UK - Elation invites lighting pros to PLASA Show 2025 to experience the future of lighting at Stand C22 with distributor Live Technology. Get hands-on with Elation’s latest advancements in professional lighting, including the multi-award-winning Paragon series of profile moving heads.

Paragon, Elation’s new flagship automated lighting series, incorporates breakthrough technologies and proprietary patents, enabling more refined creative expression and standing as the new standard in professional lighting. With the ability to serve multiple fixture roles in a single design, TruTone variable CRI technology, and a weatherproof IP54 rating, it marks a significant leap forward in intelligent, precision lighting for entertainment. Available in S, M, and LT models, Paragon is already a multi-award winner and is shortlisted for an Award for Innovation at this yea

Canada - Indie rockers Peach Pit completed the North American section of their Long Hair, Long Life tour with a new lighting design from George Gorton from Vancouver-based creative design studio Loud Entertainment Design Group.

The visual concept relied heavily on lighting for impact – there were no video elements on this leg of the tour campaign – and included some key Robe products, including Forte moving lights and HolyPATT scenic luminaires, supplied by rental company Promosa, also from Vancouver.

George has been working with the band for four years as their LD, and before then their paths overlapped several times around as they were rising stars on Vancouver’s energetic local live music scene, so he’s witnessed most of their career trajectory first-hand and is now delighted to be a part of it.

For the Long Hair, Long Lif

Europe - When Imagine Dragons recently undertook the European leg of their Loom World Tour – taking in major cities before culminating in two sold-out shows at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – their trademark high-energy stage show was further boosted by the presence of 52 of GLP’s new JDC Burst 1.

The tour was supported by Neg Earth Lights, an early adopter of this powerful hybrid IP65-rated strobe, which substantially raises the bar in brightness, colour variety and flexibility.

When the American band’s show designer for the past seven years, Mitchell Schellenger from Station Six, was seeking just such a powerful strobe/wash, Neg Earth was quick to demonstrate this superior alternative to the fixture originally specified. “And the design team were very happy to make the switch,” notes Neg Earth project manager, Alex Griffiths. The t

USA - Florida-based production and integration company Thunder City Pro is turning to Obsidian Control Systems’ Onyx lighting control platform as the backbone of a growing portfolio of complex lighting projects. Known for delivering arena-level lighting systems and executing multifaceted outdoor lighting installations, Thunder City Pro relies on Onyx for its ability to handle high-bandwidth, multi-universe lighting networks.

One high-profile example of Thunder City Pro’s capabilities is the transformation of YouTuber and motorsports personality Cleetus McFarland’s Freedom Factory racetrack into a holiday light experience – part of the Bradenton Holiday Lights Festival, which debuted last season.

When McFarland sought to bring a large-scale light experience to his motorsports venue as a way to connect with the local community beyond r

USA - Squeek Lights has strengthened its rental and production inventory with the addition of 12 Antari F-12 Nebula fazers. Known for delivering high-impact stage atmospherics, the F-12 Nebula offers a key advantage for Squeek Lights’ diverse client base: dual-voltage flexibility that eliminates common power issues during touring and rentals.

“The F-12 solved a major issue for us,” said Victor Zeiser, managing partner of Squeek Lights. “With the ability to run on both 110 and 208V, we no longer face the risk of units being damaged on the road. It’s a straightforward, reliable machine that produces an impressive volume of haze.”

Built for durability, precision, and ease of use, the Antari F-12 Fazer is engineered for efficiency. Its new low-temperature heater design allows the 1300W water-based machine to operate at a lower temperature, pr

USA - Justin Casey and his team at HELM Projects took the geometric approach to lighting Stick Figure’s 15-date Island Holiday Summer Tour, which recently concluded with a performance at the Levitate Music Festival.

Working closely with the award-winning reggae band, Casey wanted to include a wide variety of design elements in his production. He knew that carefully arranging shapes and patterns would be essential to keeping all the various components of his design harmoniously balanced.

“With this design, we really focused on clean lines and unique shapes,” said Casey. “There were a lot of moving parts to this show. It was all about getting a nice balance of lighting, video, and lasers. Having a good blend of shapes helped us pull it all together into one seamless flow.”

A key part of Casey’s geometry was the ‘Triforce

UK - Avolites has launched a fresh new range of D-Series control consoles - the D3 - uniting power, performance and portability, in a family of five compact packages.

The D3-010, D3-110, D3 Wing, D3 Core and D3 Touch are all powered by Avolites’ Titan software, offering cost-efficient, intuitive programming and operation, coupled with flexible control for multiple lighting solutions. The series is complete with all the quality, practicality and reliability of Avolites.

The D3 range was launched via a live streamed event, presented by Avolites’ product and marketing manager Jon Hole, UK and Ireland territory manager Sarah O’Gorman and product manager for Avolites Germany, Tim Ehm, and is now available as a VOD resource through Avolites’ YouTube channel.

D3-010 is a Small, self-contained and affordable, this entry-level

USA - Volbeat frontman, Michael Paulson, kicked off the Los Angele Kia Forum show on the band’s eagerly anticipated Greatest Of All World Tours by apologising to the sellout crowd if his sore throat might affect his upcoming performance, but declared that he wouldn’t want to miss this show.

Paulson and his bandmates then broke out like runaway trains with a headbanging rendition of The Devil’s Bleeding Crown, followed by Lola Montez, sending the crowd into a frenzy and nearly blowing the 407ft high roof of the big arena. 

It's been the same story at every stop along the way on the USA leg of their global tour, which began 17 July at Denver’s Ball Arena and ended 22 August at the Credit Union One amphitheatre outside Chicago. Matching the music is a hard-driving Niller Bjerregaard lighting design powered by a ChamSy

Mexico - Claypaky, in collaboration with Hermes Music, its official exclusive distributor in Mexico, held a Shield family open day at the Bombay restaurant on the shores of the Nichupté Lagoon in Riviera Maya, Cancun.

Claypaky’s Shield family of IP66 fixtures is designed to ensure effectiveness and efficiency in all weather conditions, from the roughest storms to the tiniest speck of dust. These fixtures meet the needs for outdoor installations and for rental companies serving both indoor and outdoor productions.

The open day event brought together lighting designers, technicians, programmers and rental company owners in an exclusive meet-and-greet atmosphere. Claypaky's latest innovations with IP66 protection were showcased, especially its robust and versatile Aqua line, in a realistic environment of humid weather and high temperatures.

D

USA - Bandit Lites has announced new hires and internal promotions that strengthen the marketing and integration business services teams.

Matt Holton joins Bandit Lites as marketing & media coordinator, bringing over a decade of professional experience in video production, motion graphics, storytelling, and client relations. He has produced hundreds of videos and multimedia campaigns, managing projects from concept through final delivery, and has worked closely with designers and copywriters to create cohesive, engaging content.

“I couldn’t be happier with my position here at Bandit! The ability to flex my creative storytelling skills daily in such a cool, fascinating industry makes this a dream job!” said Holton.

Brianna Byars joins Bandit Lites as an administrative assistant with a focus in marketing. She brings a strong backgroun

Paraguay - A large complement of Claypaky lighting fixtures illuminated the opening ceremony of the second Junior Pan American Games 2025 in Asuncion, Paraguay. Lighting designer Gaspar Potocnik of Cue Uno selected an impressive total of 340 Claypaky fixtures for the event, with a special focus on 84 Sharpy Plus hybrid beams and 40 Midi-B compact moving heads. The rig also featured 162 Mythos 2 and 54 Stormy CC colour strobes. They were provided by Estudio 69 in Paraguay and PRG in Argentina.

The games, which are staged every four years, were held from 9-23 August with young athletes from 41 countries across Latin America participating in 28 sports. The opening ceremony took place in the Estadio Ueno Defensores del Chaco and incorporated artistic performances and tableaux showcasing the nation’s rich Guarani heritage, one of the pillars of Paraguayan cultu

Italy - The latest series of Italian talent show Nuova Scena - Rhythm + Flow Italia – which scouts out some of the best rising star rappers – kicked off to an electric start with a launch party staged at famous Milan live music venue and nightspot, Fabrique, complete with a dazzling lightshow created, programmed and delivered by Sergio Cattaneo of design studio Cue s.r.l.

Fabrique has a complete Robe moving light rig installed, featuring over 150 moving lights – a mix of Fortes, MegaPointes, LEDBeam 150s, Spiiders, TetraXs, Tetra2s, Paintes and Pointes all supplied by Robe’s Italian distributor, RM Multimedia through the venue’s resident in-house technical provider, For Sound.

Sergio made the most of all these fixtures, and additional LEDBeam 350s further augmented the lighting rig with 24 x Robe SVB1s and four HolyPATTS, supplied

USA/Europe - ETC has announced the release of Eos v3.3, the latest free software update for its flagship Eos Family of entertainment controllers. Eos v3.3 is packed with a variety of powerful new features and enhancements, including Expansion Processing, improvements to Magic Sheets and additions throughout the system. Eos v3.3 empowers designers, programmers, and technicians to push the creative boundaries of their work.

Expansion Processing allows productions to divide the workload of large rigs across multiple devices. With Expansion Processing, you can scale output as needed, add temporary output to your existing system for a single show, or distribute processing loads across large spaces. Expansion Processing utilises multi-console synchronisation to keep the system moving in time, making it ideal for commercial productions, film and studios, themed ent

UK - This year’s PLASA Show (7-9 September, Olympia, London) will debut a new Careers and Networking Hub, which the show’s organisers say is set to be “a vibrant, inclusive space designed to support early-career professionals, apprentices, students, and anyone seeking their next step in the live entertainment and events industry”.

A collaboration between PLASA, The Power of Events, Production Futures, and Access Industry, the hub will feature: speed networking sessions with top industry professionals; professional development support, including CV and LinkedIn reviews and free headshots (limited availability); live talks and panel sessions exploring careers and opportunities in live events; and a welcoming lounge space with comfortable seating and coffee, open to all ages and experience levels.

Apprentice ambassadors from Acc

World - The latest issue of LSi is out now, and can be read online for free here.

This issue is packed with stories from across the live entertainment tech world. Ian Cullen reports on Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism tour, exploring how crew wellbeing sits at the heart of its ambitious production. Rob Halliday visits Chris Ewington’s Manchester workshop to discover a unique new piece of visual technology, while Phil Ward meets the audio team behind Kraftwerk’s Jazzopen performance. We also take you backstage at the National Theatre for Sondheim’s Here We Are, and at London’s Duke of York’s theatre for Stereophonic, complete with a classic Cadac console on st

Italy - Sitting some 50km south of Pisa and set in the Tuscan countryside, the Teatro del Silenzio was designed by architect Alberto Bartalini using a natural amphitheatre adjacent to Andrea Bocelli’s home-town of Lajatico. Produced by City Sound & Events, recent shows by the celebrated Italian tenor marked the 20th anniversary of this performance space.

Lighting designer Alberto Negri, who used Ayrton Mamba, Domino S and Cobra fixtures in his design, explains how they fitted into the production which was adapted to maximise the location’s singular beauty: “The production and I aimed to minimise the visual impact of the technical setup – since the audience enters as early as the afternoon, the landscape must remain the protagonist until showtime. We reduced the use of tower structures to a minimum and prioritised floor-level lighting positions an

Israel - Be'er-Sheva-based lighting rental specialist Koltech has invested in 24 new Robe Esprite moving lights to add to its ever-expanding rental inventory, which now includes over 150 Robe moving lights.

The company was founded in 2007 by Yossi Bendavid – better known industry-wide by his nickname ‘ZakZak’, which means talkative.

ZakZak purchased the Esprites as he believes the fixture is “a great all-round workhorse luminaire and a professional-level spot fixture that is the lightest, brightest and most efficient currently available in its class.”

He is a lighting designer as well as running the company, and he and his crew, including other regular lighting designers like Mor Avitan, were impressed by the Esprite’s framing shutters and the gobos as well as the pure flat beam output, completely devoid of hot spots and edge-frin

UK - Over 200,000 people attended Glastonbury 2025, while 21m tuned into the BBC’s coverage of the festival, plus the untold millions more who engaged on social media. Tim Fawkes was mindful of both when he ran the show he designed for The Prodigy, as the rave-dance masters closed out the proceedings on Sunday evening at The Other Stage.

“Finding a good balance between the live and TV audience is always a challenge, especially at a festival like this,” said Fawkes, who has been associated with The Prodigy since 2012, first as a tech, and for the past eight years, as their designer. After all, some of the most intense looks that stir the passion of live audiences might not translate well on TV and computer screens.

Multiple features in the Strike V helped Fawkes achieve the desired balance at Worthy Farm. “The Strike V was a great choice,” h

USA - From 21 June to 3 August, Magik Theatre brought to life an adaptation of the New York Times bestselling book Dragons Love Tacos using a variety of Mega-Lite luminaires. This carefully crafted production tells an adventure in which the audience learns the “do’s and don’ts” of what kinds of tacos to serve dragons - a sizzling story full of fiery fun for the entire family.

Lighting designer, supervisor, and programmer Thaddeus Morris needed to create a colourful world to match the magical dragon characters in this playful adventure. To achieve this, he used: 10 MW1, one Framebot 600, four MS1, 14 N-E Pixstrip H216, four Drama LED W50, two Drama W3, oneMega Node and eight Outshine Flash Strip TW.

The MW1 was highlighted for its versatility, serving as backlight, top wash, front wash, flickering effects, and beams. The Fram

USA/Europe - The latest addition to ADJ Lighting’s popular Hydro Series of outdoor-ready moving heads, the Hydro Flex L19 is a powerful LED wash-zoom luminaire capable of generating wide washes, tight beams, and eye-catching pixel effects. It features high-output, lime-infused LEDs to deliver impressive output, combined with a wealth of professional-grade features. Housed in a rugged, IP65-rated enclosure, this versatile fixture is designed for event production and stage lighting applications, both outdoors and indoors.

Featuring 19 potent 60W RGBL (red, green, blue and lime) colour mixing LEDs, the Hydro Flex L19 offers an impressive output of up to 17,000 lumens. The LEDs deliver a wide spectrum of colour options, including white light with colour temperature that is variable between 2700K and 10,000K. Thanks to the inclusion of the lime LED element, the

USA - Sir Tom Jones returned to the road with a new production that blends powerful video content with a bold, versatile lighting design, supplied by Bandit Lites. Under the vision of lighting designer Mark Cunniffe, the rig showcases both technical precision and artistic flair, seamlessly enhancing Jones’s dynamic performances.

Cunniffe’s design centred around creating a cohesive integration between lighting and video, making the visuals feel like a natural extension of the artist’s storytelling. Rather than traditional left-and-right IMAG, the video content served as the backbone of the production, with carefully programmed lighting weaving between video columns to complement the immersive atmosphere.

“I have always been a fan of the Claypaky B-Eye,” shared Cunniffe. “It is a very versatile unit and when used in full pixel mode it can c

USA - A world-premiere modern adaptation of Hamlet recently wrapped at Center Theatre Group’s Mark Taper Forum in downtown Los Angeles. Adapted and directed by Robert O’Hara, this modern take on Shakespeare’s classic tragedy blended video, new scenes and characters, and a film noir aesthetic with lighting design by Tony Award nominee Lap Chi Chu. To help realise the show’s visual concept, Chu turned to Elation’s award-winning Paragon LED framing profile moving head.

Running from 28 May through 6 July, the production was boldly imaginative and anything but traditional. “The show was an adaptation that caught the spirit of Hamlet,” Chu commented. “It was a fun production, but very different.”

With a younger audience in mind, the creative team leaned into a stylised visual approach, and lighting played a central role.

Saudi Arabia - 62,000 people witnessed the King’s Cup Final 2025 at King Abdullah Sport City in Jeddah, where Claypaky Skylos fixtures delivered piercing beam effects.

A sea of light and colour enveloped the sold-out stadium in a visual spectacle created by SLS Production, which provided 498 lighting fixtures, including 44 Claypaky Skylos. 

Lighting was woven into a cohesive visual narrative that guided the audience through pre-match anticipation, the immersive half-time show, and the climactic emotion of the trophy lift ceremony. The event underscored Saudi Arabia’s rising prowess in large-scale live entertainment production and set a high bar for future sporting celebrations.

The Skylos fixtures featured prominently across all the segments of the King’s Cup Final. “They served as bold visual accents – beam eye candy –

UK - PRG UK’s corporate events team continues to grow with the appointment of Cameron Bannister as director of corporate & special events, Ben Hornshaw as head of projects and the addition of Scott Rooney – Ashby as account director, joining technical account manager Nick Clarke.

Cameron has been a pillar at PRG for over 16 years with 10 years in the corporate market, successfully delivering high-profile events across the globe. His portfolio includes large-scale events including the open ceremonies and full-service productions for clients including NVIDIA, Google and UEFA. “Our side of the business has seen incredible success this year and we are continuing to push forward into 2026,” says Bannister. “With our newly strengthened team, I’m very excited to continue to deliver outstanding events around the world, ensuring our clients receive th

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