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Red Rock Amphitheatre

Red Rock Amphitheatre photo by Justin Lang

Red Rock Amphitheatre

Upping the Ante from 9,000 to 10,000 Seats

When you first think Vegas, you probably don’t think about Red Rock. That belongs in Colorado, right? Well, yes. But there’s also the beautiful Red Rock National Conservation Area in the peaks outside of Las Vegas. And the Red Rock Casino Resort just down the road has their own outdoor amphitheatre that competes with the best venues in town, thanks to the stage and seating from Brown United.

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ETC Source Four Lustr+

ETC Source Four LED Fixtures

As the LED craze took over the entertainment industry, one of the most frequently-asked questions was, “When will ETC’s Source Four go LED?” At ETC’s CUE, a conference for end-users held in the company’s hometown, Middleton, WI, in July, 2011, the answer came as CEO Fred Foster took the stage and started talking about color. Lo and behold, what started out looking like the beam of a Source Four fixture began to change color.

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Histograms - Video World

A Word about Histograms

Well, there it is again — that little mountain range display on my point-and-shoot camera’s LCD screen.  What’s it doing there?  How do I get rid of it?  What’s it for, anyway? One would imagine that you’ve asked the same set of questions from time to time, especially when you’re fiddling around with your camera’s little multi-function circular thingy (that’s the actual official name, I think).  It’s certainly happened to me — it usually appears when I try to skip through a series of pictures, and suddenly the mountain range shows up as an overlay.

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Avicii tour photo by Drew Ressler

Avicii LE7ELS Tour

The head-spinning visuals for DJ Avicii’s LE7ELS tour start with a monumental set element — a giant head — flanked by large, organically-contoured “leaf-like” projection surfaces, all in front of a giant LED video wall.  Add in some nice beam and wash effects from the lighting rig, and you give one man with four mixing decks a way to deliver a two-hour dance experience for thousands of fans that’s altogether trippy, creative, energetic and bold.

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Yes, Again. Dammit.

There are two things to note about the recent fatal stage collapse in Toronto in mid June this year: 1) Radiohead sold out Downsview Park’s capacity of 40,000, meaning that those who were heading to the event constituted roughly 0.1 percent of all tickets sold annually in North America, none of those ticketholders were even scratched and most of the other 99.9 percent of concert attendees each year need little more than an aspirin as result of a show they go to; and 2) all of that is completely meaningless. A string of fatal staging incidents, including the Indianapolis State Fair stage collapse last August that killed seven, the Pukkelpop Festival storm in which five died in Belgium that same month, and the Big Valley Jamboree in August 2009, where one person died when wind knocked down the main stage, is about to put the live staging industry under scrutiny like never before.

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How to Meet Hot Fixtures

Welcome to the newest service in the lighting industry: meet-hot-fixtures.com.  It is very important for automated lighting programmers to get to know and fully understand the lighting fixtures they will work with.  Our on-line guide (reprinted here) will assist you in your daily interactions with new fixtures.  Often, programmers can be at a loss as to how to fully function with new fixtures, and it is essential that you learn the traits that will assist you with your programming.  We have broken down the relationship process into several easy steps.

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Boston, lit by Gregg Maltby

Boston LD Looks Back; Olympics A-Team; Farm Aid Update; Megadeth Lives On; Quick Cues and More…

PLSN Designer Watch by Debi Moen –
Boston
is bringing back memories in concert this summer on their U.S./Canada tour with “More Than a Feeling,” “Peace of Mind,” “Long Time,” “Amanda” and other classic. Though one song advises “Don’t Look Back,” LD Gregg Maltby can’t help but do so. He’s been with the band since 1995, and this is his sixth tour with them.

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Illustration by Andy Au

The Little Guys

It’s a good year for work. The usual constant stream of emails from friends looking for work has subsided. There is actually a shortage of board operators for tours this summer.  Lighting companies are running out of gear, but more important, running out of good techs. I walked in to a mega lighting shop last week and the first thing I was hit with was “Do you know any guys we can throw out on the road?”

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CHAUVET QSpot 360 LED

CHAUVET Launches New Products at PLASA 2012

SUNRISE, FL – CHAUVET  is launching new moving heads and video panels to the European Market at the PLASA show Sept. 9-12 in London. It will also highlight its new Ovation line of theatrical fixtures and will introduce its architainment line of ILUMINARC indoor/outdoor lighting products.

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Vectorworks Cloud Services Launched in Benelux

COLUMBIA, MD – Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc. has launched Vectorworks Cloud Services in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Vectorworks Cloud Services provides greater convenience, collaboration and freedom for users to access their designs from any location, at any time. All members of the Vectorworks Service Select software subscription program receive access to Vectorworks Cloud Services and 5 GB of storage capacity.

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Red Summer Dance Party

Robe Sees Red at Slovenia Summer Party

LJUBLIJANA, Slovenia – Event Lighting provided Robe moving lights to fill most of the rig for the Red Summer Dance Party with Tiesto and other DJs at the Arena Stozice. Event Lighting’s LD Jernej Gustin, who designs for many top Slovenian bands, specified more than 75 Robe fixtures including ROBIN 600 LEDWashes, ColorSpot 1200E ATs, ColorSpot 700E ATs and ColorSpot 575E ATs.

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Sew What?/Rent What? Channel

Sew What?/Rent What? Expands Onto Flickr, YouTube

RANCHO DOMINGUEZ, CA  — Custom theatrical drape manufacturer Sew What? Inc. along with sister company Rent What? Inc. have expanded channels on both Flickr and YouTube, including cross-links with their own websites.  As a result, prospective customers can research hundreds of stage curtain and backdrop photos, watch corresponding videos, and then visit the web sites and company blog for more details.

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