Articles

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.

For her 50-city Fearless tour, Taylor Swift asked production designer Jonathan Smeeton for a set that was “as multi-dimensional as possible,” featuring a “theatrical presentation of graphics, sets and visual elements.” Smeeton saw the logic of Swift’s ideas. “She is a songwriter who tells stories that have a place and setting,” he said, “so we had the opportunity to provide a very theatrical show for her fans, rather than just dreaming up nice looks for nice songs.”

LD Stephen Page of DBN Lighting lit the 50-meter-tall façade of the riverfront Port of Liverpool building for LuminoCity, a 30-minute multimedia show that included video projections, pyrotechnics, live performance and sound. DBN also provided gear for the show, which was the culmination of Liverpool’s 2009 Art On The Waterfront event produced by Walk The Plank for Liverpool City Council. Walk the Plank was also produced in conjunction with the Tate Liverpool art gallery and one of its exhibitions, Colour Chart.