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USA - After 12 years, 19 Number One singles and untold touring miles, AMC Entertainer of the Year Jason Aldean isn’t about to take his foot off the pedal. The dust had barely settled from his 2016 We Are Here tour back in January, when he announced plans for his current 33-city They Don’t Know road show. At the time, the country superstar promised that his new tour would be bigger, bolder and brasher than anything he’d ever done before.
Rolling through a 90-minute, 22-song set of old and new hits, Aldean has sold-out crowds on their feet, with his animated stage presence and rip-roaring mix of hard-driving music. Supporting his performance and lending extra visual pop to the proceedings is a brawny and colourful Chris Lisle-designed lightshow, anchored by 118 Chauvet Professional Rogue RH1 Hybrid moving fixtures supplied by Bandit Lites.
Lisle posit

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USA - Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers’ 40th anniversary tour has been thrilling TP fans across the USA since April, and the show’s visuals are the handiwork of lighting designer / director Stanley Green and co-visual designer Kevin Cassidy. To augment his potent arena lighting package, Green specified 30 High End Systems SolaSpot 1500s as the ‘workhorse’ hard edge fixtures for the tour.
Green prepared a total of six complete lighting and set designs for the 40th anniversary tour for Tom to choose from. He comments: “Our technical director Kevin Cassidy had lots of creative input, and was instrumental in bringing it all together. Also, Tom asked for some things which changed the original look somewhat.
“I'm using 30 SolaSpot 1500s sprinkled throughout the rig; in fact there are 1500s on every single truss. They are my work horse hard edge fixture for this to

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Europe - When Elation Professional launched the Fuze series at last year’s PLASA show, the company filled a niche in the market for dynamic LED wash luminaires with a line of modern PAR lights that project a high-quality flat field of light yet emulate the classic lens look of a traditional Fresnel.
Now, Elation is expanding the series with the addition of the new Fuze PAR Z175, a full-colour LED PAR light designed for use in all types of stage wash applications from theatre, TV studio and HoW environments to touring and special events.
With the Fuze series, Elation chose to improve upon the pixelated lens face of ordinary LED PAR fixtures by replicating the classic look of old-school pars and moving wash fixtures that so many designers and artists prefer. Like other lights in the Fuze series, the Fuze PAR Z175 uses single-lens RGBW COB LEDs to project a single homo

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USA - Awe-struck. That sums up the feeling that visitors experience when they step into The National Building Museum. Located a short distance from the U.S. Capitol, the stately Italian Renaissance Revival structure that was built in 1887 is breathtaking in its scope and elegance. Its vast central hall has housed presidential inaugural balls from the time of Benjamin Harrison through Barack Obama. The Corinthian columns that line its great room are among the tallest in the world.
The Bozzuto Management Company recently held an employee award ceremony at the museum. Bozzuto Management focuses on creating extraordinary experiences for their residents and wanted to provide that same level of detail and care for their employees. To create this upbeat atmosphere, while accenting the building’s impressive architectural features, a multi-faceted lighting design by Brett Angstadt

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USA - Multiple Grammy Award winning singer songwriter Sheryl Crow is on the road with her new Be Myself album, together with a new lighting & scenic concept created by LD Jeremy Roth which includes Robe Spiider and BMFL Spot moving lights.
Jeremy landed the gig after production manager Rick Purcell saw his designs for the current tour by Chicago alt-rockers Wilco and made Sheryl aware of his work. They and her management team all wanted a more theatrical presentation that was based on soft scenic elements.
This provided the starting point for the design, together with extensive discussions between Jeremy and the artist about how stage aesthetics related to the vibe and direction of her album. Lyrically, the new songs deal with a disconnect in relationships fuelled by excessive electronic communications and over-exposure through social and other media distrac

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UK - You don’t get a Kerrang! front cover without blowing people’s socks off and that’s exactly what Biffy Clyro did at Download when they headlined w/e 10 June. “We used the exact same show we toured at the end of last year,” said LD Richard Larkum, “With my full light show and all the physical and video elements of Misty’s original stage design.”
That’s no small undertaking, the set is a striking example of forced diminishing perspective created from a stepped stage and portals constructed of video tiles in concentric array with an elongated landscape screen behind. It’s as eye popping as live video gets and is in no small part due to Larkum’s masterful combining of video and lights as a coherent whole.
“We took the production back into rehearsals for this, a one day set-up, two days working as we had a lot of new faces in the Lighting,

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UK - For nearly 30 years, Durham Marenghi has been lighting Raymond Gubbay’s Classical Spectacular show. Marenghi’s designs for this production have enthralled audiences at the Royal Albert Hall for decades as he describes, “Classical Spectacular has developed from an all Parcan rig with me operating on a Celco Gold to the addition of Vari-lites on an Artisan desk. I believe that we had the first Vari-lite fixtures outside of Rock ‘n’ Roll from the VL1 upwards, through the LSD Icon control and fixtures and then on to a full automated system controlled by a grandMA from MA Lighting.
“Over the years, we have created a massive library of musical pieces with many different rigs and the grandMA2 has converted a lot of this data into the current repertoire. I know of few other control systems that could have achieved this.”
With MA control at the

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UK - Written by John Gay and with music arranged by Benjamin Britten, The Beggar’s Opera is one of the most renowned folk operas of all time. Since its first performance at Lincoln’s Inn Fields Theatre, London in 1728, there have been thousands of productions across the globe. The latest comes from Birmingham Conservatoire who recently performed the show at the city’s Crescent Theatre. White Light was called upon to provide the lighting equipment.
Upon its initial performance, The Beggar’s Opera parodied life in 18th century London and poked particular fun at the fashionable Handel operas of its day. This revival from Birmingham’s Conservatoire begins as a modernised version of the classic story and features a lighting design by Charlie Morgan Jones.
Charlie comments: “This production of The Beggar’s Opera starts as an up-to-date rete

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Denmark - A gigantic 24m diameter ‘earth globe’, known as Climate Planet, has been dominating the Aarhus skyline since early June - to coincide with the Danish city being appointed European Capital of Culture.
Encapsulated within this giant model of the Planet is a smaller sphere, and as visitors arrive at the spectacular high tech exhibition on climate change during the six weeks it will be stationed in Aarhus, they will be immersed in a surreal world of twinkling stars, generated by G-LEC Solaris LED balls.
Climate Planet is the brainchild of Henrik Rud, CEO of Koncept Aarhus, and he was soon sharing the idea of what he believed would be the largest facsimile of Earth ever produced, with Lars Nissen, operations manager at event A/V specialists, Comtech A/S. “When I first heard the idea I thought it was crazy,” admits Nissen.
The Comtech specialist in tu

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UK - The Claypaky Mythos2 luminaire was selected for its advanced optical features and superior colour mixing by lighting designer Steven Bewley to support his high-impact lighting design for record-breaking British grime artist Stormzy in his recent UK tour.
Bewley, who has worked with rap artists such as Dizzee Rascal and Tinie Tempah, was head-hunted by Stormzy after the rapper saw the designer's work for fellow artist Wretch 32.
"I worked closely with Stormzy's production managers Bronski and Trevor Williams to design two sets of shows for the debut album tour Gang Signs & Prayer,” says Bewley. "One design was larger and for a series of three 'one-off' performances at the Brixton O2 Academy. The other design was what we used for the main bulk of the tour in smaller venues."
The larger show design saw an expanded visual package of 14 independentl

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USA - Chauvet Professional continues to usher in a new era of colour mixing opportunities in wash lighting with the introduction of the Ovation B-1965FC. Like its predecessors, the Ovation B-2805FC and B-565FC, the new 1.2m batten utilises a RGBA-Lime colour mixing system, allowing designers to create a richer and broader range of colours as well as brighter whites.
“The Ovation B-1965FC gives us a complete range of batten washes with RGBA-Lime colour mixing,” said Albert Chauvet, CEO of Chauvet. “Designers immediately appreciated the brighter output and more realistic colour washes they could achieve with our Ovation B-2805FC and B-565FC and they can expect the same from our latest batten. Lime fits into the optimal wavelength for the human eye, which is critical to the performance of these fixtures.”
Powered by 196 RGBL LEDs, the Ovation B-1965FC has an illu

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UK - “Robert Juliat are the gold standard of followspots and whenever we’re looking to add more to our inventory, they’re our go-to brand.” So says Hawthorn’s Group Director of Hire, David Slater who have just expanded their inventory of followspots with a significant purchase of fixtures from Ambersphere Solutions.
The company opted to add to their Cyrano stock and to make a new investment purchase of the LED 300W Roxie. Slater explains the choices, “The Cyranos have proved so popular we felt it was right to add to our current stock. Their really impressive tight beam and long throw makes them perfect for larger venues and arenas such as the recent UK Tour of Sister Act and the British Bodyshop Awards at Battersea Evolution.
“The saving on replacement discharge lamps, due to the amazing life of the LED light engine and low power consumption of the Roxie

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UK - Lighting and video rental specialist Colour Sound Experiment is enjoying another majorly busy festival season, supplying over 50 events up and down the country over the course of the summer.
One of the early highlights was Wildlife staged at Shoreham Airport (AKA Brighton City Airport) on the south coast, a musical adventure organised by SJM and curated by popular dance artists Rudimental and Disclosure, now in its third year. Colour Sound has also been involved from the start.
This year west London based Colour Sound supplied lighting for four stages and LED screens for one.
Wildlife 2017 radiated friendly vibes as everyone felt the love and enjoyed some fabulous weather, together with a dynamic and diverse musical line-up with outstanding performances by the likes of Fatboy Slim, Jess Glynn, Eric Prydz, Dizzee Rascal and many, many more.
James Hind,

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Belgium - LD Ruben de Snoo chose the new wash fixture with independent LED battens to enlighten all musicians in order to create more depth on stage.
Additionally, de Snoo was also very pleased with the 30° and 50° lens system of each fixture. “Because of the two different lenses I was able to create an even wash throughout the whole band, where other fixtures provide a hotspot below the hips of band members. Also the fixture is able to deliver smooth & saturated pastel colours, ”added de Snoo.
“The LEDwash XL is a compact, light weighted fixture which is very easy to apply on our shows, so it will definitely part of our club tour the second part of 2017.”
The LEDwash XL wash fixture has two LED segments. The two horizontal LED battens can be manually tilted and controlled separately. Because of the 30° and 50° lens it is possible to use the fixtu

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Europe - Grammy winners Clean Bandit are an EDM tour de force. Following their critically acclaimed appearance at the Isle of Wight Festival earlier this month, they played Glastonbury and have other summer festivals around Europe through August. The American leg of their tour is scheduled for October. In large venues and small, 18 Solaris Flare Q+ fixtures are integral to the band’s show.
“We’re using two sets of six for side-washes, and seven units upstage, all with Kasmer diffusers for a really clean look,” says tour lighting designer and programmer, Liam Griffiths. “I wanted the diffusers to hide the LED sources, which can be harsh on camera. I use the fixtures in two-pixel mode and as strobes. I've used Flares on almost every tour I've done and the new Flare Q+ is far brighter. Most of the time I actually find myself restricting them to 75%!”
Show des

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Denmark - Lighting designer Martin Holst wanted to make impact with a floor-based and cost-effective lighting / set package that was fully tour-able for Danish singer songwriter Rasmus Walter’s 2017 tour - and chose 24 x Robe picklePATTs and six BMFL Blades to be at the heart of the design.
The floor package also included LED strips which outlined an upstage scaffolding structure on which the picklePATTs were rigged together with some side lights. It was augmented at each venue by a specified ‘top’ rig.
The equipment was a new investment for rental company Vigsø Dry Hire via Robe’s Danish distributor, Light Partner, and these were the first picklePATTs in Denmark!
Robe’s reporting team caught up with Martin and Rasmus during a gig at Vejle Musikteater which also happens to have a Robe house lighting rig, so Martin was able to integrate 12 x MMX Spots

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UK/USA - City Theatrical’s new DMXcat multi-function test tool recently received two prestigious awards in one week, first gaining the Lighting Product of the Year award at the ABTT Theatre Show in London on 6 June, and them receiving the Live Design Lighting Product of the Year award from Live Design magazine in New York City on 12 June.
City Theatrical‘s DMXcat makes it easy for anyone to control, analyse, or test any DMX lighting fixture, whether it’s a simple LED PAR or a complex moving light. The system consists of a small hardware dongle and a suite of mobile applications.
(Jim Evans)

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UK - PRG XL Video, the UK operation of Production Resource Group LLC (PRG), has announced an investment in new Robert Juliat lighting technology, adding the Dalis 862 asymmetric LED footlight to its inventory.
Used as front-edge stage lighting, the rear of the batten is black, and so inconspicuous from the audience’s viewpoint. The fixture outputs white light which is tunable from 2200K to 6500K, and has 48 asymmetric reflectors arranged in two rows. Each row can be controlled independently, and this enables the footlight to be used for both short and long throw capabilities for upstage and downstage lighting.
PRG’s European head of asset management, Paul Weaver, comments: “The Dalis fixture adds an extra dimension into the PRG fleet. Its functionality of stage marking within the unit itself is a step forward in theatrical lighting fixtures, and makes them ideal

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UK - Rose Bruford College of Theatre Performance has been awarded a Gold award in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), which was introduced by the Government to recognise and reward excellent teaching in UK higher education providers.
The TEF awards were decided by an independent panel of experts including academics, students and employer representatives. Drawing on national data, and evidence submitted by each university or college, the TEF measures excellence in three areas: teaching quality, the learning environment and the educational and professional outcomes achieved by students.
Based on the evidence available, the TEF Panel (which is made up of students, employers widening participation experts and academics) judged that “Rose Bruford College delivers consistently outstanding teaching learning and outcomes for its students. It is of the highest quality f

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Estonia - Robe LEDForce 18 PARs and Anolis ArcSource Outdoor 4MCs were specified – together with other lights – to illuminate the Pesapuu (Nest Tree) Watchtower in Rõuge, Estonia.
The new 30m high Watchtower is located near to Rõuge Suurjärv, Estonia’s deepest lake in the Rõuge parish of Vöru Country, a conservation area recognised for its outstanding natural beauty. The structure − which replaces an original wooden watchtower built in 2006 - was designed by Tallinn based architect Karmo Tõra.
The industrial looking steel tower juxtaposes yet blends with the landscape, it looks attractive and interesting in winter and summer and resembles a tree with two bird’s nests. It’s also a symbol of great pride for the picturesque town and residents of Rõuge explained Mayor Tiit Toots, who fully endorsed the project and its proposed lighting scheme.
Road

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USA - It was a happy union for metal fans when Killswitch Engage and Anthrax, two of the genre’s most influential bands, announced earlier this year that they would be joining forces on the Killthrax Tour. The 34-city tour, which concluded in May, more than lived up to its advance billing, serving up heaping helpings of KSE’s signature metalcore sound with its heavy guitar riffs and Anthrax’s compatible, but distinctly different, thrash brand of metal music.
Helping to set off the KSE section of the dual concert was a fast-paced multi-dimensional and richly coloured lightshow anchored by Chauvet Professional Rogue R1 FX-B and Rogue RH1 Hybrid moving lights supplied by JDI Productions. Josh Mihlek, KSE’s production manager, designed the rig with the JDI Productions team.
“The idea behind our show was to use a lot of colour and big looks but at the same time p

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Belgium - The Belgium-based percussive entertainment group Drumspirit has consistently pushed the boundaries of performance for 35 years with its unique blend of dance, theatre, comedy and music.
Continuing with this tradition, the group has added a new more theatrical feeling to its current series of Hexahedron shows featuring Milk Inc. drummer Michael Schack and Netsky. Key to creating this new mood is an evocative Bart Rogge lightshow that features 12 Maverick MK2 Spot and 48 Rogue R2 Wash moving lights from Chauvet Professional.
“Given the genre-defying performances of Drumspirit, to bring a theatrical feeling to the Hexahedron shows was no easy feat,” commented Rogge. “The versatile Maverick and Rogue fixtures, however, proved to be essential elements in the implementation of my theatrical lighting concept.”
Both the Maverick and Rogue fixtures were

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UK - Chroma-Q's award-winning Color Force II and Space Force luminaires have been selected to help a roster of international artists deliver star performances on the iconic, premier Pyramid Stage at this year's Glastonbury Festival.
The Festival's Pyramid Stage provides a global showcase for some of today's biggest artists - including this year's headliners, Radiohead, Foo Fighters and Ed Sheeran.
Andy Porter, head of lighting for the Pyramid Stage and rental company, Neg Earth Lights, felt that the Chroma-Q fixtures would be suitable for the high-profile slot, so specified nearly 50 Color Force II 48, 1.2m LED battens and six Space Force LED soft sources.
The Color Force II fixtures are being used to provide coloured illumination of the stage from the distinctive Pyramid-shaped enclosure, with the Space Force units providing soft, white side lighting.
Des

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World - The Claypaky Scenius Unico and Claypaky Mythos2 have been selected by award-winning lighting and production designer Mark Cunniffe and lighting director Matt Jones as the workhorse fixtures for Ed Sheeran in his current record-breaking worldwide tour.
Cunniffe has been working with Ed since the artist began touring in 2011, developing a close creative partnership that has evolved over time as the star's music has spread to reach international acclaim.
"The first thing that we created for Ed was so small it fitted into the back of a truck," says Cunniffe. "Since then the shows have grown to reflect Ed's natural career progression. For this tour, we wanted a show that could go from arena to stadium. We wanted it to play as wide as it possibly could."
To achieve this, Cunniffe designed a goblet-shaped set, fondly named 'the chalice' by the designer who worke
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