To provide rock legend Alice Cooper with impactful and dynamic audio for his 2022 US tour, SLS Production Services implemented a diverse selection of JBL Professional audio solutions. Often referred to as “The Godfather of Shock Rock,” Alice Cooper is one of the most successful and influential rock artists working today. While he has sold over 50 million records, Cooper is perhaps best known for his onstage persona and visuals inspired by horror films, injecting a sense of camp and theatricality in rock music that still inspires artists to this day. For his latest US tour, Cooper and his band…
Author: James Robertson
Returning for the TPi Awards 2023, the Green Award sponsored by Hilton Hotels, shines a light on sustainable practices within the live events industry. There has undoubtedly been a sea change when it comes to the attention and importance of sustainability both on the part of artists and fans – and it has fallen to our industry to create solutions to reduce the impact that live music has on the planet. The Green Award is open to an individual, company or organisation that has gone above and beyond to make live touring more sustainable. From new working practices or company-wide…
A casual observer might describe Rowdytown as a concert, but the event’s organisers, the talented electronic music duo Big Gigantic, and their legion of fans, prefer party, a term that more accurately captures the close-knit, free-flowing and fun-filled vibe that fills the air during this two-day affair. Regardless of what they call it, however, there’s one thing fans can be sure of: Rowdytown will take them on a journey that’s as unforgettable visually as it is musically. From the very beginning, Big Gigantic has insisted that their event engage the eyes as well as ears by having their designers create…
Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys has embarked on her sixth concert tour playing 31 dates in North America and 21 in Europe on the Alicia + Keys World Tour. The show, which celebrates the 15-time Grammy winner’s career from her early R&B music to her seventh and eighth studio albums, finds Keys singing, playing piano and DJ-ing to the delight of fans. Lighting designer, Bryan Barancik, Principal of Luxious Creative in Boston, selected 142 Ayrton Perseo Profiles as the workhorse fixtures on the rig in the European leg. He also chose two grandMA3 full-size consoles with five NPUs to control the lighting…
Funktion-One introduces the Evo X, a development of the full range, completely horn-loaded loudspeaker. Utilising the latest Funktion-One waveguide technology, it provides 90° horizontal dispersion and high SPL. Evo X’s advanced driver technology delivers outstanding clarity, resolution and detail across 90° horizontal dispersion, making it an excellent choice for live venues, small clubs and theatres. It is capable of high SPL from a relatively compact speaker and can be deployed as a one per side or four-point system. While Evo X’s horizontal dispersion delivers even coverage across a wide area, its focused 15° vertical dispersion ensures the sound is concentrated…
Comedian Nikki Glaser’s first HBO comedy special is a hilarious, no-holds-barred hour of comedy that covers a range of ticklish topics like sex, dating, and private parts. Taped late last year at the Paramount Theater in Denver, Colorado in front of a sold-out audience, Nikki Glaser: Good Clean Filth premiered on HBO on July 16 and is available to stream on HBO Max. Chief Designer at E26 Design, Marc Janowitz, who served as lighting and production designer for the special, sought a sparkle lighting effect to go along with the set’s backdrop glitter curtain. He found what he was looking…
Great talent often defies easy categorisations, especially when it is driven by an equally-great drive to expand its reach and push boundaries to explore new ideas. Legendary Romanian polymath, Florian Pittis embodied this Renaissance-like vision in a four-decade career as a singer, actor, director, producer and internet radio pioneer. Heralded as “the prophet of the blue-jeans generation,” Pittis was instrumental in introducing the electronic folk/rock sound to his country as a founding member of the iconic band Pasărea Colibri. Along the way, he also found time to star in seminal plays, translate Dylan songs into Romanian, start a radio station,…
British metalcore band While She Sleeps recently wrapped up a UK & EU tour supporting Australian act Parkway Drive, taking in 18 shows across 9 countries in rooms ranging from 3,000 to 12,000 capacity. When FOH engineer James Hill got the call for the tour, he was keen to find a solution that would keep his mix position footprint to a minimum whilst still delivering the goods sonically. Enter a compact Allen & Heath dLive C1500 Surface paired with a DM64 MixRack, supplied by SSE Audio, providing 128 input processing channels and class-leading 0.7ms latency, all controlled via a rack-mountable control surface with…
Staged by the Country Music Association in Nashville, CMA Fest is considered one of the largest country music festivals in the world, attracting tens of thousands of fans from all 50 US states, as well as 37 other countries. The 2022 event saw an Alcons LR24 pro-ribbon system bring ‘throwback’ performances by new and established artists to enthusiastic audiences at the Dr Pepper Amp Stage. Alcons Audio is enjoying an increased profile in the US live audio market, with high profile demonstrations of its LR24 pro-ribbon touring system in Hollywood and Nashville attended by many leading US touring sound engineers.…
Neumann&Müller has developed an IoT-based system for checking and monitoring safety-related suspension points used to bear loads in the event sector: “Loadwatch” has been designed to monitor a large number of such suspension points in parallel. This new product underwent its first major acid test at Fira de Barcelona. It provides trade fair companies and venue operators with greater safety in load distribution to load-bearing structures. The planning and implementation of suspension points are currently mainly reliant on calculatory and empirical values. These provide the basis for dimensioning load-bearing capacity and assessing the distribution of loads to the load-bearing structure.…
Solotech has appointed of John Probyn as Head of Business Development in Europe for the Live Productions Division. This new position is an important milestone towards continued growth in the global market of live productions. Probyn will be responsible for the business development of the company’s touring activities in Europe. He will be cultivating new relationships while continuing to provide expert service to Solotech’s customer base. With almost 20 years’ experience in leadership positions at Live Nation Music UK, Probyn has earned a strong reputation in the audiovisual and entertainment technology industry. John started his career in live music in…
Shure supported Louis Tomlinson on his worldwide debut album campaign with 12 channels of PSM 1000 in ear monitors and 2 channels of Axient Digital AD2 handheld microphones with KSM9 capsules. The world tour was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and as a result, some shows were booked into larger venues with more production added. Show designer, Tom Taylor / TANCK came up with a new concept for the large outdoor European shows which allowed for a full width catwalk in front of the IMAG video screens, allowing Louis to walk and perform along the full width of stage…
Martin Professional continues its expansion with the appointment of Chris Munn as Account Manager for UK & Ireland With almost twenty years of experience in the industry, Munn brings extensive knowledge and in-depth experience to the team. His passion for Martin products evident, particularly in his lighting design work, Munn joins Martin from working as an Energy Zone Manager on the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, leaving early to grasp this opportunity. Munn previously worked across many roles in various venues, including Technical Manager of various producing and receiving regional venues. Also, a qualified electrician, he brings with him a wide range…
The Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) hires Royal Albert Hall executive Ollie Jeffery as Director of Event Operations and Technology. Jeffery spent over eighteen years with the Royal Albert Hall, most recently as Head of Production and Technical. Jeffery’s experience at the Royal Albert Hall included developing the venue’s lighting and audio services, establishing an apprentice scheme, and supporting the delivery of around 400 events a year. EICC CEO Marshall Dallas said: “As we aim to further establish the EICC as a globally-recognised conference venue, getting someone of Ollie’s international experience and know-how on board is a major coup and…
Shure invited top professional women in the theater industry from around the globe to join Shure President and CEO Chris Schyvinck for a panel discussion around the evolving role of women. Panelists included: • Vicki Hill, Front of House Operator for Theater (UK) • Nancy Lam, Chief Theatre Technician, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (Hong Kong) • Victoria (Toy) Deiorio, Head of Sound Design at DePaul University (US) • Stephanie Farina, Adjunct Professor at The Theatre School at DePaul University, and a Journeymen in IATSE Local 2 of Chicago (US) The live online broadcast provided myriad topics ranging from what…
Get your carving kits out and let your Halloween creativity run wild in the Backup Pumpkin Challenge, which is back for some spooky fun and fundraising this October. Supported by Collaborative Creations, and now in its fourth year, the competition is open to anyone from the technical entertainment and creative industries. Entrants can use their in-house skills and equipment to enhance their carved pumpkin. “We’re delighted the industry has got behind it every year.” says Tom Wilkes of Collaborative Creations “We’ve been amazed at what people have come up with over the years and it’s a great way for the…
Phish’s longtime Lighting Designer, Chris Kuroda and Associate Designer, Andrew ‘Gif’ Giffin joined forces to create a dynamic and eye-catching visual design for the band’s latest North American live campaign with the help of 72 Robe Tetra2 moving LED bars and 60 Robe Spiiders. Kuroda and Gif have been working together on Phish live projects since 2009 and enjoy a great synergy and all the benefits of working as a creative duo. “Sometimes we bicker about choices like the proverbial old married couple,” Kuroda remarked. This latest Phish tour design process started in the summer of 2021 when the band…
This year, the HOF company celebrates its 25th anniversary. What began in 1997 with five employees has grown over the past 25 years into a team of over 50 people. The areas of special construction made of aluminium and steel as well as trusses for event technology still represent HOF’s core business. In parallel, HOF has established itself over the past two and a half decades as a reliable partner for industry clients from the food, automotive and agricultural sectors when it comes to special constructions and contract welding work. From day one, the motto of company founder Hans-Wilhelm Flegel…
