Features

When Los Angeles’ mega-club Playhouse held its soft opening, the crowd converged on Hollywood Blvd. was large enough to warrant intervention from the LA Police Department — one measure of the buzz surrounding the new $6 million venue.

For MTV’s Video Music Awards (VMAs), staged live at Radio City Music Hall, LD Tom Kenny deployed a package of Coemar Infinity Wash XLs, Infinity ACLs and ParLite LEDs provided by Scharff Weisberg Lighting.

For Ben Hur Live, staged recently at London’s O2 Arena, Patrick Woodroffe used a lighting rig of more than 200 Martin MAC 2000 Wash XB, MAC 2000 Profile and MAC III Profile moving heads to light a musical stage production involving a cast of 400 and scenes that include a ship battle and chariot race.

“A true visionary” is a phrase that is often overused, but it’s probably an understatement when describing High End Systems co-founder Richard Belliveau.

In an industry where the only constant is the rising expectations of production values, special effects are the magic elixir that soothes the savage need for excitement and thrills. But the downturn in the economy has thrown many parts of the industry into a fishtail. Road tours, however, seem to be the exception.

A tribute to architect Daniel Burnham, who is credited with drafting the first master plan for Chicago 100 years ago, includes two temporary pavilions designed by two of today’s leading architects, each lit with Iluminarc architectural lighting fixtures. The pavilions, in Chicago’s Millennium Park, were designed by Amsterdam-based Ben van Berkel and Zaha Hadid of London and lit by LD Tracey Dear of Dear Productions.

The Mantra Garden Bar & Club, an investment of about $7 million, might have racked up an even more impressive cost total if Frank Murray, proprietor of sound and lighting specialist Audiotek, had opted for something besides the PR Lighting fixtures for the double-floor venue.

From AC/DC to U2, Berlin to Yes, Janet Jackson to Tina Turner, Cher to Madonna, Barney to Walking with Dinosaurs, Bob the Builder to the Wiggles, Metallica to the Rolling Stones — tour manager Jake Berry has earned a backstage pass to some of the most successful and biggest acts in the business and to rock ‘n’ roll history itself.

In an economic downturn, maybe “flat” should be considered the new “up.”

Other industries are getting gutted in the current economic climate, but transportation industry leaders in the touring industry are grateful for “business as usual,” which remains (mostly) good. The caveat is that customers want better pricing. And some companies outside of the concert/touring business who happen to have some big trucks are trying to elbow into the market. And if the recorded music industry continues to struggle, its decline is making touring a more important source of income for artists, and that’s good for industry transportation professionals.

If you went to PLASA 2009 at Earl’s Court in London looking for that whiz-bang- hallelujah got-to-have-it life-changing product on the show floor and you didn’t find it, maybe you aren’t looking hard enough. If the Next Big Thing (NBT) didn’t seem to materialize, it’s probably because the last NBT — LEDs, media servers and networking — are still unfolding before our very eyes.

They do the staples of live event industry: fairs, festivals, street parties and sometimes even weddings. They put as much heart, sweat and creative energy into the local event held on the high school playground as that one-off Dave Matthews show or that kinetic jaw-dropping corporate launch. They are the local heroes who, day-in and day-out, do what needs to be done, with little recognition. But the Parnelli Board of Directors and those at PLSN are honored to recognize the achievements of these six diverse companies.

“Scream if u luv nick/joe/kevin!” reads the I-Mag, displaying monitored text messages from fans in the arena. Not everyone at a Jonas Brothers concert responds, but anyone arriving without earplugs will leave with a ringing reminder of how excited the girls in the audience can get when even a text-message proxy for the Jonas Brothers comes into view. The lighting and stage design for the boys’ current tour revolves around a Tait Towers-designed main stage with two smaller B stages. The design and gags heighten the excitement of the concert experience for the younger crowd by bridging the distance between the teen fans and their idols.