The arid, exquisitely cinematic beauty of the Arizona desert and the paranormal charm of the Arcosanti community united for the staging of “Existential Reckoning”, an ambitious and extraordinary site-specific streamed concert of the new album by ‘supergroup’ Puscifer initiated by Maynard James Keenan. For all the incredible works we are seeing created with VR, XR and AR … there is nothing to beat the ethereal heartbeat of nature and the concept of experimental living as a surround environment. Lighting designer Sarah Landau was thrilled and intrigued to be asked to light the concert livestream, having been fascinated with the idea of Arcosanti for some time but not yet visited. She added Robe MegaPointes and PixelPATTs to her lighting design for this intricately constructed performance movie which took place over three equally interesting locations around the site.

In 2020, the Latin Recording Academy hosted its first ever Premiere ceremony for Brazilian audiences. Broadcast before the 21^st Latin GRAMMY awards on November 19, the Premiere ceremonies were powerful openings to the Biggest Night in Latin Music, combining exciting music programmes with the announcement of a large majority of the winners. For its Brazilian Premiere ceremony, live-streamed via Facebook, the Academy had partnered with Sennheiser to provide all microphone needs for the music performances. “Sennheiser was a key partner for us to deliver at the same level as the Grammy Awards in its other editions,” said Dilson Laguna, artistic director of the Brazilian Premiere for the Latin GRAMMY 2020.

Exhibition London is a new multipurpose live music and events venue in White City, West London initiated and operated by Broadwick Live and Venue Lab, offering another stunning, uniquely interesting, highly adaptable – 1400 seated to 2800 standing capacity – historic industrial space in their portfolio. It is ideal for conferences, exhibitions, gala dinners, awards presentations, location filming and live music events. Opened in early 2020, Exhibition London’s complete technical infrastructure was specified and procured by consultant and technical production director Simon Jones of SJ-TPM who also coordinated and oversaw all elements of the technical installation and commissioning. Simon had started work on the project in the second quarter of 2019 after having been involved in other Broadwick Live venues.

On Saturday, November 14, metalcore band August Burns Red celebrated 15 years since release of their debut studio album ‘Thrill Seeker’ with a special livestream performance of the full recording at Rock Lititz Studio near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Lighting designer David Summers turned to the wide effects options in Elation’s small yet mighty DARTZ 360™ narrow-beam mover to light the event. New York-based rental company Squeek Lights supplied the fixtures.

Celebrating all things glamorous, sensual and flamboyant, Folies Bergère is one of Paris’ most revered nightspots. Originally a cabaret music hall and variety-entertainment theatre, The Folies made its mark during the Belle Epoque of the late 1800s with its music hall revues featuring stunning women dancers. More recently returning to its musical production roots, the Folies Bergère stage has been graced by famous artists from Charlie Chaplin, Ella Fitzgerald, Marcel Marceau, Frank Sinatra, Charles Aznavour through to Elton John. This year, the theatre’s impressive programme has been matched with equally impressive audio technology when the Folies Bergère became the first performing arts centre in France to permanently install L-Acoustics L-ISA Hyperreal Sound technology.

Like video conferencing, music fans and TV audience members utilise a propriety browser-based video platform to experience a live performance or be part of a TV filming production – from the comfort of their home. However, the VLA experience has been created with real time engagement in mind. The VLA system allows for the performance artist or TV host / panellists to both interact and reconnect with confidence during Covid-19 audience restrictions.

During UK Friday night primetime television, disguise showcased its award-winning xR technology on Channel 5’s The Gadget Show, highlighting how extended reality offers virtual production and performance in immersive real-time video environments unlike any other – empowering producers to deliver unforgettable experiences and allowing brands and artists to continue connecting with their audiences remotely. Launched in 2004, The Gadget Show is one of the UK's longest running shows, providing exclusive access to the latest technology trends and future innovations. Presenter Georgie Barrat was treated to an all-encompassing xR experience, taking in the disguise London HQ and filming a series of one-to-one interviews about the origins and ambitions of xR technology with disguise’s executive leadership team, including CSO Tom Rockhill and CTO Ed Plowman.

DCR Nashville and Lighting Designer Nathan Alves, a Partner in Darkroom Creative in Franklin, Tennessee, answered the Live Event & Entertainment Professionals’ call to action by bathing some of Nashville’s iconic landmarks in red light on September 1.  Their contribution to the WeMakeEvents #redalertRESTART initiative was the Mobile Visual Art Platform (MVAP) outfitted with 38 Claypaky Scenius fixtures.  
 

Drive-in concerts have become the necessary norm under the pandemic and Southern California’s moderate climate makes it possible for these fan-thankful events to take place late into the year.

Billie Eilish has wowed the world for being more than a global music phenomenon! A smart teenager with empathy, humanity, and honesty, she will tackle tough topics head-on and her many additional activities include fund-raising for crew and technicians affected by the global halt of live music and performance.  Sweeping off with five Grammy’s earlier in the year, the fertile collaboration with her – also Grammy award-winning – music producing brother Finneas and their contrasty intricate works that connect the dots of life, surreality and expression in a brainy mash of art, reflection and audacity has energized a massive and diverse fanbase.

NOW LIVE AT www.crowdfunder.co.uk/i-love-live

FEATURING UNIQUE MEMORABILIA FROM ARTISTS INCLUDING AJIMAL, ALT-J,

BILLY OCEAN, BLOSSOMS, CAMELPHAT, CHEMICAL BROTHERS, CLANNAD, COURTEENERS, CRAIG DAVID, DISCLOSURE, DJANGO DJANGO, ELBOW, ELLIE GOULDING,

ERIC CLAPTON, FKA TWIGS, FLORENCE & THE MACHINE,

GARY NUMAN, GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL, HOWARD JONES, IDLES, JACK SAVORETTI, JESS GLYNNE,

JOHNNY MARR, KING GIZZARD, LEWIS CAPALDI, LIAM GALLAGHER, LIAM PAYNE,

LIVE NATION, MARILLION, MARK KNOPFLER, NICK CAVE & WARREN ELLIS, NILE RODGERS,

NOTHING BUT THIEVES, JOHN OTWAY, POLLEN, PRIMAVERA FESTIVAL, RADIOHEAD,

RAG N BONE MAN, RICK ASTLEY, ROBBIE WILLIAMS, ROYAL BLOOD, RUDIMENTAL, SAM SMITH, SJM,

THE DUNG BEATLES, THE SCRIPT,

THE VACCINES, THOMPSON TWINS’ TOM BAILEY, THE XX,

TOM MISCH, TOM WALKER, TRNSMT, WAREHOUSE PROJECT and YEARS & YEARS

*Most of the above will launch today but some will launch on Friday 4 Dec 2020*

Popular UK rockers Nothing But Thieves recently played a sizzling hot series of ‘Live from The Warehouse’ pay-per-view live stream concerts, designed by Warren Hutchison and directed by Tim Perrett, that traversed three time zones – USA, UK and Australia / Asia Pacific – having just dropped new single ‘Impossible’ and announcing a major UK, Ireland and European tour for autumn 2021. Warren – who specified Robe fixtures as the majority of the lighting rig and is also a regular freelance LD and technician for Liteup – pitched a production design to the band for the streams which showcased hits, plus new music from their forthcoming album, Moral Panic.

Pandemic or not, IP-rated lighting will always be the smart choice for outdoor events. This fall’s Drive-In Concert Series at the Westland Mall in Columbus, Ohio, proved that axiom well as an all-weather Elation rig braved the elements for eight straight weeks of live music shows.
 

The 10x120’ series was the first production shot ‘as live’ for linear television at the beginning of the lockdown. It is broadcast on ITV and sees legendary gardener and presenter, Alan Titchmarsh, celebrate all that is great about the British countryside. The Sunday morning show has proven a success already, as an extension to the series has been commissioned. Love Your Weekend’s charming studio was transformed from an old three sided thatched rural Hampshire barn to a four sided enclosed set with glass front onto the gardens. Tony Gill, managing director at Altered Images explains, “The quality and versatility of the cameras, and of the overall system, have completely exceeded expectations.”

Mo-Sys Engineering, a world leader in precision camera tracking solutions for virtual studios and augmented reality, took a central role in the Covid-safe production of a live online entertainment awards show. Normally held in a stadium venue, this year production company and media technologists Bild Studios used virtual reality with the intent of keeping the same scope and excitement as any physical show in the past.