BREDA, NETHERLANDS – August 22 had been circled on the calendars of Dutch music fans for quite some time — and with good reason. This was the date that the 2020 Waailand Outdoor Feestival was scheduled to take place. Of course, those plans were dashed when the government banned public gatherings in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, forcing fans to resign themselves to going without Waailand. Or maybe not!
More details from Chauvet DJ (www.chauvetdj.com):
With the fans unable to go to the festival, the festival came to them. On Saturday April 17, Sensation Events, organizers of the festival, aired Waailand Livestream XL, a five-hour (7 pm to Midnight) show that featured 10 popular DJs and three artists, including Outsiders, Ransom and Willem de Wijs.
Livestreamed on Facebook and BredaNu the online festival took place at Breepark’s massive 8,500 square meter event hall, a venue that normally holds up to 13,000 people. Given social distancing protocol, the hall was void of all spectators, only necessary staff was in the big room. Sensation Events, which produces the fall Waailand Feestival in addition to Waailand Outdoor, selected this site to create a textured and evocative live festival feeling for its livestream.
Key to achieving this goal were the riveting, blow-your-head-back lightshows created for each artist with a rig supplied and constructed by HMF Sound & Light that featured 36 CHAUVET DJ Intimidator Hybrid 140SR fixtures.
Arranged primarily in an arc around the DJ stand, as well on rows behind the stand, the high output Intimidator units surrounded the artists in brilliant fields of colorful light, emitting the visual energy and excitement of a live festival. Because the fixtures were arranged tightly around the DJ stand, the lighting translated well to a livestream show, which was often viewed on small screens.
Drawing on the color rendering capabilities of the hybrid units and changing beam angles, the lighting designers who worked this online festival were able to create an array of different looks that underscored the individual identity of each artist.
“All of us were very happy with the way design worked out,” said Rudi van Damme of HMF Sound & Light, who served as Project Manager.” There was no rigging so everything had to be built on the ground. We used truss and stage decks. We used the location as a scenic element, which turned out to be very effective.”
Safety standards were strictly followed in the production of the livestream. Everyone remained 1.5 meters apart and all equipment was disinfected between performances. “All the partners followed safety protocol – and they did this for free,” said van Damme. “We wanted to bring the festival feeling to the people at home. This was important to all of us, because there is no festival summer and all the events are on hold until 1 September.”
By the fall, perhaps live festivals like Sensation Events Waailand Feestival will again be open to the public. In the meantime, online shows like Waailand Livestream XL are providing fans with entertainment and an important sense of encouragement.
