festivals, after their singer reiterated his suggestion that securit

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UK - GLP gave an auspicious debut to its newly-established UK operation at the recent PLASA Focus exhibition in Leeds. Led by head of operations at GLP UK, Noel 'Roly' Smith, the company gave UK premieres to the new hybrid GT-1 spot and beam fixture and the latest accessories in the X4 atom RGBW line up.

Response was reported as being highly positive - right across the range, which included the latest products like the compact impression X1, the IP65-rated X4 atom, the pixel-mapping impression X4 L, and the new GT-1, which marks GLP's return to discharge fixture technology in this new hybrid format.

"It was great to be launching the new UK office at such an important show, and to have the opportunity to meet so many interested visitors," Roly stated. "These ranged from established industry professionals to many young students just starting out on their careers.

"PLASA

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South Africa - The Durban Ice Arena is currently closed for public skating from 16 to 31 May, and has undergone a transformation to host the Brutal Fruit Netball Premier League. Black Coffee, commissioned by Shaun Brickell from Umlilo Brands, an event management, brand activation and technical company, provided the television lighting, a few Philips Selecon Arena and Rama Fresnels providing a lighting solution. Brandon Bunyan, owner of Black Coffee, gives a delightful rendition.

"This is a gig that has turned into an interesting science for us and a nightmare for our client," said Brandon. "Because it is in an ice rink with a special sports wooden floor covering, there is a major moisture / condensation problem making the play field very slippery.

"We were looking for an LED sports arena flood solution for this job that would not affect the temperature of the play field, w

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USA - How does a large and rapidly growing house of worship still maintain an intimate small church feel? While there is no one answer that applies in all situations, the leaders of First Redeemer Baptist have come up with an approach that works well at their 2000-seat church. One of the fastest growing churches in the Southeast, First Redeemer has nevertheless maintained a relaxed atmosphere that makes it easy for worshippers to feel connected. A variety of steps, from having small breakout worship groups, to serving Wednesday night suppers, to holding contemporary and traditional services, have contributed to making each individual worshipper feel welcome.

In keeping with its welcoming philosophy, First Redeemer had a clear objective when it hired Paragon 360 to remodel its sanctuary: create a space that makes everyone feel at home. The Springfield, MO company accomplished t

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Puerto Rico - Internationally acclaimed singer Arc

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USA - A youth group that has remained relevant to high school students in the United States for over 70 years must continue to come up with ways to keep its message fresh. The Career and Community Leaders of America has absorbed this lesson very well. Founded in 1945, this non-profit organization has grown to 150,000 members in every state plus Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands by wrapping its core message of personal responsibility in an exciting package that appeals to young sensibilities.

This was very much in evidence this April, when the CCLA mixed serious life learning lessons with youth-oriented fun activities at its three-day Wisconsin conference, which was held at the at the Kalahari Resort, home of a 125,000 sq. ft. indoor water park and a 110,000 sq. ft. indoor theme park. Aside from these attractions, the conference also reached out to young attendees by turning i

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UK - Television and entertainment lighting rental specialists Aurora has announced the addition of Joe Marter to their project management team. Having spent a number of years at Aurora in the role of equipment co-ordinator, responsible for the preparation and maintenance of a wide variety of lighting equipment, Joe brings with him an industry perspective and a serious understanding of the company's product range.

With additional experience gained through his time as technical manager with London Light, the transition to project manager allows Joe to capitalise on a considerable knowledge of all aspects of entertainment lighting to support and service productions at the highest level.

On shifting roles within the company Joe says, "It's incredibly exciting to be taking on a new role within a company that I understand so well - I've worked as part of the Aurora team for seve

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USA - The American Cancer Society recently held RelayLIVE, a musical festival which advocates "fighting cancer at every stage".

Bandit Lites donated a lighting package for the inaugural concert that included a line-up of Alanna Royale, Stella//James, Jordan DePaul, Nikki Williams, Megan Davies, Raquel Cole, Zeke Ducon, Shawn Byrne, Jenn Bostic and Daphne Willis.

Leading up to the event, participants and businesses formed teams which raised both money and awareness towards eliminating cancer. According to the event's website, more than 27 teams and 189 participants raised more than $67,600 to go towards those in need in Nashville, including programmes for patients such as transportation to and from treatment, counselling, and the operation of Hope Lodge, where patients from across the country can stay for free during the duration of their treatment.

With the concert tak

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USA - The rainstorm experience at the Foam Wonderland tour is always intense with a thunderous bass, bright flashes of light, and foam cannons that shoot massive projectiles of foam over the crowd. The music is always edgy too, with EDM heavies laying down tracks that keep everyone on their feet.

Although the intensity level on this national tour is unfailingly high, it plays out on stages of very different sizes. On some nights the tour will stop at mid-sized venues, while on others the nonstop action will play out in spacious amphitheatres. Maintaining a consistent look that's true to the Foam Wonderland experience on stages that vary so widely in size is no easy task, but it's a challenge that Creative Production and Design has met very successfully with help from Chauvet Professional video panels.

Contracted by Oh Bleep Events to do production for Foam Wonderland's Sou

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USA - Pearl Jam has hit the road on its 2016 North American tour with a large complement of Clay Paky Scenius moving head spotlights enhancing their sold-out shows.

Pearl Jam, which has sold an estimated 60m records worldwide, is playing arena, festival and stadium dates across the US and in Canada throughout the spring and summer. Lighting designer Kille J. Knobel, who has worked with the band for 16 years, obtained 36 Scenius fixtures for the rig from Upstaging, Inc. in Sycamore, Illinois.

"We've been providing lighting systems for the band for several years," says John Huddleston, director of lighting services at Upstaging, Inc. The Scenius fixtures on tour with Pearl Jam represent the company's first purchase of the lighting instruments, which Huddleston believes "fill the gap for a compact, incredibly bright and feature-packed moving light . . . Our affiliate, Neg Ear

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UK - Electronic music innovators Above and Beyond played two high profile UK shows on their much anticipated Acoustic world tour at two beautiful and historically significant Albert Halls - the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in central London and the charismatic Albert Hall Manchester, a more intimate but equally beautiful space, formerly a Methodist church.

Lighting and visuals for the tour are designed by Neil Marsh, while equipment and crew for these and a warm-up in Utrecht, were delivered by Colour Sound Experiment. Colour Sound also took the opportunity to invest in more high powered Barco 30K projectors to service these shows, and having also just purchased some for another tour, are now well equipped to deliver the most demanding large format projection projects.

The company's association with Marsh and Above & Beyond goes back some years, and Colour Sound's Haydn C

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USA - Rock band 311 recently celebrated their biennial 311 Day with two arena shows in New Orleans on 11 and 12 March. Lighting designer Joe Paradise of House Lights Go Inc, and assistant designer/programmer Bobby Grey selected Clay Paky fixtures for the event, which drew 15,000 fans.

Paradise was charged with enhancing and interpreting the band's musical style while bringing some big looks to the event, which featured 86 songs across the two shows. Paradise focused his design around 311's signature honeycomb beehive motif. He used eight pods of toned truss to form the honeycomb shape and support the over-the-stage rig in the Smoothie King Centre (formerly the New Orleans Arena).

Paradise selected Clay Paky Sharpy Washes to provide a solid colour base that washed over the stage and delivered keylight from downstage, and used Sharpy beams for dramatic effects. He also place

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