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IPS, ACT and Elation light up Montreux Jazz Festival Miami

The second annual Montreux Jazz Festival Miami, an extension of the iconic Swiss music festival, brought three days of sold-out performances to The Hangar at Regatta Harbour in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami.

With technical production support from IPS and a lighting design built around Elation gear, the event featured sets from Jon Batiste, Chaka Khan, Janelle Monáe, and La Descarga, among others. ACT Productions returned as the local production company, with Barbara Goicoechea as Director of Operations.

The festival, which ran from February 28 to March 2, featured everything from high-energy headline sets to intimate jam sessions. Lighting designer Bradley Solheim of Shine Lighting & Design, who also handles Jon Batiste’s tour lighting, brought his touring design to the Montreux Jazz Festival stage. Working with Michael Betancourt of IPS, the festival’s lighting rig was fully adapted using Elation gear. Caleb Franke of IPS programmed and operated lighting for artists without touring LDs, and Carlos Henao of ACT served as Technical Director. Sig Greenebaum was Festival Director.

On opening night, Jon Batiste, who also co-owns the festival, took the stage with a 20-piece band and surprise guests. The late-night jam session featured over thirty artists including Shania Twain and Lauren Jauregui. Betancourt created a flexible and dynamic lighting rig that supported the variety of performances throughout the weekend. “Michael Betancourt designed a great festival-style rig”, comments Bradley Solheim. “Working under a tent trim height restriction, they still loaded it with a diverse range of Elation fixtures for dynamic and unique looks throughout the set.”

IPS, which also supported last year’s inaugural event, provided lighting, LED video, and broadcast cameras for IMAG and recording. They oversaw the multiple-day setup, starting with rigging, securing goal posts over doorways (Global Truss), and hanging fixtures prior to Coper Productions bringing in the stage. Betancourt redesigned the lighting plot using an array of Elation gear that included 23 x Proteus Lucius, 28 x Proteus Rayzor 760, 12 x Proteus Rayzor Blade L, 24 x SOL I Blinder, 6 x Proteus Hybrid Max, 12 x Pulse Panel FX, 2 x KL Panel, and 18 x Six+ PAR L. Also featured were VS2 2.9 mm LED panels from sister-company ADJ.

Proteus Rayzor 760 wash FX moving heads positioned on the downstage delivered a rich stage wash, complemented by Proteus Lucius profile moving heads for key lighting, and full-color SOL I Blinder effects for audience illumination. These, along with Pulse Panel FX dynamic strobe lights mounted on the mid-stage and upstage trusses, provided dynamic stage washes and visual effects. “The Lucius and Hybrid Max fixtures delivered some aerial visuals that cut through the stage wash from the 760s”, says Betancourt. “The Pulse Panel FX added smooth eye candy along with blinder and strobe effects.”

On stage, Proteus Rayzor 760s were used for side lighting, while Rayzor Blade L linear lights on the downstage edge, KL Panel softlights on C-stands, and Proteus Hybrid Max moving heads on truss totems added layered effects and eye candy. Around the venue, Six+ PAR L fixtures served as uplights. “I enjoyed the gobo selection for in-air textures”, says Solheim about the Proteus Lucius. Having used discharge-lamp moving heads on Batiste’s 2024 tour for beam and hard-edged profile looks, Solheim found the Proteus Hybrid Max to be a strong substitute for brightness, beam control, and overall features. It was also his first time using the Pulse Panel FX.

As for the SOL I Blinder, he states: “I love the old-school look of a traditional mole and the color mixing capability.” Betancourt adds: “The SOL I Blinders lit up the crowd beautifully - especially when Jon Batiste stepped off the stage and into the audience. It was a standout moment.” Elation’s proprietary SparkLED background sparkle effect, featured in the Rayzor Series fixtures, is a feature Solheim had never used before but one he thoroughly enjoyed: “I dig it! It’s a great piece of eye candy to use once or twice during a show.”

The production team also included Sean Coakley (L2 Lighting Operator), Julian Mitat (Lighting/LED Wall Tech), George Mitat (Lighting/LED Wall Tech), Alex Aslanian (Video Lead/Lead Camera Operator), Jeff Miller (Video Director), Sean Marshall (LED Tech/Lighting Technician/Camera Operator), Jonathan Petrie (Camera Operator), and Richard Latham (Followspot Operator).

(Photos: Elation/Montreux Jazz Festival Miami)

www.elationlighting.com

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