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LDI 2016 Show Report

Blizzard Lighting fixtures lit robots made from ModTruss components.

LDI 2016 Show Report

It was a good three days of walking the floor this year, with all of the 350 booths located in the same hall. Attendance seemed moderate this year, as there seemed to be more room to walk the aisles without bumping into people. Of course, there was still the usual logjam at the Blizzard Lighting/Mod Truss booth where the party never seemed to stop, especially when you have life-sized Rock’em Sock’em Robots for us full-sized children to play with! Rest assured, there was plenty of cool things to see this year, and we have compiled a list of the 100 companies we felt had something worthwhile on display.

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'Cats' photos by Matthew Murphy

Katz on ‘Cats’

LD Natasha Katz talks about lighting the musical as it makes its way back to Broadway.

The Andrew Lloyd Weber musical, Cats, is both a beloved and satirized show. The original production lasted 18 years and ended its original run in 2000, but it has been revived in a new production directed by Trevor Nunn and co-starring pop singer Leona Lewis as the melancholy kitty Grizabella, whose signature song, “Memories,” is an iconic Broadway theme.

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Dierks Bentley Somewhere on a Beach Tour 2016. Photo by Todd Kaplan

Dierks Bentley ‘Somewhere on a Beach’ Tour

Chris Reade has been lighting bands for 20 plus years now, but as they say, ‘It’s a long way to the top’. He may not have reached the pinnacle of his career just yet, but after getting nominated for a Parnelli Award as LD of the year in 2016, he’s certainly close to it as his peers have noted. It was especially sweet for Chris as this year marks the 10th tour he has designed lights for Dierks Bentley and the fourth time he has gotten to collaborate with set designer Bruce Rodgers.

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Lindsey Stirling 2016 tour photo by Steve Jennings

Lindsey Stirling ‘Brave Enough’ 2016 Tour

Lighting designer and director Andrew Nissley is out with Lindsey Stirling, the American violinist, dancer, performance artist and composer, who’s a YouTube sensation with more than a billion total views. Stirling’s music is a combination of classical, pop, rock and dance. Her tour dates tend to be sell-outs and she continues to grow as an artist. The solo dates in the States wrap up this month, then she shares the stage with three more multi-artist U.S. gigs in December. Then she returns to the road for a European leg in 2017.

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WorldStage handled projection for Test Pattern in Documentary Now’s “Final Transmission” episode. Photo by Jordin Althaus for IFC

Recreating the Looks for ‘Stop Making Sense’

Two Projects are Inspired by the 1984 Talking Heads Concert Film’s Looks

In 1984, The Talking Heads released a concert movie like no other, Stop Making Sense. The film, directed by Jonathan Demme in close collaboration with David Byrne, captured the band toward the end of their tour over three nights at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, CA. Widely considered one of the best concert films ever made, Demme used the live performances to really showcase the band’s music and their highly theatrical style.

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Parnelli Awards photo by Richard Crews

16th Annual Parnelli Awards

The 16th Annual Parnelli Awards was on track to be its typical high-energy, funny, and emotional show … and then Tom Petty surprised the audience by taking the podium. He flew in himself and 11 members of the Heartbreaker family to give accolades to his long time tour manager, Richard Fernandez, who received the live events highest honor, the Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Award.

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Stage manager Jeff Van Duyn came out to tell host Adrian Belew that the event was not, in fact, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Producing the Parnelli Awards

Adrian Belew, Tom Petty, Richard Fernandez, Danny O’Bryen and Greg Mackie were among the impressive list of luminaries at the 2016 Parnelli Awards. This year’s honorees, award winners, and guests celebrated at the largest Parnelli Awards ever produced during the annual bash held on Oct. 22, 2016 at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The much anticipated evening is not only about honoring our peers but it really is a testament to the collaborative and supportive nature of our industry as the Parnelli’s list of production partners makes clear. Access Event Solutions, Atomic, OSA, PRG, SGA Production Services, Stage Crew, and TPI Technical Productions Inc. all contributed to the successful production. 

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Carlos Zamora de Martino

Chauvet Names Carlos Zamora de Martino GM of Chauvet Mexico

LERMA, Mexico – Chauvet named Carlos Zamora de Martino general manager of Chauvet Mexico. Prior to joining Chauvet’s Mexican operation, Zamora held senior executive positions at a number of global companies. He was also the co-founder and CEO of Geo Lite LED Lighting.  In his new position, he will be responsible for managing all facets of the Chauvet Professional, Chauvet DJ, Iluminarc and Trusst business in Mexico.

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Blizzard Stiletto I7

Blizzard Stiletto I7

Blizzard’s Stiletto I7 multi-effect moving head features beam and wash capabilities along with rotating gobos. The Stiletto I7 comes with seven 15W Osram RGBW LED moduless and an infinite rotating lens for kaleidoscopic effects using LED beam projection.

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LD Andrew Cass recently deployed Martin MAC Axiom Hybrid and MAC III Profiles

Suwannee Hulaween Music Festive Lit with Martin Fixtures

LIVE OAK, FL — LD Andrew Cass recently deployed Martin MAC Axiom Hybrid and MAC III Profile fixtures at Suwannee Hulaween, a three-day music festival that took place over Halloween weekend 2016. Set in the Florida Everglades at Suwannee Music Park, the festival’s lineup included The String Cheese Incident, My Morning Jacket, Disclosure, STS9, Logic, Umphrey’s McGee, and more. Cass chose the MAC Axiom Hybrids for their versatility, performance and wide acceptance among lighting directors.

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Richard Sandaime is an international collaboration performed in Japanese, English and Indonesian with Japanese and English subtitles

For ‘Richard Sandaime’ in Japan, LD Scott Zielinski Uses Robert Juliat Dalis 860 Cyc Lights

SHIZUOKA, Japan –  Lighting designer Scott Zielinski used Robert Juliat’s Dalis 860 cyclorama washlights to light the backdrops for the theatre production of Richard Sandaime, a co-production between the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre and the Singapore International Festival of Arts. The theatrical production premiered at the Shizuoka Arts Theatre in Japan as part of its World Theatre Festival 2016 earlier this year.

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EXE Technology 2017 Catalogue

EXE Technology 2017 Catalogue

Area Four Industries released its latest catalog for EXE Technology rigging and automation products. The company notes that the D8 range now features an 8:1 safety factor with new load capacities of 250 kg / 500 kg /1000 kg / 2000 kg and the D8+ range has new load capacities of 150 kg / 300 kg / 600 kg / 1200 kg. All EXE-Rise hoists now feature a double brake, updated identification labeling and black plugs and sockets. A new 8 x 24mm chain also brings added safety to 1000 – 2000 kg hoists, and Dynamic Stack Tracks from the EXE-DST range have updated data, new modules and new configurations.

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