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Lighting Santana

Santana photo by Chad Tasky

Lighting Santana

The phrase,” A well crafted career,” is often heard regarding the success of someone’s longevity in their particular line of work. This certainly applies to Michael Ledesma. Throughout his career, Mike has possessed a key ingredient underpinning all the elements necessary, that of being present in the moment. For 37 years, he has lit some of the greatest artists of our time, and they, in turn have relied upon him to interpret visually their music and art. Longtime associations with legends Paul Simon, Kenny Loggins and Gloria Estefan are a testimonial to not only his lighting skills but his personality as well.

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The two-night EDM event brought top artists and revelers together in Denver’s convention center. Pictured here, Flume performs. Photo by midg view

Decadence in Denver

Brown Note Productions Brings Global Dance’s “City of Dreams” Vision to Reality By MikeWharton

The annual Decadence New Year’s Eve Dance Celebration returned for the sixth year to the Colorado Convention Center. Touted as “America’s Largest New Year’s Eve Dance Celebration,” the event is the brainchild of Ha Hau, owner of Global Dance, who collaborates with AEG Live and Live Nation to produce the two-day indoor EDM festival. Themed as the “City of Decadence,” the celebration features top DJs on two main stage arenas backed with an impressive visual and audio production. Between these two performance spaces is an interconnecting area dubbed “The Chill Room” which features high-tech artworks.

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Adam Hall Group Expands Event Tech Solutions Portfolio with Riggatec Brand

[caption id="attachment_274703" align="alignnone" width="400"]Adam Hall expands with Riggatec gear [/caption]

GERMANY – As of February 15th, the Adam Hall Group will be adding a new name to its family of brands within its event technology solutions portfolio – Riggatec. The range expansion with Riggatec will allow the Adam Hall Group to offer non-exclusively worldwide a comprehensive portfolio of high-quality rigging products at a competitive price point for the stage and event sector.

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Houston Skylight Lights Up the Houston Sky during Super Bowl LI with Claypaky Supersharpy Array

[caption id="attachment_274700" align="alignnone" width="800"]SuperSharpys act as searchlights on top of the George R. Brown Convention Center during Super Bowl Week.[/caption]

HOUSTON – In the great Texas tradition of going big, Houston welcomed Super Bowl LI with a number of exciting attractions, including the Houston Skylight high atop the George R. Brown Convention Center (GRB).  Houston First Corporation, which maintains GRB, asked Nimblist to conceive and execute the Houston Skylight, a rooftop beacon that marks the center of the city’s cultural activities. Nimblist designer and creative consultant Spike Brant devised an array of 36 Claypaky Supersharpy fixtures, mounted on staging on the GRB roof overlooking Discovery Green park.  

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Total Show Pro Goes with Robe

[caption id="attachment_274697" align="alignnone" width="800"]Claudio Pasos (in striped shirt) at the front on the right with some of his crew, including commercial director Francisco Uribe Vasquez on the far left (in light blue shirt).[/caption]

MERIDA, MX. – Merida, the capital of Yucatan State in Mexico is a thriving, buzzing hub of culture and industry, rich with Mayan and Colonial –- Spanish, French and British – heritage and a lively contemporary arts and live performance scene, lots of greenery and arguably, the best ice cream in Mexico! Based on the north west of this picturesque city is Total Show Pro, a full technical production company delivering lighting, sound, video and staging – design and equipment – founded by Claudio Pasos four years ago.

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The Conservatory at MGM National Harbor

4Wall DC Lights The Conservatory at MGM National Harbor

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD — Ever since MGM National Harbor opened its doors to the public Dec. 8, 2016, guests have been impressed by a signature amenity of the resort that is visible upon entering – the 15,000-square foot Conservatory. 4Wall DC was tasked with lighting the soaring interior space enclosed by the 85-foot-tall glass-topped atrium.

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None of the 1,100 seats in the Wurtele Thrust theater are more than 52 feet from the stage. Photo by Gallop Studios.

The Guthrie Theater

The Birth of Non-Profit Residential Theater

The Guthrie Theater, serving in the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, has been in operation for over 50 years. Unlike theaters on Broadway, which are designed for optimum return on investment, Sir Tyrone Guthrie was primarily devoted to the idea of establishing a playhouse that would exist primarily to nurture and cultivate artistic expression. Run as a nonprofit enterprise, the playhouse he envisioned would keep important works of literature alive by presenting them to appreciative audiences while also cultivating the artistic talents of the performers on stage.

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Brian rocks out with some classic Stray Cats. Photo by Steve Jennings

Brian Setzer Orchestra

Brian Setzer first hit the big time as the frontman for the Stray Cats, the band that burst onto the music scene in the early 1980’s with a rockabilly sound from the 1950s. PLSN caught up with Bud Horowitz, LD for the Brian Setzer Orchestra, a swing band ensemble that recently completed its 13th annual Christmas Rocks! Tour. Today’s BSO shows include some of the classic Stray Cats songs with big-band accompaniment. Horowitz has also lit Setzer’s Nashvillians and Rockabilly Riot tours. He notes that, instead of getting too involved in the lighting specifics, Setzer turns to him for the lighting looks.

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Creative Conners always gets a great response when showing off their products.

Creative Conners

Creative Conners, Inc. has been specializing in scenic automation products since 2004 with a simple goal—to make scenic automation simple, safe, efficient, and affordable. They have always offered a range of products that enable designers and technical directors to easily and efficiently add automation to shows, most recently introducing their well-received Floor Pocket, a traproom elevator.

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PLSN Feb 2017 Buyers Guide - Moving Beam Lights

Moving Beam Lights

Looking back, 2008 was a magical year for concert lighting. That was the year that Claypaky unveiled their highly successful Alpha Beam fixtures on a moving yoke, dedicated to the art of the tight collimated shafts of light. A year later, Elation kept the evolution of moving light fixtures moving with units that had a smaller footprint and tiny moving beam. As LED technology continues to sweep across the world of entertainment lighting, we’ve seen more single LED Beam models pop up in the last year. This month we present the latest and best beams on a moving yoke.

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Paul Sonnleitner keeping warm at his console position in Times Square for New Year’s Eve.

1000 Words with Lighting Director Paul Sonnleitner

Well-respected programmer and lighting director Paul Sonnleitner recently spoke with PLSN about how he started his ‘is this really a career’ career, and how he approaches his work. Sonnleitner’s credits range from Broadway to live television, from national historic events, including the Presidential Political Conventions to international sports, for which he shared Emmy nominations with LD David Grill for the 2007 Pan Am Games and the 2014 Central American Games. He also has marked New Year’s Eve for the last 13 years working in Times Square.

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From left: CAT Entertainment Service’s Jason Roof, Greg Landa, and Bobby De Luna

Cat Entertainment Services Powers Fox Sports Broadcast of Super Bowl

HOUSTON — Cat Entertainment Services noted that its technicians were on hand during Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium to ensure a steady stream of power at the event. In all, the company fielded 16 technicians who were looking after a total of 8,600 kW of generator power, 1,300 kVA of UPS-supported power, and more than seven miles of cable. Pictured here, from left, are Jason Roof, Greg Landa, and Bobby De Luna

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