Trevor Ahlstrand Lit the Band with a Gemini LSV Rig for its Tour with Marilyn Manson
American heavy metal rockers Slipknot hit the road this summer with Marilyn Manson on a tour lasting from June through September. Trevor Ahlstrand of Ahlstrand Productions provided the production and lighting design with lighting, audio and video elements for the tour supplied by Gemini Light Sound Video out of Dallas. Both have worked with Slipknot on several tours.
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“My goal is that the audience can’t tell when I’m going from the pre-programmed parts of the songs to the improvised ones,” says Andrew Cass, LD for String Cheese Incident (SCI). Indeed, he has 90 or so songs programmed in his grandMA2 console, but with this band, there is a section in every song where they go on an improvised musical tangent, and the lighting needs to follow along. He has developed a system that lets him stray from his song cuelist during the “jam” sections and return to the song looks as smoothly as possible.
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Clearwing Provides New Fixtures for the Stage and Surrounding Grounds
More than 20,000 festival goers were treated to a weekend of memorable musical performances, art installations and light displays at the second annual Eaux Claires 2016. The two-day festival, curated by Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon, was held Aug. 12-13. The event has drawn widespread acclaim for its eclectic lineup and an innovative lighting design that turns the festival grounds — Foster Farm in Eau Claire, WI — into an extension of the stage.
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It was 1996 when two guys found themselves together in a room and were informed that if they wanted a particular gig, they had better start working together. The client was only interested in a package deal, it seems. As Mark Grega, one of the principals at SFX explains, “This wasn’t about two guys getting together and saying, ‘Hey, let’s start a company’.” Partner Ted Maccabee admits, “We weren’t really friends who set off looking for our dream job. It just kind of turned out that way.”
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Post hardcore bands Senses Fail and Silverstein shared a great deal in common, beyond their excellence in their musical genre, when they toured together in 2015. Both had achieved critical acclaim; both had loyal cult-like followings, and both maintained relentless touring schedules. Unfortunately, both also lacked the budget for the kind of lighting rig that could do visual justice to their hard driving music. It was then that Victor Zeiser stepped in.
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It was announced at the end of 2015 that “classic era” Guns N’ Roses lead singer Axl Rose, guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan would be regrouping … after months of speculation and anticipation. Fans, press, media, the social universe and the music industry went into overdrive at the thought of one of the world’s most legendary rock bands being back on the road with this incredible lineup.
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Tour Manager for Faces, Eagles and Tom Petty to Accept Industry Honor at Gala Event on Oct. 22, 2016 at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas
This could be Richard Fernandez’s list of clients, or your favorite playlist on your iPod: The Cars, Crosby, Stills, & Nash, Bob Dylan, Eagles, Faces, Tom Petty & the Heart Breakers, Boz Scaggs, Neil Young and Frank Zappa. It’s likely both.
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The organizers of the KAABOO Festival outside San Diego had quite the inaugural show in 2015. Deemed a success by all, the festival reconvened from Sept. 15 to 18 this year for a second go-round. Festivals usually have multiple stages for music, boasts of artistic structures, and various places on-site that a patron can go to in order to take a break from the music, mingle with friends, or in the case of San Diegans, get out of the sun. This festival indeed had seven stages devoted to entertainment that were scattered over the 370 acres at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, just north of the city, but it is also an artwork experience. We take a look at this site to see why it stands out among all the other festivals this summer.
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In its third year, the Imagine Music Festival moved to the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, GA, expanded to a three-day format (Aug. 26-28) and offered camping for the first time. The EDM festival was deemed a huge success, drawing close to 45,000 with a lineup that included Dillon Francis, Benny Benassi, Bogore, The Disco Biscuits, Excision, Gramatik, Nero, Showtek, Steve Angello, Zeds Dead and more.
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A Look at the Growing Complexity of Fixture Functions and Control Systems
ver the years, the complexity of intelligent lighting fixtures has finally gotten to the point where our own intelligence level has to rise up exponentially just to operate the gear we are using. Take a look around at what the shows we see now differ to the shows that we saw just a few years ago. Now take a moment to think about what we will be seeing in a few years from now. That’s right, those are chills running down your spine.
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Atlantic City Hotspot Features Elaborate Mirrorball, Chandelier
The Premier Nightclub in the Borgata casino gives a classic dance floor fixture — the mirror ball — a new twist. Stephen Lieberman of SJ Lighting provided his signature design for this world class, 18,000-square foot club, located in the space previously occupied by MIXX.
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A Talk with Debbie Sharpe, Catering Godess
As the old saying goes, an army marches on its stomach. Wise words that undeniably also apply to the concert touring industry. One of the people who have been in the concert touring trenches for a long time now is Debbie Sharpe. PLSN spoke with her about how she came to music touring, to food, and about what she’s cooking up these days.
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