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Follow-Me supports Hov1’s farewell show
24/06/2026
TiMax tracks twenty mobile performers in Paraorchestra’s “The Nature of Why” in Hong Kong
18/06/2026
Heavy AV and Preston Productions use all-Chauvet rig for Cal State Fullerton Spring Concert
16/06/2026
Wharfedale Pro returns to Tolkien Days
12/06/2026
Daylight Events delivers Elation Paragon-powered rig for inaugural World Fencing League event
10/06/2026
ETC Hog steuert BTS-Comeback in Seoul
01/06/2026
Anolis goes “Beyond The Bridge” in Clapham
01/06/2026
Lightware powers immersive video for “The Hunger Games: On Stage” in London
In the heart of London’s financial district, the new purpose-built Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre invites audiences to experience Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games” live on stage. This 1,200-seat venue brings the story to life through stunts, illusions and a visually driven environment to transport audiences to the heart of the Capitol.
With immersive video central to the storytelling, signal management became essential to the show’s success. Lightware Visual Engineering’s standalone MX2 matrix switcher with HDMI 2.0 and the 1G AVoIP Gemini GVN system were selected to ensure uninterrupted performances.
The show’s producer and director envisioned a video system that worked as an extension of the environment. ArtAV, a technical solutions provider for the arts industry, worked closely with video designer Tal Rosner and senior video engineer Arthur Skinner to design the system, supplying over 130 sqm of Unilumin P3.9 dvLED. “It was decided very early on that video would be the primary tool to immerse the audience as much as possible”, recalls Nick Joyce, Managing Director at ArtAV. “It is certainly one of the more complex projects we have worked on.”
Staged in the round, with no two seats offering the same view, the production team developed the “West Tower” and later the “East Tower” as central visual focus points. These structures serve as scenic elements as well as a key video tool, with performers interacting directly with the LED surfaces during choreographed fight scenes. A 38-metre ticker was also installed at floor level to bring dynamic content to audience level, whilst six smaller screens extend across the front of the balcony linking audience members to their assigned districts.
To ensure consistent visuals across this complex display network, Lightware’s MX2-8x8-DH4DPIO-A was deployed as the main matrix switcher. The MX2 matrices deliver 4K60 video signals over HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort with ultra-low latency. “The MX2’s native DisplayPort support and full 4:4:4 colour processing is critical to the production’s success”, notes Joyce. “It enables high-resolution performance, while its dependability ensures consistent video distribution across the multiple LED surfaces and screens.”
Behind the scenes, Lightware’s Gemini GVN KVM system is instrumental in assisting the complex video workflow, particularly in post-production and rehearsal. “The creative team required a high-performance, ultra-low latency 4K KVM solution to allow animators and video designers to work flexibly and collaboratively”, explains Joyce.“The Gemini GVN provides remote access to the media servers and workstations located back of house, with a GVN-MMU-X100 Matrix Management Unit acting as a central control hub, coordinating communication between seventeen GVN-HDMI-TX210AP-DNT transmitters and twelve GVN-HDMI-RX110AP-DNT receivers.”
The setup enables users to instantly connect to different machines or signal sources as required, without physically relocating hardware, while visually lossless 4K60 4:4:4 transmission over 1 Gigabit preserves image clarity. “The Gemini GVN Dante-enabled version significantly enhanced workflow flexibility, allowing animators to route audio from multiple sources directly to their workstations”, says Joyce.
“One of the biggest challenges was that the venue was still effectively a construction site when we began”, he adds. “The scale of the space meant everything took longer than anticipated, so simplifying the production workflow became critical. By designing custom production desks supported by the Lightware Gemini system, we were able to create quickly deployable setups with minimal cabling. Each desk connected via a single backstage link and could be daisy-chained or removed easily, allowing the team to stay flexible throughout a long technical rehearsal period.”
(Photos: Johan Persson/Lions Gate Entertainment Inc.)
Susan Rose reflects spirit of Melissa Etheridge’s “Rise” with Chauvet
Heartfelt emotions course through Melissa Etheridge’s latest album “Rise”, a work drawing on the artist’s personal experience dealing with love, loss, and hope. Lighting designer Susan Rose reached deep into her own creative well to reflect these feelings on the singer’s 27-city tour in support of the album.
“My signature look for Melissa has always been animation on an upstage black curtain using lighting from multiple angles to build depth and layered texture”, says Rose. “When I was asked to design a backdrop for the ‘Rise’ tour, I kept that approach at the core. I still light the drop the same way I would a black curtain, but now I have integrated graphics that gives me a subtle visual foundation.”
“By doing this we create an entirely new look that represents the ‘Rise’ tour, while still allowing me to enhance it with layered color, gobos, and floor lighting for up light”, she continues. “When we’re working with an LED wall, I treat it the same way. I continue using lighting as if it were a black curtain, but the added content gives the show a more powerful and dynamic visual impact.”
This was very evident April 18, 2026, when Etheridge appeared at the Parx Casino’s XCite Center in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. Helping Rose bring the backdrop to life were the twenty-six Chauvet Professional Maverick MK2 Spots in the casino’s house rig. “They were my primary tools for animation, gobo, and prism projection on the upstage surface”, she explains. “They also are invaluable in helping me extend those textures onto the stage and ceiling, so I can create a cohesive visual environment.”
Rose’s stage lighting incorporated a wide range of looks, including soft washes, beam effects, and dynamic eye candy. Contributing to this panorama were forty Maverick MK2 Washes and ten Maverick MK 1 Hybrids. “The MK2 Washes provided a strong, vibrant wash for both stage coverage and front light on the band”, she says. “I also used them to establish base color tones on the LED wall to tie everything together.”
“I draw heavily from my television experience when lighting Melissa”, she adds. “I use CTO in the follow spots to maintain proper color balance for cameras. At the end of the day, we’re lighting for cameras and phones constantly, so I’m careful not to distract from Melissa with color or gobos. She is the one fans come to see.”
(Photos: Chauvet Professional)
Facts and Fiction realisiert Petersberger Klimadialog in Berlin
Im April 2026 fand in Berlin der 17. Petersberger Klimadialog (PKD) statt. Im Auftrag des Bundesministeriums für Umwelt, Klimaschutz, Naturschutz und nukleare Sicherheit (BMUKN) verantwortete Facts and Fiction erneut die Umsetzung der zweitägigen internationalen Veranstaltung.
Der Petersberger Klimadialog dient der Vorbereitung der nächsten UN-Weltklimakonferenz - in diesem Jahr der COP31, die im November 2026 in der Türkei stattfinden wird - und wurde vom BMUKN unter der Leitung von Bundesminister Carsten Schneider im Berliner Westhafen Event & Convention Center ausgerichtet.
Minister aus über dreißig Ländern sowie Vertreter der EU, der Vereinten Nationen und weiterer internationaler Organisationen kamen zusammen, um zentrale Fragen der internationalen Klimapolitik zu diskutieren und den informellen Austausch zu fördern. Facts and Fiction übernahm - in partnerschaftlicher Zusammenarbeit mit dem Organisationsteam des BMUKN - die Planung und Umsetzung der Veranstaltung.
Dazu gehörten die Beratung bei der Auswahl der Location, die technische und gestalterische Ausstattung sowie das komplette Gästemanagement von der Entwicklung eines Anmeldetools bis hin zur Akkreditierung vor Ort. Auch die grafische Umsetzung einschließlich Key Visual, Branding der Location sowie der Gestaltung zentraler Flächen, lag in den Händen der Agentur.
Die Koordination aller beteiligten Gewerke, darunter Sicherheit, Dolmetscher und Veranstaltungspersonal, verantwortete ebenfalls Facts and Fiction in Zusammenarbeit mit dem BMUKN. Die Umsetzung der Sicherheitsanforderungen erfolgte in Abstimmung mit dem Bundeskriminalamt und der Location.
(Fotos: BMUKN/Sascha Hilgers/Annette Riedl)
DPA microphones capture piano sounds on Yann Tiersen tour
Reproducing the full emotional and dynamic range of a solo piano on a large-scale sound system presents a unique set of challenges, especially when that performance is as nuanced as Yann Tiersen’s. Known for his emotive, minimalist compositions and genre-blending artistry, his latest tour, titled “Rathlin from a Distance - The Liquid Hour”, unfolded in two distinct chapters: an opening set of a solo piano followed by a second half steeped in modular synthesis and electronics.
For veteran live sound engineer Jamie Harley, whose four-decade career spans electronic, indie and acoustic music, the challenge was finding a way to blend these two different sound worlds into a seamless live experience each night. DPA Microphones’ DPK2015 Piano Stereo Kit became an essential part of that equation.
For the piano-driven portion of the performance, Harley deployed the stereo pair of DPA 2015 Wide Cardioid Microphones, which are included in the miking kit. “Yann plays in a very textural way”, Harley explains. “He’ll hold notes and build layers of tone. If you’re not careful, things can get mid-range-heavy quite quickly. I was really interested to see how the piano kit would handle that, and it worked extremely well.”
The 2015 microphones were positioned inside the piano to capture both clarity and depth, with a focus on maintaining tonal balance across the instrument’s full range. The wide cardioid pickup pattern of the mics allowed Harley to capture the natural resonance of the piano while minimizing unwanted bleed.
One of the standout features of the 2015 mics, according to Harley, is the ability to deliver a clean, balanced signal with minimal need for corrective EQ. “With cheaper microphones, you often hear the mid-range start to get fuzzy or unpleasant, and then you’re reaching for EQ to fix problems the mics are introducing”, he says. “I didn’t have to do that with the 2015s. There were small adjustments, of course, but nothing drastic.”
Harley also notes that the microphones provided ample low-end warmth without the need for additional reinforcement tools, such as contact microphones. “We experimented with other solutions for low-end weight, but in the end, I didn’t need them”, he explains. “If you position the microphones correctly and tune the system properly, you get more than enough warmth and power from the piano itself. Most importantly, it doesn’t muddy the mid-range.”
With each venue presenting a different piano, acoustic environment and system configuration, consistency is one of the greatest challenges in live sound. “Every piano is different”, says Harley. “Some are brighter, others are warmer and still others are more aggressive. Your job is to listen to the source and reproduce it as faithfully as possible through the system you have. DPA makes that job much easier.”
In addition to the 2015 piano kit, Harley has also used DPA’s 4099 Instrument Microphones and D:facto Vocal Microphones across various projects, further cementing the brand’s role in his workflow. Harley’s confidence in DPA Microphones is rooted in decades of experience with the brand, dating back to its Brüel & Kjær heritage.
“I’ve known DPA products since the early days in the studio”, he says. After his experience on Yann Tierson’s tour, Harley is confident that the DPA DPK2015 Piano Kit will remain a staple in his toolkit. “I had a really lovely time with the 2015s”, he concludes.
(Photo: DPA Microphones)
X5-Serie von GLP begleitet DJ BoBo auf „The Great Adventure“-Tour
Seit dem 1. Mai und noch bis zum 14. Oktober 2026 ist DJ BoBo mit insgesamt 28 Terminen auf „The Great Adventure“-Tour in Europa. Verantwortlich für das Lichtdesign ist erneut die Firma Gerdon Design, die den Schweizer bereits seit dessen vorheriger Tournee (2022) begleitet.
Bereits vor Beginn der aktuellen Tour war DJ BoBo im Januar 2026 mit vier Premieren-Shows im Europa-Park in Rust in sein neuestes Live-Kapitel gestartet. „Die Shows im Europa-Park sind sehr, sehr gut gelaufen“, berichtet Thomas Gerdon. „Auch diesmal ist es wieder ein projektionsbasiertes Design - das komplette Bühnenbild wird gemappt. Für das Licht bedeutet das sehr präzises, kleinteiliges Arbeiten, weil viel Weißfläche mit Content bespielt wird.“
Der Setbau selbst bleibe bewusst reduziert und diene als Projektionsfläche für die visuelle Dramaturgie. „Die Projektion definiert die Inszenierung und wird bedarfsgerecht durch das Lichtdesign ergänzt“, so Gerdon. Das Lichtsystem umfasst 113 Scheinwerfer aus GLPs X5-Serie: 49 Impression X5, 46 Impression X5 Compact sowie achtzehn Impression X5 IP Maxx.
„Ich bin bei den Geräten der X5-Serie wirklich Überzeugungstäter“, fährt der Designer fort. „Die Show funktioniert eher wie ein Musical als wie ein klassisches Konzert. Die ganze Bühne ist Content. Die Impression X5 erlauben es uns, praktisch jede Contentfarbe aufzunehmen, gleichfarbig oder komplementär. Außerdem war es wichtig, eine homogene Bildsprache zu erzeugen, was nur mit Geräten aus einer Serie zuverlässig gelingen kann.“
Die Dramaturgie der Produktion bewege sich zwischen zwei gestalterischen Polen, erklärt Gerdon: „Es gibt Songs, in denen so viel auf der Bühne passiert - Tänzer, Fahnen, Akrobatik -, dass das Licht vor allem sichtbar machen muss, ohne vom Geschehen abzulenken. In den Dance-Songs dagegen muss das Licht die Dynamik aktiv verstärken. Hier wird die Beleuchtung zum Mitspieler auf der Bühne.“
Über der Hauptbühne sorgen zwei Traversen - Back und Mid - mit Impression X5 für die flächige Grundausleuchtung. Mit bis zu 22 Tänzern gleichzeitig entstehe so eine „intensive Farb-Lichtdusche“, die Performer und Projektionen visuell miteinander verbinde. Die gesamte Spielfläche - Hauptbühne, Catwalk und B-Bühne - ist umlaufend mit Impression X5 Compact ausgestattet; die Geräte übernehmen Effekt- und Ambientefunktionen und fungieren zugleich als Fußlicht entlang der Performance-Flächen.
Ein zentrales Element der Show ist die groß dimensionierte B-Bühne, die unter anderem von Artisten genutzt wird, darunter die besten Geräteturner der Schweiz. Unter Gitterrost-Podesten installiert, setzen Impression X5 IP Maxx hier markante Akzente von unten, die in zwei Showmomenten besonders herausstechen:
Im Song „Pray“ steht der Sänger allein auf der B-Bühne, begleitet nur von einem Followspot und den roten Lichtsäulen der X5 IP Maxx; die Geräte unterstützen diesen reduzierten, konzentrierten Moment atmosphärisch und sollen der Szene visuelle Tiefe verleihen, ohne sie zu dominieren.
Im Stück „We Make A Change“ hingegen werden die X5 IP Maxx zum bildprägenden Element: Ein leichtes Stofftuch bewegt sich im Luftstrom von Ventilatoren und wird von unten in intensivem Blau angestrahlt, um ein „magisches Leuchten“ des Materials zu erzielen.
Die Show folgt einer erzählerischen Rahmenhandlung: Unter dem Titel „The Great Adventure“ begibt sich DJ BoBo auf eine Reise durch verschiedene Welten. Ergänzt wird die Inszenierung durch großformatige Inflatables, darunter zwei zwölf Meter hohe Skelett-Könige, gekrönt von einem „fliegenden“ Adler mit 26 Metern Spannweite, der am Ende der Show majestätisch über allem schwebt.
(Fotos: Julian Huke Photography - julianhuke.com)
DiGiCo Quantum consoles chosen for Thee Sacred Souls world tour
After some one-off shows this spring, including two nights at L.A.’s Greek Theatre, Thee Sacred Souls went to Asia/Oceania in May, and to Europe for festivals in June. The trio are heading to the UK in July, and then back to North America for “The Constellation Tour” in August and September.
Every show uses DiGiCo Quantum consoles. The Quantum326 is the workhorse for this diverse set of gigs and venues, with the Quantum338 and other Quantum desks ready to fill in for fly dates along the way, as well as an SD-Rack stage box. The DiGiCo gear is being provided by the Escondido, California office of Sound Image, a Clair Global brand.
“On our riders, DiGiCo is always the first; for our run in May, ninety percent of it was DiGiCo”, says Josh Benton, Thee Sacred Souls’ front-of-house engineer for the last five years. “When we do our touring in the States, if we’re in a bus and have a truck, we’re always traveling with a DiGiCo. It’s been my favorite desk for that entire time.” Adds monitor mixer Zac Gerig: “Probably ten years for me.”
The band’s association with DiGiCo can be traced to a 2025 appearance on “Austin City Limits”. “We were on a different console for that tour; ‘Austin City Limits’ was a fly-in and they had DiGiCo Quantum338 desks there”, Benton recalls. “As we’re going through sound check and line check, our lead singer, Josh Lane, gets on his mic and says: ‘This is the best my mix has ever sounded. What are we doing different?’ And the monitor engineer with us at the time said: ‘Oh, we’re on this DiGiCo desk’, and Josh looks at me and says: ‘Can we use these from now on?’ We switched and have never looked back.”
While he’s used both the Quantum326 and Quantum338 on Thee Sacred Souls shows, depending upon availability and type of date, Benton says the Quantum326’s specifications make it his favorite road companion: “Either desk is good with me, but when we get on tour, I prefer the Q326 just because it’s more compact. I’m also a huge fan of the ability to swap out DMI cards - if we want to use different protocols on the back of the desk, it’s just swap it out and off you go. That’s been a huge asset as of late as we started using the Dante protocol for some of that.”
“Our input list isn’t terribly big, no more than forty; they’re not playing with tracks”, says Benton. “If you don’t see it on stage, it’s not happening.” However, the show can be pretty complex, he adds: “As a band, it’s the three guys, but as a live act, we are at minimum an 11-piece band, and sometimes a 15-piece band if we have a string quartet with us, as we did for our two shows at the Greek Theatre in L.A. With a single SD-Rack, we’re able to cover our needs and any of the support artists that tour with us, which is something we’re planning on doing for the summer run, all within one infrastructure. It makes for a very streamlined workflow.”
In monitor world, Zac Gerig also has a busy workflow, working with a combination of both IEMs and traditional wedges. “When we have strings, it’s twelve channels of stereo in-ears, and then six wedge mixes”, he says. As for his Quantum326, he states: “What I like is that I don’t need any outboard gear; all my processing’s done within the console itself. So I’m using all the built-in Spice Rack and Mustard EQs.”
“The biggest thing for me at monitors is speed, but also the precision of sound”, he furthers. “I try to get all of my moves down to a couple of button presses, because when we start a line check, or if we’re doing a festival and the band didn’t get a soundcheck, every one of the fifteen people has access to a talkback that goes directly to me. And if it takes me more than ten seconds to make these adjustments, I get buried. The Quantum provides the workflow that I need to keep up with fifteen people on stage.”
(Photos: Ben Zucker/@benzckr)
Tom Hannes & The Moonlovers bring David Bowie’s legacy to life with ADJ lighting
Touring cultural centers and venues across Flanders throughout 2026 and 2027, “Many Returns of the Day” is a live production from Tom Hannes & The Moonlovers, created to mark the tenth anniversary of David Bowie’s passing.
Blending musical performance with theatrical storytelling, the show demands a lighting design that is both expressive and adaptable - delivering atmosphere, movement, and visual impact in a wide variety of venues. Lighting for the tour is supplied by Roarr Light Support, with lighting design by Ruark Parmentier. The production makes use of ADJ’s Focus Flex moving heads alongside the retro-inspired Mini Dekker effect fixtures.
Parmentier’s relationship with the band began organically in 2023. “Our collaboration started quite by coincidence, as is often the case”, he explains. “Gijsbrecht Moeyersons, the FOH sound engineer, and I already knew each other from the PA sector. One beautiful summer evening, he asked me if I would handle the lighting for this great group. At that time, it was for their Nick Cave tribute program. That’s how it all began.”
For the Bowie tribute production, Parmentier selected the Focus Flex as the core fixture for his lighting rig. “I had noticed the Focus Flex in other productions”, he recalls. “I first used it during an album release show for the band Sonder, and now also for this Bowie project. It is a wash fixture I really enjoy using in theaters and other smaller settings.”
To complement the dynamic capabilities of the moving heads, Parmentier introduced a more unconventional element: ADJ’s Mini Dekker effect fixture. Originally released over a decade ago, the Mini Dekker brings a retro aesthetic with a modern twist, projecting vibrant RGBW beams through its 48 lenses.
“‘Many Returns of the Day’ marks the tenth anniversary of Bowie’s passing, and Tom Hannes & The Moonlovers honor this beautifully”, says Parmentier. “I wanted this project to truly shine. I was looking for a glitter-style backdrop to add some magic, and from a lighting perspective, I wanted a mirror ball effect. However, mirror balls are fragile and require additional lighting fixtures. The Mini Dekker is far more practical in use.”
“By coincidence, while working on the lighting design, I saw the Mini Dekker in another production”, he continues. “Once I realized it could be perfectly controlled via DMX, I was immediately convinced. When the band saw the effect during the first rehearsal, they were instantly on board as well. It became a beautiful addition to both the music and the show.”
Despite its unconventional role in a touring setup, the Mini Dekker has become a key creative tool for the production. “The LEDs do compete somewhat with the PARs and wash fixtures, but that actually makes it more interesting creatively”, states Parmentier. “It allows for a wide range of possibilities using color, dimming chases, strobe effects, and shapes.”
(Photos: Rudi Schuerewegen)
Meyer Sound kreiert besonderes Klangerlebnis beim Coachella Festival
Die Do LaB Stage Macrodose, ausgestattet mit einem Meyer Sound System, ging beim Coachella Festival 2026 in ihr drittes Jahr. Das markante Open-Air-Zelt mit seinen sich bewegenden, pilzartigen Stoffskulpturen bot dabei erstmals ein Klangerlebnis, das deutlich über die Grenzen des Zeltes hinausreichte und zusätzliche Bereiche des Festivalgeländes einbezog.
In diesem Jahr standen Künstler wie Tinashe, Seth Troxler, Sbtrkt und After Midnight auf der Bühne und zogen die bislang größte Besucherzahl in der Geschichte der Do LaB Stage an. „Letztes Jahr hatten wir bereits über 30.000 Menschen - so viele Zuschauer, dass sie schon außerhalb unseres Zuschauerbereiches standen“, sagt Do-LaB-Co-Founder Jesse Flemming. „Deshalb haben wir die Beschallung auf die anliegenden Flächen ausgeweitet, um mehr Menschen zu erreichen und anzuziehen.“
Da sich das Do-LaB-Soundsystem inzwischen mehrfach bewährt hat, arbeitete das Team mit einem bekannten Konzept. „Wir haben das Beste aus den letzten zwei Jahren übernommen und auf dieses Jahr übertragen“, so Audio Crew Chief und Systems Engineer Ian Ingram.
Das Herzstück der Beschallung im Inneren des Macrodose-Zeltes bildete ein Panther-System von Meyer Sound, bereitgestellt von Launch aus Los Angeles. Pro Seite kamen jeweils zwei Line Arrays mit acht Panther-L- und zwei Panther-W-Lautsprechern zum Einsatz, unterstützt von insgesamt achtzehn 2100-Low-Frequency-Control-Elementen. Ergänzt wurde das System durch je zwei Panther-W-Frontfills und -Outfills.
Leopard-Lautsprecher mit 900-LFC-Tieftönern beschallten das DJ-Pult. Geflogene UPQ-1P-Lautsprecher wurden für den neuen Upstage-Bereich und Ultra-X20-Lautsprecher für die Backstage-VIP-Lounge eingesetzt.
Ultra-X80-Outfills und -Delays erweiterten die Coverage bis an die Zeltgrenzen, ergänzt durch zehn kompakte Ultra-X40-Point-Source-Lautsprecher, die ein Surround-Erlebnis erzeugten. Ziel war es, dem Raum zusätzliche Wärme und Tiefe zu verleihen und eine Atmosphäre zu schaffen, die an einen Konzertsaal erinnert.
Von dort aus wurde das System nach außen erweitert: Vier Ultra-X80-Lautsprecher - am äußeren Ring montiert und nach außen ausgerichtet - trugen den Sound über die Zeltkante hinaus und fügten sich nahtlos in die Hauptarrays aus Panther ein. „Auf der Fläche gab es eine Menge hängenden Stoff“, berichtet Ingram. „Der Tieftonbereich war kein Problem, auch die Low-Mids-Coverage war gut. Aber das Material absorbierte einen Teil der hohen Frequenzen. Genau hier setzten wir die Ultra-X80-Lautsprecher ein, um Bereiche mit eingeschränkter Coverage zu kompensieren.“
Ingram, der den Sound der Do-LaB-Stage bereits seit 2008 verantwortet, betont die Bedeutung des Mapp-3D-Systemdesign- und Prediction-Tools von Meyer Sound: „Man kann sich vorbereiten und weiß genau, welche Coverage zu erwarten ist. Niemand möchte ein System aufbauen und anschließend feststellen, dass es nicht so funktioniert wie geplant.“
(Fotos: Jamal Eid/Hello Atlas Media)
Vinny Shaw rolls with different rigs on Fit For An Autopsy tour with ChamSys
UK-based lighting designer Vinny Shaw ran Fit For An Autopsy’s support show on Lamb of God’s 27-city North American tour, which ended April 26, 2027, with a performance at the Music Hall at Fenway. Although Shaw had the same Squeek Lights floor package throughout the tour, he had to work with different house rigs.
He had his familiar ChamSys MagicQ MQ250M Stadium console with him at every venue. “It was a different flown rig each night, and occasionally smaller stage space as well”, he explains. “This required me to adjust the show to suit the alternative fixture models and counts.”
The show began with a dark, moody walk on, and then erupted hard with a searing first song, followed later by menacing blackouts where only a single band member was lit. “This is a complex show that can be seen on many levels”, Shaw continues. “FFAA songs are very dynamic with heavy riffs, fast passed sections and some clean vocal choruses. I use open white spots, blinders or strobe FX to punch through darker saturated colors and punctuate key rhythmic sections, stabs and guitar solos. There are also some specific moments in the set where I like to isolate the drummer or singer for dramatic effect.”
As for his compact MQ250M console, Shaw states: “Being able to fly with my own console and slot it in easily to FOH without needing much real estate is always an advantage. This let me put more focus on the creative fun stuff, which at the end of the day, is what a tour like this is all about.”
(Photos: ChamSys)
Follow-Me supports Hov1’s farewell show
Swedish hip-hoppers Hov1 did a farewell show at Gärdet, Stockholm at the end of summer 2025, a night that shattered the 2014 record for the largest outdoor concert audience in the city’s history, drawing 52,236 fans. At the heart of the show’s lighting design was Follow-Me’s manual performer tracking solution, deployed by Lighting Designer Jonathan Rikner with system tech Edvard Hansson and keylight operator Fredrik Jönsson.
Formed in 2015, Hov1 released seven studio albums, every one of them topping the Swedish Albums Chart, and amassed 42 top 10 singles, sixteen of which reached number one. Their farewell tour across July and August 2025 culminated in the Gärdet show that surpassed the previous Stockholm outdoor concert record set by Metallica in 2014.
The Follow-Me system enabled a show that balanced technical precision with emotional impact. “There were a few good moments in the show that really stood out”, says Rikner. “One of those was when we combined a beautiful cold silhouette with a nice, warm atmosphere from the front. That feeling and those pictures were something else.”
System tech Edvard Hansson managed the technical integration of the Follow-Me 3D Six System, which was supplied by Creative Technology Sweden and distributed by Topstage. The scale of the production, an open-air site with uneven ground and fixtures positioned up to seventy metres from the stage, demanded a rigorous approach to calibration. All calibration points were exported directly from Vectorworks as a CSV file into the Follow-Me system, delivering precise alignment from the outset.
“This workflow makes it easy to add plenty of extra reference data, which often becomes useful later in the process”, says Hansson. To address the challenge of uneven outdoor terrain, he anchored calibration points to the stage floor and used a drone to verify alignment, allowing him to calibrate fixtures accurately without relying on a camera. Operations were further streamlined by assigning one dedicated lighting operator to handle all fixture parameters except pan and tilt.
The rig featured twelve Robe iForte LTX fixtures: four as backlight and eight as front lights. The considerable throw distance created a shallow projection angle, which Hansson addressed by adding extra calibration points on the stage roof to extend tilt range and tighten alignment.
For the show itself, the team opted for a fully manual approach with a static z-height above the stage floor, allowing follow spot operators to focus entirely on tracking the artists. Mindful that some operators were relatively new to the system, Hansson designed the workflow to be as clear and accessible as possible.
“At first, I spent some time briefing the Follow-Me operators on how the system worked and supervised them closely for the initial run”, he says. “Once they understood the workflow, they were able to handle it confidently, which freed me up to focus on the bigger picture.” No snaplines or automated tracking were used.
Hansson concludes: “Follow-Me gave us the freedom to push the visual scale of the show. For Hov1’s farewell, it wasn’t just about following the performers, it was about amplifying their presence in front of almost 60,000 fans. The system allowed us to highlight every emotion and every moment with precision, and that played a big part in making their last show feel as impactful and unforgettable as the journey that led to it.”
(Photos: Robin de Blanche/Pao Duell)
Chauvet helps Onedot reflect April moments at Pentapic Music Festival
Lighting designer Louis-Xavier Bonneau and the team at Onedot selected Chauvet Professional’s Rogue Outcast 2 Beam fixture for Pentapic, an annual music and sport event held every April at the base of the Sommet Morin-Heights ski resort, 83 kilometers north of Montreal, Canada.
“We used a rich palette of cool tones to reflect the winter atmosphere surrounding the base of the ski mountain”, explains Bonneau. “Warmer colors were then introduced to evoke the arrival of spring and create a sense of seasonal transition. Yellow also played a key role throughout the design, as it was the primary color of the event.”
Contributing to this color narrative were twelve Rogue Outcast 2 Beam units, supplied by FX Production. They were rigged vertically on two towers and played a pivotal role in adding “personality” to the festival lighting, so it could better pump up excitement, while reflecting the music of the various performing artists.
“To create dynamic and versatile looks that could adapt to the wide variety of artists performing throughout the event, we incorporated two distinct lighting effects in our design”, says Bonneau. “We had the Rogue Outcast 2 Beams positioned on each side of the stage to deliver intense visual punches and high-energy moments. Then, for contrast, we had a luminous box installed on the roof of the container for softer lighting patterns and more atmospheric when needed.”
As Bonneau notes, despite the seasonal transition, winter was most definitely still present at the festive. Snow created logistical difficulties throughout the production - at times, equipment got stuck in the snow enroute to the stage. Then, there was also the need to protect the performers themselves. The Onedot team used a shipping container as a DJ booth to offer added protection, and carefully monitored the use of smoke and haze.
(Photos: @jay_gallant)
TiMax tracks twenty mobile performers in Paraorchestra’s “The Nature of Why” in Hong Kong
The UK’s Paraorchestra brought “The Nature of Why” to Hong Kong’s No Limits Festival in March 2026, as a celebration of unconventional concert touring. Up to 250 audience members shared a 15-metre circular space with around twenty musicians, singers, and dancers, most almost constantly on the move. To track every performer in real time and give the audience precise directional information, front-of-house engineer Simon Honywill deployed TiMax SoundHub with TiMaxTrackerD4.
Founded by conductor Charles Hazelwood in 2011, Paraorchestra creates professional opportunities for disabled musicians. Breaking boundaries in every sense, the staging of “The Nature of Why” in earlier iterations highlighted an audio problem Honywill had struggled to solve. Honywill’s experiments to create an “acoustic bubble” around the performance lacked the precision he was looking for but most importantly, the performers struggled to hear themselves clearly through a monitoring system that doubled as the PA. Therefore, Honywill turned to the TiMax immersive sound solution.
The system installed for the five performances at the Kwai Tsing Theatre in Kowloon was built around real-time performer tracking. Six TiMax Tracker D4 sensors mounted overhead triangulated the live positions of performers and instruments, feeding TiMax SoundHub, which in turn, drove a ring of seven Martin Audio FlexPoint FP12 loudspeakers at a height of 2.5 metres, augmented by a Martin Audio SXCF118 cardioid subwoofer. Around twenty mobile sound sources were fitted with trackers, some performers wearing multiple units; the wheeled marimba alone required three.
Honywill accurately represented the audio performance in the space through an object-based mix. DPA microphones were routed individually to TiMax via Dante, bypassing conventional subgroup mixing entirely. It is this direct, per-source routing that enabled the spatial precision the piece required. “Using a system like TiMax, every source has its own unique amplitude and phase relationship to the sound system”, notes Honywill.
The seven Martin Audio FP12 loudspeakers formed a reinforcement ring around the performance area, allowing TiMax to generate a unique Image Definition - a bespoke set of per-cabinet level and delay values that placed every source precisely in space - for each performer in real time. The SXCF118 sub added low-frequency energy while its cardioid pattern reduced rearward radiation, preserving the clean spatial image inside the circle.
The full audio equipment package was supplied by Martin Audio’s APAC sales agency Generation AV, whose technical manager Jeremiah Joseph also joined the production team as both system tech and TiMax engineer.
(Photos: TiMax)
Martin Audio WPL reinforces Dianjiang Peony Culture Festival concert
The Dianjiang Peony Culture Festival is one of Southwest China’s most prominent floral and cultural events. With over 25 years of history, the festival attracts thousands of visitors annually - and in 2026 added further momentum to its tourist appeal with a concert at Dianjiang County Stadium, reinforced by a Martin Audio WPL Wavefront Precision sound system.
With an expanded programme and a broader “Wellness & Health” focus, the 2026 Festival - entitled “New Charm of Chongqing - Wellness Dianjiang” - ran for three months from March to May. Daytime flower viewing was complemented by a diverse calendar of activity, including sports events such as the Peony Marathon and Triathlon, food festivals, arts exhibitions, and this year’s Peony Festival Concert featuring nationally recognised music stars.
On April 12, artists Zhang Xinzhe (better known internationally as Jeff Chang), Yu Wenwen (Kelly Yu), Huang Pinyuan and Xianzi took to the stage at Dianjiang County Stadium. For main PA coverage, the concert deployed 36 Martin Audio WPL Wavefront Precision line array loudspeakers, flown as eighteen cabinets per side. Outfill coverage in the stadium was provided by a Martin Audio W8LC system, with left/right hangs comprising twelve units per side.
A further W8LC system was also deployed as delays - optimised using Martin Audio’s software - and configured as two flown hangs of twelve elements, combined with four ground-stacked array elements per side. For the front-row audience area, a Martin Audio W8LM frontfill system, featuring wide and consistent 120° dispersion, was evenly distributed as six stacks of two elements. Low-frequency reinforcement came from a total of 44 ground-stacked Martin Audio WS218X dual 18-inch, ultra-long-excursion subwoofers.
(Photos: Martin Audio)
Hippotizer MX blends scenic design and projection mapping on Hayley Williams tour
American singer Hayley Williams’ tour is out with a Hippotizer Teka MX Series media server, enabling a projection-led design to transform theaters into immersive environments. The Hippotizer Teka MX is part of the new range of MX Series media servers from Green Hippo.
The production relies heavily on projection as a primary scenic and atmospheric tool. Therefore, it required a media server capable of layered playback, real-time manipulation, and tight integration with GrandMA control in a streamlined touring package.
The creative concept was developed collaboratively by Lighting Director and Programmer Matthew Greer, designers Tobias Rylander and Michael Straun, Media Server Technician Dan Gentile, and Production Manager Riley Emminger. LMG Touring supplied the tour.
“Tobias and I wanted to approach Hippotizer in the same way we approach lighting fixtures”, says Straun. “We use the same language and the same design thinking. We were working from a single projection source and didn’t require IMAG or a heavy video infrastructure, so the Teka MX was the right fit both technically and economically.”
“The projection canvas is literally the entire stage”, adds Cory Froke, Technical Project Manager at LMG. “We’re using white drapes over custom-built lighting ladders and scenic pods, along with fabric hung from truss in more traditional configurations. In effect, the entire proscenium becomes the raster.”
Straun continues: “We started by sharing ideas and references with Hayley. During preproduction, we tested one of her music videos across the stage, scenic elements, and performance space. It immediately confirmed the direction - the imagery sat naturally across the environment and reinforced the concept.”
“We wanted to be in a room that was timeless and would make the audience ask: ‘Where are we?’”, he furthers. “The idea was to create a space that feels timeless and undefined, where it isn’t immediately clear whether Hayley is entering a space or leaving it. That ambiguity became a core part of the design.”
Content was developed by Frameworx, who created abstract environments, textures, and atmospheric sequences designed to complement Williams’ music. These were combined with reworked album artwork, promotional imagery, and re-synced music video elements.
“We had limited time to build and refine content”, says Straun. “Hippotizer gave us the ability to load, test, and manipulate material quickly. Using tools like brightness, contrast, and the internal effects engine, we could adapt content directly to the physical environment and immediately evaluate how it behaved on stage.”
Froke concludes: “Being able to house the servers directly in the FOH lighting rack significantly reduced system footprint and simplified load-in. In many of the venues on this tour, FOH space is extremely limited, so that efficiency is critical.”
(Photos: Green Hippo)
Heavy AV and Preston Productions use all-Chauvet rig for Cal State Fullerton Spring Concert
The clouds drifting overhead most of the day did nothing to dampen the enthusiastic anticipation of the more than 5,000 students gathered at Cal State Fullerton’s Intermural Fields last month for the school’s Annual Spring Concert.
The sold-out concert, which was headlined by DJ Mustard and also featured performances by Rebecca Black, Danny Lux, and Wax Motif, took place on a stage that featured a 100-percent Chauvet Professional lighting rig supplied by Preston Productions. The rig consisted of 89 IP65 outdoor rated Chauvet fixtures including thirty Maverick Storm 1 Flex units, twenty Strike Array 2 blinders, twenty-five Color Strike M motorized strobe wases and fourteen Rogue Outcast 2x Washes.
The Rogue Outcast 2X Washes were used for front lighting and backlighting. The Strike Array 2 units were used as blinders and for eye candy and were flown on the downstage truss as well as mounted on pipe and base on stage. The Color Strike M units were used for backlight and eye candy and were both flown and placed on the deck.
While the Rouge Outcast, Strike Array 2 and Color Strike M are longtime staples of the Preston Productions inventory, Justin Preston, who served as LD for the event, was also tried the new Maverick Storm 1 Flex hybrid units. Positioned throughout the stage, from the downstage edge and truss to the upstage truss and the top of the video wall towers, they served as the backbone of the rig. “It gave us the ability to provide tight beams, as well as wide gobo looks, which helped us keep pace with the diversity of the music”, says Preston.
The lighting rig was designed by Preston and Heavy AV. The show was programmed and operated by Marcus Mathews. The Master Electrician was Lucas Garrity. “We put a great deal of thought into the design and Heavy AV was very involved”, notes Preston. “Our headliners often appear at larger venues and festivals, so it was important we match that level of production at this event.”
(Photos: Chauvet Professional)
Charlie Puth on tour with DiGiCo Quantum5 consoles
Charlie Puth’s “Whatever’s Clever” world tour will take the singer-songwriter-producer on one of his largest live productions to date, with headline dates across North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific, starting in April 2026 in San Diego and closing (so far) in Perth, Australia in November, in support of his fourth studio album.
Besides Puth there are drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, and three backup vocalists onstage. For production manager Mike Schaeffer, who is also mixing front of house, and Josh Cruz at monitors, their instruments are equally important: a pair of DiGiCo Quantum5 consoles, supplied for the tour by Clair Global. “The Quantum console has been on the rider for Charlie since 2018”, says Schaeffer. “It’s always been my preferential console.”
Both consoles are on a single Optocore network, sharing it with an SD-Rack and an SD-Mini Rack, as well as an Orange Box bidirectional audio-format converter that connects between any two of the compatible DiGiCo Multichannel Interface (DMI) cards. In this case, some of the outboard used on the tour includes various Waves plug-ins, as well as a Rupert Neve Designs Shelford channel strip that combines transformer-gain microphone preamp, an inductor-based equalizer (EQ), and a diode-bridge compressor that Schaeffer applies to Puth’s vocals. Otherwise, the Quantum5 desks are pretty much the center of all routing as well as processing.
“My workflow is pretty straightforward”, says Schaeffer. “I do a lot of bus processing. I like the fact that you can send a bus to a bus, which a lot of consoles just didn’t do for a while. I use a Rupert Neve Design master-bus processor and a master-bus transformer. No matter what configuration of outboard and onboard processing I need, the Quantum5 lets me organize it however it best suits my workflow needs.”
Josh Cruz joined Puth crew in 2022, as the band was just formulating itself around the core that would be on the current tour. “DiGiCo has also been my preference for a while. I’m doing a lot more than just your basic channel input to aux output”, he explains. “I tend to take a very basic approach to monitor mixing: a lot of my EQs are pretty flat, not a ton of compression going on. The band members are very particular about their sounds and it’s not my place to unnecessarily manipulate any of that. For example, our guitar player uses an Axe-FX and he shapes a lot of his sounds on the front end. He literally says, ‘Do not put any filtering, EQ, or compression on it’. It’s an XLR straight to the desk and I simply send it right back to him at the level he wants.”
“We’re a little over the 56 I/O an SD-Rack offers in terms of physical inputs coming from the stage, but in total terms of what’s on my desk, I’m almost maxed out: there are a few double-patched inputs, effects returns, and there’s a number of playback channels, which come in over MADI through the Orange Box”, he continues. “We also have the Sound Devices Astral wireless ARX16, running two of them in mirror mode, and that provides all of our vocal inputs. Plus, I have a number of utility channels that I’m using to allow for some tech control. It expands well beyond the normal use case of an input channel being something coming from stage.”
“The DiGiCo consoles have the ability to have external control from a number of different sources”, Cruz furthers. “Being able to incorporate the console into a network is pretty common in a lot of consoles these days, but with the Quantum5, specifically, I’m able to control it from multiple sources at monitors.” He cites the software Companion by Bitfocus using a custom module called DiGiPanion by fellow DiGiCo user David Lim, which allows operators to manage tasks such as triggering complex macros and interfacing with external platforms such as DAW systems, with a single button press.
The “Whatever’s Clever” world tour audio crew (left to right): Mike Schaeffer, Josh Cruz, RF/Monitor Tech Noah Silverman, PA/FOH Tech Harrison Maher, and System Engineer Tony Toneatti. (Photos: Grace Tom/@gracet0m)
ADJ Encore DBX selected for The Strokes at Coachella
When The Strokes took to the Main Stage at Coachella this year, anticipation was high. Slotting in just ahead of Justin Bieber’s much-publicized return to live performance, the New York rockers delivered a set that balanced nostalgia with a fresh visual identity. Central to that look was a lighting design driven by ADJ’s Encore DBX LED blinder fixtures.
The creative vision for the show was led by Mitchell Schellenger, who served as Production Designer, Lighting Designer and Co-Creative Director. Working closely with the band’s Creative Director - who doesn’t come from a concert touring background - Schellenger helped translate an abstract artistic vision into a cohesive live experience.
He was joined by Associate Designer & Lighting Director Jason Rothberg, with the pair having first collaborated with the band during a run of one-off shows and festival appearances in the latter half of last year. Building on that partnership, Schellenger and Rothberg were brought back on board during the run-up to Coachella, tasked with evolving the visual aesthetic while remaining true to the band’s established identity.
“Since the band has an illustrious legacy, we wanted to honor the look they have established over the years”, explains Schellenger. “It has a bit of a ‘70s feel, combined with digital components, and heavy use of geometric shapes. So, we wanted to check those boxes, because when we’re brought in to work with a band that’s established themselves aesthetically, I think our role is to bring something new while respecting what’s been established over the years. A reference point, visually, was the early ‘80s version of ‘Tron’, which is very geometric and digital but in a retro way, with that film grain CRT VHS type look.”
To bring this vision to life, the lighting design centered around a custom floor package that combined scenic structure with high-output fixtures. A total of 72 Encore DBX units were deployed, distributed evenly across six bespoke zig-zag shaped carts, each loaded with twelve fixtures and finished with custom neon trims. These carts formed a bold geometric backdrop behind the band, reinforcing the retro-digital aesthetic while ensuring the lighting elements were always front and center within the visual composition.
Each Encore DBX fixture is powered by two 150-watt RGBAW color mixing LEDs, capable of delivering an output of up to 11,465 lumens. This brightness ensured the fixtures could compete with the scale and ambient light levels of Coachella’s expansive Main Stage, while still offering precise control. Independent dimming, color mixing, and strobing for each LED cell allowed the designers to craft layered effects that ranged from subtle atmospheric looks to full-on, high-impact hits.
“I felt like we needed a fixture that was scenic in itself”, Schellenger says of the Encore DBX, “because I knew I didn’t want an overly scenic design, as they are a rock band at heart. We didn’t want all this geometric scenery just for the sake of having it, we wanted it to serve a purpose. So, the purpose of the scenery became to house the lighting fixtures that gave us the punch that we were after for a rock show. The Encore DBX offers that classic rock-and-roll warm white blinder effect, but with the added scenic face, which meant it served both purposes.”
The Encore DBX’s background glow provided a rich canvas of color behind the primary light source, enabling dynamic contrast between the punchy blinder hits and softer, more immersive washes of light. Used creatively throughout the performance, this feature helped the fixtures function as both lighting instruments and scenic elements.
“The first light I ever owned as a child was actually a DJ Scan 250, which I used to learn the basics of DMX control, so ADJ has always held a place in my heart”, notes Schellenger. “The fact that we were able to use that same brand, in a new era, on a show of this scale, was cool for me.” Rothberg adds: “We brought in Warren Fu - a legendary video director - who did an awesome job of capturing the performance, and the ADJ fixtures came across really well on camera.”
The ADJ fixtures were the backbone of the whole rig, says Schellenger, and were used in some capacity throughout almost the entire show. “For some songs it was just the aura effect providing a background look, while at other times the blinders were really prominent”, he concludes. “Because each cell, as well as the aura, has its own independent color mixing we were able to do so many unique things that it never felt like they were getting overused. I’d like to explore more of what ADJ has to offer, as this really has been a positive experience.”
PRG was the lighting vendor for Coachella, with the ADJ Encore DBX fixtures being sub-rented from Eagle Productions.
(Photos: Jenna Murray)
Wharfedale Pro returns to Tolkien Days
Wharfedale Pro loudspeakers once again provided the main sound system for Tolkien Days 2026 in Geldern, Germany. The four-day festival attracted around 14,000 visitors and combined Tolkien-themed activities, live entertainment and concerts for fantasy fans from across Europe.
Audio production was managed by Rockline-Veranstaltungstechnik from Issum, while the Wharfedale Pro WLA-312X line array system was supplied by Spirit of Sound Veranstaltungstechnik. The main system comprised sixteen WLA-312X line array elements supported by twelve WLA-218BX dual-18’’ subwoofers, with multiple WLA-112 loudspeakers providing infill coverage. DSP was managed with Wharfedale Pro XC Series system controllers with related FIR presets.
As with previous years, the system was required to handle a wide range of content throughout the festival, from spoken word and acoustic performances through to full concert productions. The headline act for 2026 was Italian power metal band Wind Rose. Their performance demanded high output levels and strong low-frequency impact, with the Wharfedale Pro system delivering consistent coverage across the audience area.
(Photos: Wharfedale Pro)
Daylight Events delivers Elation Paragon-powered rig for inaugural World Fencing League event
Los Angeles-based lighting company Daylight Events recently deployed an all-Elation lighting package featuring newly acquired Paragon S luminaires for the inaugural World Fencing League (WFL) event, held April 25, 2026, at the landmark Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in LA.
For Daylight Events owner Greg Day, who purchased sixteen Paragon S fixtures in December 2025 and quickly integrated them into Daylight Events’ rental inventory, the fixture addressed a growing need for more sophisticated lighting solutions capable of serving both live audiences and broadcast cameras.
When creative agency Meridian brought Daylight Events into the WFL project, Day chose the Paragon as a foundation for the rig. Working alongside Meridian, which managed the broadcast and video content for the WFL event, Daylight supplied truss, rigging, and lighting for the broadcast production.
The Shrine Expo Hall’s expansive stage and balcony configuration required a lighting system capable of covering both competition and audience areas while meeting the demands of broadcast production. The lighting system centered around Elation fixtures exclusively, including the recently purchased Paragon fixtures alongside twelve Fuze Profile and twelve Fuze SFX luminaires. “The Elation rig lit the fencing, the whole stage, and did area lighting throughout the room”, Day explains. “We used it to create the walk-in look, ballyhoos for winners, everything.”
“Due to the broadcast and basic pro fencing standards, a CRI of 80 or more was very important”, adds Elation’s Esteban De La Torre, who programmed and operated the show. “The main focus of the Paragons was to light all the high visibility areas for the broadcast, most importantly the ‘piste’ which is the long, narrow area where the actual fencing takes place. We brought the color temperature down from its native 6,500 K to 5,600 K and was easily getting around 1,000 lux on it, which was the minimum requirement for intensity.”
The Paragon’s Ultra Dimming feature also proved effective, allowing for precise, low-level dimming control at a refresh rate of 25 kHz. “This was important because the broadcast utilized lots of slow-motion replays that required the lighting to operate at a high speed to avoid any flickering on camera”, notes De La Torre.
The Fuze Profiles were used to light other broadcast areas like entrances, walkways, and special areas outside of the piste. The Fuze SFX units were used primarily as area lighting, with breakup gobos used to light the walls, as well as for audience lighting.
(Photos: Elation)
Trevor Drawdy creates deep woods vibe on Hardy tour with Chauvet
To convey a special mood on his 40-city “Country! Country!” tour - which concludes on August 21, 2026, at the Whitewater Amphitheater in New Braunfels, Texas - American singer Hardy discussed this vision with production/lighting designer Trevor Drawdy.
“Everything in this production lives inside the world of the Mississippi loblolly pines; that was Hardy’s vision from day one”, says Drawdy. “He wanted the audience to feel like the entire show exists in the woods, and once he said that, it became the creative foundation for every decision we made.”
Drawdy and his collaborators - video content creators Dave Pawsey, Simon “Rusty” Rouhier, and Steve Lalonde from Lüz Studio and the scenic team at Tait - tried created a world on stage that breathes with the vitality and evocative power of a piney southern forest. Even the stage’s trim evokes a deep woods image with its staggered configuration that reaches 50-feet at its highest downstage point and descends to 31.6-feet at its nadir on the upstage truss with nine other truss heights in between.
“The layering is what gives the rig its asymmetrical, almost architectural quality”, explains Drawdy. “It keeps the stage from ever feeling flat or predictable, and it lets the system read as something immersive rather than just a lighting rig hanging overhead.” Contributing to this effect are 133 Chauvet Professional motorized PXL batten fixtures, which, like the rest of the rig are supplied by Bandit Lites.
Positioned throughout the rig , the PXL fixtures include 95 Colorado PXL Bar 16, four PXL Bar 8, and 34 Colorado PXL Curve 12 units. Together, the three groups of PXL battens define the lines and shapes of the asymmetrical structure on stage. “They outline things and give the system a strong visual identity even before a single other fixture is fired”, says Drawdy. “They’re across all of the overhead trusses, with the exception of the downstage truss.”
“They’re also on the side light positions, and beyond that they’re integrated into the scenic elements along the downstage edge, and they wrap around portions of the thrust”, he continues. “We wanted the lighting system to feel architecturally connected, not isolated to a few specific positions, so that the visual language carries across the whole stage. It reinforces that ‘in the woods’ feeling from every angle in the room rather than just from the sweet spot out front.”
“The goal with the overall plot was to make the rig feel organic, almost like you’re looking up through a canopy of trees”, he adds. “At the same time, our plot is still practical enough to tour efficiently, while also accommodating things like the kabuki drops, and all the other production demands on the road. Our PXL plays a big role in helping us achieve that.”
“What’s interesting about this show is how much emotional range it covers”, Drawdy concludes. “We move through seasons, weather, time of day, intimacy, aggression. It’s a lot of ground to cover visually. That’s really where the blend of country and rock music Hardy performs plays out in the lighting. The countryside feels rooted and natural, tied to the environment. The rock side comes through in the scale and intensity when the show opens up. Finding the balance between those two worlds has been one of the more rewarding challenges of the design.”
At times, Drawdy’s design, which also features 41 Color Strike V motorized tilting strobe-washes and eighteen Strike Array 4C fixtures, plays off the evocative scenic pieces, such as a deer stand and a physical model of a loblolly’s pine, created by the Tait team. Working closely with Tait and Lüz Studio, he has been able to ensure that the physical scenic and the digital content of the show match as closely as possible, so the set extension effect feels believable, rather than like two separate entities existing next to each other.
(Photos: Tanner Gallagher)
Chauvet helps Jaclyn Ash master darkness for The Black Dahlia Murder
Creating a shadowy aura, without overdarkening the stage requires an artful touch. Lighting designer Jaclyn Ash exhibited such skill in resounding fashion on melodeath heavyweights The Black Dahlia Murder’s 22-city “Spring Fling” tour, which concluded May 2, 2026, at Milwaukee’s Rave.
Conjuring up broody color combinations and moving light in unsettling ways, including slow deliberate menacing patterns, she evoked deeply dark looks that reflected her client’s sound. Yet, at the same time, her design maintained a bold richly textured look.
“For The Black Dahlia Murder, I wanted to find a way to visually express their dark nature without relying on total darkness or blackouts all the time”, explains Ash. “Personally, I find something eerie about slow movements - almost like a flashlight scanning through a cemetery. I wanted to convey that creepy feeling by incorporating slow, intentional movements, and then suddenly adding tension with a quick effect, as if something has just jumped into the beam of light. By combining those movement elements with colors of vile green, a murderous red, a fleshy pink, a frozen blue, or a vampiric purple, we can set the scene like a horror film, but with a less obvious approach.”
Among the gear she selected were sixteen Chauvet Professional fixtures supplied by Squeek Lights. Included in this mix were four Colorado PXL Bar 16 motorized battens, four Color Strike M motorized strobe washes and eight Maverick Force S Spots. Ash used this floor package in different ways from venue to venue, always keeping “the complexity of the band’s ideas” at the center of her creative vision. “There were definitely a lot of changes in scenery throughout this tour”, she notes. “I am grateful for Corinne Sumner, who was designing and operating for the direct support band for this tour who gave me a lot of support.”
“Some venues only had conventional par cans in their house rigs, while others had so many fixtures that they required eleven universes and network control”, continues Ash. “Some stages were very tall, whereas in others I could touch the ceiling by standing on my toes. These differences made it crucial to determine how we positioned the units on stage and how we focused the fixtures. Overall, some days were spot on and incredible, while other days I wish I had a do-over button.”
The PXL Bars were positioned on the mid-stage deck, the Color Strike Ms served as side lights and the Force S spots added dimensionality on SL and SR risers. “The PXL bars were a big help in washing the mid-stage scrims and highlighting the drum riser, while also providing zoom and wall effects”, details Ash. “My side Color Strike units were essential - they not only made sure that the band could see during their solos but also helped set the mood for the songs. The side beams provided precise movements and effectively broke up the wash, creating an intense visual that matched the nature of TBDM’s music. They could also be directed at the backdrop, resulting in unique textures, which I played with a lot in the set.”
Ash’s light was key to setting the mood, but then again there was also the way she shaped darkness. “The dark space emphasized key moments in certain songs, whether it’s an intense lyrical point, a highlighted guitar solo, or insane drum fill”, she declares. “Having focused lighting break through the darkness is very much intentional and powerful.”
(Photos: Stu McDonald/Jenn Racho)
Klang delivers immersive monitoring for NYTW’s “My Joy Is Heavy”
New York Theatre Workshop’s (NYTW) recent production of “My Joy Is Heavy”, by writing and acting duo The Bengsons (“Hundred Days”, “The Keep Going Songs”), was a portrait of the unexpected joys and humor that are forged in the wake of loss. The transcendent indie-folk-punk show was staged at NYTW’s venue in the city’s Bowery district.
One of the challenges of the production was to examine multiple layers of emotion through a complicated and crowded set design. On stage, the show featured a six-person band - all cast members and actors, including creators Abigail and Shaun Bengson - collectively singing and playing guitar, bass, drums, trumpet, trombone, reeds, accordion, and various other instruments.
To best manage a complex audio signal flow while being responsive to the performers, sound designer Nick Kourtides opted to deploy a Klang:Technologies immersive in-ear monitor mixing solution, allowing the entire ensemble to work together seamlessly. That setup was comprised of seven Klang:Kontrollers up on the stage, fed by a DMI-Klang card plugged into a DiGiCo Quantum7T mixing console at front of house.
“The show was definitely challenging for monitoring, but Klang helped us bring all elements together”, says Kourtides, adding that colleague vendors Masque Sound and Autograph A2D were “instrumental in supporting the Klang deployment”. Klang also enhanced accessibility and hearing health, offering clearer, less fatiguing mixes - which was especially relevant given one performer’s progressive hearing loss. The broader production incorporated accessibility elements like live captioning and multiple sensory entry points.
For “My Joy Is Heavy”, Klang’s binaural mixing transformed rehearsal, performance, and accessibility in a non-traditional musical production featuring actor-musicians. A major innovation was building the full-stage audio environment during studio rehearsals, eliminating the usual disconnect between rehearsal and live performance.
(Photos: Marc J. Franklin/Klang:Technologies)
Creative Technology uses DirectOut Prodigy.MP for “G42 Supercharged”
Creative Technology Middle East (CTME) was the sole technical supplier for “G42 Supercharged”, AI cloud computing company G42’s flagship event, held in the Adnec ICC Halls in Abu Dhabi. The event brought together the latest in technology from across the entire brand and delivered a day of debate on an AI enabled future.
“G42 Supercharged” hosted over 2,400 guests and featured over 150 meters of LED screens, plus the largest d&b Soundscape system ever deployed in the region. In preparation, CTME built a scale version of the installation and ran four days of rehearsals in their warehouse for all stakeholders. The setup had a huge channel count with audio and visuals synchronized with audio transitions that enveloped the audience. The audio network was powered by DirectOut’s Prodigy.MP and this rehearsal reduced the entire installation time to 48 hours on site.
Tim Cook was system engineer for the event, working alongside spatial and playback engineer George Abi Aad. The pair were responsible for the programming and management of the two Prodigy.MPs and, given the profile of the summit, they opted for three layers of redundancy, with one Prodigy.MP handling full redundancy of playback utilizing Ears and console feeds through Input Manager, while the second managed complete redundancy for d&b’s DS100 amplifier feeds.
“Input Managers handled both DS100 processor feeds, so that if one channel dropped, it would automatically and seamlessly fail-over to the backup”, explains Cook. “To go one step further, we implemented another fail-over layer, using the Summing Busses within the Prodigy.MP to feed a standard stereo system as a final backup.”
CTME purchased its first Prodigy.MP in 2022, alongside a range of cards to complement the existing inventory, including Dante, Ravenna, Milan, and MADI. According to Cook, the modular design allows the company to adapt the same unit for different systems and applications, ensuring there is a constant use of the Prodigy.MPs.
“The interchangeable I/O cards let us build for any workflow, while the routing matrix and onboard DSP cut down on the need for multiple outboard units”, he adds. “It’s quickly become the backbone of our shows and, if I had one tip, it would be to stop thinking of Prodigy as just a processor. Think of it as a flexible audio hub that can sit at the heart of any system design.”
For CTME, Dante is their network protocol of choice and Milan is also being used more, especially for the new connected amplifiers that many loudspeaker manufactures are developing. “The Dante SRC card gets a lot of use”, says Cook. “The MADI cards are also essential, integrating seamlessly with our DiGiCo consoles and legacy systems. We’re also embracing Milan, so the Milan SRC card is being used more and more, especially with our new d&b amplifiers and DiGiCo Milan DMI cards now in play. It’s great to see everything tying together across protocols.”
The team at CT utilizes the Globcon software: “We use Globcon for remote management and control”, continues Cook. “We also integrate the Prodigy with third-party controllers and consoles for more streamlined workflows. Everything fits neatly within our eco-system. 7Hertz have supported us in integrating our DirectOut solutions into our workflow and ensuring that we maximize the capabilities of the Prodigy.MP.”
“We tend to use the Prodigy.MP in almost every situation, from system tuning and playback redundancy to matrix routing”, he concludes. “As a rental company, we work across a huge variety of productions with different requirements and the Prodigy.MP provides a consistent backbone.”
(Photos: DirectOut GmbH)
ETC Hog steuert BTS-Comeback in Seoul
Beim Comeback der koreanischen Boygroup BTS - „The Comeback: Arirang“ - Ende März 2026 steuerten Systeme der Hog-Familie von ETC das Scheinwerfer-Setup.
Eine Tour-Hog-Konsole mit Hog-OS-Betriebssystem stellte im Gwanghwamun Square sicher, dass alle Cues und Looks sowohl für die rund 100.000 Fans vor Ort als auch für die weltweite Netflix-Übertragung präzise synchronisiert wurden. Insgesamt wurden über 230 Scheinwerfer über die Tour Hog gesteuert.
„Die Tour Hog hat eine entscheidende Rolle dabei gespielt, das visuelle Erlebnis dieses Konzerts auf ein neues Niveau zu heben“, sagt Lichtregisseur Ross Williams. Die BTS-Comeback-Show sei erst sein zweiter Einsatz mit einer Tour Hog gewesen, vorher habe er mit älterer Hog-4-Hardware gearbeitet. „Der Umstieg auf die neue Hog-Generation verlief reibungslos. Besonders der direkte Zugriff auf 64 Universen ist ein echter Meilenstein - eine Kapazität, die wir während der Show nahezu vollständig ausgeschöpft haben“, so Williams.
Lichtdesigner für die BTS-Comeback-Show waren Al Gurdon und Harry Forster; die Programmierung übernahmen Alex Mildenhall, Alex Silvester und Alex Passmore; als Setdesigner fungierte Florian Wieder.
(Foto: Ross Williams)
Anolis goes “Beyond The Bridge” in Clapham
“Beyond The Bridge” is a creative community-driven intervention that has transformed the Falcon Road Rail Bridge underpass in Clapham, South London, from an uninviting urban walkway to a safer, more pleasant and visually stimulating environment with the application of art, lighting and logistics.
Now featuring seventy Anolis Eminere 4 luminaires plus other new lighting fixtures, the project was commissioned by the London Borough of Wandsworth in a bid to transform the 100-metre-long major rail and road intersection in a practical way that addressed community concerns. A competition for architects, designers and artists to present ideas was launched in 2024, resulting in a winning entry picked for its innovation and vibrance.
“Beyond The Bridge” was a bold, collaborative vision, collectively imagined by GPAD architects, community engagement specialist POoR (Power Out of Restriction), MRG Studio, Sutton Vane Associates (SVA), Cundall and MDA Consulting, with SVA responsible for the lighting design. SVA specified the seventy Anolis Eminere 4 IP67-rated LED strip luminaires to be a major part of the new lighting scheme, with 35 fixtures installed near the top of both sides of the underpass walls on special mounting brackets.
Mark Sutton Vane, who heads up the Hammersmith-based architectural lighting design practice, explains that POoR had engaged in valuable ground research with the community to get feedback and inspiration for the artwork that now stretches along the full length of the passage - which then needed appropriate lighting.
There were three elements to the lighting design of “Beyond the Bridge”. The first was to provide comfortable and legally compliant street lighting for all using the busy road that was brighter at night and dimmed down to twenty percent during the day; the second was to provide balanced lighting for the art panels; and the third element was adding illuminative fun into the equation.
“We wanted to be able to colour the whole scenic area along the bridge”, states Sutton Vane. “This included the walls and the overhead steel support beams.” The Council chose a signature blue colour from the Anolis fixtures which lights the whole roof and provides an iridescent glow. This runs for ten minutes, then morphs into a subtle and slow rainbow chase activated over a five-minute period, carefully calculated to not be distracting for passing vehicles, before reverting to the solid blue.
The fixtures also needed to be robust. Being waterproof was a given, as was extended longevity, and they also have to withstand the bridge’s constant vibrations from Network Rail rolling stock traversing multiple tracks above, going in and out of Clapham Junction station - one of the busiest rail intersections in the UK - that operates round the clock.
The lights also had to be resistant to other common urban hazards like pigeons, although reducing their presence was part of the overall project. Technical specifications also included DMX control. Eminere 4 was chosen after extensive testing. It was the first time that SVA has specified Anolis products. The Emineres are programmed and run via a Pharos controller.
Anolis designed and built the special Eminere 4 mounting brackets which utilised as many existing holes as possible in the original Victorian brick walls from the previous lighting installation. The brackets had many variants as the runs of lights are not exactly straight, and had to navigate drains, pipes and other obstructions.
The lighting installation was completed on site by electrical contractor Armadillo Lighting using bespoke cable layout designed by SVA to ensure all necessary wiring stayed neat and well protected.
(Photos: Katie Walker)
