A Monolithic Staging and Video Achievement For Beyoncé

MIAMI – Beyonce’s Formation tour has been wowing the crowds with a monolithic video structure that measures 22 by 16 by 9 meters in size and is embedded in a 62 by 35 meter stage. The monolith is the centerpiece of Es Devlin’s production design. Working with other production companies, staging supplier Stageco helped make it all happen for the tour, which finishes its first North American leg June 14, heads to Europe June 28, and returns for more U.S. shows from Sept. 7-Oct. 2.

LOS ANGELES – LD Jeff Ravitz, longtime LD for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, included MAC Viper Profiles and MAC Aura fixtures for their 2016 River tour (first 2016 U.S. leg), which ran from Jan. 16 (Pittsburgh, PA) to April 25 (Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, NY). The tour supports the recent release of an archival box set, The Ties That Bind: The River Collection, from the hit 1980s’ album The River, and each show featured an in-sequence, complete performance of the album’s 20 songs. The band heads to Europe this summer and returns for more U.S. shows in August and September.

FRESNO, CA – Not long after Fresno-based Live Light, Inc. taken delivery of 50 new Clay Paky Mythos fixtures, the event production company sent them out the door to the 2016 California State Future Farmers of America (FFA) Leadership Conference.  Mythos played a key role in the entertainment component of the annual conference. They enhanced the look of the recorded music sessions that preceded every general session for the 6,000+ high school agriculture students attending the event.  Live Light’s Mythos also lit the Monday night concert headlined by country music duo Thompson Square.  The sessions and concert were held in the Fresno Convention Center’s Selland Arena.

DENVER – USITT announced that the first annual Jay O. Glerum Rigging Masterclasses are full. They will offer two days of hands-on stage rigging instruction to a total of 64 students June 13-14 in Denve. USITT has 30 students signed up for its Advanced Rigging Masterclass and 34 in the Entry Level Rigging Class. Seven who are secondary school teachers also received funding for travel expenses donated by the family of Jay Glerum, for whom the masterclasses are named.

NASHVILLE – The American Cancer Society recently held RelayLIVE, a musical festival which advocates “fighting cancer at every stage.” Bandit Lites donated a lighting package for the inaugural concert.   With the concert taking place in a park with little to no lighting, it was crucial for lighting designer Carter Fulghum to build a look that would both translate from day to night seamlessly and be visible to those in attendance across the park. With truss towers filling the stage, he used Bandit’s exclusive LED GRNLite Battens, GRNLite Moving Washes, GLP X4S and Martin MAC Auras for flashy effects.