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PRG Nocturne video flypack on display at Prolight+Sound

PRG Nocturne Karrera S-series SD/HD/3G Capable Video Flypack

PRG Nocturne recently announced that they were building ten new HD Video Flypacks to better serve their touring music clients. I recently got a walk through a typical flypack arrangement, which have already been out on some of the biggest current tours including U2, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Paul McCartney, The Eagles, Maroon 5, and others. The PRG Nocturne Karrera S-Series SD/HD/3G capable Video Flypacks really are next generation solutions. These HD flypacks employ equipment from Grass Valley, Ross Video and Fujinon; all long-time partners with PRG Nocturne.

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PR Lighting XR 1000 Spot

PR Lighting XR 1000 Spot

This week, I’ve got my hands on a hard-edge moving light discharge fixture from PR Lighting. This company is by far the market leader in China for professional lighting solutions for architectural, entertainment and promotional uses for 30 years. Mega Systems out of San Antonio, TX distributes their line of fixtures in the U.S.

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Python safety holster from Mountain Productions

Mountain Productions Safety and Rigging Products

Gravity and its related safety hazards never sleep, so crews working at height need to be vigilant about protecting themselves and others. Mountain Productions is helping with an expanded array of fall protection offerings including harnesses, lanyards, fall arrest systems, helmets and more. Their inventory from DBI-SALA includes some of the most trusted fall protection equipment in the industry. Along with DBI-SALA’s extensive product line, they are also now offering Python Safety’s drop prevention products and KASK’s Super Plasma helmets to keep crew members safe on site.

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It’s Time to GO!

Automated lighting consoles are very complex machines that provide amazing abilities to transition data values utilizing various timing controls. From a simple crossfade between two cues to advanced multi-part timing and auto-follows there are a multitude of timing tools available. Although each console may use slightly different terminology, the abilities are generally the same. For the purpose of simplicity I will refer to one set of terms in this article, so be sure to reference your console’s user manual to determine the exact terms you may encounter.

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From left, Brian Wilson’s production manager Clint Boire and LD Chris Stuba at Bass Concert Hall in Austin, TX on the tour’s opening night. Photo by Debi Moen

Designing Brian; Butch’s Plot; Future LD for Future Islands; Quick Cues

“He said music has color, and the color of music is blue,” said LD Chris Stuba. The design inspiration for Brian Wilson’s summer tour starts with that thought from the Beach Boys legend. Wilson, who is performing with fellow band mates Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplain, presents a welcoming design and programming challenge for Stuba on the lighting console. “Sometimes the bridge of the song starts at the beginning, or the song changes through many time signatures throughout,” Stuba said. “I had to approach programming and running this show differently because of those variances.”

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Livin’ on the Edge

I’m lighting a Truck Press Event… That’s right. Trucks. Those things that people like me can’t even fit in my garage. Even if I had a garage, I would have to move my clothes rack/treadmill and my complete collection of plastic wrapped Mad Magazines.

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LD Eric Wade lit up AT&T Stadium for the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas’ 90th Anniversary Gala

Lighting Usher and Blake in the Home of the Cowboys

LD Eric Wade lit up AT&T Stadium for the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas’ 90th Anniversary Gala.

The United Way is a national system of volunteers, charities and contributors who help people in their communities. In the metropolitan area of Dallas/Fort Worth they have now done this for 90 years. To celebrate that milestone and gather funds for a worthy cause, they threw a gala party at the biggest room in town, the AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Cowboys.

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The Laserfabrik crew used laser gear from Laserworld for the March 28 event. The RTI units were chosen in part for reliability and Laserworld’s show support.

Lasers Intensify Masters of Hardcore Visuals

When the first Masters of Hardcore festival debuted in 1995, Hootie & The Blowfish, TLC and Dr. Dre ruled the charts. Electronic dance music (EDM) was in its infancy, relegated to warehouse rave parties. From its humble beginnings, EDM has gone mainstream, from the beaches of Ibiza to posh Vegas nightclubs. Production company Art of Dance has worked to fuel the growth of EDM in Europe, currently producing eight festivals across the Netherlands.

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Jon Pollak, circa 1976, in NYC

Jon Pollak, LD for Boz Scaggs

Tour: LD Jon Pollak is supporting Boz Scaggs’ 2015 tour, with U.S. shows in May, July-August, 2015. The photo here is of Pollak in New York City circa 1976, when Scaggs’ album, Silk Degrees, scored a #2 on Billboard‘s Top 200. The more recent shot of Scaggs himself (below, performing in Austin, TX) was taken by Debi Moen in 2015.

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View Nook Schoenfeld's intro to the June 2015 PLSN at plsn.me/201506ednote

Relishing the Relics

Relics: I believe this is a term used to describe ancient stuff. Like rock bands that never seem to die. I want to know what happened to the mantra “Hope I die before I get old” that the Who preached back in the ‘60s. But hey, we’re all happy to see the remaining live members celebrate their 50th anniversary with a tour. Albeit with cancelled dates to rest an ailing throat, these guys are still working it.

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Dennis Sheehan accepted the Parnelli Award for Lifetime Achievement on Oct. 24, 2008.

In Memoriam: Dennis Sheehan, 1946-2015

Dennis Sheehan, longtime tour manager for U2 and 2008 Parnelli Lifetime Achievement award winner, died May 27. He was 68. Sheehan had been in Los Angeles with U2 for a series of shows in the early part of the band’s 2015 iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE tour. U2 had opened the first of five shows at the Forum the night before.

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