Lighting

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24 April 2025

USA - On its latest world tour, metal band Underoath wanted to remind its fans of where the group got its start, while celebrating the 20th anniversary of the successful album, They’re Only Chasing Safety. The set begins with what appears to be a dingy living room and gradually evolves into an expansive, modern show with intense lighting effects provided by Sonus Productions out of Moorestown, N.J.

“I always try to tell the story,” said Lenny Sasso, lighting designer for the tour and director of touring accounts at Sonus Productions. “Essentially for the band, this tour was telling the fans, ‘This is where we came from. This is how we wrote the record’.”

With the minimal initial visuals, Underoath gave a glimpse at the physical practice space in which They’re Only Chasing Safety came to life. The setlist featured a p

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23 April 2025

South Africa - After six years off the calendar, Mediatech Africa is back. The original and largest trade show for AV, broadcast, and live event tech on the continent returns from 3 - 5 June 2026 at the Johannesburg Expo Centre (Nasrec) – and it's bringing the industry back together to mark 25 years since the first show in 2001.

Mediatech Africa has been a cornerstone of the continent’s AV and broadcast industry since day one. More than just an expo, it’s a space for the industry to connect, share ideas, and stay in step with the latest tech. Its legacy is built on collaboration, community, and innovation – drawing top brands, global suppliers, and the passionate people who keep the industry moving forward.

Simon Robinson, co-owner of Mediatech, recalls: “Our first show was in 2001 at the Sandton Convention Centre. It was small, focused mos

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23 April 2025

USA - As the lighting designer for the multi-platinum Grammy winners Diamond Rio, Willis Underhill has run his dynamic lightshows in a variety of venues from arenas and music halls to festivals. But it's doubtful that any have been quite like the site of his most recent setting when he lit the band's show at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo.

First, there was the venue's size. The 19,000-capacity Frost Bank Centre, home of the San Antonio Spurs, is big by any measure. Like all massive spaces, it presents a challenge to any designer wanting to foster a sense of intimacy between the artist on stage and the audience. This is especially concerning when lighting a band like Diamond Rio that thrives on connecting to the crowd. Complicating matters even further in this case – the stage was in the centre of the rodeo floor and Underhill's FOH was two levels u

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23 April 2025

Slovenia - For the show that determined the Slovenian 2025 Eurovision entry, Crt Birsa from design studio Blackout fitted nearly 400 lighting fixtures into a 20 x 20m space in Studio 1 at the Radiotelevizija Slovenija (RTVSLO) complex in Ljubljana.

A large proportion of these were Robe moving lights – with 54 MegaPointes, 54 Spiiders, 24 Pointes, 12 Fortes and 14 Tetra2s on the rig – all delivered by Slovenian rental company, Event Lighting.

Crt added these to all the fixtures that were available from RTV’s studio in-house rig, which also included two Robe BMFL Blades used as rear spotlights for the main artists.

Crt’s lighting design was developed in close collaboration with set designer Greta Godnic, an elegant diagonally orientated square LED stage – allowing it to change shape and texture – located in the middle of th

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23 April 2025

USA - When experienced theatre LD Jared Sayeg started planning the design for Topdog/Underdog – Suzan Lori-Parks’ darkly comic fable of brotherly love and family identity at the Pasadena Playhouse – he recognised the importance of having fixtures that “could truly accommodate both slow smooth fades and sharp shuttering as well as big strokes of light that engulf the playing space.”

It was a blend of warm and cool in constant contrast to one another, he explains: “Emulating both a tungsten quality inside, and the ability to pierce through the space with sharp cold light from the outside were key elements to the design.” Helping him achieve his goals were GLP impression X5 IP Bars.

This was Sayeg’s 20th production at the Playhouse, and a primary consideration – especially relevant to proscenium-based venues – was to control

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23 April 2025

USA - The Phoenix Raceway hosted the Relentless Beats' Decadence Festival with one of the two main stages named the Royal Ballroom, since people danced their hearts out in this spectacularly lit space to EDM, house and techno heavies like Wooli, Eptic b2b Space Laces, and Svdden Death.

Every fan who crowded into this dynamic space couldn't help but feel like a part of this ‘ball’ thanks to an immersive lighting design by Luis Torres. Working with the teams at Relentless Beats and Kelco, which handled all the production management for the show, Torres pulled the entire area, as well as the 96ft wide by 44ft deep stage, into an embracive sea of bold monochromatic colours accented by stark white light.

Torres, of HiLite Designs, relied on 48 Rogue R3 Beams and 24 Strike Array 2 blinders from Chauvet Professional (supplied by Hardwired Produ

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22 April 2025

USA/Europe - Clair Global is expanding its global footprint by welcoming the Ampco Flashlight Group to the team. This partnership strengthens Clair's European presence and “enhances both companies' ability to deliver seamless, high-calibre experiences worldwide”.

Ampco Flashlight Group with its sister companies have been an established name in professional audio, lighting, rigging and motion for decades. The team delivers high-profile projects in live entertainment, theatre, broadcast, and events – both in the Netherlands and internationally. That focus remains unchanged. Clients will continue to work with the same people, receive the same level of service, and rely on the same name – now with the added strength of expanded access to key resources, technology, and expertise in more locations worldwide.

"This feels like a very natural step," s

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22 April 2025

USA - The sci-fi adventure The Electric State, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, premiered on Netflix in March, with lighting technology from Elation playing a key behind-the-scenes role.

Lighting console programmer Eric ‘TK’ Androvich skilfully integrated Elation Fuze Max Profile and Proteus Maximus moving heads to help shape the film’s distinctive visual style.

Set in an alternate 1990s where robots have staged an uprising against humans, filming took place across various indoor sets and soundstages at Trilith and Shadowbox Studios, and on location around Atlanta, Georgia – often in the region’s characteristically wet and unpredictable winter weather. Fuze Max Profiles were used indoors, and IP65-rated Proteus Maximus fixtures were employed outdoors.

“The Fuze Max Profiles are a fantastic choice for film and TV,” sta

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22 April 2025

UK - SpotTrack, the specialist software tool for making, modifying and maintaining followspot cue sheets, continues to support shows of all scales around the world – including a number of award-nominated and award-winning designs.

On the all-new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express, which opened at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre in London, assistant lighting designer Danny Vavrečka put SpotTrack to use managing the intricate followspot track that formed a key part of Howard Hudson’s design. This saw two human operators run four Robe Forte followspots remotely using Robe’s RoboSpot controllers, alongside other moving lights controlled via Zactrack. Starlight’s lighting was nominated for the 2025 Olivier Award for Best Lighting Design and won the same category at this year’s WhatsOnStage aw

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22 April 2025

South Africa - DWR Distribution recently hosted Oliver Ronshausen, service manager at MA Lighting in Germany, for a special in-house technical training session in South Africa. Ronshausen shared his expert knowledge with the DWR technical team, covering grandMA3 technical hardware and offering detailed insights into the zactrack system.

DWR Distribution staff regularly receive training so they in turn can always provide up-to-date support to clients when needed. Technicians from DWR’s Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban branches were invited to attend this session.

“I recently came to South Africa to help DWR’s technicians get up to speed with the latest MA Lighting service knowledge, so they can react quickly when a console needs repair,” said Ronshausen. “The goal was to show them how the grandMA3 and electronics work on the inside, then

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22 April 2025

Europe - Robe enjoyed an ‘excellent and super-active’ Prolight+Sound expo in Frankfurt, exhibiting alongside its five core businesses – Robe, Avolites, Anolis, LSC Systems and Artistic Licence – in a ‘Robe Village’ area that was constantly busy throughout the four-day trade show.

Many attractions drew visitors to the Robe booth including the final performances of The Fifth Dimension, Robe’s 2024-25 live expo show concept – together with two new product launches, the T31 Cyc and T31 Cyc Slim, half-length versions of Robe’s existing T32 Cyc and T32 Cyc Slim range.

A host of other just-launched Robe technologies stood out prominently on the stand and its two public demo areas, including the retina-burning WTF! moving strobe-wash, the new LedPointe – the first LED version of Robe’s famous and best-selling Pointe family of p

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17 April 2025

USA - Winter Jam recently wrapped their 2025 tour with a lighting system provided by Bandit Lites. Hailed as Christian music’s largest annual tour, the event, founded by Newsong and produced by TPR, featured performances by top artists such as Skillet, Anne Wilson, KB, Colton Dixon, Newsong, Micah Tyler and speaker Zane Black. Admission is a $15 donation at the door, keeping with the tour’s mission of accessibility to all.

“The contemporary Christian music market is near and dear to my heart so this is always a tour I look forward to digging into with Jerry Holcomb and the team,” said Bandit Lites client representative Allen Deneau.

While the previous five years have featured some form of a large LED surface upstage, production designer Jerry Holcomb chose to break up the surfaces into three sections, allowing space for vertical trusses.

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17 April 2025

USA - Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina, affectionately known as America’s Home for Racing, has received a major upgrade – one that ensures every fan has a front row experience no matter where they sit. GoVision has delivered a massive, high definition digiLED LED screen.

For over 60 years, Charlotte Motor Speedway has set the standard for motorsports entertainment. Its new mega-screen measures a 15,500sq ft and boasts over 5.5m pixels. This custom built 16mm digiLED Vision Ultra LED screen brings brightness, clarity and colour accuracy to NASCAR fans. The installation marks the latest in a series of high-profile Motor Speedway installations by GoVision, using digiLED’s LED technology.

The new LED screen weighs in at over 47.6 ton and is supported by six 30ft-high steel pillars, each one weighing 18,500 pounds (8400kg) with a

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17 April 2025

Germany - The new SAP Garden in Munich is an impressively space-age 50,000 m² multifunctional sports venue, home to both the EHC Red Bull München Hockey and FC Bayern München Basketball teams.

Opened in September of 2024, the arena was designed to revolutionise the fan experience through the implementation of innovative and, most importantly, interactive technology. To achieve this, bright! studios, a leading creative technology company, leant on the power of SP software from Stage Precision to develop a workflow that enables tracking data to be transformed into engaging visual content for real-time gaming and audience participation, bringing to life Red Bull’s innovative concept of a new spectator experience.

bright! became involved in the project following a recommendation. “The goal was to make the arena a kind of interactive playground, a

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17 April 2025

USA - ADJ’s versatile Jolt Bar FX linear LED lighting fixtures featured heavily in the production design for What So Not’s recent concert at the Elsewhere venue in Brooklyn, NY. Spread throughout the performance space, the fixtures were utilised to generate rich colour washes, intense strobe flashes and complex ‘eye candy’ effects that complemented the electronic music artist’s immersive live show.

What So Not is an electronic music project of Australian DJ and record producer Christopher Emerson, also known as Emoh Instead. In support of his most recent EP – MOTIONS – the artist toured North America in early 2025, fusing a DJ set with live synths, drums and vocals. This engaging live performance was further enhanced by projected visuals as well as a stage production designed to strike the perfect balance between ‘organic & mecha

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17 April 2025

USA - City Theatrical’s award-winning Wing Nut Socket is now shipping and available through City Theatrical Dealers worldwide. City Theatrical’s Wing Nut Socket (Part Number 1350) can be used to secure any theatrical clamp wing nut with ease and reliability.

To start using the Wing Nut Socket, users will follow four steps: Attach the Wing Nut Socket to a 3/8” ratchet with a push button to secure the socket placement; Test the fitment of the Wing Nut Socket on the ratchet or extension; Slide the opening over a theatrical clamp wing nut; Tighten or loosen the wing nut with ease, with more reliability than possible by hand.

The Wing Nut Socket is a sleek and smartly designed chrome tool that is a designed for any lighting technician working with theatrical clamp wing nuts on a regular basis. It is made of steel for durability and chrome plated to

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17 April 2025

Europe - zactrack, the Vienna, Austria-headquartered wireless radio follow system manufacturer, highlighted two new features available for its tracking solution products – Smart, Pro and MINI at the 2025 Prolight + Sound expo in Frankfurt last week.

The company also previewed zacview for the first time, a visualisation product specialised for the preprograming of stage machinery, and the team met plenty of people and organisations interested in their technologies.

Having recently taken the worldwide distribution of zactrack products back to Vienna, zactrack CEO Werner Petricek felt it was imperative to have a strong presence at the show. He and the team saw it as an opportunity to connect with new and existing zactrack users and advocates of the technology which can be used for moving objects across a range of systems including lighting, audio, and

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16 April 2025

UK - The live events industry is full of passionate, caring people who go above and beyond, and Backup Partners are a shining example of just that. During 2024, Backup welcomed three new companies to its list of partners – L-Acoustics, platinum partner, Chauvet, gold partner and Carallon, silver partners.

The contribution that all Backup Tech partners make is testimony to the spirit of the industry and each company has its own unique reason for joining. The end result is the same: helping continue the work Backup does to support industry family members when they need it most.

The first new partner to be introduced is L-Acoustics, a global leader in professional sound. Founded in 1984, L-Acoustics is driven by a singular vision: to connect people through the best shared sound experiences. This commitment to excellence has made it the preferred choic

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16 April 2025

France - We've Been Here Before is indeed a well-chosen name for Chinese Man's latest album and current tour, which in many respects is a 20-year retrospective of the trio's career and influence on music.

Lighting and production designer Drichos is celebrating this story with a deeply evocative show that he is running on his ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M Stadium Console.

"The specifications and the mood board for this show were ambitious, as the last album and this tour is a look back on the musical journey of the group," said Drichos, who was given carte blanche by the band when creating the design. "Our main question was what remains of our music from before? How has it evolved? And sometimes we realised we had the impression of déjà vu, of cycles, and a touch of nostalgia, always with the same musical involvement.

"The idea of the gyros

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16 April 2025

Europe - During the 30th edition of Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt, Highlite International presented a wide range of new and updated products across its brands: Showtec, Infinity, DAP, DMT, Showgear, and Wentex. Visitors were treated to product premieres, hands-on demos, and an immersive showcase powered by the latest in lighting, audio, and rigging solutions.

From Showtec there were many new products and additions to existing series. The Xpression 2000S Spot, the 2000B Beam, and the 2000W WashBeam were on debut. They feature extensive matching colours, effects and controls to create a unified lighting experience across the series and offer customisable programmes for unique stand-alone experiences.

IP Pixelstrip is a versatile system of IP65-rated LED bars, controlled by a dedicated controller – with convenient coupling hardware for creating 3D set

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15 April 2025

Europe - UK-based media control specialist Hive has appointed Cast as its official distributor in Germany, expanding its footprint in central Europe. The partnership draws on Cast’s trusted reputation, technical expertise and long-standing presence in the entertainment technology sector.

Based in Hagen, Germany, Cast (cast C.Adolph & RST Distribution GmbH) is a leading distributor of lighting, stage and media technology. The company works closely with lighting designers, technical directors, planners and creatives across theatre, corporate events, studios, architainment, cruise ships, trade fairs and convention centres. Cast supports both fixed installations and touring projects, offering a comprehensive portfolio for system integrators and live event professionals.

Cast will offer Hive’s full product range, built around the award-winning Bee

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15 April 2025

Europe - KLSTR, a developer of advanced technology for the entertainment and live events sector, announced at Prolight + Sound 2025 a strategic partnership with Ayrton, an international leader in innovative lighting solutions.

Through this partnership, selected new and upcoming Ayrton lighting fixtures will come standard with integrated KLSTR technology. Customers will benefit from seamless integration, more efficient operation, and significantly enhanced lighting experiences. Additionally, KLSTR offers full retrofit support for existing Ayrton models, allowing older fixtures to benefit from the latest technological advancements.

The agreement was reached at the Lab of Tomorrow innovation hub in Boom, Belgium, underlining both companies’ shared commitment to advancing technology and collaboration within the entertainment industry.

Roel Aper

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15 April 2025

Netherlands - M&S Showtechniek is a lively, ambitious and fast-growing full production – lighting, rigging, audio and video – and rental company based in Amersfoort, The Netherlands, run by Pim Muller and Jeroen van der Stap.

They started the company in 2011 while still at high school and formalised the structure as soon as they graduated, deciding to target the delivery of quality events wanting an imaginative approach and quality production values. From the outset, they kept ploughing profits into new and innovative equipment, a policy that soon led them to Robe moving lights.

The first Robes to join the M&S inventory were 24 x LEDBeam 150s in 2017. At this stage, M&S Showtechniek was among the first companies in the Netherlands to invest in these handy and powerful little moving lights, which have been a popular and successful prod

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15 April 2025

Netherlands - Dakota Theater, one of The Hague’s eight cultural anchors and a vibrant artistic hub of the Dutch city, has taken a significant step into the future with the installation of a cutting-edge LED lighting system by Elation. The upgrade marks a major improvement in functionality, creative flexibility, and energy efficiency, providing enhanced creative possibilities for designers and a richer visual experience for audiences.

As one of the key cultural venues in The Hague, Dakota Theater hosts an array of artistic productions, from experimental theatre and festivals to film screenings, musical performances, workshops, and presentations. With a 184-seat theatre, 64-seat movie theatre, and an affiliated school, the venue required a modern lighting system that could meet the diverse demands of its programming.

Recognising the need for an upgra