TPI August 2016 - #204

COLDPLAY A HEAD FULL OF DREAMS LIVE FROM COPENHAGEN

PSA ON BREXIT • NITRO CIRCUS LIVE • RITCHIE BLACKMORE • ROAD DIARIES • GLASTONBURY 2016 BRITISH SUMMER TIME • FESTIVAL FOCUS • KASABIAN AT THE KING POWER STADIUM • CMA FEST

AUGUST 2016 #204

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EDITOR’S LETTER

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From festival fields and beyond...

Glastonbury is without doubt one of my favourite weekends of the year. I get to see so many familiar touring faces over the course of a few days (it’s a bit like attending a muddy tradeshow but with more spandex - depending on what country you’re in - and less prosecco). 2016 saw a difficult start to the weekend. Waking up to hear the news that the UK had left the European Union was gut-wrenchingly infuriating to say the least. And yet the surrounding atmosphere softened the blow - festivals of that scale are brimming with all kinds of production talents and cultures from a number of countries. The flow of global accents and bi-lingual expertise - Dante often being one of them - is an aspect of this industry that will never cease, and that in itself is a comfort. We’re a united little world working towards the same goal: safe, flawless live event experiences. And there isn’t a political party on the planet that can alter that sentiment.

This year my main Glastonbury focus lay with Funktion One’s Experimental Soundfield, held in the Glade area. Tony Andrews and A Guy Called Gerald discuss what experimental sound means to them on Pg. 28, in one of the most interesting chats I had all weekend. This is followed by a selection of 2016 highlights, starting on Pg. 32.

Amidst the festival frenzy, Stew travelled to Copenhagen to cover Coldplay’s current tour where the TPi Awards-winning crew delivered another technical feat with Chris Martin and co and Ste saw his guitar hero Ritchie Blackmore perform with the help of Soundcarft’s Vi Series. Elsewhere I got to grips with the action sports world thanks to Nitro Circus Live, not to mention falling in love with Nashville’s country music scene at CMA Fest. Nope, I didn’t see it coming either... must have been all that Tennessee whiskey.

Kelly Murray Editor

EDITOR Kelly Murray Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7738 154689 e-mail: k.murray@mondiale.co.uk

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ITINERARY

BACKSTAGE 08

Nitro Circus Live Kelly Murray visits Sheffield to catch the high-octane action sports tour.

EVENT FOCUS 14

08

CMA Fest TPi flew to Nashville to hear the annual country music celebration.

20 Trailblazer Apprenticeships

Rigging experts trial the Live Events

Rigging Apprenticeship assessment.

22 Wir Füllen Das Stadion

With the aid of HK Audio, organisers

formed the largest ever orchestra.

26 BTS Ground Transport

Beat The Street reveals the latest

addition to its fleet.

PRODUCTION PROFILE

28

28

Glastonbury 2016: Funktion One Tony Andrews and DJ A Guy Called Gerald talk experimental sound.

32

Glastonbury Highlights TPi delivers the latest tech & backstage news from the iconic festival.

50 Coldplay

Stew Hume caught up with the crew that

makes the quartet’s dreams a reality.

66 Kasabian

The Leicester boys celebrate hometown

glory with two huge stadium shows.

50

74

Ritchie Blackmore The legendary guitarist makes a welcome return to arena rock.

80

British Summer Time TPi meets the crew behind one of summer’s highest-quality events.

FESTIVAL FOCUS 84

In this instalment: Lovebox, Bottlerock, Wichita, Isle of White, Download, Field Day and many more...

ROAD DIARIES

66

96

Cally Harris, Production Manager for Amy Macdonald, writes from the road.

GEAR HEADS 98

Bose Professional’s Alan Shirley discusses the new ShowMatch DeltaQ.

INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS 100 The latest movers and shakers.

PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE 102 Andy Lenthall looks at the effect Brexit

may have on the live events industry.

80

BACK CHAT 106 Clarke Cable’s Commercial Manager,

David Broadhurst, takes the hot seat.

BACKSTAGE

NITRO CIRCUS: LIVE Travis Pastrana’s Nitro Circus Live returned to the UK in June and July for its first ever UK and Ireland outdoor stadium run. The tour comprised 13 explosive action sports performances and a whole lot of crowd gasping. TPi’s Kelly Murray visited Sheffield’s Bramhall Lane Stadium to experience the high flying Nitro Bomb in all its high flying glory.

Often billed as one of the most explosive, adrenaline-fuelled touring events in the extreme sports world, to visit Nitro Circus live is to witness death-defying stunts, head scratchingly good gags and some remarkably brave challenges to gravity. Pre tour, Michael Porra, Nitro Circus CEO and Creative Director, commented: “We are so excited to bring the biggest, most daring action sports production ever staged to the UK and Ireland.

Our insane group of athletes perform stunts that you literally cannot see anywhere else on the planet. We’re constantly pushing each other to break records and do things that people previously thought was physically impossible. We had an epic time in the UK this year, and we were pumped on just how many people came out to see us. Now we’re ready to show a whole bunch of new cities and towns what we’re all about. This is our first series of UK and Ireland outdoor shows and we’re performing at some awesome outdoor locations.”

On site in Sheffield, the international cast of wheel spinning daredevils - including some of the action sports world’s most sought-after stars - took to the outdoor arena for a lengthy and publicly viewed practise before the expertly choreographed BMX and cross bike riding routines were mixed with freestyle motocross (FMX), BMX, skateboarding, scooter tricks

and much more. The aforementioned Nitro Bomb features several riders flipping simultaneously over the huge ramp, including the ‘giaganter’ structure, a towering beast of a platform from which an array of objects including a snowboard, a children’s toy car and a sofa - take off from.

PRODUCTION Getting the show on the road - in 15 trucks - takes a lot of expert precision, and not just from the athletes. Headed up by UK & European Production Manager, Rupert Doogan-Hobbs of Lizz Hobbs Group, the tour boasts a travelling party of 85, 50 of which are crew. Lizz Hobbs Group specialises in promoting and producing concerts and events for the rock and pop world (Bryan Adams, Simply Red, Adam Ant), but as this is the tour’s first UK & Ireland stadium tour, it’s also the first time the company has looked after the event. Surrounded by what can only be described as the most testosterone seen on any tour I’ve visited in the last decade, (think teenage boys and adrenaline sports then times it by 100mph) Doogan-Hobbs explained that this tour has been somewhat of a learning curve. “Part of the reason we’ve come on board for this tour is thanks to our experience with large scale outdoor shows. We were also brought on for our specific 08

NITRO CIRCUS

Opposite: The international cast were on British soil for their first-ever outdoor stadium run in the UK; Some of the Nitro Circus atheletes on site in Sheffield; The Clair audio team at FOH.

skill set when it comes to licensing events. Lizz Hobbs Group does its own event management plans and licensing applications, so we meet with all of the necessary H&S regulations and make sure the right documentation is in place. Within that we’ve had to interpret the structures and CDM briefs for UK legislation on outdoor structures, as they were in Australian standard before.”

The ramp configuration is one which is toured globally, with the physical structures being adjusted for each continent. Continued DooganHobbs: “The relationship between TAIT and Nitro Circus has been going strong for a long time. They’ve made some brilliant custom inflatable landers, the giaganter FMX ramp and some specific textured flooring for the landing areas. This tour has a different vibe to the indoor arena show Nitro put out earlier in the year. Whereas that production was very much about the ‘wow’ factor with pyrotechnics and a hugh lighting and video show, the whole point of this tour is to take it back to the grass roots; we’re building an outdoor space for the athletes to show off their skills.”

The production vendors list may not be long but the suppliers are wellknown to the tour. Besides TAIT, Doogan-Hobbs is working with Fly By Nite, Phoenix Bussing, Clair Global and Snakatak catering. The tour also carries its own plant hire and power generators. The latter thinking is to ensure that the tour isn’t delayed in any given city, allowing the crew to have all the elements necessary at each venue. “In June and July in the UK, festival season is always somewhat of a challenge, so we carry it all and it’s worked out vey well.”

According to Doogan-Hobbs, the touring life for the Nitro Circus cast

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is very much focussed on the 90-minutes of performance time each day.

He continued: “The riders are permanently in the right mindset to do what they do; they live and breathe action sports. Our biggest job as the crew is to build, because once everything is built and prepared, the cast come out to practice all of their new tricks - some of which will be seen for the first time on this tour. In a sense it’s a far more relaxed environment than music touring because it’s not promotional led. All the riders are professional sportsmen and that’s what they’re interested in above everything.

“On the build side, we’ve learnt a lot in our first year. The Australian crew toured this show before it came to the UK and so the tiny little details such as setting the track up in a certain way have thankfully been passed on to us. The show has been in constant development for 14 years and it’s been interesting for us coming into it on the outdoor shows because it’s more of a construction than a typical ‘technical’ touring production.

“It’s actually been one of the most, if not the most, logistically challenging and labour-intensive tours we’ve ever been involved with, but as far as the show itself goes; the concept, the people involved from the cast and the crew, have been nothing short of utterly brilliant. There’s nothing else quite like Nitro Circus, and everybody involved knows it, plus the fans absolutely love it! If you have an interest in this lifestyle, then being able to watch it live and see the guys at work is something quite special.

Although, they are modest too; the riders do sometimes need reminding that they have fans waiting for them outside who want items signing and photos taking!”

Andy Buckworth, a competitive BMX rider from Australia has recently

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NITRO CIRCUS

This summer’s UK & Ireland shows took place 14 years after the tour’s initial conception.

joined the Nitro Circus touring cast. Over a much-needed energy drink, he told TPi: “There’s a very different vibe on the Nitro Circus tour compared to the competitions we all enter; there’s only one cash prize and one trophy to take home when you compete, so that’s a very competitive environment.

Out here we’re competitive in a different way; we push each other outside of our comfort zone and spur each other on because we all want the show to look the best that it can for the people coming to watch us perform. And that helps us to learn new stunts too.”

develop and attempt new tricks that they may have otherwise attempted in other venues. It really gives you the sense that you are contributing to the progression of an already mind-blowing and insanely talented group of athletes.”

AUDIO Glair Global supplied audio for the tour in the US, UK and Europe. In the UK a Clair i3 sound system was utilised. The design comprised a 6 - 10 box stacked speaker system on carts, six of which were custom-built at Clair’s Lititz, PA, HQ. The carts consisted of four i3’s and one CP218 sub. The system was powered by Lab.gruppen PLM20,000Q amplifiers. FOH control was via an Avid Profile console, using eight channels of wireless and 40 walkie talkies, mixed by Mike ‘Robbo’ Burdett. The microphone package for the comperes comprised three Shure wireless handhelds.

STAGING In 2014, Nitro Circus was looking to reinvent its show, including figuring out how to adapt tour the production. There have been significant advancements in the world of inflatable technologies over the last few years, and TAIT was approached about creating a new kind of inflatable ramp. The result is a true first for use in high pressure, high impact sports events. Once some feasible designs began to take shape, prototyping the ramp based on the engineering criteria got underway.

The Nitro crew has various names for its stage systems: the giaganter lander references the giant drop in ramp that is used by the athletes on skateboards, in-line skates, BMX bikes, big wheels, snowboards, kayaks, barcaloungers, a toy car, and even a rocking horse!

The other lander is for FMX riders and is used for anything and everything motocross - dirt bikes, quad bikes and snowmobiles. This structure has to endure the impact of riders reaching heights over 50ft - and landing accordingly. TAIT and Nitro worked on this touring project collaboratively and the results are more than impressive to watch live. Matt Hales, Senior Project Manager at TAIT commented: “Being able to bring new technology to Nitro, and have them push the boundaries of their sport while trusting us to meet their vision, has been an amazing experience.

“It’s incredible to hear feedback that some of the riders are more comfortable on the new inflatable systems, allowing them to expand,

CATERING Sheffield-based catering company Snakatak has been working with Nitro Circus for five tours, and the UK stadium run marks the second time the foodies have worked with Lizz Hobbs Group. Heading up the team of five, Emily Cribley was on the road along with four caterers who took on the challenge of cooking for the core crew of 84 daily, plus guests.

Said Cribley: “The tour in particular consumes a lot of food! Because they’re training all day, they’re always hungry. We make around 130 portions each day, which always gets eaten! We cook three meals a day, then after the show they get pizza, plus the tour buses are filled with snacks, so they eat constantly because they’re burning so many calories. This tour is different to a music tour because they tend to want a bit of everything at meals times too, rather than just order one dish. We make two meat dishes, one fish plate - always the healthiest on the menu because it’s proteinheavy and low fat - and a vegetarian option. There’s also a pasta choice always on hand because they love carbs. Some members of the cast are 10

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NITRO CIRCUS

TAIT created custom-made ramps using the latest expert engineering techniques in inflatable structure technology; Production Manager Rupert Doogan-Hobbs with colleague; The Snakatak catering crew; Nitro Circus compere Sebastian Hejna used a Shure wireless microphone to praise the action.

very strict, with an athlete’s routine so they’ll only eat superfoods and won’t consume any alcohol. I think it’s a quite relaxed team generally though, as long as they eat really well.”

Doogan Hobbs stated: “The Cribleys are fantastic. Our first stop for tour catering is always Snakatak. It’s been really nice to have those familiar faces in a new environment for us. the catering is a very friendly place, and their food is delicious!”

Cribley concluded: “I love this tour more than any other I do because there’s loads of athletes working together rather than it being one star and their entourage. Feeding hungry young men is great too because they really appreciate and enjoy everything we put in front of them. They’re such lovely, enthusiastic and happy people and that shows daily when they come into the canteen.”

usually the other way around as the soft sided trucks don’t lend themselves too well to flight cases, but for big set pieces such as the ramps in this case, it’s very suitable. “ Jackson concluded: “Nitro is an event that we’d always been aware of, so we were delighted when we managed to become involved with it last year. It’s different to our normal music and corporate clients but it’s such a popular show; all of our drivers really enjoyed working with the crew.”

Phoenix Bussing provided the tour’s buses, Andy Gray stated: “We have been supplying buses for Nitro Circus since 2012 when the tour first came over to Europe. As this was the first time they’ve done an outdoor tour here in the UK, it was a bit of a challenge trying to plan driver breaks and ferry crossings to and from Ireland with the Great British weather!

“Luckily for the most part, the rain held off and the majority of shows were completed without a hitch. The crew travelled in two Phoenix 16-berth double-decker buses and the cast had two 14-berth doubledeckers at their disposal. It’s been great to be involved once again - we’re just waiting for an Evil Knievel moment where they line all of our buses up and jump over them all!” he laughed.

No doubt that could be arranged! The final word goes to DooganHobbs: “There is so much adrenaline, exceptional talent and a lot of fun to be had on this tour, and that’s what makes it an absolute pleasure to work on!”

TPi Photos: Nitro Circus & Kelly Murray http://nitrocircus.com http://lizhobbsgroup.com http://clairglobal.com www.taittowers.com www.snakatakcatering.com www.flybynite.co.uk www.phoenix-bussing.co.uk

TRANSPORT Fly By Nite began its relationship with Nitro Circus at the end of 2015 during the show’s last UK arena tour. When Lizz Hobbs Group took over for the outdoor circuit, Doogan-Hobbs wanted to keep the trucking firm involved to supply a total of 13 trucks. According to FBN’s Matt Jackson the 13 drivers - led by Graham Butler - thoroughly enjoyed the tour, citing its main challenges as the unpredictable British summer weather. “We had a great time working with Rupert, it went really well. He came to see us before the tour started and really took his time to go through everything with us, working with Lizz Hobbs Group was a pleasure.

“The tricky parts all stemmed from the weather; if it rains, they can’t continue with the event, so when this happened, the shows were rearranged. However as we have a fleet of 125 trucks, we were able to adjust and continue at short notice. “ FBN supplied 13 artics comprising both curtain sliders and box trucks.

Continued Jackson: “The curtains are good for flexability but it’s somewhat unusual for us to use more curtains than box trucks; on music tours its 12

EVENT FOCUS

Sound Image’s Nashville office provided sound reinforcement for CMA Fest once again, including an EAW Anna system.

CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL The CMA Music Festival is a four-day event celebrating all things country music; the sounds, the sights and the lifestyle. Hosted each June by the Country Music Association in Nashville, Tennessee, the CMAs has become a huge annual event since its 1972 inception. TPi visited the Volunteer State to see some of the companies behind the audio action.

SOUND IMAGE & EAW One of the top three venues at the recent CMA Music Festival in Nashville delivered exceptional audio to thousands of fans with the help of an Eastern Acoustic Works Adaptive Performance sound reinforcement system provided by Sound Image, Nashville.

Located between the Country Music Hall of Fame, Bridgestone Arena and Schermerhorn Symphony Center, the Cruze Park Stage hosted a variety of up-and-coming country stars including Andy Griggs, Halfway to Hazard, The Sheepdogs, Lauren Alaina and Brett Young.

“I was familiar with EAW Anya but had not used Anna, a more compact version, before,” explained Everett Lybolt, General Manager at Sound Image Nashville. “It is a wonderful sounding PA. One of the features we found extremely beneficial in this application, was the ability to programme the system to cover a specific area. This allowed us to contain the sound and keep it off of the adjacent buildings - a real bonus. The clarity and audio quality was terrific.”

The Cruze Park Stage featured left-right hangs of 12 Anna per side supported by eight Otto subwoofers - 16 total - under each array. EAW’s Bernie Broderick was on hand during the event and noted: “The Sound Image crew is just fantastic - they are an experienced group that made setup a breeze.”

EAW’s Adaptive systems are designed to match the three dimensional performance requirements of any venue - indoors or out. Utilising a high resolution array of discretely powered and processed transducers in tandem with EAW Resolution software creates optimal results. The controlled output of the Anna with Otto PA was ideally suited for the outdoor stage.

“The system control is very advanced,” Lybolt added. “And setup was straightforward. It is probably the easiest system to rig ever - hands down.”

TPi www.sound-image.com http://eaw.com 14

CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL

RADIO ACTIVE DESIGNS Four Radio Active Designs’ (RAD) UV-1G wireless intercom systems provided rock solid communications for the Nissan Stadium stage during the CMA Fest. With several country acts performing every day of the four-day festival, communication between stage managers and audio, lighting and video techs throughout the stadium was of extreme importance.

Sound Image tapped Jason Glass (Clean Wireless Audio LLC) to handle the responsibilities of radio frequency supervisor, coordinator and technician for the festival. A long-time user of the UV-1G wireless intercom system, he was delighted the Radio Active Design units were on hand for the event.

“The UV-1G belt pack’s use of the sparsely occupied VHF-TV band is extremely helpful when you’re coordinating approximately 250 frequencies in the UHF-TV band for each day of the festival,” Glass explained. “The base station’s wide tuning bandwidth in the UHF portion of its transmission scheme is also beneficial, since you’re not bound to small blocks of tuning range but rather can tune anywhere within the UHF-TV band.

“Having narrow occupied bandwidths for each UV-1G frequency channel allows the user to pack more discrete channels into less spectrum than previous RFPL technologies, and having six belt pack drops per base station allows larger system deployments with less hardware in the PL racks.”

Each year at the CMA Festival an antenna truss is deployed high above the stage which includes an omnidirectional ground-plane antenna to receive intercom belt pack transmission over a wide coverage area in the stadium. Those signal are then fed to the UV-1G base stations’ antenna splitter through 125 ft of low-loss coaxial cable.

“UHF signals would attenuate 4.3dB at 470MHz to 5.2dB at 698MHz (this is the full UHF-TV range) through these cables, while VHF signals attenuate roughly 2.7dB,” continued Glass. “The difference is just under twice the transmitted power through the line. This allows larger roaming range for these systems and more reliable links from belt packs to base stations without the need to resort to noisy active RF amplifiers to drive long cables.”

Sound Image subcontracted CP Communications to provide intercom gear, which included the four UV-1G base stations and 20 RAD packs. Tim Kepner, intercom design and lead engineer (TLK Audio Video Services), worked with both Sound Image and TV Broadcast to provide them with an integrated comms design and implementation that would simultaneously flow well for both the live and broadcast portions of the show.

Kepner was responsible for all in house intercom and integration to broadcast facilities during the festival. Having used the UV-1G system in equally challenging RF environments before - the Pope’s visit this past year, Made In America, Univision Latin Grammys, Premio Juventud and Premio Nuestro shows, to name a few - he knew they were up to the task.

“One of the nice things about the UV-1G is that the feature set is familiar to non-technical production oriented operators so they can adapt to it very easily,” he explained. “The setup is also very straightforward with the added bonus of being able to programme the devices on a PC, without having the

CMA Fest’s audio requirements handle the biggest names in country music.

systems on hand. When I get to the venue, I plug in my computer and dump the settings into them. If I have to make any fast changes to settings on the hardware, it’s relatively simple to navigate the menu and make it happen.”

The four UV-1G base stations were rack mounted on stage by the monitor mix area with 20 RAD packs in use throughout the festival. Radio Active Designs’ Enhanced Narrow Band technology provides each channel of the UV-1G with an occupied bandwidth of only 25 kHz - substantially less than a typical system. The RAD packs utilise the relatively unused VHF range for all belt pack portable devices. The combined result is more available RF for operation of other wireless devices which are in high demand.

More than 65,000 country music fans were drawn to the musicians performing at the Nissan Stadium which included Rascal Flatts, Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan. Kepner added: “This was the 45th anniversary of the festival and it broke all attendance records. That speaks volumes about the experience fans have during the event. Keeping lines of communication open is important and the RAD UV1G was integral to making that happen.”

TPi www.radioactiverf.com

15

CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL

Clockwise: The Riverfront Stage; Morris Audio Engineer, Carson Brannock setting up a d&b audiotechnik system at the Ascend Amphitheater; Morris Audio Technician, Chris Clark; Morris President, David Haskell.

MORRIS SOUND & LIGHT Morris Sound & Light has provided production for CMA Music Festival for the past five years. This year, one of Nashville’s newest venues, Ascend Amphitheater, was added to the city’s various venue spaces. Each year, the CMA Music Festival’s production team works to incorporate the latest in production technology in order to enhance the fans’ experience. Morris deployed 24 technical staff across four stages, the Ascend, Riverfront, Durango and Closeup.

For the Ascend Stage, Morris provided lighting comprising Martin by Harman MAC Auras, Clay Paky Sharpy Wash 330’s, and an MA Lighting grandMA2 Light. For audio, d&b audiotechnik, Yamaha and DiGiCo was the choice. At the Riverfront Stage the audio specification included a NEXO STM PA system, Lake processing, Yamaha, Shure and Lab.gruppen products.

The Durango again required both audio and lighting including an Electro-Voice XLD 281 line array system and Philips, Chauvet and ETC fixtures. The Closeup stage used Clay Paky Sharpy Wash 330’s and Philips Vari-Lite VL3000 Spots. All lighting control was via grandMA consoles.

Closeup’s audio design also used a d&b audiotechnik system alongside, Lab.gruppen amplifiers and Yamaha mixing desks.

In order to accommodate the vast amount of crew and visiting engineers coming through, Morris uses its pre-visualisation suite at its

Nashville facility. Local and travelling lighting designers take advantage of this space to create 3D renderings and to programme their events. Morris also provides engineers with qualified staff to assist them while on-site throughout the festival. The Morris team prides itself on its partnerships with other professionals in the market, knowing that large-scale live production requires effective coordination of a variety of services in order to be successful.

Nashville is also a community-centric city. Many of the production professionals in Nashville have been a part of the industry for decades and are not only peers, but friends. Morris is a rental company that is proud of Nashville and the flourishing live production industry that exists within it. Working with the Country Music Association and being a part of one of Nashville’s largest events is an honour for the company, and the Morris team thoroughly enjoys the process each year. Summing up the 2016 event, Morris President, David Haskell told TPi: “We do good work that we are proud of, and we have fun doing it.”

TPi Photos: Alan Poizner, CMA, Alexa Simpson, Morris, TPi www.experiencemorris.com 16

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CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL

Nashville’s Nissan Stadium was one of the many venues used for the festival; Flordia Georgia Line got the crowds roaring; Clair provided tech support and control packages for an abundance of clients including James ‘Mo’ Butts, FOH for Cole Swindell and Jeff Parsons, FOH for Blake Shelton.

CLAIR GLOBAL Like much of the thinking that runs through this industry, Clair Global prides itself on being a people orientated company, and its presence at CMA Fest is a clear instance of this. Roger Gibbons, Clair’s Account Executive is the quintessential example of someone who puts a strong emphasis on personal relationships.

Starting the day at the Riverfront stage, Gibbons spent time with the audio team behind country singer Kane Brown, namely FOH Engineer Tyler Oplinger who had also benefitted from Clair’s technical support while out mixing on the Florida Georgia Line tour this summer. The FGL support acts - Kane Brown, Cole Swindell, and the Cadillac three - had all come through Clair’s Artist Development Program.

Gibbons next port of call was the Chase Bryant camp; Mark Harmon at FOH and Joel Martin on monitors. Martin is a recent graduate of the Clair RIT (Roadie in Training) programme, and, according to Gibbons, is not afraid to teach passers by how to charm a six string before creating a wicked mix.

Over at the Nissan Stadium Gibbons also spent time with the GRAMMY Award-winning Chris Stapleton camp, Darren Shumaker at FOH and Rachael Aull on stage duty.

With yet more artists totting up on this sought-after bill, Eric Church was the next Clair account to catch up with. Playing tracks from his new album, Mr. Misunderstood, Church effortlessly engaged and captivated the eager Nashville audience. Billy Moore, FOH mixer, did a stunning job of pleasing the artist and crowd. Marc Earp leant his skills to both production management and monitor engineering roles, and worked closely with Todd Bunch, Tour Manager. Bunch was happy to see the Clair crew for a second

time that day after earlier organising a VIP party prior to the Nissan Stadium show.

Finally, country superstar Carrie Underwood closed the event with help from the talented Cam Beachley on monitors and Kirk Shreiner (aka Eek) who slayed his FOH mix.

During the after parties, Charlie Warsham’s Midnight Jamboree at Earnest Tubb’s famous record store on Broadway was a must-see, musthear, must-do stop. Clair even humorously sneaked an unabashedly inebriated British journalist (you get one guess) in through the back door. [Editor’s note: there’s not another genre of music in which one is encouraged to shoot whiskey everytime a singer mentions the word!].

She was prepared for the bombardment of elderberry-based cocktails, but not for the unfathomable heat and humidity that engulfed the historic record store thanks to a frenzied, music hungry crowd in the Tennessee-inJune heat. I mean really…

Impressively, Clair shoehorned a CO-8 system into the store complete with Avid Pro Tools recording for the large number of guest artists including Vince Gill, The Brothers Osborne, Brandi Clark, Aubrie Sellers, and a surprise appearance from Eric Church. Once word of the latter performance was leaked, the Nashville Metropolitan Police Dept had to deploy mounted officers to clear Broadway in front of the store. All in a day’s work for Clair Global at CMA Fest. Talk about handling business…

CMA Fest 2017 took place on 8 - 11 June.

TPi www.clairglobal.com 18

“From mix position to any position in the room, it’s hard to mentally process how consistent it is and how easily we achieved it. Anya has the purest impulse response I’ve ever gotten off of a PA system. The acoustic phase response is just breathtaking.”

Robert Scovill FOH Engineer, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers “Anya sounds more like a giant pair of nearfield monitors than a typical concert array, with a transient response that allows for an extremely dynamic show. In the Paramore show there are a lot of subtle elements that don’t always translate well into the mix.

But with Anya, everything was immediately present.”

Everyone knows all of that processing compromises fidelity.

Right?

Eddie Mapp FOH Engineer, Papa Roach, Paramore “Anya is extremely musical, very powerful and can be customized to match any environment. What else can I ask for in a system? This system should be on every rider.”

Stanley Soares FOH Engineer, Juanes, Sepultura “I have been in a lot of challenging venues. It is amazing to experience how easily Adaptive Systems can blanket the seating area and drop off everywhere else – and sound better than any other systems out there. Every show has sounded fantastic.”

Jason Decter FOH Engineer, Blink 182, Bassnectar “I was hearing a really clean, pure vocal and a very natural open sound. As I said, I really love it when you don’t hear the speakers. For me, that’s the mark of a great system! Thank you!”

Jerry Eade FOH Engineer, Placido Domingo “I have to admit, I have never been that impressed with a loudspeaker in my life – it’s a game-changer listening to those loudspeakers.”

Joe Patten Project Design Manager, CDA

photo © Mark Hanna, FxN Productions

That depends on the machine. Conventional line arrays use few, relatively large sources – like ‘acoustic pixels’. Applying discrete processing to each source means adjacent devices produce very different signals. This ‘acoustic pixelation’ creates impulse response problems that you can hear.

Adaptive Systems are different. With a large number of sources that are small for their bandwidth, these systems were developed to harness the power of signal processing without compromise. They apply sophisticated algorithms to the high resolution array of sources to ensure that processing changes from source to source are small. The result is unprecedented control, consistency and most importantly a pristine impulse response everywhere. Like rendering the same image with a lot more pixels.

You don’t need better processing to fix your machine. You need a new machine. eaw.com/products/adaptive

www.eaw.com

Adaptive_FOHquotes_TPI.indd 1

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EVENT FOCUS

RIGGING INDUSTRY SUCCESSFULLY TRIALS LIVE EVENTS TRAILBLAZER APPRENTICESHIP

Rigging industry experts from across the UK joined forces at Birmingham’s Barclaycard Arena to trial the Trailblazer Live Event Rigging Apprenticeship Assessment.

The Live Event Rigging Apprenticeship, part of the governments’ Trailblazer scheme encouraging three million new apprentices by 2020, has been developed by the National Rigging Advisory Group (NRAG) to provide formal training to new recruits, supporting them beyond the National Rigging Certificate Level 2, and plug the gap in trainee numbers to fill increasing demand throughout the rigging industry.

Key rigging leaders from Blackout, UK Rigging, RTM Rigging, PSI Production Ireland and NEC Group attended the trial run of the newlycreated Live Event Rigging Apprenticeship, to scrupulously test the assessment format and marking system before it is formally launched to the industry in September.

Six trainee volunteer riggers from Blackout and NEC Group undertook a test rigging installation, while being observed by assessors RTM Rigging’s Mark Armstrong, UK Rigging’s Harry Box, PSI Production Ireland’s Sean Pagel and rigging consultant Eric Porter. The assessors marked the trainees against six practical units covering general health and safety, work

methods, rigging skills and techniques, working at height, team work and communication, and behaviours.

Apprentices are expected to follow an ‘on the job’ training programme, bolstered by certificated courses, and two week-long residentials. After achieving NRC Level 2, the ‘gateway’, students will further enhance their skill set by creating an e-portfolio, attending an observation day and completing a spoken VIVA. Successful candidates will obtain a Level 3 NVQ. Blackout’s HR Manager, Adelaide Johannsen, commented: “It is testament to the hard work and commitment to the rigging industry of the NRAG members that we have successfully developed the Trailblazer Live Event Rigging apprenticeship to this point. Following the trial run in which key experts and trainees kindly gave up their time to feed back on the syllabus content, we are now in the position to ensure the course is perfected to the highest of standards for the enrolling pupils.”

Paul Rowlands, Rigging Development Manager for the NEC Group and chair of the initiative, added: “The day provided us with some very 20

TRAILBLAZER APPRENTICESHIP

insightful feedback that can be used when modifying the final assessment product. By involving both current trainees and an expert assessment team, we hope to provide a well-rounded and thorough apprenticeship, which stands apprentices in good stead for a career in rigging. This is a big move for the industry, so ensuring the right assessment methods are implemented is paramount to its success.”

Paul Bates, Business Skills Advisor at Solihull College and University Centre added: “Having been approached by the NEC Group, it has been an exciting process to actively help develop this programme from initial talks and ideas on paper, through to supporting employers and managing the set-up of the residential courses and e-platforms aiding student learning. It has been a pleasure collaboratively working with multiple rigging partners, all coming together with the collective aim of improving apprentice riggers’ skill sets and in turn raising the professional standards of the events industry as a whole.”

Harry Box, a Trailblazer Assessor from UK Rigging, explained: “Currently there aren’t enough riggers to meet industry requirements so this apprenticeship gives employers a pathway to service this demand. It is

possibly not a career that many school leavers feel they could consider so this is a fantastic way of getting fresh talent into the industry; training individuals to the high standards required in health and safety, life skills and specific rigging skills. I think the assessment went really well, proving useful for both assessors and trainees who kindly gave up their time to help us push this innovative industry development forward.”

Lucy Gardner, NEC Group’s trainee rigger explained why she was keen to be involved with the assessment trial: “It’s becoming less about brawn and more about brains, and I think many school leavers would enjoy the mix of theory and practical work that comes with a career in rigging. This apprenticeship will provide a foot in the door for many future riggers so it’s great to be part of such an initiative. I’m looking forward to seeing the final product and hopefully mentoring apprentices myself in the future!”

Blackout and other members of the NRAG are now recruiting for applicants for the Live Event Rigger Apprenticeship, in partnership with Solihull College.

TPi www.blackout.co.uk

Reinventing the large sound system

Do things you could never do before AiRAY achieves an impressive downsizing while providing higher SPL and better directivity control than any large format system existing before. Groundbreaking innovations including the newest generation DDP drivers, AiCOUPLER and extremely efficient 12” cone drivers make AiRAY the world’s most advanced high-output sound reinforcement system.

The result is more than just a new line array. It’s the future of line array.

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EVENT FOCUS

22

HK AUDIO

Opposite: HK Audio deployed a COHEDRA PA system at the Commerzbank Arena to create the world’s largest ever orchestra.

WIR FÜLLEN DAS STADION Throughout the summer, HK Audio provided sound reinforcement for several events at the Commerzbank-Arena in Frankfurt, highlighted by a world record attempt to create the largest orchestra in history. TPi’s Stew Hume visits Germany to witness the spectacle first-hand…

If you were to pass the Commerzbank-Arena in Frankfurt on 9 July, very little would have looked out of the ordinary. As one of the region’s biggest sports stadiums, it’s not unusual to see a line of cars and queues forming at the gates to the arena. However, if you took a second look at those making their way to the stadium you would have clocked just how many of them were carrying instruments. From those carrying flutes and violins to those struggling with their double basses and tubas this was the biggest gathering of amateur musicians that has ever been seen: 7,548 to be exact.

The event, named Wir Füllen das Stadion [We’re Filling the Stadium for those of you whose German is a bit rusty], was the brainchild of German trumpeter Jens Illemann. The event saw the Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt lead the other 7,000+ amateur musicians through several songs under the watchful eye of internationally renowned musician, composer, conductor (and winner of the Echo Klassik and Hamburg Jazz Prize), Wolf Kerschek.

The whole event was powered by German loudspeaker specialist HK Audio. The world record attempt was just one of several events that HK Audio provided sound reinforcement for during June and July, including live screenings of UEFA Euro 2016. The company was first approached to deal with audio requirements back in November 2015 and early on decided to deploy a sizable COHEDRA system.

Speaking prior to the event Nicolas Petit, HK Audio’s Chief Marketing Officer, described the company’s involvement: “We’re delighted to be soundtracking this remarkable month-and-a-half of events. There will be literally hundreds of thousands of people visiting the Commerzbank-

Arena over the June and July period, and we’re committed to delivering an incredible aural experience. With a venue of this size, and such a wide ranging programme, it’s a challenge we will certainly relish.”

For the attempt, the Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt played at the front of the stadium, acting as guides to all the other musicians on the stadium floor playing through the COHEDRA system. The main PA hang consisted of 16 COHEDRA CDR 208 S/Ds on both stage left and right with a sub array consisting of two sets of 16 CONTOUR SL 218’s. For the delays, HK Audio deployed four hangs of COHEDRA CDR 208 S/Ts alongside two hangs using the COHEDRA COMPACT CDR 108’s.

To power the PA, HK used the new Lab.gruppen 8 PLM+ and 16 PLM+ POWER RACK. Both systems consist of the new PATCHBAY PB-8 and the Lab.gruppen PLM+ 12K44 controller amp (including FIR filtering and Dante capability). Neither systems have not been officially released and are due to make their debut in the autumn.

Marc-Oliver Mayer, Rental and Install Product Manager, explained the decision for using the COHEDRA system: “We chose the COHEDRA, because it’s simply the biggest audio system in our portfolio and such a large venue needs a big, accurate and powerful pro audio setup. As COHEDRA and COHEDRA COMPACT are not brand-new systems on the market, we knew what they could deliver and how they perform in reality. So, as expected, they did their job very well!” For the uninitiated, the name of the system itself stands for COHErent Dynamic Response Array and due to its natural sound reinforcement qualities it is especially well-suited for classical and orchestral music.

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HK AUDIO

The giant orchestra was conducted by internationally renowned musician, composer and conductor Wolf Kerschek; During the ‘Pop Meets Classic’ performance, HK Audio endorsed artist Angelo Kelly played some of his biggest hits alongside the Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt; HK Audio’s COHEDRA PA proved to be the ideal system to distribute sound for the attempt.

Mayer went on to explain some of the challenges faced with this project: “The biggest issue with the stadium was the large reverberation time of about eight seconds at 100Hz when the venue was empty. We had to work with delay lines to transport as much direct sound to the listeners as possible. This was especially vital in some of the other events in the summer to ensure the VIP seats received the highest possible audio quality as they were the most expensive tickets and we wanted to make sure people got their money’s worth. Another challenge was the demand of a high speech transmission for the public viewings on the one hand and on the other, a good acoustical performance for the orchestra.”

Development Engineer Christian Schmid discussed the different configuration that was used for the record attempt: “For the attempt we had to slightly alter the arrangement of the PA. Through the summer we had the main PA hang out of sight to not block any sight lines to the main screen set up in the stadium. Due to the height of the PA and its position behind the screen there was a 90 millisecond delay to the stage, which does not create an ideal environment for a live orchestra performance. So we had a second scenario in place to bring the PA in front of the stage.”

As an orchestra is only effective if everyone plays together, the need to have a PA with a powerful throw was essential. “That was one of our main concerns,” stated Schmid. “From front to back the stadium is 150 metres, which is a long way for the sound to travel. However, all the musicians managed to play as one unit. It’s amazing to think that no one has ever heard this many musicians play together at one time, it really is a special experience.”

Schmid went on to say that, when setting up the system, the crew had to create a network that was flexible and accommodating, so that anyone could bring any desk and still have no issues connecting: “We are prepared for any situation. Whether someone comes with an analogue or digital desk, we can manage it.”

Once the world record had been attempted and all the numbers of people were counted and verified those musicians and audience attending

the event were treated to an evening of Pop meets Classic with German artists Daniel Wirtz, Johannes Oerding, Franco Leon and Angelo Kelly all playing sets accompanied by the Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt.

Due to the size of the event, and so many musicians being present, HK Audio and the event organisers also put on several stages with various musicians and orchestras playing throughout the day. HK Audio’s new LINEAR 5 LTS mid/high units and L SUB 4000 powered two of these live music stages. The ultra compact long throw system is one of the latest editions to the HK Audio range. The company states that the new LINEAR 5 LTS A is not only the easiest way of treating a 3,000 stong audience with the best sound; it’s also the most economical option out there saving on valuable truck space.

As well as the various staging areas HK Audio also set up its ‘Soundmakers’ zone where attendees could get up close and personal with the company’s products like the LUCAS NANO 608i as well as chat to representatives from the company who were on-site to answer any questions. HK Audio launched its Soundmakers campaign earlier this year with the goal of providing solutions for all stages of the industry from musicians and DJs all the way up to professional sound engineers and installers.

Petit concluded: “It’s been an incredible summer of events in Frankfurt, and we’re proud HK Audio was able to play a part in it all. The world record-breaking weekend was the icing on the cake, and witnessing 7,548 musicians performing together was a goosebump-inducing moment I will never forget. The COHEDRA performed incredibly throughout the record attempt and the Pop Meets Classic concert afterwards, and the brand was ubiquitous around the stadium the whole time. We’re extremely happy with the performance of our systems, and the Stadion Sommer has really helped get our Soundmakers message out to hundreds of thousands more audio enthusiasts. That can only bode well for the future!”

TPi www.hkaudio.com 24

EVENT FOCUS

BTS EXPANDS GROUND TRANSPORT FLEET Beat The Street sees continued success with Ground Transport division’s latest vehicle range , allowing door to door luxury for touring and live event personnel.

BTS Ground Transport has been continuously and successfully growing since the company’s inception in 2011 as part of Beat The Street band and crew bussing. Now, after five years of providing luxury transport to the likes of Beyoncé, Paul McCartney and One Direction, the company is ready to expand its fleet by introducing the Beat The Street Executive Star Car. In addition to its fleet of Mercedes V-Classes, BTS also boasts VIP day buses built by a team of in-house carpenters, electricians and upholsterers.

Also available from the company are passenger vans, splitter buses and 12 70 seat coaches, including the recently launched hospitality day coaches.

As part of a pan-European company, BTS has the opportunity to provide vehicles and arrange transport throughout Europe from its own fleet or via a comprehensive network of partners. The company aims to offer its service to the likes of tour managers, agents and production managers, freeing up time for their clients to focus on more pressing tour matters.

“2016 has been terrific so far,” said Beat The Street’s Ian Massey.

“Although the summer festival season has been the usual craziness,

demand has been incredible throughout the year to date. Along with general touring we are also providing total ground transport services to large one-off events too - an area we aim to build on.”

One of the major players in BTS’s range of available vehicles is the Star Bus, a luxury tour bus fitted with a tiled bathroom, fully equipped kitchen and flat screen TVs with a variety of entertainment available. The Star Bus has proven to be immensely popular with clients, and so to build on this success BTS Ground Transport has now introduced the Beat The Street Executive Star Car, as they look towards achieveing the same level of comfort and exclusivity on a smaller scale.

Based on a Mercedes-Benz V-Class, with two and four seat options, the Executive Star Car is designed to carry passengers in the utmost comfort, finished to the highest standard with features including Apple TV, iPad, 10 point massage seats, panoramic roof and privacy partition between the passenger and driver.

TPi www.beatthestreet.net 26

F I R S T

W W W. B E AT T H E S T R E E T. N E T

C L A S S

V A N

S E R V I C E S

Headoffice Austria: joerg@beatthestreet.net | klaus@beatthestreet.net | hannes@beatthestreet.net Office UK Buses: tim@beatthestreet.net | garry@beatthestreet.net Office UK Cars & Vans: ian@beatthestreet.net | mark@beatthestreet.net

GLASTONBURY 2016

Opposite: Legendary Mancunian DJ, A Guy Called Gerald with Funktion One’s Ann and Tony Andrews, Glastonbury 2016.

FUNKTION ONE’S EXPERIMENTAL SOUNDFIELD: IN CONVERSATION AT GLASTONBURY 2016 As part of this year’s Glastonbury festival, The Glade welcomed back the Experimental Soundfield, a place in which new thinking is embraced as the boundaries of sound as we know it are questioned.

Funktion One’s Tony Andrews and Acid House DJ, A Guy Called Gerald, speak to TPi’s Kelly Murray about the importance of continually pushing the limits in audio experimentation...

What’s your favourite Glastonbury memory?

Tony: It has to be the first Experimental Soundfield we created in 1992, right on the edge of the festival. That’s when we first did surround sound. At that time we had the old Pink Floyd quadrophonic desk; four speakers in a circle, 100 ft wide. I think there were about 8,000 people in the field and we more or less got banned from the festival that night because we couldn’t stop; it was the only entertainment still going.

Underworld were playing, with Darren Emerson at FOH. We were going for about 14-hours one day. It was our first bit of learning with doing surround sound. The speed of sound is pretty slow, so you’ve got to be careful how you aim speakers, we learnt that here. We also learnt that if you’ve got four speakers about 100 yards apart, if you stand near one particular speaker, you can’t hear the other speakers. When you’re doing it in a small room, you don’t run into those sorts of problems, but you do in a field. We called it the Experimental Soundfield because it was, and it actually still is experimental.

that when I’m playing. It’s all live mixing - it’s like working from a mixing desk, with separate parts.”

Tony: That’s a really important point, the way Gerald works. He’s not bound to beat matching. For everything we’ve done together with this project, he’s at the FOH position so that he can hear everything. He’s working on the whole rig rather than on a set of monitors. What he’s hearing is what everyone else hears. And that was always the idea of the Experimental Soundfield; I don’t like that separation. There’s a whole different sound on-stage compared to what the audience is hearing. It would be of great benefit if more DJs and performers ventured out front to listen to what the audience is hearing.

Gerald: The lower the frequency the more omnipresent it is and the higher the frequency, the more directional it is, so it’s much easier to move the higher frequencies around. If you’re in a building, you’ve got distortion coming from all over the place that cancels out directivity of the thing that you’re hearing. Whereas, when you’re in a field, the sound disappears into the ether…

Tony: It’s a much purer sound.

Gerald: It’s a lovely way to work actually. It’s like mixing in the best studio, with the most isolation.

How does the term ‘experimental sound’ alter your work now?

Gerald: I’m a bass freak and this project is the ultimate bass experience.

Because the sound is experimental, you can take it frequency-wise to wherever you want within the boundaries of the mix. You can go really low.

You’ve got a sub and an ‘under the ground’ feel here, like Tony said, that’s really hard to achieve in an outside venue. It’s a dream!

In terms of sound mixing, how does the new Formula Sound / Funktion One DJ mixer benefit your set?

Gerald: I’ve used a few different mixers in my time. I’ve been chopping and changing through mixers because it’s really hard to find a good one, especially nowadays. The focus doesn’t tend to be on the sound itself but on the features and special effects it has. I’m coming more from the

Does that influence what and how you perform, as a DJ? Gerald: I try to go for material that’s energetic but not too full. If it’s too busy, you don’t hear the movement of what’s going on. I have to think about 29

GLASTONBURY 2016

Tony Andrews; A Guy Called Gerald; The Glade area hosted the Funktion One Experimental Soundfield to great response.

How is the whole system performing?

Tony: I’ve never heard bass like we did from the DJs last night. I’ve never been totally satisfied by the way it works though; as soon as you get two stacks of bass up, you get reinforcement dead centre, then you go off centre and it cancels, then when you get to it, it’s back on again! You get what you call ‘lobes’. When you’ve got a sine wave, if the peaks are matching the peaks then it’s a reinforcement but at certain positions you get a trough cancelling a peak, so you get a hole. What a lot of sound designers tend to do is put all of the bass along the front with great big gaps in it but then you don’t get any control vertically because it’s too low. And, yeah all right, it kind of works, but we’re looking for that definite single sound, a firmness.

Not this ‘woah, woah’ sound. That isn’t a note - it’s a low frequency hum.

I’m calling what we’re doing ‘split-layering the bass’. You keep single sources by splitting the bass into two, with sub-sub on one side and ordinary bass on the other. They go over the top of each other, and they don’t do the same frequencies at all. So, for example, you do 25-45Hz on one side and then 45-90Hz on the other. That way you’ve only got one source. People in the audience get both things together, there’s no conflict.

It’s amazing. This has been the first time we’ve been able to try it out.

We’ve known the Glade team for quite a while now and we’ve naturally become friends. When they asked us back here, it meant them allowing me to do what I like to do, which is generally along the lines of ‘let’s see what happens if we take this out’, and I really appreciate it. In some ways, I’m a production manager’s worst nightmare because I’m always experimenting.

But if I’m not always experimenting, then I’m retiring. If you don’t experiement, you don’t find out what could happen next...

synth angle, working with drum machines and the like, so it’s really hard to find something dynamic that I can work with. A lot of the sounds are all compressed and you really have to be able to steer them and control them - it’s like handling the unpredictabilty of a wild horse.

I used the Formular Sound / Funktion One FF6.2 DJ Mixer [six channel, analogue] for the first time yesterday. It was really nice to think ‘the bass is coming in on this track’, nudge it just a little and hear it while everything else was going through. That’s not a typical experience for a DJ mixer. You get that with a mixing console - that knowing kind of control - but not on a DJ mixer. It’s was very smooth as well, really dynamic. I want to go back and use it again and again!

How has the Glade crowd reacted?

Tony: Right from the off, we - Mike Igglesden and I - got to do a two-hour DJ set. I decided to only play the music that has meant something to me over the last 50 years. There was no particular order to it, just what followed.

So we were mixing up Frankie Knuckles and Butterfly! The thing I think did it for people was playing Voodoo Chile by Jimi Hendrix. I wouldn’t say I’ve remastered it, because that’s too fancy a description, but let’s just say I’ve re-EQed everything because back in the ‘60s bass wasn’t as important as it is today. No, actually, it always has been important, we just didn’t know it was there. So the last thing I played was Voodoo Chile, the 15-minute one off Electric Ladyland, and people were just absolutely knocked out. That song really does lend itself to gentle movements; as he hits the guitar it just glides across. I had a lot of fun!

People were dancing their nuts off at times but then I put on You’ve Gotta Serve Somebody by Bob Dylan, it’s not one of his better known tracks, but it’s really cool, and the lyrics are amazing. I’m really pleased we did that set.

What does the future of ‘good sound’ hold then?

Gerald: Somebody needs to push things forward. Because we tend to think 30

GLASTONBURY 2016

DJ Carl Cox took to the stage for yet another triumphant set at the iconic festival.

that this is the information age and that must mean that we already know that route. We were getting transient at that kind of frequency. You cannot everything there is to know about music production, people seem to be describe it, it was a new sound. That’s why I’m raving about it! I got a new content, even down to tempos. When I started out in the late ‘80s, it was all experience last night at Glade and that’s a precious thing. It was a good, about trying to move things further or push the sound. We’d do anything new experience. A lot of people don’t realise the truth and power of audio. and everything to try and personalise sound. That spirit is still here but To too many people, it’s like choosing what colour you’re going to paint the with a much more formulaic approach. I suppose there’s more money in wall. what used to be the underground scene... It’s crossed over. The reason it Gerald: If I go into a club and it’s really full-on, I come out with my ears existed in the first place was because it allowed you to experiment and I try ringing. I feel like I’ve paid to get inside but in return they’ve abused my to encourage that spirit all the time, especially with the next generation just hearing! It seems to be more and more common - in far too many venues. starting out.

Tony: There are some big players in pro audio that do everything by Tony: You’re never going to go forward or find anything new if you’re playing numbers. Firstly, it’s of great arrogance to assume we’ve already got of all of safe, which the pro audio business does to a fault. It’s almost become the numbers. How do you know that you know all there is to know? They’re stagnant. It started with the 32-inch bass bin. It’s got about half a tonne of selling these ideas to the next generation of engineers; they’re not teaching push, which brings all sorts of new mechanical considerations into play people how to listen, how to really feel what a sound should be. When I’m that we hadn’t fully appreciated. When we were at Ultra Miami [on the Carl responsible for sound, no matter, where I am, at Space or at Glastonbury, if I Cox stage], we had eight of them and we figured out they would cover the hear something that makes me feel uncomfortable, I pull it down. whole thing. By and large, they did. We put them all on one side and on I got into this industry because audio lifted my mind out of where it was the other side, we put a few F221’s because I thought and put it in a new place. It inspired me. It’s 50 years there might be a bit of a gap on that side. So I put later and I’m still driven by that thought. some 21’s there to cover that area. What we came to A lot of people doing audio today might have really realise was that they worked together. The F132’s are clever computers, but where’s their emotion? Where’s very good at doing serious low energy sound, like their idea of what it means to really feel good sound?

30Hz and below, but that actually worked against The Experimental Soundfield makes me feel so good them for normal bass frequencies. To cut a long that I want to share it with everyone.

“If I’m not always story short, I realised that by using the F132’s and TPi F221’s together, we could split the bass, avoid any Photos: Phaze Photography experimenting, cancellations and have a very effective solution. www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk then I’m retiring....”

We’ve made our own cone and horn-loaded it, www.funktion-one.com and last night I got the vindication for going down www.guycalledgerald.com Tony Andrews 31

GLASTONBURY 2016

GREEN HIPPO HippoSchool curriculum.”

John Peel 2016 presented some very real challenges this year. The design has previously been driven primarily by the concept and the initial discussions. However, the popularity of the stage has led to a raising of the bar for the daily headliners, which, in turn, has dictated the video requirements and its final implementation. One artist specified a very high resolution, 16:9 screen whose dimensions and rigging requirements dictated that it must remain in-situ for the entire festival. Whereas previous years have seen video columns and similar creative concepts, this was not possible this year.

“We decided to shift emphasis from physical layout to super-high quality content and a synergy with lighting colours and effects,” said Harris.

“Hippotizer’s engine delivers super-high resolution content flawlessly so we focussed on creating presets which capitalised on the quality of the screen and which were then linked to a bank of triggerable cues available to all visiting LDs. Whilst the physical layout was initially a little lacking in options, I was actually delighted with the results of our choices. Not only did the quality add a dimension for the artists that you rarely see live, it also translated extremely well onto the TV broadcasts.”

The continued diversity and varying degrees of technology that the bill on John Peel fires at the crew running it led to the first deployment of a pre-programming Hippotizer suite in the backstage area this year.

Visiting LDs could quickly check what their live performances could look like before sending their preferred looks to FOH even while other artists were performing. This not only helped with the unusually short turnaround times on the stage, but also increased the levels of creativity on display throughout the weekend.

Elsewhere, Hippotizer, once again, was the default choice of server on the West Holts stage supplied by Darren Parker’s team at DPL. The Glade Stage had Green Hippo servers supplied by Colour Sound Experiement. As usual, many visiting artists passed through the festival site with their own Hippotizers in their touring rigs. These included Jess Glynne, Two Door Cinema Club, The 1975 and Chvrches.

TPi Photo: Courtesy of Martin Audio www.green-hippo.com

Once again, Green Hippo had a strong presence at Glastonbury. Perhaps the key difference between events at Worthy Farm and the multitude of other events featuring Hippotizer worldwide is the involvement of Green Hippo’s Head of Training, Simon Harris.

Harris has treated Glastonbury’s John Peel Stage as his annual hands-on project for many years. Having formed a strong bond with Cate Carter of Bryte Design, this is his ninth year running servers on the popular stage, renowned for showcasing up and coming bands from around the globe.

“I try to get involved in projects as often as possible so I can feed what I see and learn back into my Hippotizer training programmes but my busy schedule means that I do this nowhere near as much as I’d like. However, the moment the festival dates are announced, the John Peel stage is in my diary and I get involved in developing the design at a very early stage, often in my own time. It’s rewarding to use all the features I teach daily on an actual show and it’s invaluable for myself and the success of our

VME VME provided sound and lighting for the Beat Hotel. This was the second continuous year that VME were involved with this stage, providing sound, lighting and site power distribution for the 2,000 capacity bar stage.

The Beat Hotel has DJ’s playing music continually from 10am through through 3am, with headline artists across the event including Heidi, Seth Troller, Midland, Ben UFO, Joy Orbison, Four Tet, Floating Points and Simian Mobile Disco.

Designed to mimic a cheap, sleazy and unsophisticated American ‘70s motel, the Beat Hotel consists of a complete stage set, built by the team from Gorilla Events. A combination of Showtec Sunstrip Active DMX, Chroma Spheres, Robe LED600 Wash and Robe 100LED Beam fixtures were then used to light the stage set and marquee. Lighting control was an Avolites Tiger Touch, programmed by VME’s Ben Hyman and operated by Carl Palmer.

At the audio helm was Jim Loasby, who utilised a range of Kling & Freitag loudspeakers to cover the venue with sound effectively. K&F Line 212, SW215, Scena and Gravis loudspeakers were deployed both inside and outside the venue, powered by the new Kling & Freitag PLM12k44 amplifiers and controlled by a Yamaha CL1.

TPi www.vme-uk.com 32

GLASTONBURY 2016: THE HIGHLIGHTS

CLARKE CABLE The jewel in the crown of Clarke Cable’s year was its involvement with the spectacular Arcadia Spider.

From an initial introduction while exhibiting at the Prolight+Sound Show in April this year, Clarke Cable supplied over 8kms of bespoke power and signalling cable for the structure.

At the heart of the project was the combined Clarke Cable Socapex Power & DMX cable that was initially designed for pre-rig Truss. This ‘one cable’ solution carrying six power circuits and continuous DMX was customised to fit within the legs of the structure and the underbelly of the central pod. This dramatically cuts down the rigging time during the build of the structure by 70%.

From design to delivery of 72 line items, this remarkable cable structure took just three weeks to complete. All the cables used were jacketed in Polyurethane to withstand the hazards of potential spillages of Bio Fuel, Hydraulic Oil and the ravages of water ingress (Glastonbury would not be Glastonbury without rain!) The entire cabling system allowed Arcadia to be tour-ready post festival and be totally self-sufficient.

Over at the Pyramid Stage, Clarke Cable’s Socapex Power & DMX cable was deployed for the first time at a major music festival. Deployed within sections of Pre Rig Truss this facilitates huge time savings when rigging or interchanging the luminares. Each cable provides six power circuits and the attendant DMX signal routing to control six luminares in a single flexible light weight cable. Jacketed in Polyurethane it has elevated protection for the ingress of water and is immensely tough compared to standard rubber cables. You get all the features of an Internally Wired Bar but in a flexible single cable solution. Over the years, lighting technology has pushed the boundaries but the cabling has remained the same, now Clarke Cable has introduced its technology to keep pace with the changes.

M E D I A

On the audio front, Clarke Cable’s bespoke speaker cabling systems were again in evidence. Designed for the Martin Audio Mini MLA series these IP67 multiway solutions deliver eight bi-amped, high-end signals from their sub bass unit to four satellite speakers. At the hub is Clarke Cable’s IP67 Y Splitter technology that delivers a ruggedised waterproof plug and play solution. This is just one of the products Clarke Cable custom builds along with power distribution boxes, and waterproofed Socapex Spiders for the Martin Audio Multi-Cellular Loudspeaker Array.

TPi Photo: Ben Daure www.clarkecable.co.uk

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GLASTONBURY 2016: THE HIGHLIGHTS

CHAUVET PROFESSIONAL & GLS LIGHTING Often described as a ‘festival within a festival’, The Field of Avalon at Glastonbury has built a passionately loyal following with its comfortable mix of folk and roots music, wholesome food and communal vibes.

This year, that welcoming atmosphere was enhanced by warm and engaging lighting, thanks to a carefully crafted setup by GLS Lighting that used a collection of Rogue and STRIKE 4 fixtures from Chauvet Professional.

“As the Avalon Stage is a key focal point not just within the Field of Avalon, but also within the Glastonbury festival itself, we felt it our duty to create huge engaging looks for the performers on stage,” commented Ian Turner, Project Manager of GLS Lighting. “With our selection of Chauvet fixtures, we were able to combine big looks and versatility in one complete package for some big bands such as The Feeling, Will Young and KT Tunstall, whilst still creating a high level of engagement for the audience.”

The GLS team, headed by Wil Thomas and John Curtis, flew 12 Rogue R1 Beams, eight Rogue R2 Washes and eight Rogue R2 Beam fixtures on the upstage truss. The R1 Beams were selected for their incredibly punchy beams, which are extremely bright despite their compact size. This allowed the LDs to use the powerful reach of the beams to their full extent shooting far into the crowd, while also adding endless looks thanks the fixtures’ gobos and prisms.

As two pockets of the tent housing the Avalon Stage were exposed during the day to sunlight, one of Turner’s key considerations was ensuring no show atmosphere was lost for the performers playing during the day. In adding the Rogue R2 to the arsenal of lighting fixtures on the Avalon Stage, Thomas and Curtis had both a practical tool for the daylight hours, and a secret weapon for the evening.

“During daylight hours, the R2’s powerfully bright and punchy beams

put to an end any concerns we may have had about losing any kind of atmosphere,” Turner said. “As the sun went down, we could throw the R2’s beams into the mix to create stunningly opulent looks worthy of the largest of headlining stages.”

A further eight Rogue R2 Washes gave Thomas and Curtis the option to shower the performers on stage with deep saturated colour and textures.

“The R2 washes are pretty amazing fixtures,” Curtis commented. “They’re able to draw both a wide wash and a narrower beam, giving us plenty to play with. Combined with the punch of the R1 and R2 Beams, the stage looked full and the performances looked powerful.”

In addition to the collection of Rogue fixtures, the GLS team deployed STRIKE 4 fixtures positioned on above stage and side stage truss, ushering in a much larger stadium feel to the relative intimacy of the 3,000-capacity stage. The STRIKEs provided blinding, warm white wash and strobe effects.

Depending on the situation, GLS was able to create intensity with the blinder effects or atmosphere with the low level tungsten effect glow. The combination gave the artists on stage some classic looks upon which to get the crowd going at key moments in their sets.

From a technical standpoint, the GLS team were appreciative of the smooth dimming curve of the STRIKEs. “Not only is the STRIKE practical in the sense that the fixture essentially gives us three different functions in one, we don’t need to carry cumbersome dimmer racks: a huge advantage for the festival setup and de-rig,” Thomas said.

Turner concluded: “The Avalon Stage has a truly credible reputation within the greater confines of Glastonbury, and as such we saw it as our duty to give the crowd, the performers and the Avalon organisers the most impressive lighting display we could create within the means we had.

“I’m pleased to say, thanks to our selection of Chauvet Professional fixtures, we created a formidable event in its own right.”

TPi www.chauvetprofessional.com, www.glslighting.com 34

GLASTONBURY 2016: THE HIGHLIGHTS

EAT TO THE BEAT The year 2016 marked the 18th successive year that Eat to the Beat (ETTB) has provided the backstage catering for artists and crews at Glastonbury.

Once again Mary Shelley-Smith, ETTB’s Global Operations Director, was responsible for overseeing the process - a role she has undertaken since ETTB was first awarded the contract in 1998.

Shelley-Smith and her team had the responsibility for keeping crews and artists fed and refreshed - not just during the festival but throughout the all-important build-up phase, and were on-hand afterwards while the site was cleared.

Thanks to its vast Glastonbury experience, ETTB has a meticulous operational plan that is implemented for the festival. Initially, a 10-strong team arrived on site on 5 June to live and work in the compounds of power supplier, Aggreko. This team remained on site until 6 July providing catering for up to 100 electricians and key production workers each day.

Ahead of the festival, ETTB cranked up its operation by creating a field kitchen within a huge marquee with a dining room to provide catering for crews and artists working on the main two festival stages, Pyramid and the Other, and the BBC TV and radio broadcasting crews.

ETTB brought its own equipment onto site, which even included sinks and hot water provision. A further 50-strong team supported by numerous volunteers served breakfast, lunch and dinner to 950 people each day. Over the main festival days ETTB served more than 13,000 meals.

Around 20 chefs provided a 24-7 service with full cooked breakfasts, hot lunches and salad bars, a deli selection and homemade cakes. Lunches were three courses with lots of choice to suit every taste. A critical part

of ETTB’s service is ensuring there were balanced, wholesome meals for everyone - taking into account allergies, intolerances or special requirements.

Shelley-Smith added: “Weather is often one of the big challenges for suppliers and the vast audiences. This year the rain was of epic proportions but the organisers have a fantastic infrastructure in place and actually the awful weather really didn’t affect us too much. As everyone knows Glastonbury is an amazing festival with something for everyone’s music taste. My personal favourite this year was the performance by Jeff Lynne’s ELO on the Sunday.”

Shelly-Smith’s team included supervisors responsible for key areas: Lyn Smith, Inter stage; Neil Holmes, Other Stage; and Heidi Barry, Pyramid Stage.

TPi www.globalinfusiongroup.com

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GLASTONBURY 2016: THE HIGHLIGHTS

ER PRODUCTIONS: A TRIBUTE TO BOWIE In one of the must-see performances at Glastonbury 2016, an orchestra, conducted

by Charles Hazlewood, performed composer Philip Glass’ Heroes Symphony at midnight on the Saturday. Filling the sky with an array of beautifully choreographed lasers, a display designed by artist Chris Levine accompanied the classical piece. Based on Bowie’s iconic 1977 album, Heroes Symphony was performed by members of the British Paraorchestra, a professional ensemble of musicians with disabilities.

Hazelwood said: “If Bowie had any interest in what might be played by all of us after he’d gone, then I reckon a world class orchestra breathing fire into Glass’s Heroes Symphony would make him very happy indeed.

And with the added genius of laser virtuoso Chris Levine creating a visual counterpoint to Glass’s luminescent textures, this will be the most extraordinary sound and vision ever witnessed at Glastonbury.”

The sonic laser show was created by Levine in collaboration with Peter Hampel of Edenlab. Award winning laser specialist, ER Productions, brought Levine’s laser designs to life using a combination of high-powered OPSL lasers to create an ethereal display of geometric light forms, which complemented the highly sensory musical composition. ER has created show-stopping laser displays around the world for recording artists ranging from Kylie to Queen and at events including the 2012 Olympic Games.

To achieve the look, ER rigged Excellent 21 laser heads on the upstage truss focussed over the audience, while three single colour red lase-arrays sent triangular beams across the stage creating a focal point.

During the pre-programming stages at the ER facility in Dartford, the decision was made to operate the final movement and most dynamic part of symphony live. With versatile live operating capabilities, Pangolin Beyond 2.1 operating software helped to create a very powerful finale. Midi controllers enabled Levine to control various elements of the show.

Responsible for programming and operating the display, ER Productions’ Project Manager, Andrew Turner, said: “Having collaborated with Chris in the past we knew that this project would be something out of the ordinary. In addition to the red Lase-Arrays and Excellent 21’s, we created the swirling nebula patterns Chris is renowned for by projecting 18WRGBB OPSL lasers through Lumina glass. The beam quality and colour mixing of the lasers we used is second to none, making them perfect for a large outdoor festival like Glastonbury.

“To achieve the right balance of atmospheric effects and counteract any weather related interference, we used a combination of Viper deLuxe and Unique hazers, eight in total, which were strategically positioned in a ring on stage, in the pit and in three audience locations.”

Marc Webber, Co-founder of ER Productions, added: “Working in a festival environment is challenging but our crew rose to the occasion and did us proud. At ER we are always mindful of safety, especially on a display as large as this. The accommodating local production team and onsite health and safety offices worked closely with our technicians to ensure that Chris’ vision for the 45-minute performance went without hitch.”

TPi Photo: Delmar Mavignier www.er-productions.com 36

GLASTONBURY 2016: THE HIGHLIGHTS

MUSIC BANK Backline supplier Music Bank has been an off icial supplier to Glastonbury’s stages for 22 years. Manager, Jimmy Mac, laughed: “I’ve done 21 of them!” This year it provided 40 separate backline packages on site; a mix of generic backlines for stages and specific artists. The 2016 stages that benefitted from the company’s equipment include the Pyramid Stage, the Other Stage, Shangri La and Williams Green amongst many others.

Artist clients included Editors, Coldplay, ZZ Top and ELO to name but a few. Continued Mac: “We are still a small crew but all of our staff are Glastonbury veterans. This year I had four crew who have amazing knowledge on the huge amount of backline we carry. Once the gear has been prepped in our shop, the main part of the job on this festival is checking off the backline from artic to satellite vans and delivering it to stages. We constantly get calls from artists, who arrive without a certain bit of kit or discover something they have brought is not working. Some requests seem a little strange and range from plectrums to full size concert grand pianos (both of which we managed to source!).

“We are also often asked to help set up or break down for artists who are short on time. Another service we bring to Glastonbury is to supply warm up backline kit and 110v for the Pyramid Stage dressing rooms. This year that included keyboards amongst other things for Coldplay’s special guests, Michael Eavis and Barry Gibb of the BeeGees.”

With such extensive experience of the site, the Music Bank crew must have surely seen some diverse weather conditions during the great British ‘summer’ time. With one of the muddiest events in its history, how did Mac and co fare? “We are used to all conditions, but this year was tough. With the problems getting on site on Wednesday - where we struggled for almost

12 hours - certainly put us behind, but with my fantastic team we clawed back the time and didn’t miss a single slot. Music Bank and emergency services vehicles are the only transport able to travel anywhere on site and outside of any vehicle curfew. Despite this access, we did have to be towed out of mud several times! That’s how essential backline is for the magnitude of musicians performing. Saying that, the scariest moment for me personally was when I ran out of crushed ice for our frozen margaritas!

Massive thanks to Mary Shelly-Smith from ETTB for sorting that out straight away!”, he joked.* At the end of the day, we’re trusted to supply the highest standard of crew and backline here because we’re tried and tested for a very demanding job - it’s no wonder the Music Bank catchphrase is ‘Experts in your Fields’. *probably wasn’t a joke TPi www.musicbank.org

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GLASTONBURY 2016: THE HIGHLIGHTS

MARTIN AUDIO, RG JONES & SWG Martin Audio’s premier systems took over an unprecedented six stages at this year’s Glastonbury Festival - including the main Pyramid Stage where it has operated with RG Jones Sound Engineering continuously since 2008.

The award-winning MLA technology could not only be found at Pyramid but also John Peel Stage, West Holts and Block9 complex, while conventional Martin Audio line arrays featured at The Park and Billy Bragg’s Left Field stages.

It was the proven ability of the MLA system to contain sound and prevent bleed, as well deliver high octane sound where it was needed, that had urged the festival’s production team to specify it on other stages. Aside from mitigating sound overspill, it would compensate for a slightly revised layout at the Worthy Farm site, notably the re-angling of the John Peel stage towards Pyramid.

A key member of the production team was Simon Honywill, who was this year employed direct by the festival to oversee the safe deployment and delivery of the various MLA systems by production specialists RG Jones Sound Engineering and SWG Events.

Martin Audio R&D Director, Jason Baird, paid tribute to the rental companies, the various system techs and their own support team, headed by the experienced Chris Pyne. “There is no doubt that Glastonbury was a major success. We met the challenges of propagation across three new stages in difficult atmospherics and achieved a greater reduction of noise spillage, as directed by the acoustics consultants, without losing sight of what we needed to achieve on the Pyramid stage.

“We were getting in excess of 100dB(A) at FOH; the headline engineers

all had a good time with it and it sounded great.”

One of these was veteran sound engineer Gary Bradshaw, who mixed Jeff Lynne’s ELO in the Sunday ‘Legends’ slot. Speaking of the experience, he said: “These days you expect to be able to turn up to a gig, patch into the PA and with very little adjustment be able to produce a show. I have used Martin MLA several times recently and that has certainly been the case with this system. At Glastonbury there was no adjustment at all from me — my output EQ on the main left and right and sub-low were all flat and the result was a very warm, powerful array.

“The low end frequencies were tight and distributed very evenly as I walked through the mud while listening to other bands playing; the vocal range was smooth and the high end crisp and detailed. Strings are a particular feature of the ELO mix, and I found they sat nicely with no harshness. All in all it was an easy system to work with.”

Also impressed with the sound was Simon Honywill, describing it as “absolutely fantastic throughout. This was a well conceived package and I was especially pleased with the way we were able to solve the potential sound problems at the John Peel Stage and Block9.”

This is how the various systems were configured: PYRAMID STAGE RG Jones kept largely to the successful formula they have employed since transferring from Martin Audio’s W8L Longbow to MLA. The system this year comprised 17 MLA (and a single MLD Downfill) for the four main hangs and a total of six delay positions of both MLA and MLA Compact.

One change this year was the transposition of MLA and MLA Compact on certain delay rings, which brought an overall improvement to the time 38

GLASTONBURY 2016: THE HIGHLIGHTS

alignment and distribution. As a result, delays one and four were formed from 16 MLA Compact, delays two and three utilised 14 MLA and delays five and six were equipped with 10 MLA. There was also a broadside cardioid array of 21 forward-facing (and 10 rear-facing) MLX subs across the width of the stage. Finally, four MLA Compact were deployed on each side of the Pyramid arch for stereo infills.

With overall Project Manager Ben Milton supported by Matt Sussex (who was also West Holts Crew Chief), Mark Isbister was responsible for preproduction and system engineer Mark Edwards, supported by Jason Baird, took charge of the PA rig.

Milton also oversaw FOH along with Damion Dyer, while down at the stage were Becky Pell and Jack Bowcher on monitors. Stage Engineers were Dan Molsey and Sam King.

Stated Honywill: “Although the atmospherics were not especially helpful. I stood in the crowd for Muse, 150 metres away, and the sound was phenomenal… massive.”

bottom end was phenomenal, the clarity amazing,” stated Honywill.

SWG’s head of operations (and technical production manager) Mark Bott was equally effusive. “Our brief was to reduce any impact on the Pyramid stage and MLA was absolutely the right system for the job.

“We had listened to the product in detail and it was fantastic and offered a lot of important control tools. We have a duty of care to the festival and by the time we got to Glastonbury knew MLA Compact’s capabilities, despite its size. It’s an amazing rig.

“We received many compliments from sound engineers, for example Sigur Rós, and managed to achieve 98dB at FOH while satisfying the offsite considerations. Martin Audio were with us throughout the entire process and Chris Pyne was a major help, constantly liaising between us and the Pyramid.”

Pyne himself added: “The fact that the system punched above its weight is illustrated by the fact that we were able to cover this stage with just six MLX subs a side.”

JOHN PEEL STAGE With repositioning and reorientation of the John Peel Stage towards Pyramid, and consequent concern about overlapping sound, festival production specified that MLA should be used.

With system training delivered by Simon HonywilI back in May, and Chris Pyne supervising the set-up, both men reported a sound which fulfilled all objectives.

“Jason [Baird] and I produced a map file and then made a number of adjustments and refined what we needed to do in order to achieve the response was what we wanted,” said Pyne. “The adverse weather played a part but you couldn’t hear the Pyramid stage or vice versa. Any issues were caused by clubs and pubs playing dance music.”

Production hung 12 MLA Compact and stacked six MLX enclosures per side, with one MLX facing backwards on each side. “The power behind the

WEST HOLTS STAGE This was another historically problematic stage which RG Jones managed to mitigate with their MLA Compact. To avoid sound encroaching on the Greenpeace area and various trading concessions up to 300m away from the stage, it was RG Jones’ duty to ensure that the world stage ran complaint free. “It is the type of problem the MLA solves week in, week out,” said Honywill. “We had to work hard on the optimisations on West Holts more than the other stages but we nailed it and managed very effective containment whilst maintaining world class audio reproduction.”

RG Jones flew two 20 MLA Compact elements per side with 16 MLX in a cardioid broadside array.

RG’s employed three West Holts regulars to oversee monitors, FOH and patch, in the form of Rob Ritchie, James Clark and Martin Shaw who complemented their own Sam Liddiard and Matt Sussex.

IMAXLighting Lighting & Rigging equipment, Designed, installed and crewed Tel: 0117 971 96 25 | www.imaxlighting.co.uk | info@imaxlighting.co.uk

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GLASTONBURY 2016: THE HIGHLIGHTS

by the Philip Glass Heroes Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Charles Hazlewood. “This went out live on BBC which put extra pressure on us. The general operating capacity was 5,000 but we must have had at least double that for the full Orchestra - all playing through the W8LC.” LEFT FIELD The Left Field Stage is largely a political forum dedicated to activism and social justice, overseen by Billy Bragg - but the sound system also has to cater for loud music.

This was familiar zone for SWG Events, which deployed eight W8LM Mini Line Arrays per side, along with WS218X subs. “The versatility of the Martin Audio system always serves us well because Left Field is a mixture of speech and music taking place in a large tent. It’s all about intelligibility, although at the same time we had Enter Shikari play through the system last year!” said Mark Bott.

Summing up the entire Glastonbury experience, Simon Honywill stated, “We managed to get through the entire weekend without receiving a single grumble about the sound.”

Director of RG Jones John Carroll added “We are very honored to be trusted with three major stages at Glastonbury Festival, including the iconic Pyramid Stage which we’ve been consistently involved with since 2008.

The unprecedented skills of our engineers matched with the unparalleled support from Martin Audio has produced results that just seem to get better each year. The company celebrates 90 years this year and Glastonbury Festival is definitely up there with our finest achievements”.

Jason Baird, added: “You are always working on the edge, when you are trying to achieve as much SPL in as you can. We made sure that no-one was lacking in [the levels] they wanted - despite the fact that earlier in the day the offsite threshold is set is 5dB lower. Block9, in particular, represented a significant breakthrough.”

Martin Audio Managing Director, Dom Harter, concluded, “It was a real feat not only to have equipped six stages for the first time but to have helped solve traditional problems of sound escape. This is what MLA was set up to do.”

And finally, an honourable mention goes to Chris Pyne for services beyond the cause - walking a constant relay between the John Peel and Pyramid stages, often in the rain, which according to his Fitbit took him 54 miles (although Honywill would argue that this was easily eclipsed by his own perambulatory achievements over the week-long duty cycle)!

TPi www.martin-audio.com www.rgjones.co.uk, www.swgevents.co.uk

BLOCK9 Block9 represents a major part of the late night festival ambience, based around three unique, stageset-like structures: Genosys, London Underground and NYC Downlow. Because the brutalist Genosys - open-air and 60ft high - runs until 6am, sound thresholds have been historically reduced to a mere 88dB, hardly ideal for EDM. Honywill outlined what could potentially be achieved with an MLA Compact system. “As a result, we gained an additional 10dB - and to go all night with no complaints was remarkable.”

Dispensing with the ground stack point source used previously RG Jones flew 10 MLA Compact a side, nine metres off the ground and angled down, with the flyong opints integrated into the Genosys structure. The subs were built into the set, with six DSX either side of the DJ booth in a curve, plus a stack of MLA Mini either side provided infills.

Honywill optimised the hard avoid setting to 150 metres behind the system. “It absolutely smashed it,” he exclaimed. “The DJs and managers were saying it was like working in a studio, really pumping. They loved it, and the Block9 team were thrilled.”

PARK STAGE SWG Events has handled this stage since its inception in 2007, using the Martin Audio W8LC and also providing lighting. This year was no exception.

The main stage featured 12-a-side W8LC, 16 S218X subs with W8LCD enclosures as infills and LE12J floor wedges. “We have to be sympathetic to a wide range of requirements and are proud of what we produced,” said Mark Bott. This included the televised broadcast of the David Bowie tribute

SERIOUS STAGES Alongside the 60 stages and structures it installs yearly across the site, Serious Stages was also tasked with designing and building the BBC media structures for the first time. This included the bespoke 12.6 metre by 17.4 metre media studio situated within The Park.

The media studio featured an apex style roof, two sets of steps, handrails and clear sheets surrounding the broadcast platform. With a perfect view over the festival site, it housed a variety of BBC presenters throughout the event. Serious Stages has been working with the festival for over four decades, supplying its most iconic structures, including the decking and camera runs for the Pyramid Stage, newly designed and built West Holts, the Other Stage and Park Stage. Serious also supplys the Temple and the Ribbon Tower, plus multiple indoor stages, media platforms, television camera towers, PA towers, spot pods, structural supports for video screens, viewing platforms and arches.

Simon Fursman, Project Manager at Serious Stages, commented: “We’ve been working with Glastonbury Festival for over four decades, supplying the world famous festival with most of its stages and site structures.

This year has been the first time we have worked directly with the BBC to design and build a bespoke media studio, complete with a presentation platform that overlooked the entire site and the camera tracks at the front of the stages. The studio was timber clad and provided an interesting environment for broadcast and media interviews and for artists to be

filmed in, whilst our proprietary decking and flooring systems provided a stable base for broadcast equipment. For this year’s event we enhanced the West Holts stage, adding goalposts to hang screens which opened the performances up to a bigger audience and made the stage much more visual. We also made a few modifications to the Other Stage, and supplied all of the other main stages, such as the relocated John Peel stage, the bespoke structures like the Ribbon Tower along with the associated front of house positions, VIP and assisted viewing platforms.

“We’re no strangers to the British weather, however the weeks of rain and resultant mud we experienced this year did make the build much harder. Despite the poor weather, our knowledge of the site, combined with an experienced Serious team interacting with Glastonbury’s personnel and suppliers, meant we could support the festival in delivering more memorable moments, and we’re proud to have such a longstanding relationship with this prestigious event.”

TPi www.stages.co.uk 40

GLASTONBURY 2016: THE HIGHLIGHTS

BRYTE DESIGN Bryte Design’s involvement with the John Peel Stage began in 2007. TPi caught up with Cate Carter to find out how things have changed in the last nine years: “We’ve seen the stage grow in every aspect. This year we enjoyed a change of location, moving us up the hill to a larger site in the northwest corner,” she said. Led by Area Organiser Jim Fox and Production Coordinator Phil Tickle, the stage has evolved over recent years but throughout this process the design brief has remained similar. “Each year we need to create a performance space that works for every artist, and ensure the stage looks great for both the festival audience and on the BBC coverage. The video design saw the biggest change this year, with us moving away from using low resolution video elements to create textural effects and instead having a large upstage video wall to meet specific artist requirements.

“In order to accommodate the large video wall and a number of other special additions on our modestly sized stage. Phil redesigned the ground support (supplied by Rigging Services) to carry the additional five tonnes of LED screen, Kinesys motors and lighting pods. The new screen design was a ROE MC-7, supplied by PRG XL Video. It posed some challenges as it almost entirely filled our upstage wall. To break this up, we chose six lighting pods on Kinesys motors that could be set to different positions either in front of or above the screen, allowing artists to use the space as they wish. We had full support from Green Hippo, with Simon Harris onboard to setup and manage the brilliant Kast V4 server, assisted by Kate Perrin. System design and build was managed by Vortex Events, who supplied crew and operators for the festival system and behind the scenes Paul Maddock-Jones managed the IMAG and broadcast systems.

“Gary Churchill and his team from IMAX supplied all the lighting for the

stage with support from both Ambersphere and Martin by Harman. This year we had Martin by Harman Viper Air FX fixtures on the rig, which proved to be a hugely versatile fixture in the festival environment, and we used the new Atomic LED strobe for the first time. We were really impressed with the Atomic LED, it makes a great replacement for the original Atomic strobes, the backlight effect looked fabulous on camera and it’s so much more energy efficient - a key design consideration when working for Glastonbury festival. We used the new Clay Paky Scenius for key lighting and found the true white lamp source meant this was the perfect choice for the job.

We had a full compliment of MA Lighting grandMA2 consoles at FOH for control with the Dot2 console in place to control all TV key lighting and audience fixtures. We’ve been pleased to be able to offer wysiwyg to all guest LDs with four stations at FOH allowing multiple programmers to work simultaneously.

“We get so much enjoyment seeing the team come together each year.

We’re most proud of the internship programme we support. Each year people just starting out come and work alongside our crew to gain insight.

Even in the full swing of the festival, the crew are always happy share their experience with the new generation.”

TPi Photo: Courtesy of Martin Audio, www.brytedesign.co.uk

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GLASTONBURY 2016: THE HIGHLIGHTS

VER For the second year in succession, VER was contracted by the Pyramid and Other Stage production team of Yasha Morgenstern and Emma Reynolds at Glastonbury Festival to work alongside their video production coordinator Jay Ellis of Production Network.

VER provided the Winvision 9Air LED screen as main camera IMAG screens for both main stages, along with installed screens onstage to be used with associated control equipment for a variety of artists.

Pyramid made use of a pair of 12 x 7.2 metre flown IMAG screens, with 8.4 x 4.8 metre flown screens being used on Other. Commenting on the installation, VER Project Manager Alastair MacDiarmid said: “The very low weight, 5000 NIT brightness, superb colour and extreme reliability of the 9air makes it a no-brainer for this application. With screen control routed to the IMAG camera control cabin it’s pretty much build it and forget about it for the week.”

The Other Stage made full use of a VER 9Air 14.4 x 4.2 metre rolling screen, supplied in sections that could be easily moved in during band changeover to be up and running in multiple different configurations, in under 10 minutes. The flexible nature of this screen allowed reconfiguration into a single large flown screen for Sunday night headliners LCD Soundsystem. An additional VER supplied, smaller, flown 9Air screen was also added to the line up for New Order on the Saturday.

Speaking further on the project, Alastair said: “VER’s custom wind calculation sheets allow us to build and install to full Temporary Demountable Structure specifications of 25m/s wind speed with complete confidence allowing us to guarantee the integrity of our structures in what

can be a challenging environment.”

VER had a clean sweep in five mm LED Display systems for this year’s Pyramid Stage headline acts, supplying Revolution RS5 via Video Design for Muse on Friday with Everbrighten BR5 supplied directly to the act for Adele’s Saturday performance and via Glastonbury Production for Coldplay’s Sunday night set.

Installed as a huge 15m x 8.5 metre with a 2640 x 1496 resolution, controlled by multiple VER Revolution M2 processors with the incoming signal seamlessly split using Datapath X4’s, the BR5 also gained further exposure in multiple configurations throughout Sunday for a number of major acts including ELO, Beck and Ellie Goulding.

Ahead of the weekend headline shows, the screen was built in full, ready for Adele’s Wednesday rehearsal and masked to a curved shape for her set.

VER also provided six Barco 2k40 video projectors and associated control equipment to take care of the huge projected images that flanked Adele’s Pyramid Stage performance. Helping minimise the impact on the busy production teams, the system was then re-mapped to use the full screen during the overnight changeover ready for Coldplay on Sunday.

Assisting with the essential infrastructure of the event, VER also supplied Production Network with all the necessary fibre optic signal interfaces required to move video signal between FOH, stage, video cabins, screens and projectors on both stages. A total of 40 fibre optic circuits in DVI and HDSDI, plus over 10km of fibre was supplied for this alone.

Rounding up the show Alastair concludes “Hard work over the last couple of years is now paying off, with VER seeing a huge demand for it’s services. It’s brilliant to be working at the peak of the industry on huge projects like Glastonbury - and to be appreciated for what we can deliver!”.

TPi www.verrents.com

HAWTHORN As New Order, one of the most critically acclaimed and transformational new wave bands of the 1980s took to the Other Stage, creative technical production expert Hawthorn was on hand to support them, providing lighting and video equipment for their performance.

The company was tasked with providing lighting equipment to augment the existing festival rig. The specification included Martin by Harman MAC Viper Profile, Clay Paky Sharpy and ETC Source 4 Profile fixtures, all controlled using an Avolites Arena lighting desk, a console well suited to the larger production demands posed by a music festival.

The band’s rousing performance was further enhanced by Hawthorn’s stock of Glux 10mm LED panels, which provided the canvas for stunning visuals of geometric shapes and wormholes.

“We worked with New Order last year on their European Tour so we’re delighted to have the opportunity to hit the road with them again this summer,” said Hawthorn’s Head of Concert Touring Mick Freer.

“Glastonbury is such an iconic festival, renowned the world over as an incredible celebration of music, so it was an honour to support New Order on their performance here.”

Hawthorn’s ever-growing reputation in the concert touring sector has already seen them supply kit and crew for a host of performances this year including those by influential ‘80s new wave group, OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) and Steven Wilson’s Hand. Cannot. Erase. 2016 World Tour.

“Mick always looks after us and the Hawthorn team bend over backwards, either at their base or on site. I’m always happy with the professional, friendly and flexible approach they have,” commented Richard “Wez” Wearing, New Order’s Tour Manager. “There is never a

[negative] approach, it is always ‘let’s see how we can make it work’ which, in the insane world of touring, is a breath of fresh air. All aspects of the overall performance on the night were great. We all have budgets to work to, but we do get more than we ask for from Hawthorn. They always go the extra mile and anyone seeing the show on the Saturday night on the Other Stage would testify to this.”

Glastonbury was the second of the band’s 11-date European Festival tour, which kicked off at Sonar Festival in Barcelona and will conclude in September at Lollapalooza in Berlin.

TPi www.hawthorn.biz Photo: Nick Wilson 42

GLASTONBURY 2016: THE HIGHLIGHTS

ROBE’S ANOLIS LIGHTING The architectural division of Robe, Anolis Lighting, has recently worked closely with Arcadia Spectacular’s technical team in the run up to Glastonbury to illuminate its technically acclaimed Spider.

Arcadia’s main challenge was to create a new efficient LED lighting system to illuminate the structural elements of the Spider that would outperform its existing system. In order to do so, it had to approach the lighting design from an architectural perspective as opposed to previous rock ‘n’ roll methods.

Having successfully worked with Robe for many years, the Arcadia team naturally turned to Anolis to find the best solution. The fixtures chosen were selected primarily based on their performance, reliability and robustness; features that are key elements from the Anolis outdoor colour-changing range. Due to the complex nature of the structure, a carefully planned system, designed by Tim Smith of Arcadia in collaboration with Simon Gooding of Anolis, was put in place to enable all of the lighting fixtures to be positioned in a way to be removed and transported easily as it is a touring system; all of that combined with an effective cable management system, all powered from the Anolis range of power supplies.

The Spider’s legs were all illuminated with the ArcLine Optic Double Outdoor linear range, which utilises high LED output and controlled optics.

The three moving cranes on the top of the structure had previously proved to be a challenge to illuminate, which is why the ArcLine Mini Outdoor linear were chosen due to their small profile and open optics which was ideal in order to make the cranes stand out during the performances.

The main body of the Spider was lit with the compact ArcPad 48 Integral flood light, positioned all around and fitted with wide optics and barn doors to highlight other elements of the structure. Finally, more ArcLine Mini Outdoor linear were installed inside the DJ booth where space

restriction was a challenge yet high output was required. All of the linear fixtures were individually powered via 10 of the Anolis ArcPower 384 RackMount drivers controlled by their Art-Net interface.

Smith, Technical Production Manager at Arcadia Spectacular, commented: “The modular nature of the Anolis product range was ideal when looking at re-lighting the Spider, allowing us to pick and choose what types of LEDs and lenses would work best in different areas of the structure.

Taking the ‘brains’ out of the light itself and having racks of PSUs allows us to keep the delicate electronics within the safety of the dimmer area.

Working with Robe/Anolis and Simon throughout the project allowed us to light the Spider how it was originally conceived.”

TPi www.anolis.co.uk

AURORA LIGHTING

and versatility Martin Rush PARs were also included in the installation.

Aurora also supplied LED ribbon which was been woven into the set design for a bit of extra magic.

To meet the need for portability and ease of use, Bi-Colour Lite Panels were despatched, the kits proved particularly useful in ad hoc interview situations where a quick set up is essential. Meanwhile, for studio guests a mixture of Tungsten and Daylight Fresnels augmented with 4ft 4bank Kino Flo and Parabeams completed the festival line up.

Behind the desk, console operators Alex Pocock and Paul Evans took care of business running Avolites Pearl Experts to stay in control throughout the weekend. Keeping on top of four consecutive days of broadcast running well into the night, the team were challenged to keep things balanced and maintaining the consistency of the look in a variety of situations, not least of all the British summer weather!

TPi http://auroratv.co.uk

Aurora Lighting Hire once again headed for Worthy Farm in support of Lighting Director Oli Richards, Associate LD David ‘Frankie’ Francis and Gaffer Sam Madden as Broadcast Partners during the BBC’s extensive coverage of Glastonbury 2016.

Covering a number of broadcast areas throughout the festival, the Aurora team were on site taking care of the BBC live studio and link interviews, so flexibility and portability have been high on the lighting list.

For the main studio area the LD’s chose Mole Richardson molefays to add some tungsten warmth along with an array of tungsten festoon that helped complete the festiva- friendly look. For a little more power, colour

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GLASTONBURY 2016: THE HIGHLIGHTS

Above: John Grant LD Tom Campbell.

AVOLITES Avolites’ lighting consoles, dimmers and media servers have once again delivered robust, festival-proof performance to astounding shows across Glastonbury’s vast and varied musical programme.

For nearly 40 years, Avolites equipment has been found surviving the mud in each corner of the Worthy Farm takeover. This year the British manufacturer’s consoles and media servers were not only used on the main stages such as the Pyramid, which was also powered by Avolites ART2000 dimmers, the Other, John Peel, West Holts and the Acoustic Stage but also Arcadia Spectacular and The Temple immersive dance environments, and after hours areas such as the Unfairground art field.

Lighting Designer Andrew Liddle, whose recent portfolio includes OMD, The Charlatans and La Roux, has been working with Avolites consoles for the past 35 years. Like Avolites, Liddle is a Glastonbury stalwart, hitting the festival for the 16th year running - this time with indie dance legends New Order. With a performance of ‘atmospheric magic’ that impressed NME magazine, the Manchester-born group took to the Other Stage in support of their latest album Music Complete.

Liddle augmented the Other Stage’s house rig with 24 Clay Paky Sharpys, four Martin Professional MAC Vipers and six ETC Source 4’s, controlling the set up with an Avolites Arena, supplied by technical event production house Hawthorn.

“I’ve been an Avolites user since 1996 and began using Titan in 2010,” explained Liddle. “I’ve always liked how easy the desks are to use, plus the patching and palette creation they offer. They are also intuitive and fast to programme, which is ideal for the festival setting.”

Performing on the John Peel stage was Brighton’s DJ legend Fat Boy Slim, with long-time lighting designer Stephen Abbiss creating the ultimate rave atmosphere for the raucous crowd that packed the tent. Abbiss transferred the show file from his own powerful Titan Mobile, which he uses for some of his biggest shows, to a Tiger Touch II running Titan v10.

“I’ve been using Avolites consoles since they only had one wheel,” said Abbiss. “They’re always my desk of choice as they’re so familiar to me now and my fingers like the fader spacing! I think Titan v10 has some good new features - window resizing is very helpful as is the Undo option.”

Also on the John Peel Stage, Tom Campbell of TC Lighting Design was also operating an Avolites Tiger Touch II to control his design for John Grant; whose performance received a great review from The Guardian despite the American singer-songwriter suffering from flu.

Campbell, who is also currently out on tour with Welsh rockers Bullet For My Valentine, has been using Avolites for a decade. “I have always been a big fan of the speed and ease of programming on Avolites consoles - it’s

incredibly useful,” he said.

As John Grant captivated the audience with his heart-wrenching back catalogue, Campbell complemented the performance with a series of retro-esque lighting looks, cleverly using LED technology disguised as classic tungsten fixtures. His design is also based around a rear ‘analog’ video wall, constructed using eight rear set pieces made out of metal gauze, ranging in height from 12ft - 20ft, depending on the venue. These are used to create a range of spectacular three-dimensional visual looks for the band to perform in, which Campbell triggers from the Tiger Touch II. Moving across to the West Holts Stage, lighting designer John Rogers chose a compact yet powerful Avolites Quartz console to control his design for soulful funk group Quantic All Stars.

“The compact design of the Quartz makes it really festival friendly,” says Rogers. “However its small size is deceiving – one of the house techs of the West Holts Stage was really impressed that such a compact desk could take 15 universes in its stride. It definitely made a good impression.

“I was also using the new Titan v10, which I’m really impressed with.

The expanded import feature gives you the ability to map the same source fixture to as many fixtures as you like. This makes rig expansion and show reusability a lot better. I already own Capture so importing theatres for visualisation will be a nice way to bring my show together more. There are also great improvements to existing functionality, such as Key Frame Shapes. I’ve always liked the immediacy of Avolites software features. Plus, the user interface elements always strike me as carefully implemented.”

Also important to Rogers was the ability to transition his original show file over to the Quartz from a Tiger Touch II running version 9.

“This show started life as a festival house desk show, so being able to bring that programming across consoles and software versions was vital,” he continued. “Without it I probably would have just busked the house desk at Glastonbury.”

Rogers’ festival tour design for the Quantic All Stars is energetic and bold, utilising Robe Pointes’ striking beam and prism looks to create a strong party vibe that runs through the set.

“The looks have to be big and bouncing, like a carnival in the sun, even if you’re in a muddy field in the pouring rain. And this year was particularly muddy,” he laughed. “However we had a great show and it was lovely to see some familiar faces around the festival. Big thanks to Greg Haynes for helping me get the Quartz up to the top of the slippery FOH tower and generally being excellent.”

Another seasoned Avolites user, LD Ken Coker operated a Sapphire Touch - the Acoustic Stage’s house desk supplied by Rob Sangwell at Fineline Lighting - for Barclay James Harvest. Interestingly, the progressive rock group were the first band to take Avolites’ original equipment on tour in the 1980s.

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GLASTONBURY 2016: THE HIGHLIGHTS

“I have been using Avolites for almost all of my working life and I’m 58!” said Coker. “Despite growing over the years the company still has an air of a small business that cares and the team there offers fantastic support.”

Coker applied the house rig including Robe and Martin Professional fixtures to ensure frontman John Lees was perfectly lit at all times, whilst also creating myriad textures with gobo work and subtle beam looks.

Like Abbiss, Coker is impressed with Titan v10’s customisable windows, applying the feature to boost the efficiency of his programming for the quick festival turnaround.

“I’ve recently got to grips with Titan v10 and I think it’s excellent,” he explained. “The ability to customise window size will be particularly useful for smaller Avolites consoles like my Titan Mobile.”

As ever there was plenty of Avolites action on the incredible Arcadia Spectacular, who brought back their stunning Metamorphosis show to the festival for the second year running.

Two Sapphire Touch consoles worked as the main and back up lighting desks, with a Quartz used to control SFX. A single Ai Infinity RX8 media server with eight outputs powered the incredible visuals for the entire set up, with a back up in place. This meant there was only one machine live at a time running the interface, plus seven outputs going out to external devices - six projectors and one LED processor.

“The eight outputs of the Infinity RX8 mean you can drive everything out of one machine, rather than having to network servers up, which saves a lot of time and trouble shooting,” said Avolites’ Ciaran Abrams, who has been involved in Glastonbury’s Arcadia for several years. “Its performance

is great with smooth playback and it’s also really rugged and durable, which makes it ideal for withstanding the rigours of a festival setting. Not only that, it has EDID management, which adds a safety net to the output for additional reliability. So, if something gets unplugged anywhere on the stage, it isn’t going to interfere with the rest of the show.”

“Avolites has been one of Arcadia’s most dedicated supporters, suppliers and partners during the company’s evolution from small festival stages to international repute,” said Tim Smith, Arcadia’s Technical Production Manager. “The relationship has been invaluable and they continue to supply cutting edge servers and lighting consoles alongside technical collaboration and unfailing dedication.”

In addition, two Infinity R8 servers, one main and one back-up, ran video content on The Temple Stage. Avolites Ai expert Arran Rothwell-Eyre set up and operated the system, alongside top visiting VJs. “We ran a total resolution of 7900 x 1024 content which was split across 8 projectors to create 360°-surround video mapping,” he explained. “As well as running custom content directly from the media server, we used multiple DVI and SDI inputs on the system to take live feeds from artists and VJs and apply them to the structure in real time. This allowed us to plug touring VJs straight into the system without a long and complicated setup procedure and as a result could easily combine their visuals with the specially made content.”

TPi Photos: Alan Ward www.avolites.com

BPM BPM undertook special effects duties for two highly anticipated performances at this year’s festival.

Dance pop trio Years & Years played on The Other Stage and enjoyed stadium shots with a rainbow confetti effect - comprising one block colour per stadium shot.

Elsewhere, on the Pyramid Stage, Ellie Goulding played an early evening set on the final day of the festival. After completing her Delirium tour in the UK and Ireland, Goulding returned to British shores for a festival run. Her Glastonbury production on the main stage boasted CO2 Jets, XL Confetti Megashooters with multi coloured confetti and pink and white balloons.

Liam Haswell, BPM Technical Director told tPi: “We enjoy working on festival sites with our clients and pushing the boundaries of their shows with both special effects and lasers, but it’s always a little extra special to work on a festival as iconic as Glastonbury with them. We are proud to be involved in these shows, helping people make memories with great production values.”

TPi www.bpm-sfx.com

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GLASTONBURY 2016: THE HIGHLIGHTS

DIGICO DiGiCo’s Mark Saunders and Tom Williams were on site at Glastonbury, supporting DiGiCo engineers, rental companies and broadcasters across the site over the weekend as and when required.

The pair worked closely with South West Group Events, which had recently purchased two DiGiCo S21’s with D2 Stage Racks. These were used at the monitor and FOH positions on the BBC Introducing Stage with an SD10 used at FOH on The Park stage.

Incoming acts that used DiGiCo consoles on the major stages included Adele, Coldplay and Jeff Lynne’s ELO - all of whom used SD7’s FOH and monitors. New Order used SD5’s at FOH and monitors, while Daughter chose SD10’s LCD Soundsystem used an SD5 at FOH, M83 selected an SD10 monitors, James Blake had an SD11 at monitors and for Years & Years it was an SD10-24 at FOH. “This was my first year at Glastonbury for DiGiCo,” said Sales Support Manager Mark Saunders. “Because of the reliability of the consoles, we didn’t have that much to do, but it was great to be on site to lend a hand and answer any questions that visiting engineers who may not have used DiGiCo consoles before had.”

TPi www.digico.biz

QUANTUM SPECIAL EFFECTS

Quantum Special Effects provided confetti, streamers, and pyrotechnics for three major headline acts at the festival.

Battling against pouring rain and mud that threatened to swallow flight cases, the Melksham-based company was proud to have survived and serviced its biggest Glastonbury festival to date. With trends in special effects rapidly becoming a staple of festival entertainment, the Quantum team were called upon to supply bespoke visuals for Foals, Muse, and Adele on both Friday and Saturday night.

In close collaboration with the individual production teams, Quantum worked tirelessly over the weekend to ensure each act had its own standout programme of effects to entertain the crowds. Starting with Foals on Friday night, Quantum provided 30kg of white confetti alongside four stadium shots of white and blue streamers for the band’s finale song Two Step, Twice. In a rare moment of clear skies, the biodegradable paper flew into the air above a perfectly arranged sunset backdrop.

Closing the evening were returning headliners Muse, who became the first act in Glastonbury history to have topped the bill on all three nights of the festival. Quantum has worked with Muse on many of their previous tours and was confident in maintaining the band’s reputation for an outstanding live performance. A dazzling combination of comets and mines were fired from the towers either side of the stage for song Globalist, while anthem Mercy saw 84kg of custom ‘drone’ shaped confetti pour

into the audience. For the final touch, 12 stadium shots were wirelessly programmed to release 132kg of streamers that matched the colours of the on stage visuals, arcing over the crowd in an epic display of red, pink, purple, yellow, and blue.

Quantum CEO Shaun Barnett, commented: “On Saturday, our sole focus was Adele. We’re currently providing an arena-wide confetti storm and bespoke rain system for her world tour, so it was essential to translate the same elegance and impact of these effects to the Pyramid Stage with an added Glastonbury twist. With 28 confetti blowers stationed around the entire audience area, we completely covered the crowd with 200kg of custom-printed confetti for Rolling in the Deep.”

In addition to the usual 10 handwritten quotes that fans can find at her concerts, brand new Glastonbury inspired notes were added to the confetti including ‘Glastonbury 4 life,’ and ‘I bloody did it!’

For their final contribution, Quantum surprised crowds with a 25ft pyrotechnic waterfall for song Set Fire to the Rain. Lasting for 30 seconds, the effect lit up the entire stage bringing the infamous song lyrics to life for the whole audience to see.

All of Quantum’s work was fuelled by expert gas suppliers and sister company, Gassed Up. This year, Operations Coordinator Claire Webb organised the CO2 for all of Glastonbury’s headliners including 56 individual canisters for Adele’s bespoke confetti launch, as well as Tame Impala’s debut Pyramid set and Coldplay’s big Sunday finale.

TPi www.q-sfx.com 46

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COLDPLAY: A HEAD FULL OF DREAMS In between headlining Glastonbury festival and playing four consecutive nights at London’s Wembley Stadium, it’s fair to say Coldplay have had a busy summer. TPi’s Stew Hume travelled to Copenhagen, Denmark, for the last date of the British rock band’s European tour to meet the team that make Coldplay’s multi-coloured dream a reality.

With a bassist from Scotland, a guitarist from Wales and a singer and drummer from England it’s hard not to feel a warm sense of British pride while watching Coldplay present their awe-inspiring A Head Full of Dreams tour. After a successful South American leg Coldplay set themselves up for a summer playing in some of the biggest outdoor venues across Europe. With their ever-growing popularity, Coldplay has often been the victim of criticism from those who dismiss their mainstream accessibility. However, whether you love them or shun them, one thing the band can never be faulted on is their ability to deliver an incredible live show, and as hundreds of thousands of fans have shown, this latest tour was no exception.

are. This tour has been really busy; for example a lot of our production are flying out to the US after tonight’s show to make preparations for the North American run. However we always want to make sure we’re pushing forward and everyone’s spirits are up. It’s busy but it’s a rock ‘n’ roll show, we have to remember that!”

With the European leg of A Head full of Dreams coming to a close Massey gave a summary of how the tour had gone. “It’s been really great. The European crowds have been wonderful as always. Since our first show in France we have received such positive feedback from promoters and the fans. It’s just amazing how many people we have played to night after night. Take Wembley for example; after four days you realise that you’ve just played to over 300,000 people. It’s moments like that which allow you to appreciate the magnitude of this production. This whole show has a really positive vibe and if you stand by the barricade when the crowd see the reel which welcomes them to the show, and the signature wristbands light up the audience you can feel the excitement. That’s why all of us on the crew do this. We love it.”

Tour Manager, and past TPi Award winner Marguerite Nguyen agrees.

Starting with the band back in 2008 as Production Assistant, Nguyen

THE PRODUCTION PYRAMID Heading up the production for the tour is Production Manager Bill Leabody and Production Coordinator Nicole Massey. With 109 universal crew, 32 truck and nine bus drivers, they lead something akin to a small army.

Speaking to Massey on the stage floor of Copenhagen’s Telia Parken, she talked about the importance of keeping morale high: “Both myself and Bill try to keep everyone as happy as possible no matter how hard the days 50

PRODUCTION PROFILE

Opposite and Below: On their second leg of the wold tour, Coldplay brought A Head Full of Dreams to stadiums across Europe.

explained why, like her, so many crew members keep returning year after year: “With every tour the mood always comes from the top; the guys in the band are so generous and nice to work for. I remember when I first started, they wouldn’t let me hold doors open for them! And, of course, that trickles down with our great production team of Bill and Nicole. There are people on this tour that have been with the band since they were in a van and there is a reason they keep coming back. When you’re lucky enough to find a tour that feels like home you always want to stay!”

audience. During those shows we got to experiment with some really cool ideas that were simply not possible on such a large stage. But when we put our heads together for A Head Full of Dreams we wanted to think of a way that incorporates the best parts from Mylo Xyloto and Ghost Stories. We utilised the lower B stage to allow frontman Chris Martin closer contact with the audience and made sure the video elements showed as much of the band as possible.”

RAISE THE ROOF In 2012 the band performed without a roof for their stadium tour. During early production conversations regarding A Head Full of Dreams it was decided that this would remain the same.

“It’s completely open to the elements,” commented Leabody. “The band likes to have a close connection with the audience and if it rains and the crowd gets wet, so do they!” Lighting Director Graham Feast chipped in: “When we were presented with the idea of playing without a roof, the first task involved where to hang the lighting fixtures.” Paul Normandale’s solution came in the form of two towers on stage that house a lot of the fixtures and the PA. The remaining fixtures are hung on the upstage wall.

Having already toured stadiums roofless, the crew had picked up a great deal of experience. “Without the roof you have an added problem of weather-proofing, which can be challenging but we learned from those mistakes on the Mylo Xyloto tour,” explained Feast. “Coming into this we knew which areas needed to be addressed in terms of cable management; each fixture has it’s own bespoke rain cover.” Normandale believes the input of lighting vendor, Lite Alternative was vital in tackling this operation, crediting them with “extensive knowledge on waterproofing lighting fixtures.”

The stage was supplied by Stageco. The company built a sub-structure for the 65 by 25 metre-deep main stage, as well as the 30 metre long B stage runway and a C stage on which the band played a short, intimate set amongst the audience. Stageco was also responsible for the steel structure that supports the central video wall and side screens, the rigging points, PA along with the spot towers, FOH risers and camera platforms.

Stageco President, Hedwig De Meyer, discussed the creation period

THE DRAWING BOARD Fans haven’t seen a Coldplay show of this scale since 2012’s Mylo Xyloto tour, in support of their fifth album of the same name. For their follow-up album, Ghost Stories the band opted for an intimate tour and only played a few dates. Fast-forward to last year and Coldplay released their seventh studio album, A Head Full of Dreams, announced their plans to again take up residence in stadiums across the globe.

To put this tour together, the band enlisted their trusted creative team; Creative Director Phil Harvey; Production/Lighting Designer Paul Normandale; Production / Set Designer Misty Buckley and Video Director Ben Miles. This visionary group of creatives charged with the task of bringing the band’s vision to life were supported by several long-term vendors including Lite Alternative and Brilliant Stages, as well as newcomers, VER. Many of the themes created for the Mylo Xyloto tour made a welcome return for the band’s latest outing, including a multitude of lasers and confetti blasts. A Head Full of Dreams also sees the welcome return of LED wristbands provided by Xylobands which invited every member of the audience to be a part of the show design. According to Lighting Designer Paul Normandale, this was one of the goals in the initial design: “The aim on all Coldplay tours is always the same; to involve every audience member whether they are upfront, by the barricade or at the back of the stadium.”

Although this latest stadium tour had the production rolling out some old tricks from the Mylo Xyloto run, many of the creative team were keen to bring in new elements. Ben Miles, Video Director for the tour explained: “The few Ghost Stories shows were very different visually. It was all about projection and being in a space where the band could get close to the 51

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Head Carpenter, Jack Deitering; Head Rigger, Russell Glen; Stage Manager, Craig ‘Fin’ Finly; Catering crewmember Lulu Foster-Young and Catering Crew Chief Susan Power; Production Coordinator Nicole Massey; Lighting Director Graham Feast.

for the tour: “My first meeting about the production was in June 2015 and because the band are involved in many creative decisions, a lot of options were left open for a significant amount of time. As a result, aspects of the design were still being finalised just weeks before the tour. I guess you could say it’s been a long process but our experience and flexibility enables us to respond well under pressure.”

Providing the top deck for the tour was Brilliant Stages. The company has worked with the band for several years and was delighted to be invited back on board.

Ben Brooks, Director of Brilliant Stages explained the company’s involvement: “The system we took out on the European run was one of three that we provided for this world tour. It consisted of an upper deck on the main stage that was designed to replicate the flower shape of the logo from their album artwork. We provided the top deck for the runways to the B stage and for the C stage out in the audience.” Brilliant also constructed the framing for the stage left and right video screen to again replicate the latest album’s logo.

Matthew Kaye, Project Manager from Brilliant explained the technical elements of the staging: “All the elements were treated with a non-slip finish which was essential, as the band are very active on stage. The whole stage, including the runway and video floor on the B stage, was sprung and mounted on rubber blocks to absorb the shock when Chris runs around the stage.”

The stage surface was also absorbed into the set aesthetic with a painted on design created by Misty Buckly. As the stage was open to the elements it could be exposed to high temperatures one day and heavy rain the next. “Brilliant supplied a team of artists headed up Hannah Whitfield from Perry Scenic to ensure the paint work always looked its best,” said Kaye. Finally, from an aesthetic point of view another vital part of the set design was a large flower curtain that hung in front of the main LED screen. The curtain was supplied by UK draping specialist Blackout which produced the colourful backdrop to the stage, by creating a bespoke netting system with built-in webbing straps.

Taking on the role of Stage Manager was Craig ‘Fin’ Finly. Fin has been with the band under different guises since 2008 when he was the Production Manager. After taking some time away from the band, Fin jumped at the opportunity to return to the road with Coldplay as Stage Manger: “This tour is really great to work on,” he began. “It’s about 20 percent bigger than their 2012 tour but it is still very manageable. There’s a great vibe, especially with so many returning crewmembers – and not just the key production but many of the vendor crew too.”

Fin has a strong work ethic which he tries to instill in his team, “Everyone has to be safe for this show, during long day of heavy lifting, but you try and do everything with a smile on your face.”

Responsible for overseeing the build of the stage is Head Carpenter, Jack Deitering. Along with the 10-strong carpentry crew, Deitering

discussed some of the issues he faces with the open air conditions: “There are no real places to hide from the elements during the tour unless you’re one of the techs in the bunkers. It’s always important to keep your rain gear handy and to keep a positive attitude throughout.”

The rigging supplier for the European run was Actus Industries. The rigging team of five was Head Rigger, Russell Glen. “On the whole rig there are 127 points,” Glen began. “The centre four towers are all connected and support the back video wall which alone weighs 80,000 tonnes.” Actus Industries supplied the production with a range of CM motors. “We have quite a variety on this tour including one, two and half tonnes,” explained Glen. “It’s my go-to motor. It’s recognised throughout the world and if you have any problems there is always somewhere that can replace them.”

Glen was keen to highlight the inclusion of the Limpet Hight Safety system. “We brought it out for the first time in this tour. Essentially it’s a lifting system for each one of our downstage spot operators so they don’t have to climb to the positions and can simply hoist themselves. It’s an added safety measure we were keen to implement. In the last two months they have become a staple of our production.”

Providing several infrastructural and services elements for the European tour was eps. The company not only supplied the tour with a GIGs Stage Barriers package along with several GIGS Special Elements, it also saw that the tour was provided with 30,000 sq metres of black drapes that were used behind the stage area.

To ensure that each venue had enough power, the band’s production once again hired the services of Forth Generation. The company has worked with Coldplay since 2009 and was delighted to be asked back once again. Managing Director of Forth Generation, Tweed Hurlocker stated: “The band and their management - namely Dave Holmes and Bill Leabody - have been amazingly loyal to Fourth Generation on these last two outings and we are highly appreciative. The production team is great to work with.

“For the A Head Full of Dreams tour we supplied 2.2 mW of power. It’s enough to keep a small city running! The mains cable totaled around six km alone. This year the tour required us to load in on the day of the show, a challenge to which our crew rose to admirably. We had a team of five, headed up by Paul Traynor our Crew Chief.”

Hurlocker explained that every single department relies on your company to do their job; pressure which, at times, can be both stressful and challenging. He was pleased to report however that all his crew took it in their stride: “It’s imperative that all of our equipment is built to exacting specifications and is rigorously maintained. We love what we do though and have great crew. We are delighted to be back out on the road with Coldplay again. They always put on a great show for the audience and have a reputation for creativity. We love being part of that process and seeing the audience’s enjoyment of each new stadium tour.

“Also I have to give a special congratulations to Paul and Susanne Howell, Operations Manager of Eat To The Beat the tours caterers, who 52

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The unique video control package consisted of eight Ai R6 media servers. There was also a set of downstream video servers to processes effects with minimal latency routed through the Encore 2 ; Video Programmer Leo Flint and Video Director Ben Miles.

even managed to squeeze getting married into the tour itinerary!” concluded Hurlocker.

often seen during sporting events in stadiums, has lent itself incredibly well to the live touring world according to Miles. “Since bringing it on the tour I have been able to produce the most beautiful areal shots.” The camera tracks itself along four cable wires, which are winched from each corner of the stadium. The smooth tracking of the camera meant that the Miles could produce close shots of the band before flying out to show the wider stage to create spanning cinematic looks all of which were achieved without affecting the sight lines of the audience on the stadium floor.

Miles also had a Robo camera on the downstage tower which could track up and down. “Just like the Spidercam, the Robo camera served two purposes: getting close to the band while being able to track up the tower to showcase the artwork on the main stage. That is what has really excited me on this tour.” Miles continued, “With the different angle I can really play with the perspective of what is shown on the screen.

“I am very lucky with the camera crew I have got on this tour,” said Miles.

“They’re all talented video and LED techs but also great cameramen. I have worked with them all before in one way or another. Video Crew Chief Phil Johnston and I have worked together since Viva La Vida. He has always run his camera position and knows exactly what works - it is the same for my other operators. Honestly, they make my life easy as they continue to deliver great images.”

The demands from the video department required a robust control package. “We need a system capable of routing any of our cameras and effects in any direction so that we can build compositions, as well as take camera images and put them onto a pre-built effect, feed in animations and send them to the screen of our choosing,” explained Miles. To create his ideal video system Miles brought in British manufacture Avolites along with Avolites’ Ai media server distributor and technical specialist, RES (Realtime Enviroment Systems). The system consisted of eight Ai R6 media servers, which were manned by the, as Miles put it, “highly talented,” Video Programmer Leo Flint. Miles selected the Avolites product because he had previously deployed them on Ghost Stories. “We started working with Avolites media servers over two years ago, on the previous tour.

We’d already developed a lot of ideas based on aspects of the server that I really liked as well as some new things I really wanted from a media server that didn’t exist yet. I was lucky enough to get involved in the development process with the software team from Avolites for the last couple of software upgrades: version 8 and version 9. A lot of my input was to do with the frame delay between capturing and output as my big thing with media servers is live capture and using effects on everything I do. The programming environment behind Ai is Salvation, which gives us the ability to customise effects using a node-based engine. This means we can connect up lots of modules. Pretty much any effect I dream up can be realised.”

Dave Green of Avolites said: “I got involved very early on in the project to help Ben design an overall system. It consisted of eight R6 media servers, four of which are used for front-end media playback. One does a big 4k screen.

“To my knowledge, this is the first time full native 4k has been used on a stage show like this. The other servers take care of the side screens. Then there is the back up for each of those, so it’s a fairly standard set up for a large-scale show, apart from the 4k playback.

“We put in a set of downstream video servers purely for the purpose of

TIME FOR YOUR CLOSE UP, MR. MARTIN During the tour the FOH positions were split in two; audio was placed to the left of the stadium floor and the visual department to the right. Meeting TPi at the visual FOH was Coldplay’s acclaimed live-show Video Director Ben Miles. It would be out of the ordinary to find a video department set up at FOH on most tours, but not Miles, who told TPi how much he wants to be part of the action. “Nothing can ever match the naked eye. If you rely on watching a show through monitors you’re trusting the colour collaboration to be correct. I want to see my work on the big screen first hand, especially in this show with the open roof and the effect of the changing natural light.”

Settling down at his control station, Miles outlined his initial goals from the outset of the world tour. “I want everything you see on the screen to be part of the overall look. In this show the delay screen doesn’t simply produce content for people who can’t see. It’s all part of the same look in collaboration with all the other departments.”

Coldplay’s Production brought in first-time supplier VER. Miles elaborated: “We really needed a big company for this tour due to the sheer size of the show. We created a complicated control system which we have wanted to build for several years, but to create it we needed a company that could produce all the pieces of the puzzle. This is the first time we have worked with VER and it has been great.”

Starting from the stage, Miles deployed three screens of VER RS5 with a large 23.4 by 12 metres back stage screen with two smaller 8.4 by 9.6 wide IMAGs flanking the stage. “During the South American run we used VER’s nine mm product but were really keen to use the five mm for the European run. A lot of the looks we produce for the screens are live camera images.

If we shoot any of the band members, the upstage LED screen acts as a backdrop for the footage streamed on the side IMAG screens. So having a screen like the RS5 which has a very high resolution creates a much sharper look.”

Providing all the footage for Miles through the show was a sizable 14 camera package. “Starting off we have two cameras in the pit area mounted on Vinten Ospreys using a curved track, as I wanted to get a way from straight line shots. We also have two FOH cameras, which I use for my long shots, as well as some B and C stage footage. I also have another long lens on an Vinten Osprey down on the B stage which I use for footage of Chris running down the runway. There are also two handheld cameras with one on stage to create action shots of Chris and Will [Champion, Drummer].

We also have Robo cameras on trusses that get interesting angles as well as footage of the fans and capture looks created by the LED Xylobands.”

One of Miles’ other aims for the tour was to focus on aerial shots to show off the painted stage and the Viss Lighting NX7 LED floor on the B stage. “Before this tour I had never really worked with an LED floor but it lends itself to being shot from above. We drew a lot of inspiration from the band’s performance at the Super Bowl halftime show and began working on ways to produce the best aerial shot.” Miles and the visual team settled on a Spidercam to showcase the stage adequately. Brought in initially for the four Wembley dates, the Spidercam, which requires an additional three crew members, impressed Miles and the rest of production so much so it was implemented in the rest of the European tour. The free moving camera, 54

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Making a welcome return to this tour was Xylobands. The technology allowed the whole audience to become an integral part of the light show; The roofless stage inspired Paul Normandale‘s solution of using two towers on stage, housing both lighting fixtures and the PA.

processing effects with minimal latency. So we took the outputs of what we call the ‘effects servers’ and routed them to the Encore 2, which is the final control system for the video walls. Alternatively we can route them through the other Ai media servers further downstream of that. That whole high level system design was unique to this project.”

Working directly with Coldplay, RES also produced some of the more psychedelic graphics for the show. Green also aided in designing the real-time generative effects used in the open sequence – also based on the tour’s logo and band latest album cover. Further to that, Miles commissioned him to produce around 20 effects including a realistic prism style kaleidoscope, and another that turned live footage into laser beams.

One of the biggest challenges on the project for the Avolites, RES and Miles’ team was the integration of the live FX system ‘Notch’ - formerly known as ‘Demolition’. “The Notch tool runs as a plug-in inside Ai and allows designers to create real-time content and video effects,” explained Green. “It’s designed to utilise the very latest software techniques, squeezing every drop of performance out of the graphics hardware, which ultimately enabled us to deliver Ben and the band’s full visual wish list.”

The final aspect of the video package - beautifully decorated with fairy lights and images of Johnny Cash and Iggy Pop - was Miles’ video switcher of choice, the Grass Valley Karrera. “I produce two different cuts; one for the main screen and the other for the two side IMAGs,” explained Miles. “We also have a third ME (mix effect) that is used for things like TV content. For this project we really needed a three ME desk and this is always my choice.”

In praise of this mammoth orchestration, Miles stated: “I was lucky enough to pick my dream video team. Everyone involved has been vital in realising this complex setup. I consider myself very lucky to work with so many skilled technical and creative people.”

This was seen throughout the show when lead singer Chris directly addressed Feasty, asking the LD to put up the house lights to see the sea of fans more clearly. For networking the tour opted for a Luminex RDM system which, according to Feasty, had been “fantastic.”

Normandale described some of the workhorse fixtures on the rig. “In total we have 16 Martin by Harman MAC Vipers along with 45 MAC Auras, 14 MAC Quantum washes, 18 MAC Viper AirFX and 12 MAC Axiom.” Feasty added: “We took delivery of the new Axioms only three weeks ago and they have been fantastic. They are incredibly punchy fixtures.” Also on the rig was an abundance of Clay Paky Sharpys (74 in total) as well as 60 Ayrton Magic Dots.

“The Magic Dots are on the rig behind the band and are pixel mapped through the Hog 4,” explained Feasty.

Lite Alternative also provided the tour with a selection of ProLight LED fixtures from A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET). Normandale expanded: “I needed an IP-rated wash fixture – as well as a blinder – that would be reliable and crew friendly. In a stadium the equipment is exposed to some challenging elements and this tour was no exception, being open to the elements. So we also needed fixtures that were robust, durable and weather proof. Thankfully the ProLights AreanaCOB4 fit these requirements.”

Altogether 60 ArenaCOB4’s provided top and side lighting for the band along with a further 25 AreanaCOB4-Halos replacing the traditional 4-lite DWE blinders. “The two fixture have definitely become a mainstay in Lite Alternative’s rental stock,” stated Feasty.

Another ProLights product utilised on the tour was the LUMIPIX 16H LED battens which were placed under the risers. Normandale also deployed ProLights StudioCOB UV LED PARs. With a variety of lens options, plenty of punch and none of the fragile nature of traditional UV guns, the StudioCOB UVs offered the production a rugged, tourable stadium-scale UV solution. Also on the rig were 18 Philips Vari-Lites and 29 TMB Solaris Flares.

All followspots came courtesy of Robert Juliat with eight altogether, using both the 4k Lancelots 2.5K Cyrano spots. Feasty commented, “Optically both the fixtures are very good.”

“LET ME SEE THEM GRAHAM” Coldplay’s Lighting Director Graham ‘Feasty’ Feast, a six-year veteran with the band, was first brought on by Lighting Designer Paul Normandale to complete the tail end of the Viva La Vida tour. He described the creative inception of this tour’s light show. With a band that has been around for so many years it is understandable the fans come to expect certain things visually with some of the older tracks: “During the early stages of preproduction the older songs such and Yellow and The Scientist are locked in early. In the case of newer songs, Paul looks at the overall picture and Ben often has a great deal of input on the visual side of what they are looking to create. We sit down and come up with a dynamic for the track, discussing colour schemes for both the lighting and video.” Feasty also noted how involved the band is during these early stages of the creative process, chipping in what they like and don’t like.

Long-time lighting vendors for Coldplay, Lite Alternative, provided a complete fixture and control package including two High End System Hog 4’s (one main, one back up). “I always see consoles as cars,” explained Feasty.

“They all get you from A to B and the only difference is the ride. For this tour though, the Hog 4 has been rock solid.” The LD went on to describe that this current tour is very much a live show. He elaborated: “This project really can’t rely on time code, it’s very much an organic process in terms of operation.”

STRICTLY (FX) BUSINESS Coldplay have become synonymous with special effects, from giant confetti to integrated laser shows. A Head Full of Dreams was no exception. The production once again brought in Special Effects designer David Kennedy and long-time vendor Strictly FX to help create the colourful visual landscape, for the largest Coldplay set-up yet. “We first crossed paths with Coldplay back in 2008 on the Viva tour so we have got to know the band and the creative team really well,” began Kennedy. “As soon as the initial plans for this current world tour were put in place we were brought in by Paul Normandale and Phil Harvey to walk through our ideas and begin fixing the mould for the special effects package.”

The lasers have benefitted from one of the biggest expansions to the special effects department on this run. “During Mylo Xyloto tour we started the run with a six fixture package which was bumped up to eight half way thought the tour. This time we have 40!” Handling the army of fixtures on the road was Laser Operator Mike Hartle who talked TPi through the laser rig. “We have 12 56

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Strictly FX Crew Chief, Brook Blomquist; Wristband Operator, Antony Burry; Laser Operator, Mike Hartle; Strictly FX deployed a massive 40-fixture laser package; During the set a pyrotechnic show was also rolled out.

straight RGB beam output systems which have diffraction gradients on them. Those are our proprietary system, which we have built in conjunction with a company called Lightline. On top of that we have 10 6.5W scanning systems which we built in collaboration with Arctos Lasertechnik which also have diffraction gradients, although we use them for more traditional scanning animations. We also have four 15W RGB and four 30W systems, again from Acrtose.

Hartle outlined some of the challenges the laser department had to overcome. “The first challenge we faced was playing in the open air exposing us to rain and other natural elements. Arctose’s experience with creating weather proof fixtures was invaluable to us.” Hartle went on to describe other health and safety measures that had to be taken at every stop on the tour. “For the European run we are not doing any audience scans but we are doing diffraction gradients which present a few challenges. Within Europe there are certain legal limitations and we have to keep an incredibly close eye on the readings. As we have no roof on this tour, in each city we had to consult with local aviation authorities to grant us permission to shoot out of the arena and if our request was rejected, figure out a point to terminate the beams. It certainly keeps you on your toes with the European minefield of regulations.” Kennedy chipped in: “When it comes to lasers we are incredibly safety conscious. For this tour we have a really robust laser system which reassures those who come to inspect the shows. They can find the reading very easily and check everything is above board.”

Strictly FX also provided two types of confetti shots for the show. The first saw Stadium Confetti canons produce a unique blast that resembled Indian throwing paint - reflecting Coldplay’s video for Hymn For the Weekend. “We have been talking about doing more colour-separation effects for some time,” stated Kennedy. “I think we nailed it on this one.

It really kicks off the show and looks fantastic.” A total of 20 Strictly FX Confetti Cobras were also used. “Our Cobra’s are CO2 blowers and the lift on them is incredible with the ability to fill whole stadiums.” During those two full stadium shots it truly was a sight to behold how quickly the Cobras were able to fill the stadium although, while searching for the exit at the end of the show, it was had not to spare a thought for those who would be cracking out the dustpan and brush in a couple of hours to attempt to clean up after the show.

A new addition to Strictly’s special effects rig was a selection of pyrotechnic products. “For the majority of the tour we have placed all pyro elements on the roof,” explained Crew Chief Brook Blomquist. However, due to heavy rainfall in Copenhagen the night before the show, a decision was made to close the roof of the arena. “Due to the size of the pyro effects you cannot simply bring them down from the roof and put them on the stage, so we have to evolve the show slightly and bring the effects down to ground level.” While speaking to Blomquist before doors, the other eight SFX crew were hard at work recalibrating the fixtures to ensuring that

the pyrotechnic elements were not lost for the show to give the Danes in Copenhagen the complete Coldplay show.

Kennedy gave TPi his final thoughts: “It’s been fantastic to work with these guys again. They really listen to us when we have ideas and create a really comfortable work environment. During the creative process, as well as going through colour schemes to ensure everything is cohesive, each department gives space for one another. For example, certain moments are really laser heavy so Graham will pull back the light show to give each department its chance to shine!”

BANDS FOR THE BAND Back in 2012, during the Mylo Xyloto tour, Coldplay and their creative team were desperate to offer something new and innovative for their stadium show. This eventually led to the band crossing paths with Xylobands inventor, Jason Regler who had the idea of creating interactive LED wristbands allowing the whole audience to become united as one and act as an extension of the main show design. The interactive LED wristbands were deployed during that run which soon attracted the interest of the live music industry not to mention incredibly well received by fans; so naturally the creative team were keen to roll them out again.

TPi talked to Wristband Operator, Antony Burry about the logistical effort of lighting up each audience member: “For each show on this tour we use around 47,500 bands with each audience member receive when they enter the stadium. Obviously everyone is free to take them home but we do promote recycling providing bins at the end of the night.” The bands themselves had an upgrade from the last time they were used on a Coldplay tour now contained a loop of full RGB LEDs as well as a new zoning system offering more creative options.

All the LED lighting within the wristbands is operated by Xylobands proprietary software which was launched, via laptop, to a transmitter box situated at FOH. Xylobands transmitter box has an impressive range of 800 metres giving a radial coverage of 1600 metres. “The range on the transition box is really good and we have no problem covering all the seats in a stadium,” commented Burry who added, “The other advantage is that we use radio frequencies to control our side of the show which means they are not effected by adverse weather conditions, which is handy when we are playing open to the elements.”

The future is looking bright for Xylobands as Regler has hinted at a revolutionary new transmitter system which will expand the already generous amount of effects available, as well as better and brighter Xylobands products; so watch this space.

AUDIO Fulfilling the audio requirements is Wigwam Acoustics. Standing at FOH with Coldplay’s Audio Crew Chief and System Designer, Tony Smith, TPi learned about his time with the band and their history with Wigwam. “I have 58

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COLDPLAY

For Chris Martin’s vocal microphone the audio team used Shure SM58’s along with the UHF-R wireless system; Audio Crew Chief and System Designer, Tony Smith; Monitor Engineer, Chris Wood.

been with the band since the ‘02 Rush of Blood tour. We started working with Wigwam on that same tour when they topped us up with some speakers. If memory serves correctly, they became our sole supplier on the X and Y tour because they give us everything and more. We have quite a complicated set up now and they have really helped us out.”

For the current tour Wigwam has supplied a d&b audiotecnik PA consisting of a main hang of 14 J8’s and four J12’s with nine flown J subs.

The side hangs were made up of 16 J8’s and a 270° hang of 18 J8’s with a ground sub array of 16 J Subs and 16 INFRA Subs along with a front fill of eight YP. There were also four delay towers consisting of 16 J8’s on each suported by several J12’s. Smith also designed a ring delay system consisting of eight hangs of eight V8’s and two hangs of eight V12’s. All arrays running ArrayProcessing.

Smith stated that d&b’s ArrayProcessing had been an invaluable tool on this tour. It was used with the 146 D80’s which were deployed on the rig. “For our main hang on the downstage towers the two J-hangs are incredibly close together. Without d&b’s array processing I would not have attempted that.” This was the first time Smith had used array processing on a Coldplay tour, having test run the system on a few shows on the Ghost Stories tour. “It really adds another dimension not just for us at FOH but for the audience. It gives democracy for the listeners which has always been d&b’s catchphrase. It doesn’t just offer better coverage but a better spectral range for those seated and offers a continuity between the main hangs and the side fills.”

Having completed the sound design, Wigwam’s Digital Design Specialist Alex Hadjigeorgiou and Account Manager, Chris Hill took the technical lead to create the fibre infrastructure of the band’s latest tour. Smith had already incorporated a number of Optocore devices into the DiGiCo SD7 console, but on this tour the audio team has boosted its set up with the addition of the new Route66 AutoRouter from technology partner BroaMan. “The main objective was to design a system that would allow a d&b audiotechnik array processed system to be built in modular fashion and be scalable - as some shows require extra ring delays,” explained Hadjigeorgiou.

The new Route66 AutoRouter provides a more elegant solution to the ring design. “I discussed the idea and after successfully demonstrating the unit, I based my initial design around it,” the designer continued.

Powered by Optocore, the Route66 AutoRouter is compatible with both Optocore and DiGiCo fibre loops, enabling a redundant ‘star’ to be created from the advanced ring topology. Route66 automatically finds mobile and remote devices, closes the Optocore loop and switches the links automatically to establish redundancy. “Put simply, Route66 does the ‘thinking’ for (the sound team) when it comes to correct cable connection and the speed of prepping a show - which allows them to work on the main system without the delays connected as part of the fibre optic ring,” he continued.

Smith commented on how positive the working relationship had been: “After understanding our needs, Alex evolved a suitable solution, not only for the signals but also the durability, support and ‘plug and play’ quality that is required on the road.” Jack Murphy, Systems Engineer, has also enjoyed the flexibility of the new system: “The Route66 is great. Every day we connect the system up in a different order and this device just sorts it all out without affecting the audio.”

IN THE TRENCHES Hidden away in the depths of stage left was Monitor Engineer, Chris Wood.

A 16-year veteran with the band, Wood first started out as a PA rigger for Coldplay. A year later, the monitor engineer as the time had to step away and Wood jumped at the chance to get behind the console.

For monitor control, Wigwam supplied the tour with a DiGiCo SD7 and as Wood states, “It’s one of the few consoles that can provide me with the channel count I need. Currently I have 140 channels assigned with five spare.”

The IEMs of choice were Sennheiser SR2000’s. Altogether there were 14 wireless in-ear channels; four for the band and the rest for the crew. Despite the band reliance on IEM, they still had a few speakers for on stage sound primarily for bassist, Guy Berryman. “We have one pair of d&b audiotchnik M2 wedges and we also have some shakers bolted onto the underside of the stage,” stated Wood.

The microphone package used on the tour was mainly made out of Shure, utilising the UHF-R wireless system. “For Chris’ vocals we are using a Shure SM58,” stated Wood, adding “We have four out for him on the main stage with a couple also on the B and C stages. At any one time we only have one active. My main focus through the shows is riding the vocals. But with Chris having so many microphones, along with all the other band members, I am definitely kept busy.”

TRANSPORT Providing transport for the European tour was supplied by Stagetruck with Beat The Street providing crew busses. Will Johns, Operations Manager at Stagetruck discussed the company’s involvement with the tour: “We supplied 32 Megacube trucks and trailers on the main production, along with one Megacube for Live Nation’s merchandise and a double deck trailer on each of the two advances. They needed over 45ft of space but not enough to warrant two trucks, so having two decks gives almost 90ft of floor space.” Stagetruck have worked with Coldplay for many years first supplying the services on the Viva La Vida tour. “It’s always a pleasure as they have a great team around them, from the Production Manager Bill Leabody, Production Coordinator Nichole Massey and Stage Manager Fin. They are all great to work with. The tour had some challenging drives which needed double drivers that all went smoothly.”

Since the early ‘00s Beat The Street has worked with Coldplay and, 60

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COLDPLAY

Beat The Street provided crew busses for the tour while Stagetruck was responsible for transport; With the European tour coming to an end, both the band and the crew set its sights on their North American run.

according to the company’s Owner and Managing Director, Jörg Philipp, it’s a relationship they are very proud of. He furthered: “We have been with the band for almost 16 years but we have worked with Bill since the mid ‘90s.

The whole team behind Coldplay are lovely people. It proves that you can do a big rock tour without the politics. They were on a tight schedule and they pushed the limits by going back and fourth from the UK and mainland Europe. At one stage of the tour they played Glasgow, then Zürich then back to London then to Amsterdam then on to Glastonbury. It was back and forth many times with many miles on the road and the tour permanently required two drivers per vehicle. But we pulled it off for yet another great tour. Even though it was hard work all of our drivers reported that they loved it.”

The final piece of the transport puzzle was completed by Global Motion who providing freighting. Global Motion’s Adam Hatton explained: “With a tour this size we have to involved from the very beginning. The amounts of equipment being moved (which was in excess of 200 tonnes) means that physically getting the equipment between shows is a limiting factor for booking dates and we need to be involved alongside the booking agent.”

Global Motion handled all tour moves plus equipment resupply including all of the wristbands. “South America was a touch tricky in that we had on average 20 hours to get 100 tonnes of equipment from door to door.

We flew a team of four out to handle the build and break and everything worked. Between Santiago and Lima we had an aircraft go technical on us but managed to source a spare aircraft and load in before nine am on show day!”

Hatton gave his final thoughts on the tour: “Generally the tour was a joy to work on. It’s big and has the problems associated with that, however most of the crew have been with the band for years and it’s a lovely working environment.”

Keeping the crew nourished throughout the tour is Eat to the Beat (ETTB). Susanne Traynor, ETTB’s Operations Manager, who oversees support of the Coldplay gigs, has been coordinating the logistics of the mammoth tour from ETTB’s head office in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, as well as being on site for several of the European dates. “A Head Full of Dreams is a really great show and a big logistical challenge. Coldplay have a large crew out on the road including the production team, vendor’s crews and drivers who all need to be fed at each location. In Europe we have been catering for around 180 crew at each show plus a further 50 people in the band party,” she said A typical day on the tour sees ETTB cook and serve lunch and dinner for the entire crew and artists, providing high quality restaurant-style menus to suit every palate including vegetarian, gluten free and many other dietary requirements. Traynor said: “If the band is playing consecutive nights our team will rest in a hotel. When the band moves, ETTB stock the Coldplay crew buses with drinks, sandwiches and snacks as the tour heads to its next destination. We also load up our own truck with the help of local crew, shower and bed-down on the bus in readiness to do it all over again at the next stop.

“It’s pretty full on and there’s certainly never a dull moment. Life on the road can be hard but it is fun working alongside a great production, their crews and the artists. They all work really long hours in a high-octane environment, so having good food available throughout the day is vital to keep them refreshed and energised.”

UP&UP Although the Copenhagan marked then end of Coldplay’s European tour, the journey for the band and crew was far from over with many of the production preparing for an early morning flight to New York. Such a grueling schedule could strike fear in the heart of the most hardy road warriors, but one thing TPi took away from the time spent on Coldplay’s tour is that each crewmember clearly possesses commitment to the job and a genuine love for the live production industry. To anyone reading this in US, get yourself a ticket!

TPi Photos: ©sarah@thefifthestate.co.uk, Stageco & TPi http://coldplay.com www.ver.com www.lite-alternative.com www.sseaudiogroup.com/wigwam www.strictlyfx.com www.stageco.com www.brilliantstages.com www.mixedemotionslondon.com http://www.eps.net http://actusindustries.com www.fourthgenerationltd.com www.spidercam.tv www.beatthestreet.net www.stagetruck.com www.blackout.co.uk www.avolites.com http://xylobands.com www.globalmotion.co.uk

BACKSTAGE During the start of the day while sorting out production passes for the tour, TPi chatted with Head of Venue Security, Jackie Jackson. Working on and off with the band for the best part of a decade, Jackson’s entry into the world of touring security is one that has its origins in wanting to break gender-boundaries: “My background was originally working in education and doing some security work in my spare time. But while doing this for some time I began to hear that security was not a ‘woman’s world’. I was not having that! So I set out to pass all the relevant exams and started my new life in touring security. For a long time I was the only women I knew in my world then, we found Kim-Maree Penn who works in the band’s personal security team. It’s great to have two females working in security, let alone on the same tour!”

After spending 10 years with the band Jackson has really seen the changing nature of security measures: “The band and the production certainly has a relaxed vibe but the way the world has changed, we have had to become a lot tighter with the way our security works. All credentials have to be in place and we now have to add in other measures such as bringing in sniffer dogs. However, it’s all about striking a balance. The last thing we want to do is appear heavy-handed. Having said that though, we want everyone to feel very safe. It’s a balance I think we do well.”

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THE STARS ARE ALIGNING…

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KASABIAN LIVE AT LEICESTER’S KING POWER STADIUM Once it was certain that Leicester City football club had defied 5,000/1 odds to win the Premier League title, backstage the spotlight was turned to Kasabian’s production team as they began to plan two back-to-back stadium shows in less than a month. TPi reports exclusively.

It is amazing what people will do for their local football club; some will get their team’s badge tattooed, while others will name their children after their favourite player. But how many would organise a two-day stadium rock show? Well with Leicester City’s recent success, there was no way that life-long fans, Kasabian were not going to get in on the action, turning around a stadium show in under a month.

Understandably celebrations in the town went on for several days after the club’s success, which was highlighted by home-town-heroes Kasabian playing two nights at the champions’ King Power Stadium. The Leicester born four piece have never made a secret of their allegiance to the club and obviously wanted to show their support for the Foxes by staging two sellout live shows over the May bank holiday.

This was the first time the band had played a full-length show since last August and, sufficed to say, they were met with open arms

by the hometown crowd. The two performances had their fair share of surprises including the performance of a new song Put Your Life On It, accompaniment by a choir and even an appearance from everyone’s favourite goth-comedian, Noel Feilding (reprising his role as Vlad the Impaler). But once the dust has settled one question remained, how on earth did the band’s production team pull off these shows with less that four weeks of preparation time?

PRODUCTION Since the early days of Kasabian’s career, Tour Manager Pete Gunn has been along for the ride and naturally was on hand to help coordinate this dual night of events in record time. “For several years the band had the idea of playing at Leicester City Football Club’s home-ground. The band have been life-long fans of the Foxes and it was great they finally got a 66

PRODUCTION PROFILE

Opposite: Kasabian’s hometown shows were organised in a staggering 3.5 weeks; The Leicester gig was pulled off with an abundance of top industry suppliers including Star Events for staging, ER Productions for laser displays and Britannia Row for sound reinforcement.

chance to grace their team’s ground,” he said. Years of safety concerns and city council blockages had prevented the owners of the club from staging music concerts at the stadium, until a breakthrough in 2013 saw them finally granted permission. However this was the first time that the permission had been put into full effect. The band had made plans to play the venue in 2017 but brought the date forward after Leicester’s unprecedented campaign in the Premier League.

After the event, Gunn spoke of the events leading up to the two-day extravaganza. “The first time I got a call regarding this show was 3.5 weeks before it all happened, very little time to organise two stadium performances,” said the TM. “My first priority was checking the availability of equipment, crew, rehearsals and accommodation. This created an added issue as everyone is always busy this time of year and most suppliers’ warehouses are empty.”

Unbelievably, the production managed to scramble all the gear to put on the large stadium show thanks to several sub hires bringing in a lot of equipment from Europe.

One of the graces of the production, according to Gunn, was the availability of Production Manager, Tyrone Brunton. The PM talked TPi through how the production was able to pull off the impossible: “There were only 27 days between the announcement of the performance to the night of the first show at the stadium and, on top of that, we had less than a week to put together two warm up shows as well as fit in a surprise Leicester City Victoria Park celebration slot. It was a massive undertaking and I have to give credit to the incredible team we put together in a very small window of time.”

If there were not enough challenges for this show already, the production was faced with another obstacle as this would be the first event of this size to take place at the Leicester’s King Power Stadium. Keith Wood was brought in by Live Nation’s Andrew Craig to take on the role as Event Producer. He explained some of the challenges he faced relating to the organisation of the show: “The club were naturally overwhelmed with celebrations and media interest surrounding the team winning the Premiership so we took the lead in advising how a concert operates particularly in terms of site layout and build schedule. One of the main issues we had to tackle was traffic management but we also worked closely with the local Police so they were prepared to deal with crowds in city after show.

“We didn’t have a great amount of time to liaise with the Police. However Andy Smith from Harrier who was our Event Safety Manager on the ground did a sterling job on noise plans, RAMS and event management plans.”

Gunn added that the venue design did not make it ideal to deal with the hospitality for a band of this size: “The venue was not built to accommodate the access needed so we had to take the band through a public area to gain access to the stage. Also guests with a box ticket could only get from the boxes to the floor by exiting the stadium, and entering through another gate some distance away.”

When Wood was first brought into the project, no suppliers had been contacted. The Event Producer described how he got the ball rolling: “The first thing on my list was to contact Star Events and Eve Trakway followed by suppliers I have had good results from in the past including Power Logistics for generators, Eat Your Hearts Out for catering, Stage Miracles for crew and barriers by Mojo and Delta One.” Rigging was provided by Germany’s Dart Rigging, led by Ole Sparboom.

The band’s personal security was headed up by Marty Farrow, and for the event, four separate security companies were brought in which, according to Wood, came down to two reasons: “As concerts took place at the end of football season which meant many of club’s regular stewards were not available due to being away on holiday. Also the club had never had 17,500 people on pitch before which required an additional security operation outside the stadium to deal with queue lanes, searches, ticket checks and wristbands before entry via stadium turnstiles.”

Giving his final thoughts Wood stated: “Even with the short notice, we

fortunately were able to bring on board a group of suppliers and people like Site Manager James Bartlett and Safety Manager Andy Smith who I have worked with me on previous events who were a great support pulling things together and we received many comments about the tidy site layout and how very calm things were.”

Prior to the performances, the production took up residency in LS-Live’s facility in Wakefield on the 19 to 23 May. The facility has a long standing relationships with Kasabian as well as Brunton and Gunn. The production used the main room as well as production offices, on-site hotel, and dressing rooms.

LS-Live also provided them with riser package for the choir and also a 60 by 40 foot blackout backdrop including trussing for this and the band’s custom backdrop.

STAGING Providing staging and support structures for the concerts was Star Events, which has become ‘the’ supplier for home-town gigs this year working on both Stereophonics’ gig at the Cardiff City Stadium and The Stone Roses’ Etihad Stadium shows in Manchester. However, the King Power concerts were always likely to be the trickiest of the three to work on, due to the stadium never hosting an event of this scale before. Star Events was left with no template to follow, unlike the other, more established live music venues.

Project Manager Steve Holdich and his team were far from unprepared, however, having worked with Kasabian. Only weeks before when they played a surprise mini set at the nearby Victoria Park for the football club’s victory parade. Holdich had described the set-up for the Victoria Park event as a “great team effort” in the vein of the Foxes’ triumph against the odds in the Premier League. The following concerts were not quite so testing. “The King Power build went really well, with good support from the site and stadium teams,” said Holdich. The Star Events crew totalled 24 on site, including local labour.

Site and Stage Manager, James Barlett. cited the celebratory atmosphere of the city as crucial in the speedy yet smooth running of the operation. He told TPi: “It was great to be involved. The atmosphere around Leicester was superb and this good vibe transferred itself throughout the stadium,” he enthused, “Keith did an amazing job putting the infrastructure together in such a short space of time and it really didn’t feel like it had been rushed once we got on site and started the build.”

As the crew set about converting the stadium into a suitable music venue, another issue that had to be resolved involved covering many of the stands’ seats, as Barlett explained: “The need to cover so many seats had nothing to do with not being able to sell enough tickets but because the structure of the stadium is not deemed appropriate for the bounce associated with a live music crowd.” Providing over 4,000 sqm of screening for the seats was UK based Sunbaba. Wood commented how: “Despite the last minute nature of the request, Sunbaba was able to react quickly and turn it around within the time frame.” The company’s Production Director, Trevor Booth added: “The screens provided a practical application and we could supply them quickly. I worked closely with the event organisers, offering them one point of contact, along with providing technical advice and overseeing the installation. It was a perfect solution demonstrating how screening can help to transform a venue.”

At 25 metres by 16 metres, the stage stood taller than the stadium roofline when completed and featured a Vertech platform, as had been used for the band’s performance at the parade earlier in the month. A trough running around the pitch caused access to be limited to a single 3.5 sqm tunnel at the stage end and Star Events sought specialist plant to ferry the elements of its platform onto site. Subs were flown in line behind the stage’s main hangs, meaning that the downstage corners had heavy-duty masts while the wings took standard portrait video screens. A FOH structure was also supplied by Star Events, as were V towers, which the crew was able to build without plant.

After their work was done, the band’s own crew took over. “Kasabian’s production used about 50 stage hands to load in and out,” said Barlett.

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The band played two nights at the King Power Stadium which marked the first time the grounds had hosted a music event; ER Productions delivered the show’s laser effects.

“The bulk of the load in was done overnight on the Thursday as the band requested a full rehearsal on the Friday. Thankfully Star were able to sign off the stage structure ahead of schedule on Thursday afternoon and we were able to start the production load in ahead of schedule.”

Providing project management for the temporary power requirements of the concerts was Wiltshire-based Power Logistics, which had already worked with Kasabian on several occasions, most notably the launch of 2011 album Velociraptor! aboard a Boeing 747 at Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome. “It was great to get the call again this time round,” said General Operations Manager Dave Oxley of the company’s continued partnership with the band. Power Logistics supplied four 500 kVA synched generators for the stage power, with a 250 kVA standalone generator being provided for the catering concessions. In addition, they provided all cabling and distribution and several towerlights.

Logistics Manager, Steve Elsey of trucking vendor Transam also spoke positively of the experience: “From our side of things the shows went extremely smoothly, which I think was down to the combination of Kasabian’s great production team and the vendor’s willingness to accommodate the various loading and unloading schedules. We pulled it off despite the short timeframe for planning!”

days full production at LS-Live. It was tight when you consider we had just a few days of rehearsals we had, then the special celebration event for 240,000 [70-90,00 of which were in Victoria Park itself) at the end of the open top bus parade. That was pretty amazing. Then full production rehearsals and two warm up shows before we did the two big full production shows at the stadium.”

Lez Dwight of Britannia Row, audio vendor, was more nonchalant about the short amount of time available for preparation. “We have a very high turnover of events at Brit Row this time of year,” he explained. “Typically, we might have 20 live events over a single summer weekend. Most are smaller of course, though on top of that we do currently have 14 major acts out with control and monitors for festivals, so it’s all full on! We have the systems in place to manage that high turnover, so we do have the gear.” Much of the gear is brand new; for this Ramsay was extremely grateful, as he got to play with Britannia Row’s new Vs KS28 subwoofers. “They were phenomenal,” said Ramsay, “First time I heard them was during the warm up shows.

I heard stuff in the subs from the keyboards I’d not heard before. And I had to turn them down. That’s not like me.” The production also used 36 L-Acoustics KS28’s For the ground subs. “We did a sub array across the front of stage being 12 stacks of two high KS28’s and then on the end two stacks of three high KS28’s in end fire configuration angled out at 45° to push sub into the stands,” stated the FOH Engineer.

Though impressed with the new equipment, Ramsay found the rig for the concerts far from simple, with the substantial amount of covered seating in the east stand creating difficulties: “Construction regulations dictated that some grandstands were only rated for a brief thump of jubilation from a soccer crowd, not for dancing rock fans. One stand was limited to just 17 rows but the West stand was sold fully so needed to cover right to VIP box at the top here. That meant we had an asymmetric set of delays and a slight different arrangement to the mains left/right system.”

For the main hangs Ramsay used 28 K1 units, 14-a-side with four K2’s per side underneath, and 24 K1SBs flown behind the main hang: “I really like

AUDIO Just as with the other departments, audio requirements for two-day show had to be pulled together incredibly quickly. Currently touring with Skunk Anansie on a European festival run, TPi managed to catch up with FOH Engineer Paul Ramsay about his busy month leading up to Kasabian’s hometown concerts: “I got the call just weeks before the first stadium show. It was insane; a month of my life passed by in a flash filled with frantic phone calls.”

As applications for public licences were hurriedly submitted and logistical considerations addressed, Ramsay commenced rehearsals. “We had four days in Marshall and a day at Millennium Studios, and finally four 68

A SCINTILLATING SUMMER WITH THE

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The BB3 was a huge hit during Kasabian’s recent celebratory gig at Leicester City FC’s home ground.

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The BB3 allows for safe audience scanning via rotating diffraction gratings or Pangolin PASS controlled scanned effects (Professional Audience Safety System). Fully CDRH compliant, the BB3 is approved for use in the USA. The scanned beam effects pan and tilt via high speed X/Y scanning. All scanned effects are stored on-board via the macro library.

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KASABIAN

Video Design‘s Alex Leinster; FOH Engineer Paul Ramsay; Ryan Hagan, co-founder of ER Productions; Lighting Designer, Nick Gray; Event Producer Keith Wood and Live Nation’s Head of International Production, Andrew Craig.

flying a large hang of K1SB behind the main hang as I did on the last arena tour and outdoor shows the last few summers,” explained Ramsay. “Josh Lloyd from Britannia Row came up with the initial PA design on Soundvision once he had DWG of the stadium. I then sat down with him and went through the design. For the side hangs Ramsay deployed nine L-Acoustics K2’s on the East hang with West requiring 15 K2 units.

The rest of the audio rig was made up of 10 ARC 2 and 15 KARA systems from the ground front fills with the 12 K2’s being used for centre and left delays (six per hang) with eight K2’s being used for the right hand delay. For the VIP fills there the production also deployed two L-Acoustics 112Ps. Allocating equipment wasn’t the only difficulty faced by Ramsay during the manic period leading up to the gigs. Being as spontaneous as this event was, Britannia Row struggled to acquire the kind of dream team needed for such a big project. With Ramsay’s regular System Technicians Adam Smith and Josh Lloyd already committed other tours, the FOH Engineer had to work with a lot of unfamiliar faces. Nonetheless, proud to have overcome adversity, Ramsay expressed his delight with how the concerts went: “The off-site noise limit was set at 65dB on a 15-minute LEQ at first residential property. We never exceeded it and the crowd were unbelievably noisy.

Some grounds tend to have open stands but the King Power is completely enclosed, meaning I could make sure it was as loud as I needed it to be.”

Ramsey mixed the show on a DiGiCo SD7 running at 96K with Waves plugins using a selection of vintage style compressors on certain inputs and outputs. Distortion on vocals for key words when required using Waves Redd.17 along with four engines of H-Reverb for vocals and drums, three engines of H-Delay and some modulation effects. “The show was getting close to 100 inputs off stage as it had additions to the regular band, with a string section and choir,” commented the FOH Engineer. “We got all the audio dialed in during rehearsals at LS-Live and at the warm up shows although we didn’t have the choir on these. All system processing was done

on LA Manager running wirelessly so I could tune all the zones while walking round the stadium. I also had LM44and LM26 processors for system EQ but this was used more as a global grab EQ during the show which was barley touched.”

Ramsey summed up on the show: “The shows were amazing. This was very special and everyone rose to the occasion. Well worth four stressful weeks in preparation.” Running monitors was engineer Wayne ‘Rabit’ Seargent.

Flightcases and the rigours of the road were eased with bespoke products from Matt Snowball Music Cases, which looked after backline and various other areas. Matt Young of the MSM Cases Team said: “We have worked with Kasabian and the crew for several years now, building cases which are worthy of a tough life on the road. Whether its for a single show or a full tour we’re able to work with the crew to deliver a case that works for them. We’re on-hand for any modifications or repairs that are needed before any show but it’s great to see that after so many years on tour, some of the first cases we ever built for Kasabian are still going strong and able to support and protect their equipment - all over the world.” The MSM cases team was completed by Pawel Maliszewski, Robert Stepien, Lucas Wach and Dom Parker.

A VISUAL SPECTACULAR Creating the visual look of the two day event was long-time calibrator and Lighting designer, Nick Gray, who collaborated once again with suppliers Neg Earth, ER Productions and Video Design to create one blinding show.

“The tight turn around meant we had to be logical,” started Gray. “The previous arena show used fully manned interactive cameras, infra-red and lots of tricks. For this show however all the operators were already booked and both myself and the band fancied a massive rave with no big video accompanying the show! We all saw it as an opportunity to do something 70

KASABIAN

completely different. The arena show was also totally locked in with the previous campaign of 48:13 and this was almost the crossover to what will be the next forthcoming album by the band.” Although Gray said he has full creative control of the show he was quick to point out that the band are heavily involved with the production side of things. Obviously, due to the nature of the event, some of the Foxes colours were going to make an appearance in the design: “I couldn’t get away from the town’s colour and not least those of the football team,” said Gray. “I definitely used this as inspiration throughout, and why not? Blue and white are up there in my palette choices anyway. The entire thing was such a celebration for the band because they’re all long-term supporters of the team.

Gray’s creation was supplied by UK lighting specialist Neg Earth.

According to the LD, the choice of fixtures and their placement came down to the needs of the show: “I needed a rig that was uniformed, discreet, precise and as bright as possible which, I might add we definitely accomplished this. I love symmetry and architecture so this always has a bearing on my designs. Rather than using masses of gobos I prefer to use small lamps that can be pre-rigged in a cool architectural way. This was one of the reason I liked the daylight element of this performance. It showed off how menacing the stage looked!”

Providing control for his bespoke lighting rig was a High End Systems Hog 4. “We have always used Hogs as it is both mine and my operator’s console of choice.” The rig itself consists of a large amount of Martin by Harman and Clay Paky products. In total 68 Clay Paky Sharpys and 68 Sharpy Wash 330’s were deployed with 18 Martin by Harman MAC Viper Air FXs, 20 MAC Viper Wash DXs and 36 Atomic 3000 LED Strobes. Also present on the rig were 24 SGM Q-7 RGB Colour Floor lights and 20 G-spots, six A&O Technology Falcon Beam 7kW Flood Lights. For Spots Gray used two Robert Juliat Lancelot 4kW HTI Followspot and two Robert Juliat Flo Followspot.

Finally Gray also deployed 48 2-Lite and 28 4-Lite Molefay to complete the

visual spectacle.

Talking TPi though the video elements of the show was Alex Leinster of Video Design, who made no bones about just how tight the two celebratory concerts proved to be. “That last minute aspect is one reason why I was there and ran it myself. Despite the pressure however, Kasabian and their management organisation are a really nice bunch of people to work with and these shows truly deserved some special attention.”

Video Design provided a four camera package along with two 8mm daylight LED screens for the band’s long time Video Director, Paul Eggerton.

The side screen were almost five metres wide by 7.8m tall on the wings that flanked the stage tucked neatly between elements of Nick Gray’s fantastic lighting rig. “Serge Pizzorno [Kasabian’s guitartist] really likes IMAG screens in portrait orientation which we were happy to provide,” stated Leinster.

Eggerton described how, despite the short lead time, he was still able to produce a show that really packed a punch: “I’ve been with the band since their first ever arena tour, so I do know all the songs well. More recently they’ve been using interactive video content on tour, presented on an onstage centre LED screen. It just wasn’t possible in the time to put something like that together, so that did mean there was more focus on sustained IMAG to either side. For me that’s all about finding the right image for the moment. As I said, that’s what I’ve done for them for a long time.”

Leinster went on to describe how the video department had to produce a show that was on par with LD Nick Gray’s lighting rig. He continued: “We had to rack the screens up to a brightness level we’ve never used before and Paul worked tirelessly to fill those screens.” Eggerton however saw that only in terms of advantage: “From my point of view it’s the same, but for the audience, especially those that know the band, that did make a difference.

The huge lighting rig that Nick designed looked spectacular so it was more of a challenge for me to show off the enormity of the rig. That said, in the stadium what the audience see is two visions, that big view of the

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71

KASABIAN

Eat Your Hearts Out kept the band and crew fed; Lighting Designer Nick Gray used the football team’s home colours as inspiration; L-Acoustics was the sound system of choice; The band’s guitarist, Sergio Pizzorno.

stage itself, and the shot I put on screens; that lack of the big backlit view actually presents the crowd with an alternative and possibly more intimate experience. Alex and the Video Design crew did a great job! It was an added bonus to have Alex there in person for both nights. He’s a good man and you know he’s going to be there 24/7. They all say that, but you know, if he says it, he means it.”

Having worked closely with the band for five years, laser experts ER Productions lent some further visual and atmospheric effects to the shows.

Known for developing and bringing cutting-edge performance lasers to the market, ER Productions installed one newly launched Cyclone, a multidirectional scanning system that creates geometric shapes and cage effects and 18 new BB3 lasers, a fully DMX controlled professional laser. Additional kit included 20 Laserblades, five Excellent 21 lasers and a sizeable smoke package, ensuring the stadium was filled with atmospheric effects.

The music featured many of Kasabian’s best-loved tracks including Shoot the Runner, Clubfoot, and Take Aim, as well as new release, Put Your Life On It, which was accompanied by vocals from the 30-strong choir.

The electric performance by Kasabian and the classical was heightened elements by clever laser choreography with the BB3’s producing stunning, 180° linear line grating effects.

However, it was the track Treat that really wowed the audience. Using the Cyclone, ER enclosed lead singer Serge inside a multi-coloured, multibeam laser cage during the final moments of the track. To say the effect was well received by the audience of Leicester City fans and players was an understatement.

Ryan Hagan, co-founder of ER Productions, commented: “Kasabian didn’t hold back for this event, which required a huge laser package.

Although it’s never easy delivering a job of this size, we take great pride in our first-class team - they always rise to the challenge and go the extra mile for our clients.”

THE FINALE Once all the celebrations were out of the way, and the residents of Leicester return to normality (although probably with rather sore heads) it was time to reflect on the enormity of what Kasabian’s production team had pulled off. Reflecting on the two-night show, Gunn gave his final thoughts on the on the performances: “The band were extremely happy with how the shows went. All the football fans evidently revelled in LCFC’s triumph and it was great for Kasabian to be at the front and centre of celebrations.” The TM went on to state that the media requests for both interviews and photos, not surprisingly, were very high. So much so that the band’s management had to organise one large photo shoot with all the major print media and multiple interviews with TV, radio and digital media. He added: “Being part of a historic event such as this is a great moment and certainly something to be remembered.”

TPi Photos: TPi, ER Productions www.kasabian.co.uk www.livenation.co.uk http://harrieruk.com/ www.stareventsltd.com www.evetrakway.co.uk www.stagemiracles.com www.mojobarriers.com www.ls-live.com www.sunbaba.co.uk www.powerlog.co.uk https://www.transamtruck.com www.britanniarow.com www.negearth.com www.er-productions.com 72

RITCHIE BLACKMORE’S RAINBOW TPi’s Ste Durham made the trip to Birmingham to experience a truly monumental performance, as guitar royalty Ritchie Blackmore played his first arena rock show in 20 years with a FOH sound made possible with the help of Soundcraft’s Vi Series.

After spending the best part of two decades away from the world of rock, playing everything from castles to Renaissance fairs with medieval folk seven-piece Blackmore’s Night, it isn’t surprising that revered axe man Ritchie Blackmore was reluctant to commit to a full European tour for his highly-anticipated return. Under the moniker of Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, the artist pencilled in just three dates: two outings at Germany’s Monsters of Rock in Loreley and BietigheimBissingen, respectively, and a solitary date at Birmingham’s Genting Arena, playing a range of songs from both the Rainbow and Deep Purple back catalogues.

The theme of the production design was simple, effective and nostalgic, paying homage to Rainbow tours gone by, while at the same time embracing the benefits of 21st Century technology. Audio, lighting and backline were all geared towards letting the music and musicians do their

thing and, somewhat surprisingly in this day and age, video was nowhere to be seen - even the IMAG that is now almost compulsory at arena-sized shows was notably absent in Birmingham.

In place of the upstage video wall or cloth backdrop that I expected to see was a giant rainbow-shaped truss covered in Laser Imagineering SUNBEAM FC LED battens and Clay Paky Sharpys. Lighting Tech for both Blackmore’s Night and Rainbow, Andreas Bock, explained the logic behind the visual set up: “If you want to use back projection or video then you need to create a lot of special content, otherwise it gets boring.”

He continued: “This would mean a lot of work for just three shows. The decision was to do these to get a feeling of how it would be received by the fans. We don’t know if Ritchie wants to do more rock in the future, but if there is a possibility then I’m sure we will add video content. He uses back projection with Blackmore’s Night and really likes it.”

74

PRODUCTION PROFILE

Below: Keyboard Tech Paavo Kurkela, FOH Engineer Barry Broström and Monitor Engineer Lars Nawrot taking five before the big show; The main hang of a powerful L-Acoustics rig; Guitar Tech, Jim Manngård; A Light In the Black.

The whole production fits into four trailers, provided by Concert & Event Service and Trucking Service, with three for the main lighting and audio rigs, and one for the rainbow and backline. The rainbow itself is made up of four sections of semi-circular truss that is connected and flown using two hoists. The full arch contains 64 of the Laser Imagineering LED battens and 32 Sharpys.

“I created the rainbow together with our Lighting Designer Michael Bockmühl,” Bock explained. “It’s inspired by the old rainbow but has been designed using modern fixtures. We don’t want to make too much noise with the light and have it look cheap - it’s all about trying to capture that classic rock atmosphere.”

The rainbow itself is a full video show, controlled independently, channel-by-channel on an MA Lighting grandMA2. Although the 64 fixtures create far too big of a pixel pitch to achieve detailed video effects, considerable colour morphing and the appearance of movement could be achieved. One moment in the set, Catch The Rainbow, saw the rainbow grow from one side to the other during the course of the song, while other upbeat tracks such as show opener, Highway Star, necessitated a more actionpacked display.

Bockmühl continued: “When we looked back at old shows it became obvious that we would use the rainbow. The old version was this massive thing made of wood, plastic and steel, today it’s truss and LED sticks. There was talk of having video inside the rainbow frame but it comes down to practicality and cost. In the first venue of the tour we would have struggled to hang anything more, so then you are talking about introducing video for only two shows.”

German-based supplier Lleyendecker provided the gear for the rainbow, while satis&fy took care of the main lighting rig. Bockmühl said: “The rest of the rig was dictated by the rainbow. We wanted to accentuate it and carry on that classic rock look they used to have with with a lot of PARcans while still making use of modern moving lights to create big, colourful wash and beam looks.”

The MA network at Genting Arena connected Bockmühl’s own MA Lighting grandMA1 with the grandMA2, which he steered remotely to make use of the console’s effects library. He continued: “I always have to have a bump page ready just in case Ritchie changes the set, but I’ve done Blackmore’s Night for 13 years now so I have a pretty good understanding with him.”

The huge arena rig from satis&fy consisted of 48 PAR64 6Bars, four PAR64 ACL 4Bars, 18 Robe Robin LED Wash 600’s, 20 Robe ColorWash 2500E ATs, 16 Robe BMFLs, 32 Robe Pointes, and 31 8-lite molefays, as well as Robert Juliat Aramis followspots and Avolites ART 2000 switchpacks and dimmer systems.

Bock concluded: “I’m really happy with how the show looks and it seems to have gone down well with the fans. The only problem is that you put so much work in and after three shows it’s gone! Hopefully we will have an opportunity to use it again some day in the future.”

CHILD IN TIME Although Captured Live provided some backline for the short tour, all of Blackmore’s gear was his own, made up of guitars and amplifiers acquired and heavily modified over decades on the road. This formidable arsenal 75

RITCHIE BLACKMORE’S RAINBOW

An early WYSIWYG render of the lighting rig; Lighting Tech, Andreas Bock; Lighting Designer, Michael Bockmühl; A trip to dimmer beach.

included heads and cabinets from Engl, Fender and Trace Elliot, and only a couple of his famous Fender Stratocasters. Backline Tech and long-time friend of Blackmore’s, Jim Manngård, explained: “The Blackmore’s Night stuff is very complicated instrumentally, using around 15 guitars, all in different tunings, and other instruments such a hurdy gurdy and a mandola.

These gigs have been a walk in the park by comparison!”

Keyboard Tech Paavo Kurkela was charged with making sure synth virtuoso Jens Johansson’s substantial rig stayed under control - a job made particularly interesting by the use of vintage gear. The kit included a Hammond B-3 and a Leslie 122 in order to pay respect to the iconic Jon Lord tone. Although Kurkela and Johansson created the sound in a different way to Lord, the tech maintained that the B-3 sounded, “the way a B-3 should.”

He commented: “Jens and I took our time in trying to find a sweet spot in terms of the distortion sound. When you put the pedal to the metal there’s a nice crunch out of the B-3 but there’s nothing odd about the way we did it - it was very straightforward. We used two Shure SM57’s on top and an Electro-Voice RE20 on the bottom, which is a standard old school set up. The B-3 was rented from Captured Live in good shape, so all I had to do was wake up a few of the keys.”

Johansson’s other rig was more computer-based, with Windows software controlled by a Roland A-800 Pro. Kurkela continued: “This allows him all sorts of voices, from subtle sounds to the classic Jens Johansson solo tone, which we got using a Roland JV-1080 rack driven through a Morely distortion box. It’s not much different to how the guys did it in the ‘70s when you think about it: they had sound modules too, now they just run on Windows.”

requirements and weight hanging restrictions, FOH Engineer Barry Broström was prompted to specify a versatile PA system from Germany’s satis&fy. The main hang at the Genting Arena consisted of 12 boxes of L-Acoustics K1 per side, with three KARA as underhang, 10 K2 for outfill and six more KARA for infill. The bass frequencies were provided by 32 L-Acoustics SB28’s Broström commented: “It quickly became apparent during the first two sets of rehearsals in the US that the majority of the mix was already taken care of by the band. They had the song arrangements and their personal backline sound down already, so a minimalist approach was needed from my end. Careful consideration was given to all aspects of the live sound production so that the equipment and mix didn’t get in the way of bringing the music to the audience in the way that Ritchie wanted. This made the selection of gear especially critical.”

To control the 32 channels he had at FOH, as well as the additional 10 channels of audience microphones and spares, Broström specified a Soundcraft Vi7000.

“With the Soundcraft Vi series I was especially able to focus on what was important, which was delivering an experience to the fans which brought them closer to the music they haven’t heard live in two decades,” said Broström.

He continued: “I could not have been happier with my choice of the Vi7000 for these shows. I am really pleased with the Soundcraft team for making these products available to those of us who still care about mixing live shows as an art form rather than a random exercise in tech geekery!

There was never a time during rehearsals or the shows where I felt lost in the technology and, as you know, that is rare these days. As well as being a total pleasure to use, the desk sounds fantastic.”

There was a period during the initial planning stage where Broström considered going back to analogue for these shows, but once he

LONG LIVE ROCK & ROLL As the three venues on this run varied greatly in terms of their size, coverage 76

RITCHIE BLACKMORE’S RAINBOW

considered the impracticalities of that idea, the Vi series quickly became a “no-brainer”.

He said: “To be honest the Vi series completely surpasses the analogue domain in every conceivable way; the ease of operation, the features, and above all the sound quality made the Vi series the perfect choice for these shows. I seem to fall somewhere into the age group where I am young enough to be ‘hip’ to digital, while being old enough to have been brought up in the analogue world. These consoles are the perfect marriage of the two.”

According to Broström, one of the desk’s main strengths is the Vistonics screens corresponding to each group of eight faders; a feature that both speeds up and simplifies on-the-spot adjustments. He explained: “Having the knobs right there on the screen means being able to access whatever you need without ever taking your attention off of the show, just like an analogue desk - but even better. This was also my first time using the Realtime Rack, and although I didn’t have the chance on just three shows to even scratch the surface of this, the ease of use and the capabilities were just stunning. The Vi series plus the Realtime Rack is certainly a winning combination.”

Broström asserted that the desk was integral to achieving the simplicity required for this gig. He mainly used one mix, adding ‘80s-style drum reverbs on the Perfect Strangers era songs, or vintage spooky sounding plate and spring vocal reverbs on the ‘70s Dio era songs where required, which allowed the musicians themselves to handle the mix with their instruments and dynamics.

The band used a combination of Shure PSM 1000 in-ears and L-Acoustics 115XT HiQ wedges for on-stage monitoring to back up KARA side fills. Monitor Engineer Lars Nawrot has been on the road with Blackmore for the past six years, and in that time has come to understand his expectations to the letter. For the three Rainbow dates, this meant keeping his eyes on the artist at all times in order to shift the mix on his Yamaha CL5 accordingly.

Above: Singer Ronnie Romero used a Shure KSM8 at the Genting Arena.

77

RITCHIE BLACKMORE’S RAINBOW

Lighting Designer Michael Bockmühl sets the mood at the Genting Arena.

Nawrot explained: “Ritchie does not use a traditional monitor mix, so he has no floor wedges or IEMs, instead he relies on a combination of the side fill, drum fill, backline and the FOH mix coming off the back of the PA and reflecting off of the room. If Ritchie wants to hear a particular band member, he walks towards the instrument, so I have to stay switched on at all times. I think coming from the old school influences his monitor tastes in this way he’s used to working like that. It took me a while to understand his stage mix but now it has become second nature.”

Although Nawrot’s RF workload on the night was relatively manageable with only four wireless and six in-ear channels to look after, the crew was initially concerned with how the LED rainbow would affect the kit on stage.

Broström said: “I have been told that the old rainbow sometimes used to make Richie’s guitar go crazy, and was even a showstopper on a few occasions. He was concerned this might happen again so we flew his guitar rig over to Germany, set up the rainbow and moved the rig and guitar around underneath it. Luckily the signal was clean wherever we moved the gear, so we reported back to Ritchie and were good to go.”

As well as making sure that Blackmore’s iconic riffs could be heard loud and clear in the arena, the audio team had to find the perfect microphone to match new lead singer Ronnie Romero’s colossal voice. “We tried a variety of capsules from Shure that satis&fy supplied, but none of them quite worked as they should with Ronnie,” remembered Broström. “We eventually realised that the wired KSM8’s being used by the backing vocalists were the best microphones on stage. As soon as we got a wireless KSM8 capsule for him we knew there was no going back.”

The sound in the arena was thunderous, and Romero’s vocals sounded as crisp and intelligible as promised. It must be said that, in the months preceding the shows, some of the Deep Purple / Rainbow faithful were initially sceptical of a new singer filling the shoes of such legendary frontmen as David Coverdale, Ian Gillan and Ronnie James Dio, but the young Chilean was a force of nature on the night in Birmingham.

For the rest of the band, Broström’s priority was to try and capture a vintage sound to compliment the songs themselves as well as the overall aesthetic.

He explained: “I put both overheads on a single stand for the drums, as it’s easier to delay the rest of the drum channels to the overheads if they

are coming from a single point. I aim for a really natural drum sound, which means using as little gating as possible to let them breathe. Ritchie wanted the focus to be on the music; not a huge wall of backline and a massive drum kit. This was the general theme around the production - keep it simple and let the band do their thing.

“I was not interested in doing the over the top loud drum mix common in many of today’s live concerts, but rather honour the balances found on the original recordings, while finding a middle ground and taking advantage of the power and sonics of a modern PA system.”

As well as Shure and Electro-Voice gear that was used on stage, Broström and the crew selected a range of Sennheiser, Neumann, Audix, and AKG microphones.

Assisting Broström with the audio rig were satis&fy Systems Techs Johan Schreuder and Rüdiger Nürnberg. Broström said: “Johan and Rüdiger really took great care to make sure that the system sounded great and the coverage was even throughout the venue, as well of taking care of me too!”

SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE Whether Blackmore decides to continue blowing the dust off his electric guitars remains to be seen, but there was certainly a few thousand in the Genting Arena that night who will be praying to the gods of rock that he does. At the same time as satisfying those in the arena, the tour has also been a hit with the crew backstage. So would they return to the road together with Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, given the chance?

When I asked him, Broström smiled: “Despite this being a very short tour, the vibe came together instantly. It’s a lot of the core team from Blackmore’s Night but we all clicked from first night of rehearsals. It’s been great and the only shame is that we couldn’t put this show on for longer. In the future… you never know!”

TPi www.satis-fy.com www.lleyendecker.com www.coachservice.com www.concert-service.com www.truckingservice.de www.captured-live.com 78

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BARCLAYCARD PRESENTS BRITISH SUMMER TIME HYDE PARK TPi’s Ste Durham visited the glorious green fields of Hyde Park for one of the highest-quality events of the summer season.

Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park (BST) once again returned to the nation’s capital for six days of high-profile headliners spread over two weekends in July. The royal park played host to a number of big names during the event, including Massive Attack, Florence + the Machine and the fastest selling ticket ever for a BST show, Carole King. TPi was in town on a sunny Friday evening to enjoy a twilight set from folk-loving friends of the roadies, Mumford & Sons, as well as support from Alabama Shakes and Wolf Alice.

For BST’s 2016 incarnation, much of the main production remained in the same vein as the previous year, with only small improvements made to the audio, video and staging elements.

deployed eight MLA Compacts.

Although it was a tried and tested design on the main stage, the biggest boost to sound was provided by the new beta version of Martin Audio’s DISPLAY prediction software, as well as deployment of the new Dante digital network designed by Capital Sound Project Manager, Robin Conway.

The conversion from an analogue to digital returns system on main stage represents a huge leap forward for Capital Sound.

The event’s long-standing System Tech Toby Donovan, commented: “By using FIR filtering to improve LF control, and making some adjustments to the overall tonality of the system, MLA now sounds better than ever.”

The network featured a combination of Lake LM44 processors, Focusrite RedNet D16 AES break out boxes and Cisco SG300 10-port switches. “This is an affordable solution and gives us the option of running full 96K, enabling us to further improve the noise floor of MLA, which was already extremely impressive,” said Conway. “With the signal no longer needing to pass through various conversion stages, and the sound boosted by DISPLAY the benchmark is raised even higher.”

The delay system was again controlled via an Ethernet tunnel on the Optocore network, connected to a Martin Audio Merlin matrix processor at each position, and this in turn connected to the Martin Audio arrays via U-NET. The 11 delay positions and VIP stand were all distributed from the FOH rack presided over by Donovan. The site-wide topology was constructed from 14 Optocore XR6-FX interfaces in a redundant loop, starting from the LM44’s at FOH, which fed the Optocore network via AES. An important requirement of the audio system at BST was to comfortably meet both the on and offsite requirements of promoters

AUDIO Now in its fourth year at BST, Martin Audio’s MLA system appeared in various guises on the main Great Oak Stage, the second Barclaycard Stage and Sony PlayStation stage. Six areas in total featured the company’s systems, all of which were provided by Capital Sound, as well as a significant digital upgrade.

For the main stage, the PA inventory again comprised two hangs of 16 MLA and one MLD downfill per side, with 12 MLA and one MLD downfill for the sidehangs. The subwoofer array consisted of 21 MLX in a broadside cardioid array, with a further 11 enclosures back facing. Additional W8LM line array enclosures provided front fills, while an array of LE1500 floor monitors were provided throughout the BST season.

The main nine delay towers comprised seven MLA and a single MLD downfill, supported by 12 MLX subs, while delay positions 10 and 11 each 80

PRODUCTION PROFILE

Opposite and Below: Folk-loving friends of the roadies, Mumford & Sons, topped the bill on a perfect summer evening.

AEG Live and sound consultants Vanguardia. According to Martin Audio R&D Director, Jason Baird, the amount of level achieved for all headline acts exceeded expectations while the offsite thresholds were well within limits. “This was despite swirling winds blowing in the direction of the measurement points,” he noted.

Of DISPLAY, he said: “Optimising a full festival rig including side hangs and delays, set back to 400 metres to achieve the target SPL levels presented a very real challenge, and it passed with flying colours.”

Vanguardia Principal Consultant Olly Creedy supported Jason Baird’s meteorological observations, confirming 100% success. “Despite the unforgiving weather, levels of up to 100dB(A) were achieved at front of house during the first gig, Massive Attack and up to 103dB(A) during the final show for Stevie Wonder.”

This year Vanguardia introduced a new Metrao measurement system, enabling correlation between the on-site and off-site sound to determine the noise impact of a specific stage. “This was also valuable in determining non-music noises such as sirens, helicopters and sports cars contributing to the off-site noise levels,” stated Creedy.

Finally, for this year’s set-build, MLA broke all records for the speed of getting the system up in the air, tuned, with all propagation tests carried out. “And this was because you simply don’t need to EQ this system,” said Donovan.

MLA had originally been introduced for the inaugural BST in 2013, to mitigate the historic noise pollution problems and consequent neighbourhood complaints around Hyde Park. AEG Live adopted MLA to help solve this, knowing that its advanced level of control would maintain an offsite level beneath the stipulated threshold. The SPL could still be raised considerably within the audience area, if necessary, to give crowds of up to 65,000 the festival experience they have come to expect.

On 8 July, Mumford & Sons required a subtle and versatile approach, as did acts like the Mystery Jets on Barclaycard stage and The Strumbellas on the Summer Stage. For the first half of their set, Mumford donned their signature banjos and acoustic guitars for classics such as Little Lion Man, White Blank Page and I WiIl Wait, before they turned to the electric guitars and a faster paced contemporary set. The band also brought out special guests Baaba Maal, Beatenberg and The Very Best.

Audio DD12’s providing front fill sound.

The intimate 200-capacity Sony PlayStation tent was serviced by Martin Audio’s tried and trusted package of four pole-mounted MLA Mini enclosures per side, atop an MSX power plant, covering the low end.

Wedges were Martin Audio LE12JB monitors.

On the Summer Stage, located at the south end of the park this year, a Martin Audio W8LC / WS218X system was used with three Martin Audio W8LCs and three WS218Xs ground stacked per side, and Martin Audio LE12JB wedge monitors. The Bacardi Bar also featured a distributed system including 10 Martin Audio DD6 loudspeakers. A similar Martin Audio DD12 system was deployed in the Promoter Bar. Summarising the site wide experience, Baird said: “We were delighted with the deployment of our systems again this year. The sound of the main stage system sounded really natural.”

Jim King, Senior Vice President of Live Events at AEG, added his endorsement: “Four years into this event it is reassuring that we are still able to operate at sound levels that were once unimaginable while again keeping neighbourhood complaints to a minimum, despite the windy conditions.

“Capital and Martin Audio continue to refine the sound system year on year, with increasingly sophisticated software, and the improvement was immediately noticeable when I walked the site before the festival began. It is this that continues to keep us ahead of the game.”

VISUALS PRG XL Video has been closely involved with BST since the event’s inception, this year providing the full house lighting rig in addition to extras for headliners such as Mumford & Sons, Massive Attack and Take That.

Account Director Yvonne Donnelly Smith took care of the project for PRG XL Video: “BST Hyde Park is an amazing event right in the heart of London, with fantastic artists playing every day, on one of the most beautiful stages of any festival. It’s a pleasure to continue our work with Production Manager Mark Ward of Proper Productions.

“He always comes to us with a clear picture of what he wants and how to achieve it. Playing a major part in the largest summer event in one of the royal parks is a real privilege, but it presented the usual challenges associated with outdoor shows. Our Crew Chief Luke Jackson lead a talented team of lighting and rigging technicians on site to ensure everything ran smoothly.”

The lighting rig centred around a multitude of festival-robust and highperformance Vari-Lite products, with 68 VL3500 washes, 36 VL3000 spots

OTHER STAGES Martin Audio systems were also provided for several other stages. On the Barclaycard Stage, eight MLA Compacts were flown on each side with 14 WS218X subwoofers in a L/C/R cardioid configuration, with four Martin 81

BRITISH SUMMER TIME

Above: The day gets underway at the Barclaycard Stage; Marcus Mumford still knows his way around an acoustic guitar.

and 18 VL2000 wash fixtures used. Also featured were 24 GLP Impression X4 RGBW LED wash lights, 25 Solaris Flare LED RGBW multifunctional lighting fixtures and the PRG Best Boy spot HP moving light.

There were 50 generic molefay lights around the perimeter of the stage, powered by Avolites ART2000 dimmers, and six long throw 2.5kW Lycian M2 followspots at FOH to provide the mainstay of followspot lighting, along with a pair of Lycian 1271 Starklites overhead as truss spots. The house lighting control consoles were MA Lighting grandMA2’s, with DMX distribution served by PRG Super Nodes.

Video was another area in which BST adopted the ‘if it ain’t broke, slightly improve it’ mantra that applied to this year’s audio system. Video Design again supplied 1,000 sq metres of LED screen to wrap around the Great Oak Stage, with WinVision’s 8mm product lining the wings and returns and its 9mm panels used to form a large upstage wall. Multi award-winning Stage Designer Es Devlin was the original mastermind behind this screen layout, as well as the scenic oak trees that allow the stage and delay towers to appear as if they are a living part of the park itself.

MD at Video Design, Alex Leinster, explained his company’s role at BST: “In addition to the 11 million pixels worth of LED we have up there, which is all d3 Technologies-driven, we provided a four-camera PPU system and extras for Florence + the Machine, Mumford & Sons and Take That. We just take care of cameras for the live shots, while Blink TV brought in CTV Outside Broadcast to handle OB duties.”

Video Design had 15 crew members on site at peak times, some of whom were specifically there to look after any d3 Technologies programming-related problems. Leinster continued: “Because d3 allows you to visualise the whole thing in advance, we generate the project files and the bands can take them away to work independently. They bring it back, we load it onto the d3 servers and off you go.

“The amount of pre-programming varies from band-to-band. Take That programmed for a week at LH2 Studios before they came here, while others were more of a collaboration on site.”

Many of the headliners including Carole King, Florence + the Machine and Massive Attack created bespoke content for the Hyde Park show, while others used custom effects on the video content being streamed live by Video Design’s cameras and robocams. Leinster said: “The sheer number of pixels up there mean you can’t just hash content together and hope it looks ok. You’ll get found out in the definition. This, and the fact that it is a huge show in one of the capital’s royal parks, motivates the artists’ video teams to come up with something special to show the world what they’re made of.”

This was the first time that Mumford & Sons had used LED on stage, so the band asked Video Director Steve Price to create some organic and subtle content. Price explained: “Usually they play a good old fashioned gig with no click tracks, no Pro Tools and no gimmicks – it’s just live music and of course Ed Warren’s incredible light show. It was important that the backgrounds remained as exactly that – backgrounds not foregrounds – so I decided to go for live camera shots rather than pre-rendered video content.

“In addition to the bunch of cameras I was using for my IMAG cut, I also had a further 10 robocams that were being cut under my direction by the hugely creative Tom Robinson. I’ve worked with Tom before and I knew he’d be the right man to interpret what I wanted on a song-by-song basis and have the confidence to improvise if he needed to.”

Price also worked closely with d3 Programmer Nils Porrmann during the

run up to the show, who brought experience that was integral in suggesting different ways to map the band’s backgrounds across the massive screens.

Price continued: “We started quite gently and got bolder as the evening progressed. This turned out to be exactly the right thing to do because the sun set directly opposite the front of the stage. This actually helped the abstract nature of the design to begin with, then as it got dark we introduced more detailed content and it all seemed to evolve quite naturally.

“The first song had no content at all, then the second song, Little Lion Man, was a shot of flight case in black and white with Mumford’s ‘Gentleman of the Road’ logo plastered down the side. At first, this appeared to be a photograph, but on closer inspection it became clear it was a live video shot of a flight case at the back of the stage with the band performing out of focus and over exposed in the corner of the shot.”

A highlight for Price came when the team had to hurriedly improvise a look for an extra song the band added into the set at the last moment. Price remembered: “I asked Tom to point his robocams at the sky to grab some cloud backgrounds and asked Nils to map it accordingly over the screens.

As it happened, Tom found the crescent moon right there in the daylight and zoomed in on it - this looked amazing live on the screens but just went off the scale when two aircraft flew through the moon leaving a smoke trail behind them. It’s that kind of unplanned magical moment that makes your day, we all went nuts on cans, and not for the first time during that show.”

STAGING Bedford-based Star Events provided all of the structural work on site with the exception of fencing, cabins, toilets, ground protection, bars and so on.

This included the Great Oak Stage, Barclaycard Presents Stage, hospitality areas, viewing platforms, FOH structures, delay towers, screen supports, entrance arches, gate gantries and all production rigging. That meant 82 trucks worth of gear had to be loaded into Hyde Park and rigged in the space of two weeks - one of which saw between 80 and 110 Star crew on site.

“Even though most of the structures look bespoke, they are largely based on Star rental kit, which is like a giant Meccano set, leaving more budget for the custom parts,” Star Project Manager, Tez Sheals-Barrett, explained from the company cabin on site. “The main north entrance is an example; it’s based around our Orbit roof but has extra parts to give it the unique appearance. The delay tower bases are a totally new design but otherwise all of the core components in the Great Oak Stage you will find in the delays, FOH and so on.”

The Es Devlin-designed faux oak trees that fringed the main stage and delays were made specifically for the original event and, though the overlays required sprucing up now and again, there were no major changes to branding or set for 2016 from Star’s perspective. The company’s priority was to reduce the footprint of the delays to increase the overall capacity and make the structures quicker, safer and less labour-intensive to install.

Sheals-Barrett continued: “Star Events has been the main structural supplier since 2013 and that experience, coupled with the company’s telling new technology, meant we kept to the two-week build despite terrible weather conditions much of the time.

“We have a full stand-by team for the show weekends as well and load out in just five days. It’s challenging to keep the ground in immaculate condition on load-in but the site team is great at providing the ground 82

BRITISH SUMMER TIME

Alabama Shakes warmed up the Great Oak Stage for headliners Mumford & Sons.

protection.”

As well as making the site ‘bigger’ in terms of crowd numbers, Star was charged with creating more rigging capacity for production in the roof of the main VIP viewing structure (a Star VISTA unit) to allow for more lighting and audio, as well as strengthening the main stage roof. “We swapped out the regular spans to double heavy duty trusses in order to accommodate what is the heaviest rig we’ve ever had at BST,” said Sheals-Barrett.

Headliners Massive Attack, Mumford & Sons and Take That all had additional rigs to be loaded in and out overnight. Mumford in particular had most of the house rig removed for their lighting set up, only to be taken out and loaded straight back in (along with extras) for Take That the following night.

To accommodate these varied shows efficiently and securely, Star needed to accurately know all the weights and their distribution in the roof.

Sheals-Barrett commented: “Our computer analysis tells us where weight should be going but, until you get it here, the wind, weather, temperature and actual loads are all variables.

“This year we extended our Active Roof Technology (ART) system to put a load cell on all 34 of the main stage roof masts, which gave us accurate real-time data of how the loads were actually being distributed through the very complex structure. If there was too much on one span or down one mast we could shift weight around using spreaders to load different spans, which worked really well. That makes it not only the strongest but the safest roof we’ve ever constructed here. Mumford took the ‘heaviest rig’ honours, with the ART system recording 116 tonnes in the air.”

a full range of refreshments including hot and cold drinks and snacks working 24/7 to ensure food was available around-the-clock for stars and support teams arriving overnight.

The temporary kitchen served hundreds of full English breakfasts with cereals, yogurts, fresh whole and cut fruit and fresh breads. Throughout the day the chefs provided a rolling buffet for lunches. As well as manning the restaurant, GIG…fyi’s team also serviced the artists’ dressing rooms.

In addition to the food and drinks it also supplied all of the decor, dining furniture, buffet set up, service ware and some of the lighting.

Katy Turner, GIG…fyi’s Operations Manager, said: “This was our fourth successive year supporting BST, which is one of our favourite events of the season. There was a fabulous line-up of stars including the legendary Stevie Wonder for us to feed. We can’t wait to be back again next year!”

Showforce was also heavily involved in BST, working closely with AEG Live and LarMac Live, Star Events, Alive Advertising, Loud Sound and Wightfencing. The company deployed over 300 crew to help build and dismantle various structures on site including the main stage and scenic elements such as the pre fab Olde English style pubs that created an entertainment village for the audience.

Showforce also worked hard to distribute lights around the site for various projects, allowing the production team to keep the to a tight schedule. The crewing specialist worked around the clock to become part of another successful Hyde Park event, which according to Crew Manager Lawrence Jones, resulted in “another enjoyable show that went off without a hitch”.

Although TPi only made it to the one day, we’re inclined to agree. Every aspect of the event was finished to an incredibly high standard, from the world-class PA system to the perfect weather (thanks for arranging that guys!). All told BST looks to be going from strength to strength, and if that means only incremental changes each year then here’s to what’s certain to be another superb afternoon in 2017.

TPi Photos: Jessica Gilbert www.bst-hydepark.com www.aeglive.co.uk www.larmaclive.com www.capital-sound.co.uk www.video-design.co.uk www.stareventsltd.com www.prg.com/uk www.q-sfx.co.uk www.globalinfusiongroup.com www.showforce.com

BEHIND THE SCENES Quantum Special Effects was on site in Hyde Park to provide a tailored programme of effects for Mumford & Sons and Take That.

To help Mumford & Sons take their production up a notch as requested, Quantum provided 60kg of white and yellow confetti fired from 14 blowers positioned at the front of the stage, a pyro waterfall, a hand-held marine flare and a pyrotechnic finale for The Wolf using a dazzling combination of Crossettes, Comets, and Mines.

For Take That, Quantum supplied tailored effects for seven individual tracks that included confetti, Comets, Mines, G Flames, and 10 Flaming Staff that were weilded by dancers on Relight My Fire.

Catering specialist GIG…fyi, part of Chesham-based Global Infusion Group, was hired by AEG Live to provide food and refreshments for the dozens of artists who performed at BST. The company served up over 2,500 meals to artists, their entourages and bands from a bespoke dining marquee that was transformed into a summertime garden.

The GIG…fyi crew were on site for all 10 days of the festival providing 83

FESTIVAL FOCUS

DBN LIGHTS PARKLIFE 2016 dbn Lighting was back in Heaton Park, Manchester for the 2016 Parklife Festival, where it supplied lighting, rigging and LED screens to five out of the eight main performance areas - including the main stage, stage three (The Rotunda), stage five (Elrow), stage six (The Colonnade) and stage eight.

Pete Robinson led the dbn crew of 28 that commenced the load-in on the Wednesday ahead of the opening on Saturday morning, and once again, their mission was to ensure that every stage looked individual, interesting and different from anything in the past.

The project entailed the supply of approximately 580 lighting fixtures, including 224 moving lights and 75 strobes deployed site-wide.

dbn installed a truss at the back, and a series of blacks were used to mask the trusses for The Chemical Brothers. A banner truss and a video truss downstage of The Chemical Brothers’ kit was flown for Ice Cube’s show on the Saturday, which was then moved to the back and used as Major Lazer’s main screen as they closed the event on Sunday.

The Chemical Brothers crew rigged during the day on Saturday behind a temporary black, while the stage was fully operational, adding another challenge for the crews.

A total of 58 motors were part of the dbn production supply for this stage - including 24 dedicated solely to The Chemical Brothers’ production - and some creative rigging that was required to accommodate everything.

Moving lights on the house rig were all Clay Paky, with 16 Mythos’, 18 Sharpys and 20 a.leda B-EYE K10’s joining 20 Martin by Harman Atomic 3000 strobes, 18 2-lite molefays and four ARRI 2Ks; all looked after by Ed Croft using an Avolites Arena console for control with a TitanNet Processor at stage.

MAIN STAGE dbn’s Stephen Page designed a house lighting rig for the main stage performance space that allowed for the two headliners - The Chemical Brothers and Major Lazer - to bring their own touring rigs in underneath.

This entailed the three ‘house’ overhead trusses being sub-hung as high as possible in the Serious Stages Supernova roof.

The Chemical Brothers’ production featured a large LED screen, moving robots, lasers and a mega-mix of lighting instruments on floor mounted structures.

Major Lazer also had a substantial LED screen that was flown at the back, while downstage their impressive three-sided Periaktoi-style towers - about 13ft high by seven ft wide - made a huge visual impact. The first facade was a scenic speaker cabinet design trimmed with LED tape and with LED blinders hiding in the cones. The second was an LED video surface and the third contained moving lights and three pairs of colour-changing strobes positioned on each of three levels of the tower.

THE ROTUNDA This was an elegant new bespoke outdoor structure designed especially for Parklife by NoNonsense, comprising three enormous trussing arches. Each arch was around 48 metres in length from the stage to the furthest point and 18 metres tall at the highest points.

A five-metre high DJ riser was built in the middle beneath the central arch, partially covered for some weather protection, but apart from this, everything was open, showing off the stylish lines of the metalwork. dbn rigged its lighting directly from the structural trusses.

Robinson and the team produced a video design for the front of the DJ riser that was clad in LED panels, and the lower sections of the arches were also clad with the same nine mm video product panels from Transition Video to dbn’s design.

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PARKLIFE 2016

Either side of the central arch - above and behind the DJ - four production lighting trusses were rigged and populated with 16 Clay Paky QWO 800 wash moving lights, 12 Clay Paky a.leda K10’s with B-EYE lenses, 12 Martin by Harman Atomic 3000 strobes, 12 Chauvet Nexus 4x4 panels, 24 Showtec Sunstrips and 32 Spectral Zoom LED PARs. Another three trusses were hung high right in the centre of the arches, loaded with 18 IP-rated SGM G-Spot moving lights, which proved ideal for the erratic weather that permeated the weekend!

Robinson explained that the lighting rig was selected and designed carefully to be visually appealing in daylight, dusk and darkness.

The Rotunda had previously been in a big top before, so putting it in the open and surrounding it with a strongly architectural feature was a completely different aesthetic approach. The structure was tethered to three 20ft containers per side and on top of these dbn provided another 12 Clay Paky Mythos hybrid moving lights in weather domes.

For smoke management - a serious challenge in this type of environment - four Martin by Harman JEM ZR44 smoke machines and three Reel EFX DF50 diffusion hazers (and a lot of fluid) delivered the atmospherics.

Chris Phillips designed the lightshow, which was operated by Steve Barnett using an Avolites Pearl Expert.

Spot 575’s and 12 Alpha Wash 575 moving lights.

Below that, ground supported at the back of the stage, the team built a six-prong trussing star shape, and rigged on this were 12 Nexus 4x4 panels, 12 Showtec Sunstrips, six Chroma-Q ColorForce 72 LED battens and six Martin by Harman Atomic 3000 strobes.

On the PA towers were 12 2-lite molefays, another four Alpha Spot 575’s and two more Alpha Wash 575’s.

On the first night, 1XTRA’s production decided to add a stage thrust at the last minute, so dbn provided SGM P5 LED floods on the floor in a footlights position to up-light artists as they got up close to the crowd.

Lighting was taken care of by Ant Owen using, once again, an Avolites Pearl Expert.

Stage 8 was located in a big top and, in a departure from past designs, dbn proposed an eye-catching integrated ground support and lighting system comprising four concentric arches of trussing, plus a 15-metre high front truss on ground support legs to support the downstage arch underneath it with PA hangs cantilevered to each side.

An additional ground support system at the back facilitated the upstage arch and an LED screen, and two more over-stage arches in-between gave a total of four arches creating a spectacular metal masterpiece for this DJ-led stage which also hosted some live acts.

Rigged across the four arches was an eclectic mix of lighting fixtures including eight Clay Paky Mythos’, 16 Clay Paky Alpha Beam 700’s, 12 Clay Paky a.leda K10’s with B-EYE lenses 12 Ayrton Magic Dots, 12 Martin by Harman Atomic 3000 strobes and six Clay Paky Stormy LED strobes.

A total of 36 ProLights LED Smartbats were highly effective as truss toners, and six 4-lite molefays blasted into the crowds for audience illumination.

The LED screen at the back was made up of 180 panels of dbn’s 12mm Esdlumen product arranged in an arch shape to imitate the trusses positioned in front.

The company’s own Nick Buckley looked after lighting and visuals design, which included running video content via a Resolume system. A WYSIWYG model of the lighting design was also fed into the Resolume so the video content could mimic what was happening on the lighting rig further integrating the two disciplines for a more cohesive experience. Lighting was operated by Paul Sheard using (you guessed it) an Avolites Pearl Expert.

Although the weather was a typically unpredictable English mash-up this year, even the wetter moments didn’t dampen the incredible vibe and spirit that makes Parklife one of the UK’s most popular and sought-after festival events on the calendar.

TPi Photos: Justine Trickett www.parklife.uk.com www.dbn.co.uk

ELROW This area comprised a G-Stages structure with several onstage internal trusses that were quickly filled with elaborate and eclectic décor elements created by Spanish club atmospheric engineering specialists, Elrow. dbn installed a 10-metre circular truss around the central column of the arena and added multiple curved trusses mid-stage, made up from different sized segments of circular truss. The contours of the structural arches were followed upstage with more curved trussing at the back.

The lighting was chosen for compactness and versatility and comprised 14 Clay Paky Alpha Spot 300 HPEs, eight Alpha Wash 300’s and Alpha Beam 300’s for the moving lights. On top of these were 12 Martin by Harman Atomic 3000 strobes, seven Chauvet Nexus 4x4 panels, eight Showtec Sunstrip Active DMXs and 24 Chroma-Q Color Force 12 LED bricks.

These were all designed to be eye-candy on the over-stage trusses but, due to the volume and density of the décor once installed, they were most effectively used for highlighting and illuminating the extensive and enthusiastic scenic elements. Paul Crompton was the operator using another Avolites Pearl Expert.

THE COLONNADE AND STAGE 8 This was an Orbit style construction but flat at the back rather than having domed bays, so it resembled a tunnel, in which dbn hung a front and mid truss tracing the shape of the roof. Hung on this were 12 Clay Paky Alpha

85

BOTTLEROCK FESTIVAL

ALCONS AUDIO AT BOTTLEROCK FESTIVAL

Taking place in California’s Napa Valley, one of the world’s premier wine regions, BottleRock is an unusual festival which combines live music with the region’s tradition of wine, brewing and food. This year’s festival saw the Alcons LR18 mid-sized pro-ribbon system make its live debut.

This year’s BottleRock was staged over the weekend of 27 - 29 May, headlined by Steve Wonder, Florence + the Machine and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Just as iconic in their own way were the headliners over on the Culinary Stage - chefs Gordon Ramsey, Masaharu Morimoto and Tyler Florence.

Delicate Productions, an Alcons Pro-Ribbon Partner, supplied and managed the technical production for the festival, choosing it to give the LR18 its first live, public outing on the festival’s Lagunitas stage. Launched at ProLight+Sound Frankfurt in April, the LR18 is a three-way, compact midsized line array, which combines the highest possible sound quality with very high SPL capabilities and throw.

By implementing Alcons’ multiple-patented pro-ribbon technology for mid and high frequencies, a super-fast impulse response with up to 90% less distortion is achieved. This enables the LR18 to offer a fully intuitive linear response, with very high intelligibility and non-compressed, identical tonal balance at any SPL. The system was used for around 25 different artists over the three days of BottleRock, with genres ranging from country, bluegrass and soul to rock’n’roll and EDM. The position of the Lagunitas stage also meant that containing the sound was critical. All-in-all it provided a good test for the Alcons system - one it passed with flying colours.

The system comprised nine LR18 per side and eight BQ211 subs, plus a pair of VR12s for front fills. Power and control came from six Sentinel10 amplified loudspeaker controllers and ALControl remote control software.

“There were strict noise restrictions, so we needed to contain the sound.

Because the stage was in a comparatively tight space, the wavefront had to

be tightly controlled. The stage also had many artists who went out in front of the main system and fills,” said David Rahn of Alcons US, who was there to support Delicate Productions.

“The system coped incredibly well with all of these factors, it really was the hit of the show. Delicate really liked the fact that the entire sub system only used eight cones and that just two VR12s covered front fill for a 40ft stage really nicely.”

Andrew Freid mixed around 60% of the artists for Delicate and was very impressed. “Whenever I encounter a new PA there is always a bit of trepidation. But this was erased once I started using the LR18 system, mixing on it was a real pleasure,” he said. “The LR18 has an extremely smooth response, right across the spectrum. It has a clarity and punch which was very noticeable, while the upper midrange doesn’t become increasingly harsh as overall volume is raised, making it easier to mix at higher SPLs. In fact, it almost begs to be driven louder and louder!“ He continued: “The subwoofers also were very punchy and clear without being overbearing. You could feel the low end without it taking over, which is not always easy to achieve. Coverage was also very good, especially considering the relatively small size of the boxes. I would definitely be happy to mix on the system again in the future.”

Indeed, so pleased were Delicate that George Edwards - manager of the company’s San Francisco office - sent a steady stream of sound engineers to the Lagunitas stage to check the system out. One was Kenny Kaiser - FOH Engineer for The Killers and Brandon Flowers. “I was really surprised at how good it sounded,” he stated.

Kaiser is also looking forward to hearing Alcons new LR28 touring system. The LR18’s ‘bigger brother’, the three-way LR28 features a 3kW 14-inch pro-ribbon and has been developed to offer HiFi sound at even the highest concert SPLs. Already in use in Europe, it has been used on concerts by Van Morrison, Elton John, Roxette, Jose Carreras, Pat Metheny, DJ Tiesto and others. LR28 is expected to make its US debut later in 2016.

TPi www.bottlerocknapavalley.com www.alconsaudio.com 86

RISING TO A NEW AUDIO CHALLENGE

GS-WAVE

For their first ever outdoor event, the team at fabric – the London nightclub worldfamous for its massive sound – wanted to recreate the club’s legendary Room One in a 2000-capacity, round tent at Lovebox Festival. With obsessive attention to detail, they built a replica birch dance floor and draped the huge walls in acoustic damping material to keep in the energy. The sound came from a monster system of six 3-metre GS-WAVE dancefloor stacks driven by Powersoft’s K Series amps with built-in DSP. The result? A unique clubbing experience worthy of fabric’s reputation.

Pioneerproaudio | pioneerproaudio.com | #madeintheuk

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FIELD DAY / WICHITA RIVERFEST

AIR TOURS FESTIVAL CIRCUIT WITH DLIVE French electropop legends Air embarked on their summer festival season equipped with an Allen & Heath dLive digital mixing system to manage FOH. Specified by FOH Engineer, Dave McDonald, and supplied by Belgian PA company, Four Ears Audio. The system comprises an S5000 Control Surface with DM48 MixRack.

The tour marks the first time that McDonald has toured with the new dLive system having been an avid iLive user for many years with acts such as Adele, Florence + the Machine and Frank Ocean.

“The first thing I noticed was the build quality - it’s a sturdy beast - and the two touchscreens have a really classy feel, like something Apple would design,” McDonald commented.

Air’s festival gigs span Europe and include Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and Primavera Sound festival in Spain.

“On the Air tour, we are using 14 vintage keyboards on stage, some mono and some stereo, and the stereo image and depth of sound coming from dLive is like nothing I’ve heard from a mixer before. The jump in sound quality is the difference between night and day,” continued McDonald. “I was very happy with its predecessor, iLive, but dLive is something else - it has all the great efects and dynamics plus lots of new toys, and it is so natural to operate it feels as if it is, well, designed for mixing! Definitely 10/10 from me.” www.fielddayfestivals.com www.allen-heath.com

CHAUVET ROGUE BEAMS AND WASHES HELP ERICH MEITZNER’S VARIED LOOKS AT WICHITA RIVERFEST For the first 36 years of its existence, the Wichita Riverfest was held in May. Then in 2011, after rain affected successive festivals, the event’s organisers thought moving it to June might change their luck. How right they were. Attendance has risen steadily since the rescheduling, ultimately breaking a record this year when a crowd of 450,000 visitors turned out for the nine-day celebration - not a bad draw, considering that Wichita’s population is 390,000.

A key attraction at the festival was the main concert stage, which featured 29 different bands performing under the light of an Erich Meitznerdesigned rig that featured a collection of Rogue fixtures from Chauvet Professional, supplied by Parr Sound and Lighting.

Meitzner positioned four Rogue R2 Beams on mid-stage truss and four additional units on upstage truss. He also flew eight Rogue R2 Washes on a truss beam that ran across the entire 40ft festival concert stage. The fixtures were selected for their intensity, colour and brightness to be sure, but especially important to Meitzner in this instance was versatility.

Aside from featuring a large number of bands, the Wichita Riverfest stage showcased a diverse range of musical genres, from the city’s symphony orchestra to ’90s rappers Naughty By Nature, to The Roots, Elle King, Fishbone, Violent Femmes and Meat Puppets.

“It was absolutely essential for us to have a versatile rig that was capable of providing different looks for different nights and different genres,” said Meitzner. “Although we had a lot of different bands, not one of them brought their own floor package. So our festival rig had to cover a wide range of moods to reflect the different styles. The Rogue R2 Beams really helped us achieve this versatility. We used its split colours and rotating prism a lot to create some unique looks for all of the bands, so we never repeated ourselves throughout the whole event.”

Meitzner also relied on the intense output of the Rogue R2 Beam for aerial effects and audience lighting at the outdoor event. “Festival lighting

calls for a lot of audience engagement,” he commented.

The Rogue R2 Washes arranged over the downstage deck were called upon to wash the stage in colour. “Our deck was 40ft by 40ft,” said Meitzner, who ran the rig with an MA Lighting grandMA2 Light. “We definitely needed powerful fixtures for the coverage they could give us. Colour was another key in setting the tone for the different acts. For some of the softer country/ folk acts, we bathed the stage in pastels; for others, we ran intensely coloured gobo patterns.”

The performance of Meitzner’s rig was not lost on Parr Sound and Lighting’s Aaron Parr, who served as Production Manager of the festival.

“Using the Rogue fixtures for the first time this year at Riverfest really helped pump up the level of production,” he said. “This was a year of bigger entertainment for the festival; using Erich and those fixtures was a big win.”

Aside from the impact of its new lighting rig and stepped-up entertainment, the 2016 edition of the Wichita Riverfest was helped by another factor - the weather. “One of the big challenges at this event is always the weather,” said Meitzner. “Normally it rains at least one day at the festival, but this year, not a drop of rain.”

TPi www.chauvetprofessional.com www.wichitariverfest.com 88

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LOVEBOX

PIONEER PRO AUDIO INSTALLS FABRIC NIGHTCLUB-STYLE SOUND SYSTEM AT LOVEBOX FESTIVAL World-famous London nightclub fabric teamed up with Pioneer Pro Audio to assemble the sound system for its first-ever outdoor event, Lovebox Festival. Taking place on 15 and 16 July 2016 in London’s Victoria Park, the fabric stage was the only one at Lovebox to commission an exclusive pro audio partner.

The arena was a 2,000-capacity, 38-metre round tent designed to recreate fabric’s Room One, giving party-goers the true nightclub experience in a festival environment. Both fabric and Pioneer Pro Audio went to great lengths to make this happen, starting with the sound system that comprises of six three-metre GS-WAVE dancefloor stacks, 12 XY-218S 18-inch twin bass reflex subwoofers and 12 XY-122 12inch two-way loudspeakers for infill. Everything was powered by Powersoft 1RU amplifiers, including multliples of high output, high efficiency K10 and K2 devices, with Armonía software.

Lovebox was the first time the Pioneer GS-Wave system had been deployed in a festival / rental environment. Normally seen and heard as an installed product, the system had to be managed in a new club. “We also worked closely Vanguardia Acoustics and their new software,“ explained Alex Barrand, Pioneer Pro Audio Manager. “They were a pleasure to deal with. Sometimes the ‘sound police’ can be on the opposing side of what sound engineers do, but with Vanguardia although they were constantly monitoring the sound, they were also not hindering the experience for us or the crowds, but in this instance, because fabric are recreating a club experience, they’re the perfect choice,” he added.

The efforts to create the feel of a nightclub didn’t end with the sound system. A birch wood floor similar to the one in fabric’s Room One was installed to give the right kind of feedback, the tent’s walls were draped with damping material to control sideways reflections and contain low frequencies. “When you take a sound system outdoors, that usually halves its energy,” said Barrand. “But we’re containing the sound with the acoustic draping and keeping the pressure in the room, so the energy will be centralised on the dancefloor without escaping from the tent.”

He added: “The people we worked with at fabric had expectations for our system to recreate the club as closely as we could and they were blown away with the results. We had to recreate an authentic club sound outdoors and the response from our clients was that the system really held its own

on site.”

On the amount of effort put into replicating the fabric experience, the club’s founder, Cameron Leslie, said: “We didn’t want to have a stage in a tent and just book DJs to play. We wanted to build a club within Lovebox and give the crowd the full fabric experience. We think the Pioneer Pro Audio and Powersoft system will recreate that incredible sound we’re known for.”

Another feature paying homage to fabric’s Room One was the DJ booth. It was semi-exposed allowing the crowd an up-close and personal experience with DJs and artists performing from side on booth view. A unique set-up for a festival, it presented a challenge for Barrand and his team. “Because the booth juts out into the dance floor, we’ve got to build a system for it that will be powerful enough for the DJ to hear his mix over the main system, which will be delayed.” The booth contained four XY-218S 18-inch subs and four XY-122 loudspeakers, producing 22 kilowatts of power in total. Headroom was held in reserve for when the arena heated up - the temperature inside monitored by a Waves plugin that automatically adjusted delay times for high frequencies as the heat rose, making sure that sound was distributed evenly and perfectly in sync.

“Powersoft has been our amplifier partner since day one,” continued Barrand. “They are reliable, they deliver every time and the power consumption is phenomenal. The capabilities are enormous and in particular the damping factor on the subs is unbelievable.“ Francesco Fanicchi, Powersoft’s Brand and Communication Director, also pointed out that the Pioneer system was optimised via the presets and advanced use of the Armonia software to store different gain structures for the two different club nights. “In an outdoor application, K series is perfect in fabric’s attempts to create the feel of a nightclub, and of course the efficiency of the amplifiers, in an environment where power is scarce, is vital.”

Barrand concluded: “Moving forward, we’ve been asked to bring the sound of fabric back to Lovebox next year, and we’ve had interest from other festivals too. Obviously the system is off the shelf, but if we continue to gain interest in live sound projects then we might look at making a oneoff, easy-tour version of our four-stack.”

TPi www.loveboxfestival.com www.pioneerproaudio.com www.powersoft-audio.com 90

35 Years xy

d&b is 35. Karen is d&b.

Karen Wefelmeyer is Director of Human Resources at d&b. She joined this year. “With d&b it feels like being part of the show. It’s a mix of energy, professionalism, humour and drive.” In 35 years d&b has evolved from a small garage venture to a worldwide standard in professional sound systems. It’s people like Karen who make this story possible, and just that bit different from the rest.

Welcome to System reality.

ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL

MEYER SOUND’S LEO ROARS FOR THE ISLE OF WIGHT The 21st Century revival of the legendary Isle of Wight Festival once again launched Europe’s season of summer celebrations, with this year’s edition benefiting from relatively hospitable weather and the auspicious debut of a new Meyer Sound LEO Family system at the main stage.

Supplied by Wigwam Acoustics of Heywood, the new system effortlessly powered performances by headliners like The Who, Faithless, Stereophonics, and Queen + Adam Lambert for crowds of up to 60,000. Equally important were the linear characteristics of the system, coupled with precise directional control, which kept the festival grounds rocking while significantly reducing bleed into nearby residential areas.

The LEO Family system’s control and apparent loudness was appreciated by Vanguardia Consulting, responsible for assuring adherence to festival license conditions. “Isle of Wight has been quite tough over the past few years due to the close proximity of noise-sensitive properties,” said Vanguardia’s Warren King. “We did seem to get better results this year, and I think the main difference was that the system sounded subjectively louder than in previous years, which meant that although we started around 96dB at the start of the day, almost every engineer was happy with that as a level and could easily stay within the given limits.”

Eds John, the FOH Engineer for headliners Richard Ashcroft and Busted, was taken aback by the power and clarity of the system. “LEO was stunning in the festival format,” he reported. “Even when the wind was blowing strong, the guitars were cutting through and staying smooth. That’s what

you really need at a festival, as all too often your mix gets blown away by the slightest breeze.”

“The clarity and detail were amazing,” he continued. “With Richard you have a huge vocal sound, lots of guitars and massive strings to fit in your mix. It could get a little messy, but with LEO everything easily found its place. I pushed up my mix at the start, sat back, and really enjoyed the gig.

Also, I was impressed by the fact that there were only 14 cabinets per side in the main hangs. It definitely felt like there were more boxes than that.”

The reaction of John and his colleagues was welcomed by Joel Perry of Wigwam Acoustics: “As is the case with all of our shows, our aim is to provide the best sound reinforcement available. Judging by the comments received from our guest engineers, we achieved that goal here with the deployment of the Meyer Sound LEO Family system.”

The Wigwam team on site was headed by Systems Tech Bill Laing and Crew Boss Geoff Muir, with Jonathan Digby and Jon Brooks assisting at FOH. The main stage hangs of LEO-M line array loudspeakers were bolstered in sub-bass by 24 1100-LFC and 12 900-LFC low frequency control elements.

Front and out fill systems comprised 24 LEOPARD line array loudspeakers, with a total of 32 LYON linear loudspeakers deployed as delays. The Galileo Callisto loudspeaker management system, running over an Optocore distribution network, included a total of 11 Galileo Callisto 616’s and three Galileo Callisto 616 AES array processors.

TPi Photo: Liz Murray Photography www.meyersound.com www.isleofwightfestival.com 92

DOWNLOAD

QUANTUM SFX DOES DOWNLOAD On 10 June Quantum SFX was back at Donington Park for a very wet Download Festival, providing a high-octane show for Black Sabbath’s headlining set on Saturday night. It was the last time the heavy metal legends would play at the festival as they conclude their five-year reunion with The End Tour early in 2017. As such, and to the crowd’s delight, their set showcased all the classics and Quantum made sure there were fitting special effects to accompany.

As the band commenced with their namesake track, Black Sabbath, Quantum lined the upstage area with flame bars creating a fiery backdrop to start the show. After 10 more tracks, the company turned the flames back on for Iron Man, as well as some on stage pyro consisting of blue and purple mines.

For the last song of the set, Children of the Grave, Quantum used eight wireless Spitfire Flames stationed on high trusses and 16 G-Flames spread across the front and back of the stage - the company matched the guitar rifts with short sharp releases that continued throughout the entire performance.

Returning for their encore with Paranoid, the band used six blowers to fire 36kg of purple and black confetti into the audience, which valiantly defied heavy rains. The ending of the same song featured red tracer comets that arched across the stage framing the band as they finished up their performance.

As the band members bowed to the crowd, Quantum began a 45-second display of ariel pyrotechnics, mixing in mines, comets, and crossets. The rain and humidity caused a large amount of smoke, which filled the sky and, although unplanned, added an inferno style visual that only seemed fitting for the creators of heavy metal as they ended a truly once in a lifetime festival set.

TPi Photo: Ben Gibson www.downloadfestival.co.uk www.q-sfx.com

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GIESSEN

TW AUDIO SOUNDS OUT ANASTACIA Owner of German rental company PS Sound, Christian Schurtakow, and his team were contracted to supply audio and lighting equipment for Anastacia at the Open Air Arena in the Schiffenberger Tal in Gießen, Germany.

Having been a user of TW AUDiO’s VERA10 system for many years, Schurtakow decided to invest in the more powerful big sister system VERA36, also considering the company’s recent growth. “It was an important step to take in that direction,” explained Schurtakow. “Especially when it comes to dealing with acts this scale. And I can say that it definitely paid off. We have put the VERA36 to use for the first time on this festival. The support from TW AUDiO has also been of great comfort to me. It all worked out perfectly and all the sound engineers have been very happy with the system during the festival so far. So I was looking forward to the show with Anastacia.”

A total of 22 elements of VERA36 were deployed for the event. Each element featured six loudspeakers working in an enclosure that is just 70cm wide, 31cm high and 58cm deep. The central element is the midrange horn, driven by two eight-inch cone speakers with the mid-high frequency unit comprising two 1.4-inch compression drivers with threeinch diaphragms and a newly developed wave former, positioned coaxially in the centre. The low-mid range is supplemented by two 10-inch long excursion bass speakers. It is remarkable that below 400Hz all four cone speakers work together providing impressive reserves of the low-mids and punch. The fitting subwoofer for this occasion is the VERA S33, literally pointing the way with an 18-inch speaker at the front and a 15-inch speaker at the back. With bi-amp operation and the respective presets different dispersion characteristics can be produced.

The cardioid mode is optimised for maximum attenuation of the rearward sound dispersion, thus achieving an attenuation greater than 15dB over the entire bass spectrum.The end-fire mode is optimised for

maximum sound pressure at the front with simultaneous partial reduction at the rear.

To round up the system with a true bass foundation, six of TW AUDiO’s BSX subwoofers stacked in two cardioid arrays have been added. The BSX is equipped with two powerful 21-inch drivers with a peak performance potential of 10kW per driver. Four elements of VERA10 were used as front fills and two T24 horn loaded point source loudspeakers as out fills.

The entire system was powered with Lab.gruppen PLM12K44 and PLM20K44 amplifiers including Lake DSP processing.

Marco Zeidler from the TW AUDiO support team was at hand to assist Christian with the alignment and tuning of the system using the SMAART multi-channel FFT analyzer. “SMAART is an extremely powerful tool and very easy to use. Together with the Lab/Lake controller software the whole sound system can be perfectly administrated and adapted to any acoustic environment,” explained Zeidler.

Chris Madden, FOH Engineer for Anastacia, came in with an AVID S6L console. Despite having been a longtime analogue devotee, Madden has embraced the Venue live sound environment like many engineers have.

One of the reasons why Madden has made the Venue his system of choice is the integration of Pro Tools, taking full advantage of its ability to make multitrack recordings of each performance, which can then be seamlessly used for Virtual Soundcheck.

During sound check Madden confessed to not being familiar with TW AUDiO systems so far in his career, but he was happy to find out that there was plenty of tight sub-bass and overall headroom available to play with.

According to the crew, the VERA36 performed brilliantly during Anastacia’s show carrying her voice bright and clear across the audience. Although her powerful voice can be difficult to manage at times, especially between 2 - 4 kHz, the VERA36’s mid-high range stayed smooth and the sound suffered no loss throughout the entire performance.

TPi www.twaudio.de/en 94

Resident at the world‘s best clubs.

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ROAD DIARIES

CALLY HARRIS Production Manager, Amy Macdonald.

(mentioning no names).

We all collapse into bed feeling triumphant… muddy, tired but definately triumphant.

Musilac Festival, Aix-Les-Bains Another hour and a bit in the van from our next hotel and we arrive at the festival site next to Lake Bourget. We get out of the vans and are suddenly blasted with heat, like when you open the oven door without pulling your head back to a safe distance, and once again we realise that load-in and set up will be a dribbly affair. It’s around 5° hotter than it was in Spielberg and it makes a world of difference.

After meeting the stage manager and our lovely Promotor Rep Djamel, we decide to scope out the backstage area. Well, there’s a coffee bar, a spa, massage, hairdressers, catering and three dressing rooms for us. I put the crew in the top one with the sundeck. Everything also has AC, which is a joyous thing indeed.

We load in, with boxes so hot you needed gloves to touch the metal, and the crew begin their usual set up routine, only this time sweat is dripping from their faces and the chaps all go shirtless - my poor Backline Chief, Bamo, and myself sadly cannot partake… I take around bottles of cold water and eyeball each of them as I have a real concern someone will go down with heat exhaustion, especially as half of the stage is bathed in full sun.

Linecheck should be happening when Fab, my FOH Engineer asks me to come to FOH. There are two massive stages side by side to enable the flip-flopping of shows without the crowd having to do too much movement, but they have programmed one stage to sound check while the other line checks. After firm words with Djamel and the on-site audio chief, and a discussion with my crew, we get the line check done through monitors and go straight into sound check. Amy and the band begin their usual run through but Amy’s position on the downstage edge is still in full sun and the lass looks to be melting, so they decide they’re happy and we all head for our air conditioned boxes. Soon enough, it’s show time.

With around 60,000 people in front of us, Amy and the band rocked the place and gave the show 100%. It was a beautiful sight to see such a huge crowd, next to a gorgeous lake and mountains, watching and singing along to our show and smiling in the glorious sunshine. It made every bead of sweat worth it.

Amy and the band are all smiles and after I break the news to the crew that I’ve lined up a speed boat ride for us all, we load out in record time, grab provisions and head for the jetty where we pile in to two very snazzy looking vessels. The captains ask us to finish our drinks as we’re about to hit some speed, they weren’t lying, we end up in a full on race which has all us giggling like children. Once we stop some people jump in for a swim, including our gorgeous hair and make up artist Ainslee in a floaty dress who resembles a Bond girl when she climbs back out of the water. Some climb rocks and perform impressive dives, the rest of us take pictures, drink and toast each other.

After arriving back at the festival smiling like Cheshire cats, we enjoy our evening meal while Elton John performs on stage a few metres away - very much like a VIP show package really!

We head back in one big minibus altogether to the hotel and Amy kicks off a karaoke session that we’re all more than happy to join in with. Think ABBA, Queen etc, and lots of silliness.

Once again I head to my room knackered but feeling triumphant and reminding myself how lucky I am to be doing this, and even luckier that the people I do it with are the absolute best.

Cally Harris

Austrian Grand Prix, Spielberg After an hour’s drive from our hotel we arrive at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg to set up our show for the Austrian Grand Prix. There are helicopters taking off and landing regularly in the area surrounding the stage, security everywhere and committed F1 fans in shirts and caps of their favourite race team. We can hear the unmistakable sound of F1 engines carving up the track across from the stage but cannot see anything as the track is in something of a bowl, I presume to help with noise, but nevertheless, we are excited. That excitement starts to fade a little when we get out of the passenger vans to incredible heat - the realisation of loading in and setting up slaps us in the face like a sweaty flannel.

The office and dressing rooms are housed in large clear span tents with zero AC, as is the catering (which comes with added flies). Can anyone please explain why so many European caterers don’t chill the cold food but leave it out to bake and be molested by insects?

Load-in goes well and before long we’re set onto our risers and the techs are busy fine-tuning their respective worlds.

Sound check is halted when one of the local crew, who shimmied up to cut a cable tie holding up a side scrim, slips and cuts his wrist. A full ambulance team arrives immediately and, after a short while, the unfortunate chap is rushed off to hospital. We finish sound check and everyone heads for a spot of sweaty dinner. That’s when things start to turn a nasty shade of grey. Everything from this point on moves pretty quickly and so I shall shorthand the experience…

Black clouds roll in from all sides, first artist on stage, storm moves in, lightning, show stop, evacuation, storm ends, first artist takes longest loadout ever, tour crew still smiling, check equipment, floor lighting package too soaked to risk powering up, musical equipment working, Geoff (LD) frantically programmes overhead lighting to compensate lost floor package, SHOW(!), happy crowd, mud, load-out, we watch Italy lose to Germany on penalties, sarnies, beers, tour crew still smiling, drive back to the hotel.

During everything, my crew stayed positive, upbeat, and willing to do whatever it took to make the show happen. There were no tantrums, no raised voices and the local crew and Stage Manager commented on the difference between a pro touring crew (us) and a not-so-pro touring crew

96

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GEAR HEADS

INTRODUCING THE BOSE SHOWMATCH DELTAQ Alan Shirley, Product Line Manager of Installed Loudspeakers at Bose Professional, talks TPi through the R&D process behind Bose’s newest line-array range, and explains how it is penetrating the live sound world in anticipation of its European debut at the PRO show in Birmingham, UK, September 11-13.

How the concept for the ShowMatch come about?

The ShowMatch concept is adapted from the Bose Pro DeltaQ technology first used in the RoomMatch array loudspeakers. DeltaQ is the next generation line-array technology that provides changes in directivity, or ‘Q’, for each module in the array so that the array coverage pattern can better match the shape of the audience area. Typically, narrow horizontal and vertical patterns are selected for modules at the top of the array and wider horizontal and vertical patterns are selected for the bottom positions.

This configuration allows the difference in Directivity Index (DI) for the modules to provide more consistent front-to-back sound levels, while the choice of horizontal patterns provides more consistent side-to-side coverage and reduces wall reflections, all of which improve overall sound quality. Bose Pro engineers developed DeltaQ technology after analysing the limitations of competitive line-array loudspeakers, most of which offer only a single horizontal and single vertical choice for coverage patterns of array modules.

How does it fit into the wider DeltaQ array range?

Both ShowMatch and RoomMatch array loudspeakers use DeltaQ technology. The primary difference is that RoomMatch is designed only for fixed-installation applications, which provides a choice of 42 coverage patterns and large-format waveguides, to provide the highest level of coverage control and vocal clarity even in venues with difficult room acoustics. The smaller and lighter ShowMatch system is rated for both fixed-installation and portable / tour-sound applications with the versatility of field-changeable horizontal coverage patterns and rigging that allows adjustment of ‘splay’ to fine-tune vertical angle coverage. Both systems are designed to provide top-class sound quality for their intended applications.

How long did the R&D process take? Was there significant communication with end users during the initial stages?

As Bose is a private company founded with a dedication to advanced 98

BOSE SHOWMATCH DELTAQ

Opposite. The new Bose ShowMatch DeltaQ array loudspeakers.

research, many projects at Bose are allowed significant time and funding in order to provide true innovations that add value to our customers. Our research for DeltaQ technology followed this model, requiring more than 10 years to complete. During the development of both RoomMatch and ShowMatch DeltaQ array loudspeakers, we invited leading audio system designers, integrators, and FOH engineers to our headquarters where we auditioned prototype systems and incorporated their comments into changes and improvements to the prototype designs. For example, the concept of the removable ‘end caps’ for the ShowMatch system was developed as a direct result of these prototype-review sessions.

applications. Finally, we are also introducing Bose Array Tool software that provides direct-field loudspeaker array coverage prediction with an intuitive, streamlined user interface optimised for fast design times required by the rental / tour-sound markets.

The ShowMatch was previewed at InfoComm - what was the overall response from the showfloor?

Although just a preview without a demonstration, ShowMatch has drawn inquiries from audio professionals around the world. Especially with integrators and consultants who have previously installed RoomMatch, customers are looking forward to demo events we’re holding fall and winter of 2016.

ShowMatch is a diverse system with the ability to be used in both permanent and portable applications. What are the key features which make it ideal for both markets?

ShowMatch DeltaQ array loudspeakers feature several unique features that optimise use for both fixed-installation and portable applications.

First, we simplified the choice of coverage patterns compared to those of RoomMatch to provide manageable inventory levels for rental stock, with enough patterns to optimise coverage for almost any size or shape fixed-installation venue. To increase the versatility for rental stock, the ShowMatch waveguides are removable to allow changes in horizontal coverage; each module ships with both 70° and 100° horizontal waveguides with other patterns available as optional accessories.

Additionally, ShowMatch loudspeakers feature a unique ‘side cap’ design which provides side handles and protects the rigging assemblies during transportation. However, these side caps are easily removed to reduce width and improve visual sight lines for fixed-installation

The European debut is set to take place at BPM PRO in Birmingham. Why was this your choice of UK tradeshow?

We chose BPM PRO for a number of reasons - the timing was excellent as we embark on our European Roadshow later the same week, starting at the Millennium Studios in Bedford on 15 and 16 September, and moving on to several other European cities, including Paris, Frankfurt, Stockholm, Berlin, Prague and Rome. The show also gives us an opportunity to demonstrate ShowMatch alongside other comparative systems in the Pro Audio Demo area, and allows us to meet with potential new customers in a central location. Finally, we have had excellent support from the show organisers, who have helped us create a great platform from which to launch this latest product in the DeltaQ line.

TPi http://pro.bose.com

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INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS

Sponsored by www.interfacio.com • +44 208 986 5002

INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS

LA BS has signed an exclusive distribution partnership with GLP for its lighting fixture solutions in France, which will see the French wholesaler distribute GLP’s complete Impression series range.

“It was important for us to find a strategic partner in France whom we can trust to expand our presence,” commented GLP’s Managing Director Udo Künzler. “With such potential in the local market, we have high expectations and I think we’ve found the right partner in LA BS.” “This very prestigious German brand widens our portfolio of top of the range brands such as LEE Filters and others,” enthused Bruno Souchaud, Lighting Product Manager at LA BS. “GLP will now have the visibility in the French market that it deserves as an incredibly innovative brand.”

In other GLP news, the company has recently welcomed a new face to its marketing department, as Andrea Schulnig took up the role of Head of Marketing. Schulnig brings widespread experience in marketing and the event sector, and most recently worked in the IT industry.

“I am looking forward to the projects and challenges ahead,” she stated. “Already, by attending Prolight+Sound in April I have been able to get a snapshot of the industry and was thrilled by the effects, emotion and consequent opportunities that present themselves in this area.”

Künzler also welcomed the newcomer: “We are very pleased that Andrea will be actively supporting our team in Karlsbad. We will be implementing many marketing projects in the coming months in order to

consolidate GLP’s successful position in the market.”

Coda Audio has recently engaged Decima as its new distributor in Italy.

The relationship began when representatives of Decima, a distributor with a long history and strong reputation in its home country, approached Coda Audio and was invited to a system demonstration in Hannover.

Decima CEO Enzo Trovato said: “In our sales and distribution capacity, we know that our rental and hire customers will share our view of Coda as a great investment and we’re sure that we can establish a strong position in the market for this excellent brand.”

Paul Ward, Sales and Marketing Director for Coda Audio, added: “We’re delighted that Decima has taken on this role. We are experiencing rapidly increasing demand across the globe for Coda products as more and more people become aware of the advantages of our systems. Our distribution partners are fundamental to this growth and play a key role in communicating the Coda message. As a long-established and highly respected company with a thorough understanding of the Italian market, Decima constitutes an ideal partner in this important territory.”

WorldStage has expanded its LED department with two new hires and an internal promotion. Josh Perlman, Senior Project Manager at WorldStage, has been named Director of LED Services, with Wayne Romanowski and Stewart Douglas joining as Senior LED Technicians in New York and California, respectively.

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www.interfacio.com • +44 208 986 5002

INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS

Opposite: Bruno Souchaud, Lighting Product Manager at LA BS; Paul Ward and Enzo Trovato; World Stage Senior LED Technician Stewart Douglas; Powersoft Regional Sales Manager Arthur Soh with Audiobrains CEO Fujii Shuzo; Wayne Romanowski; GLP’s new Head of Marketing, Andrea Schulnig.

“LED technology is specialised to some extent and to insure clients are optimising LED’s capability, we wanted a dedicated team managing it from sales to on-site,” said Josh Perlman, who will be carrying on in his role as Senior Project Manager alongside his new responsibilities.

Romanowski comes to WorldStage with a depth of experience across a broad variety of disciplines, having served as Video Director, Lighting Designer, Technical Director and Production Manager on feature films, TV, trade shows, theatre, live events and permanent installations.

With a career that has included roles with MainLight and PRG XL Video, his industry experience includes six years on the automotive show circuit, MTV Music Awards, Kevin Hart’s What Now? tour, and numerous corporate events for clients such as Pfizer, Cisco and Microsoft. Romanowski has also worked on concert touring and one-offs with a number of famous musical acts including Beck, Deadmau5 and Barry Manilow.

Douglas’ experience in the industry includes roles as Studio Engineer at Blitz Communications in London and Technical Support Manager for Lighthouse Technologies.

Powersoft has appointed audio specialists Audiobrains as the company’s new Japanese distributor. After initial discussions with Audiobrains’ Sales and Marketing Representative Shin Yamada, the deal was signed with CEO Fujii Shuzo and took effect from mid-June.

“This is a great opportunity and we are delighted to be representing the brand,” said Yamada, who also credited Powersoft Regional Sales Manager Arthur Soh as a key figure in brokering the deal. “He opened door for us at Powersoft and talked at length both about opportunities in the Japanese market and the worldwide situation.”

“Audiobrains first expressed interest in Powersoft around two years

ago during Frankfurt Prolight + Sound,” Soh recalled. “After months of evaluation and further discussion we decided to make the change of distributor. We believe that with their experience in the pro-audio market, we will be able to build our brand image and awareness in the Japanese market even more, and their strong contacts in the touring market will give us more exposure in the Japanese rental market.”

In conclusion, Yamada stated: “I strongly believe that Powersoft will drive our business forward to the next level, in terms of offering lightweight, high-powered solutions, with high-quality DSP and digital audio streaming. This will give both the touring and installation sectors an opportunity to invest in advanced power and technology.”

South African company DWR Distribution has welcomed Michael Broderick to its team. Based in Durban on the country’s east coast, Broderick’s role at DWR will encapsulate consulting on theatrical and entertainment ventures, conducting training courses and conceiving novel ways of demonstrating new products to the marketplace.

“There is so much we will learn from Michael,’ said Duncan Riley of DWR. “He is a good friend, we’ve had great times together in the past and really are looking forward to the future.”

Broderick described how “thrilling” it was to be involved in the entertainment industry: “We are all still children at heart and I think the great Max Reinhardt summed it up pretty well when he said ‘I believe in the immortality of the theatre; it is a most joyous place to hide, for all those who have secretly put their childhood in their pockets and run off and away with it, to play on to the end of their days.’ I intend to keep playing.”

TPi www.tpimagazine.com/category/industry-jobs/

6TH OCTOBER 2016 - PRODUCTION PARK, WAKEFIELD

Production Futures is a forum for the future of our industry. The day combines real recruitment opportunities, the best in industry training and education along with the Breakthrough Talent TPi Awards, making it the ultimate destination for the next generation of industry talent.

The future of our industry needs you. To get involved go to www.productionfutures.co.uk

101

PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE

WHAT NEXT FOR THE UK? In the wake of the news that we are now under a Brexit Government in Great Britain, PSA’s Andy Lenthall discusses the future and questions that need to be asked in high places.

We’ve already seen some spectacular fallout from the UK’s vote to leave the European Union, the initial effects don’t really seem all that positive and much of the expert opinion we’ve received so far says ‘we’re not sure’ in a variety of ways; here’s where we share what we’ve learned so far.

else. Selling goods to Australia may well end up being different, visa arrangements won’t.

TAXING QUESTIONS One of the first post-referendum bulletins to hit our inbox was from VAT Live, stating: “The vote may result in the UK no longer being required to comply with the Union’s EU VAT regime after a two-year negotiation period.

There will be no change until at least 2020, possibly longer so companies can continue to trade and plan as normal.

“Whatever the final settlement is, it will likely result in more VAT compliance complexity for companies selling from or to the UK. This could include non-tariff ‘frontier burden’ of €4 billion for UK exporters. In addition, there is likely to be changes in customs costs for sellers/drop shipments into the UK as the country may have to leave the EU Customs Union.”

Until the deed is done, existing VAT rules will apply, but agreeing on how UK companies will comply and report VAT transactions with companies and individuals in the rest of the EU will have to be decided during negotiations.

Just when it got less complicated to provide services in the EU for non-EU clients.

VAT Live goes on to say: “The major VAT change for UK companies following Brexit will be the loss of their intra-community trading status.

So, for example, instead of zero-rating B2B sales to EU companies, transactions will be treated as imports into the EU, and subject to EU VAT. The requirement to complete Intrastat and EC Sales Lists will go, but new import and export documentation will need to be completed. This is generally done by the freight forwarders or customers’ brokers. This can cost around £20 per export or import.

“It is likely that the UK will remain a member of the European Economic Area. This should mean that other EU member states will not be able to require UK companies to appoint local fiscal representatives in their countries to report local sales. It has been estimated that the additional, non-tariff expenses of this change could amount to €4 billion in EU ‘frontier

SHORT TERM PAIN It may be down to the fact that they were in favour of remaining, but one promoter was keen to share a letter from an overseas artist cancelling a number of UK shows, citing the fee paid in sterling, rapidly weakening against US dollars, meaning costs weren’t being covered. Similar messages were coming from the festival sector; some lucky large promoters had stashed dollars to pay incoming US acts in the hope that things would recover for next year. Expect to pay even more £’s for Madonna’s 70th birthday tour next year. Of course, if you’re with an act that’s looking to tour overseas, weaker sterling looks attractive so next year’s jaunts round European festivals might be a touch busier, which is fine if your PDs are paid in Euro. Swings and roundabouts then... maybe.

BREAK FOR THE BORDER Our new PM had promised an end to free movement from EU territories without any real indication of how this may look. Of course, we could make it more difficult for incoming events and tours to bring their own crew and expect an open border the other way. If we were to achieve the aim of limiting immigration, perhaps going as far as a regime of work visas for visiting, temporary workers from the EU, we might be wise to expect a similar regime going the other way, making it a bit more challenging for UK companies taking UK workers to service overseas events. Let’s hope that care is taken when restricting access to temporary workers. Time will tell what measures will have to be taken when leaving these shores for Europe.

Let’s not forget the fact that our decision to leave was driven in part by the increased opportunities for trade outside the EU. Of course, our aim of free trade with the EU without open borders won’t be matched anywhere 102

PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE

costs’ for UK exporters - based on the level of UK exports of goods to EU and EC’s estimates of costs of being outside the Single Market.”

Nothing has been said yet about personal taxation. Working in EU territories hasn’t been too difficult with the biggest issue being Form A1, to prove you’ve paid National Insurance contributions in your home country.

Whether being outside the EU will mean a tougher burden of proof to show tax has been paid on earnings in a specific country, we can only wait and hope. Writing our own rules, pass me a non-standard banana.

It’s safe to say that the EU has had an effect on employment law in the UK, mainly because that’s what we signed up to. What happens to existing EU laws such as maternity entitlement, equality, equal pay and working time is anyone’s guess, our Business Support Line providers, Croner, sent us its thoughts: “It is likely that any attempt to repeal these rights would be met with fierce opposition by workers and trade unions. At the very least there would be several years of legislative confusion as domestic and EU law is untangled, leaving employers in a very vulnerable position. It is essential that during this period of uncertainty that employers comply with all current legislation, and that their policies and procedures remain up to date.

“Not all UK statutory employment rights derive from Europe. For example, pay and deduction of wages, the right not to be unfairly dismissed and the right to a redundancy payment are all products of UK National law. This legislation can be amended at any time. Those European laws that have been incorporated into UK law by primary legislation - by Act of Parliament, such as the Equality Act 2010 - will remain in force unless they are expressly repealed by Parliament. Other European law that has been brought into UK law by secondary legislation such as parts of the Working Time Regulations, could fall away once this legislative framework (the ECA) was removed.

“Therefore the courts and tribunals would no longer be bound by the

Working Time Regulations but instead by the Data Protection Act and the Equality Act, unless they were repealed by Parliament.”

Health and Safety Law derived from EU directives perhaps bore the brunt of Leave campaigners’ derision. Many commentators refer to the already-effective red tape challenge as evidence that a sensible approach to regulatory burden reduction is already being taken. Closer to home, the recent introduction of the CDM regulations to our sector was certainly driven by the need to comply with an EU directive. Still, we have an enviable record in this country; it wouldn’t be wise to lose that.

HAVING YOUR SAY It’s safe to say that everything is up for discussion; some changes will have to be negotiated during the two year period after the triggering of Article 50, others will be put on the back burner and some things will remain the same. Industry groups are already gearing up to allow business owners to have their say, to ensure the promised long term gains are felt by our clients’ sectors. UK Music, The Business Visits and Events Partnership (BVEP) and The Genesis Initiative are already researching opinion and preparing manifestos for post-Brexit Britain.

We’re happy to pass on concerns, questions or suggestions through our various channels, whether it’s sector specific or related to running a SME. BVEP, however, has asked for the Live events sector to fill in a survey as part of its remit to report to Government on our post-Brexit needs and desires. It can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ZPL7XV3.

Offering a blank canvas would perhaps be the way to put a positive spin on things, but what we currently have is a rather confusing picture. Perhaps we’re simply looking to cover up a tattoo dedicated to a former partner with something a little more ‘us’. Roses, perhaps.

TPi www.psa.org.uk

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BACK CHAT

DAVID BROADHURST Commercial Manager, Clarke Cable.

one, which saves a lot of time when running 40 projectors. Our technology specialism comes in the way we break out at each end with triple insulated moulded splitters. Shortly after that we began making bespoke solutions for Martin Audio followed by solutions for PRG XL Video, VER and Neg Earth Lights. All the solutions we have developed with our clients deliver huge savings on labour, an increase in durability or both.

How did your interest in creating technology begin?

It began in 2006 when I was with my previous company, where we created a moulded 10 amp locking IEC connector for a TV client in Japan to ease installation. I took this concept and showcased it at PLASA that year and entered it into the Innovations Showcase. As a newcomer to the industry, initially we regarded this as lowcost marketing and to our amazement we won an award! On the back of this success we exhibited at LDI later that year and my interest has grown ever since.

Clarke Cable didn’t start out with live events in mind - how did the company move into this sector?

Clarke Cable has been in operation for nearly 45 years but we decided more recently that we wanted to deliver solutions and not just products.

We are a fully functional manufacturing facility and not just a workshop. Our goal is to make products that speed up deployment, and are the most durable and waterproof possible.

Our first client was AtoV in Manchester. They run a fleet of Christie Projectors, which require cables to power them along with power for their fibre convertors and fibre for signal. We developed a single cable for them carrying two power circuits and the four core tactical fibre.

So instead of running three cables they run just

You’ve recently worked on some bespoke products for TPi Award-winners, Arcadia. What did you make exactly?

We were introduced to Tim Smith of Arcadia while we were exhibiting in Frankfurt earlier this year. We were showcasing the combined Socapex Power and DMX cable solution we had developed for Neg Earth Lights. Immediately he decided he wanted this solution for the Spider. Following the show we had a site meeting on 3 May and two weeks later the specs were finalised and the purchase order raised.

The order centred on adaptations of our combined Socapex Power and DMX cable among 72 line items, which saw us provide over eight km of power and signal cables. Our first shipment was delivered on 31 May and the total order including spare parts was on site at Glastonbury by 13 June. As a result they are now fully self-contained to take their spectacular show worldwide with a suite of combined power and signal cables that are easy to clean and fast to deploy.

What can you tell us about your recent initiatives when it comes to cable efficiency and environmental thinking?

Our recent development for Neg Earth Lights, where we combined six power circuits and DMX in a single cable, typifies our approach. With the growth in prerig truss, our solution speeds up initial wiring by up to 66% and, on turnaround, up to 80%. The weight of the cable is significantly less than the traditional methodology and it is jacketed in polyurethane so is easy to clean without cleaning fluids. In the case of Arcadia, they potentially have biofuel and hydraulic spillages during the build so our all our cables have to withstand these hazards and can be cleaned easily.

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