RAMMSTEIN

LIVE AT HORSENS STATE PRISON

ONE LOVE MANCHESTER • SHAWN MENDES • HARRY POTTER IN CONCERT • TIDE CONFERENCE • JULY 2017
#215
FESTIVAL FOCUS • KRAFTWERK • NITELITES PROFILE • DIAMANDA GALÁS FROM FOH • ANASTACIA
EDITOR’S LETTER

VARIO-LIFT

Capacity 125 kg - 6000 kg

I’m typing this from the glamour of an easyJet flight to Geneva (or Jee-nee-voh as my ever so
local cabin crew say) en route to Switzerland’s annual Montruex Jazz Festival (MJF). This is off the (BGV-C1)
back of Glastonbury (shout out to Music Bank’s Jimmy Mac, pictured for being a backstage guide
and probably the most rock ’n’ roll chauffeur I’ll ever have!) in-between what seems like a busier
summer gig season than usual. We’re spoilt for choice, pressed for time, and hoping everyone’s
getting enough rest as we get into the thick of international festival fun.
MJF is not a typical ‘festival’ by any means, and that’s what makes it interesting. There are
no fields to be seen, merely the oil painting-worthy views of Lake Geneva. It’s a haven of technical
support, brand ambassadors and the creme de la creme of touring sound engineers, rolling
through at all levels. It really stands out as an event at which engineers and manufacturers truly
bond.
I suppose the topic of support has been on my mind a lot lately. Whether its a new trans-
Atlanic union (see the tireless efforts the audio crew from One Love Manchester put into making
that phenomenal show happen on Pg. 08), the support seen from manufacturers to road crew
(Anastacia, Pg. 48), or the support shown from artist to techs, it all makes a big difference to our
daily lives. Support is important in my office, it’s surely important in yours. The Nitelites family (Pg.
66) continue to embody this. And if you don’t have an office per se, no doubt the need for it is even
more pressing.
Working at TPi has shown me the support available as part of a wider community, and if for
any reason you don’t feel the same, I’d like to help change that. This month’s PSA column, Stage
Hand (Pg. 88), is proof that further help is on the way, and will be worth the wait.
Now, if you’d like to start this month’s issue with a slightly more energetic read, turn your
attention to Pg. 22 for Ste’s brilliant cover story on Rammstein. I’m left wondering about the • Speed up to 42 m/min
realities of naked pyro, but perhaps your imagination will take a different route… • Free progammable
Kelly Murray Start/Stop Ramps
Editor • EN 818-7 Load Chain
• Low Noise Operation
EDITOR CHIEF EXECUTIVE • 5-Pocket Chain Wheel
Kel Murray Justin Gawne • 2 Independent DC Brakes
Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360
Mobile: +44 (0)7738 154689 Mobile: +44 (0)7768 850767 • Gear Limit Switch
e-mail: k.murray@mondiale.co.uk e-mail: j.gawne@mondiale.co.uk • Precise Chain Guide
ASSISTANT EDITOR GRAPHIC DESIGN & PRODUCTION • Textil Chain Bag
Ste Durham Dan Seaton: d.seaton@mondiale.co.uk • Removeable Control Box
Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8385 Zoe Willcox: z.willcox@mondiale.co.uk
Mobile: +44 (0)7891 679742 • BGV D8 / D8Plus Models
e-mail: s.durham@mondiale.co.uk ACCOUNTS on Request
Lynette Levi / Sarah Miller: ar@mondiale.co.uk
STAFF WRITER
Stewart Hume MONDIALE GROUP CHAIRMAN
Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8385 Damian Walsh CHAIN HOISTS • CONTROL SYSTEMS • SOLUTIONS
Mobile: +44 (0)7702 054344
e-mail: s.hume@mondiale.co.uk COVER DESIGN
Rammstein by Allan Toft
ADVERTISING SALES
Georgia Guthrie EDITORIAL INTERN
Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8399 Denitsa Nikolova
Mobile: +44 (0)7501 597837
e-mail: g.guthrie@mondiale.co.uk PRINTED BY
Buxton Press • www.buxpress.co.uk
ADVERTISING SALES
Lauren Dyson Annual subscriptions (including P&P):
Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 £42 (UK), £60 (Europe), £78/$125 (RoW).
Mobile: +44 (0)7415 773639 Subscription enquiries to: Subscriptions,
e-mail: l.dyson@mondiale.co.uk Mondiale Publishing Limited, Strawberry Studios,
Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, UK.
EVENT MANAGER - TPi AWARDS Tel: +44 (0)161 476 5580 Fax: +44 (0)161 476 0456
Mo Naeem e-mail: subscriptions@mondiale.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8358
Mobile: +44 (0)775 9272 313 www.tpimagazine.com
e-mail: m.naeem@mondiale.co.uk www.tpiawards.com info@chainmaster.de
www.tpmeamagazine.com
GENERAL MANAGER - TPi MAGAZINE & AWARDS
Hannah Eakins (on materninty leave until July 2017) Issue 215 - July 2017
CHAINMASTER BÜHNENTECHNIK GMBH
TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL is a controlled circulation magazine, published 12 times a year by Mondiale Publishing Limited under licence.
ISSN 1461-3786 Copyright © 2017 Mondiale Publishing Limited. All contents of this publication are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction Uferstrasse 23, 04838 Eilenburg, Germany
in whole or part, in any form whatsoever, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publishers. Every effort is taken to ensure accuracy in the
preparation of this publication but neither Mondiale Publishing Ltd, nor the Editor, can be held responsible for its contents or any consequential loss or damage
Tel.: +49 (0) 3423 - 69 22 0
resulting from information published. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Publishers or Editor. The Publishers accept no responsibility for the return Fax: +49 (0) 3423 - 69 22 21
of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, illustrations, advertising materials or artwork. Total Production International USPS: (ISSN 1461 3786) is published 12 times
a year by Mondiale Publishing Limited United Kingdom. The 2017 US annual subscription price is 117USD. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by Agent named Air E-Mail: info@chainmaster.de
Business, C/O WorldNet Shipping USA Inc., 155-11 146th Avenue, Jamaica, New York, NY11434. Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431. US Postmaster:
Send address changes to Total Production International, Air Business Ltd, C/O WorldNet Shipping USA Inc., 155-11 146th Avenue, Jamaica, New York, NY11434.
www.chainmaster.de
Subscription records are maintained at Mondiale Publishing Ltd. Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, UK.
 ITINERARY

EVENT FOCUS
08 One Love Manchester
A benefit concert unlike any other. TPi
speaks to those who made it possible.

14 Kraftwerk
Blackout adds another dimension to the
band’s 3D tour.

16 Depeche Mode
Stageco supports the band’s latest tour,

22
Global Spirit.

18 Martin Garrix
Production Designer, Gabe Fraboni,
relies on Robe for the DJ’s latest outing.

PRODUCTION PROFILE
22 Rammstein
The Teutonic lords of fire make their TPi
cover debut.

34 Shawn Mendes
Stew Hume travels to Germany to
witness the singer’s Illuminate
spectacular.

34
44 Harry Potter
The popular film franchise gets a live
revamp with a touring orchestra.

48 Anastacia
Kelly Murray meets the devoted crew
who support the American vocalist.

56 Simple Minds
The Glaswegian rockers showed defiance
in the face of terror, playing a show 24
hours after the Manchester tragedy.

INTERVIEW
60 Ste Durham sits down with Audio

48
Engineer, Daniel Neumann, to discuss
life on the road with Diamanda Galás.

GEAR HEADS
64 Richard Fleming, XTA / MC2 Sales
Application & Support Manager,
discusses the XTA APA and the MC2 Delta.

COMPANY PROFILE
66 Nitelites opens its doors to TPi as it
prepares for another summer season.

EXPO
72 InfoComm launches the TIDE
Conference, a new arena to spark

56 creative thought.

FESTIVAL FOCUS
74 TPi’s festival coverage returns for 2017.
Our first instalment includes coverage of
Download and Rock im Park.

PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE

88 Andy Lenthall discuses mental health
and the help the PSA can offer.

INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS
90 The latest movers and shakers.

74
BACK CHAT
94 Gil Tee, Director of Hire Services at
entertee takes the hot seat.
EVENT FOCUS

ONE LOVE MANCHESTER

As a direct response to a disaster, One Love Manchester was bought to you by singer – and now
honorary Mancunian – Ariana Grande and her management team. The goal was clear: put on a
benefit concert less than two weeks after the Manchester Arena bombing, and embody the reality
that the love of live music cannot and will not be stopped. TPi spoke to some of the sound crew who
brought the live and broadcast concert to a worldwide audience estimated to be over a billion.

From its inception, One Love Manchester was a team effort; as
Clair Global’s Account Executive Toby Francis explained: “Ariana’s
management created the event, and Clair Global / Brit Row became an
extension of the touring production team, helping to arrange whatever
was needed audio-wise for rehearsals, as well as for the show. The tour’s
FOH Engineer, Simon Thomas, and Monitor Engineer Vish Wadi took on
huge roles, assisted by the Clair UK & Brit Row local crew. [TPi Award-
winning] Colin Pink did an amazing job of organising all input and gear
needs for the guest acts, while Lez Dwight oversaw the gig for the Brit
Row team.
“Toby Alington did the sound mix for BBC TV, and he and his team
could not have done a better job. Between Lez and Andy Walker at Clair
UK, Ariana’s touring sound crew, the engineering department at Clair’s HQ
in Lititz and the support of DiGiCo Sennheiser and Shure, we were able to
cover everything that was needed.”
As well as a professional and humanitarian interest in the show, Francis
also had a personal one; having worked previously with Grande, whom he
mixed for three years as she matured as an artist. He’s also worked closely
with several of the concert’s guest acts including Justin Beiber, Miley
Cyrus, and his current day job, mixing FOH for Katy Perry. Although he has
since vacated the mixing console seat to make room for Thomas, Francis
was keen to highlight the capability of his successor on the night: “Simon
is incredible. He replaced me after three years and he does a fantastic
job. There was a very consistent sound from beginning to end and it was
very rewarding to watch this show; I’ve mixed over 5,000 shows in the last
40 years of my career and I hand-picked Simon to take over. I’ve heard

08

enhancements with his mix that I’d never heard before! I know for a fact
that I picked the right guy. One Love was such an emotional experience for
everybody who worked on it.”
Thomas gave an insight into the technical side of his duties: “What
began as a benefit gig using our production and house band expanded
rapidly, into duplicate DiGiCo SD7’s and additional amounts of Clair’s CO-12
PA for delays and side hangs. The principle remained the same and that
was to use Ariana’s band and crew for the majority of acts; other than the
speeches, Marcus Mumford, Little Mix, Robbie Williams and Coldplay, who
had their own control set up and also accommodated Liam Gallagher’s
requests. Initially, we thought that the best way forward was for me to mix
all artists performing with Ariana’s band.
“However, since we had a specific control set up for the band, we
decided we needed an additional FOH control, which was operated by
Colin Pink. He dealt with the overflow of artists not using Ariana’s band,
which fed additional vocals / instruments to my console for the visiting
artists.”
Pink was approached on the Wednesday before the show - which took
place on Sunday - to oversee and coordinate the guest artists and show
integration with the broadcast. His experience of designing shows like The
BRITs and the EMAs meant that, as well as having a good knowledge of
how this type of hybrid show works, he had also worked with most of the
artists and their engineers before. These prior relationships made planning
much faster and helped the team get a head start on putting the system
together. He explained: “It was still very much Ariana’s show and her band
acted as the house band. Her team and engineers did an amazing job, and
I felt privileged to be able to work with them, and take the pressure off
by dealing with the guests and broadcast needs, which allowed them to
concentrate on their normal setup during such an emotional time.
“From a broadcast point of view we treated it in exactly the same way
we do other large scale shows. It was great to have familiar faces mixing the
09
ONE LOVE MANCHESTER
show and we have all worked together extensively before. This familiarity
means we have a ‘shorthand’ that was essential for us to be able to get the
show together in three days.”
As if the tight deadline was not strenuous enough, One Love Manchester
came at an extremely busy time of the season for the production industry
as festival season was about to take off, meaning that sourcing crew and
equipment was a real challenge. Brit Row’s Lez Dwight commented: “As the
week went by we devised a plan. We had duplicate SD7’s at both ends of the
snake, much like the model we use for shows like The BRITs and EMAs; we
also increased the SD Racks to up the channel count from 56 to 112.
“The house band rehearsed until Saturday night while we arranged
extra Clair Cohesion CO-12 PA to be added to the PA. On the Saturday
morning, we loaded in our control followed by tests and checks on site.
Sunday morning started with an early planning meeting then it was
artist rehearsals right up to the point when doors opened. In fact, we still
rehearsed the Black Eyed Peas after the doors opened! If you think that
was tight, Liam Gallagher’s band played with no rehearsal at all. They just
turned up and played, much like one of those ‘throw and go’ appearances
at a festival. Fortunately, they shared the self-contained Coldplay control
and monitor rig which made it a little less nerve wracking!”
Dwight added: “The show called on all our experience with multi-band
shows, but even so it was tough. We scheduled in key people like Colin
who had a couple of days off in the middle of Hans Zimmer’s world tour.
Everyone stepped up and got stuck in. [For tech support] DiGiCo sent Mark
Saunders and Dave Bigg while Sennheiser sent Jonas Næsby to the site.
I even got my hands dirty! The industry rose to the occasion and it was a
really great team effort from everyone involved; Clair even flew over Jim
Bowersox, a member of the Clair CO-12 design and engineering team, to
help tune the Manchester system; that’s classy.”
Thomas discussed how the system performed: “When you have a stage
thrust involved there are always potential issues with feedback. Luckily,
ONE LOVE MANCHESTER
the Clair CO-12 system we used is great for reducing this, and the system
design by Jim Bowersox proved to be both amazing and accurate. Systems
Engineer, Jerrell Evans, also had a big part in this, as well as the rest of the
touring audio crew and the additional Brit Row crew. With all this in mind,
it meant we kept a clean sounding stage, which no doubt helped Toby
Alington in our broadcast dept achieve what was a great-sounding show.”
If you watched the show, which no doubt many of you did, you’ll know
that Alington’s experience was worth its weight in gold, having worked in
live music broadcast for 25 years and spending much of his time looking
after many of the large multi-artist shows such as The BRITs, the EMAs
and AMAs, the BBC Music Awards, and Children in Need Rocks. One Love
Manchester was certainly in good hands.
He commented: “These shows have their own peculiarities and
pressures, with fast turnarounds between artists and all the thrills and
spills of live television. I generally work in a music mobile, mixing all the live
music, adding audience and mastering the output for whichever medium
we’re broadcasting to. I am very dependent on the PA company for what
is supplied to us by way of stage feeds, and most of the time we work
alongside Brit Row, who are wonderfully sympathetic at understanding how
important our wider audience is.
“As with any show, the first thing was to understand exactly what
would be required for the broadcast and then to choose the kit and crew
accordingly. This information comes from the production company, the PA
company and the artists’ own engineers, and we try and piece together the
true picture from these various sources.”
He continued: “I got the call on Bank Holiday Monday, just six days
before the event, asking if I’d be available for the show the following Sunday,
and whether I could put together a broadcast audio solution. Thankfully,
the Floating Earth mobile, my first choice for multi-artist shows in the UK,
along with my A-team crew of ‘the Mikes’ - Mike Hatch, Michael Gerrard
and Mike Cox - were all available. When I discovered that Brit Row, with Lez
Dwight and Colin Pink would be overseeing the PA side of things, I knew it
was going to be great!”
A rapid sequence of phone calls gave Alington the information he
needed: it would be 96 lines for Ariana’s band and guests, plus 48 channels
from Coldplay. With a few extra feeds of audience and extras, the broadcast
crew were using around 156 inputs to mix the live broadcast.
Alington continued: “The main issue, flagged quite early on, was that we
would have very limited soundcheck and rehearsal time. Where we’d hoped
to have some soundchecks on the Saturday before the Sunday show - in
fact we only got going around 11am on Sunday morning and it was clear
we weren’t going to hear every artist before we were live to air. This meant
setting some of the snapshots by the numbers, and I’m glad to say my
guesswork did work out on the whole!”
The Floating Earth mobile had an SSL C200 console on board, which
Alington chose due to its ease of use on fast-moving, high-pressure gigs
such as this. He said: “With limited rehearsal time on most shows, and
indeed no rehearsals for some of the artists on this one at all, the SSL’s full
10
channel strips rather than just a central section, are a huge bonus. You can
crawl around the C200 and work faster than any other desk I know, while
it is a fully digital work-surface allowing essential snapshots and recall
capability. I also had my favourite outboard toys on board: TC System 6000,
Lexicon reverbs, EL8 compressors and dbx902 de-essers for vocals, and a
handful of other bits and pieces.”
Alington concluded: “The reaction and praise from around the world
was very lovely, not just for the amazing concert and artists, but for what
we achieved with the sound. We were possibly helped by expectations, with
the audience knowing how last-minute the preparations had been, but the
end result seemed to hit the right spot for the listeners around the world.
“I can’t remember five hours of live broadcast passing quite so quickly
before. Suddenly we were off air, with a realisation that nothing had gone
wrong, we hadn’t had any output issues, and that actually it had sounded
pretty good. Meeting up with Simon Thomas, Colin Pink, Lez Dwight and the
Brit Row / Clair teams, the Coldplay crew and so on, we all felt very pleased
that such a monumental effort from everyone had delivered what turned
out to be such an amazing show.”
Guy Freeman, Editor Special Events for the BBC, said post show: “As
I reflect on the week, I am quite overwhelmed by the way in which every
single person approached, changed plans and dropped what they were
doing - in half-term week - to muck in and do whatever was required to
get the programme on air. On top of that, what was really striking was the
degree to which seemingly insurmountable problems were quickly solved
through determination, patience, goodwill and phenomenal collaboration
between ourselves and partners. I can’t think of any other combination of
broadcaster and production unit that could have come close to achieving
what [they] all did.”
As much as many of the hardened roadies involved in this show would
insist that this was just another gig, it was undeniably an emotional time
for all involved, particularly the original touring crew who had, like many
others, endured the shock and pain of what happened.
“It has been a whirlwind of emotions since the tragic events in
Manchester and it has had a lasting effect on all of us,” said Thomas.
“Situations like this certainly make you think of the people around you
more than ever and we have bonded even stronger as a team. I think we
are building lifelong friendships as a result. Not getting back to work never
seemed like an option, and as a crew we didn’t really have time to think too
much. We were straight back into the ‘work mode’ of preparing a gig - One
Love Manchester was no different - and we were determined to do the best
job possible. I also have to extend special thanks to Toby Francis, he’s an
amazing person and has shown huge faith in me throughout this time.”
In fact, it wasn’t until the fans were in and the music could be heard
that the enormity of the event became apparent to the crew. “But, it was
show time and all we could do was get on with our jobs. It was our way
of honouring the victims and the whole city of Manchester. Our strength
and determination came from a desire to prove both the force, and the
importance live music will always have.”
 ONE LOVE
MANCHESTER
CLAIr global & Britannia Row
BETTER TOGETHER
ONE LOVE MANCHESTER

Thomas again underlined the importance of Monitor Engineer Vish forward and coming out as a stronger force than ever before. Myself and Lez
Wadi, as well as his Tech, Matt Patterson, and the rest of Grande’s crew will be close friends forever because of this show. I’d met him a few times
under the leadership of Production Manager Omar Abderrahman. Francis, during the merger but I hadn’t had the pleasure of working with him before
whom TPi spoke to last month, initially after the attack, also gave his but in just a week, it felt like I’d known him for 10 years. Everybody who
appraisal of the incredible results of the One Love Manchester show: “There participated in One Love Manchester will have a bond for a very long time.”
was total elation and yet there was a total sense of reality, that this concert, TPi
this huge, globally watched, star-studded concert was in response to such Photos: Kevin Mazur (Getty Images) & DiGiCo
a horrific disaster. This show was all we could do. It was incredibly trying; www.arianagrande.com
as the guys on the road, we were physically and emotionally exhausted, www.tobyalington.com
but both Sennheiser and DiGiCo helped us out immensely; they bent over www.colinpink.co
backwards with whatever we needed and they couldn’t have done any www.clairglobal.com
more to ensure we got the sound right. Of course, this was also the first www.solidstatelogic.com
project that Clair and Brit Row had done together since the two companies www.britanniarow.com
merged. So what better way to show the power of what they can do, than to www.shure.co.uk
help pull off something like this? www.digico.biz
“Like everything else that has come out of this tragic time, we’re pushing en-us.sennheiser.com

On behalf of everybody at TPi, thank you to every company, crewmember, organiser

and security personnel who made One Love Manchester such an incredible success.
Your dedication to our incredible industry helped give the smiles and the swagger back
to gig-goers of all ages; thanks to you, live music will continue to incite joy, not fear.

12
 D I G I C O A U D I O A R T I S T

Becky Pell
“I love the intuitive feel and versatility of DiGiCo desks, and
their instinctive workflow means that I can keep my eyes on the
stage and respond quickly to requests. The warm, clear DiGiCo
sound helps me to deliver a great mix to my artist every time.”
Becky Pell
Monitor Engineer - Anastacia, Shane Filan, Running monitors
on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury

Exceelxlpeonsecde
Becky Pell
Monitor Engineer - Anastacia
You’re probably aware that our SD series of stunning mixing
consoles feature the DiGiCo hallmarks of Stealth Digital
Processing, floating-point Super FPGA technology and a whole
lot more. But when combined with the sound engineering excellence of Becky Pell, who’s
mixing it up with panache for Anastacia, Shane Filan and others, the result is truly exceptional.

Discover more at digico.biz/excellenceexposed

DiGiCo UK Ltd. Unit 10 Silverglade Business Park, Leatherhead Road

Chessington, Surrey KT9 2QL. Tel: +44 (0) 1372 845600

Directory of Women in Professional Audio and Production. SoundGirls.org aims to provide a listing of women in disciplines industry-wide for networking and hiring.

Becky Pell Sound Girls Total Production TPi 29-3-17.indd 1 29/03/2017 08:35
EVENT FOCUS
KRAFTWERK IN 3D
Drapes and rigging specialist Blackout added a British touch to Kraftwerk’s European run, as the
only non-German company working on the band’s 3D Tour.
The legendary German electronic group, who have been releasing
material since the 1970s, embarked on their first full UK tour for 13
years at the Waterfront in Belfast on 4 June before playing dates across
Scotland and England. Blackout was the only non-German company
asked to support the highly-anticipated live shows.
The climax to the UK section of the tour came with three sold-out nights
at the Royal Albert Hall on 21, 22 and 23 June. Given the musical heritage of
the band, who have been sampled by the likes of Madonna and New Order
and been credited as the ‘Godfathers’ of electronic music, tickets for their
biggest UK tour for 25 years were highly sought after.
Audiences were asked to wear 3D glasses for the shows, which were
backed with stunning digital graphics on a giant screen; offering a snapshot
of a band whose use of technology has always stood them apart from their
peers.
With band members wearing futuristic body suits and each playing their
own ‘console’, each song was backed with its own set of unique graphics,
with visual elements tailored to each venue. For example at Bristol’s Colston
Hall the audience watched a short film of a flying saucer landing on the
main road past the venue, a visual hook that was repeated at each venue.
14
Each night featured two hours of one of the most extensive back
catalogues in modern music, with much of the material enhanced over the
years to create a real audio and visual digital spectacle. One critic, writing
for The Guardian, defined it as “as close to perfect as live music can get.”
Blackout was entrusted with supplying all the rigging for the tour, which
earned rave reviews for its use of props and graphics. All the trusses, hoists,
motorised track and drapes were delivered for the tour and two Blackout
representatives, Sam Colclough and Andi Spowart, accompanied the tour
across the country.
The Blackout equipment included Prolyte H40v and James Thomas
Engineering Superlite truss, with the hoists consisting of 1tonne and 0.25t
CM and 0.5t Liftkets. This was used to hang lighting, speakers, video screens
and track trusses.
Because of a scene change during the show, during which band
members Ralf Hutter, Henning Schmitz, Fritz Hilpert and Falk Grieffenhagen
swapped costumes and the red-suited Robots took their place for the
song of the same name, Blackout manufactured 15m-drop grey wool serge
drapes which moved along a curved motorised track, masking the entire
stage allowing the changes to happen.

Opposite and Below: For Kraftwerk’s latest European run the band had their audience wear 3D glasses for the stunning digital graphics on a giant screen. Blackout was
entrusted with supplying all the rigging for a tour.
Additional black drapes were also taken on the tour for stage backdrops
and utilised at venues with lower ceiling height measurements.
It isn’t the first time Blackout has worked with Kraftwerk. In 2013,
when the band played eight shows at the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall,
Blackout supplied all the rigging and drapes. The venue required an
extensive transformation to turn it from a large exhibition space into an
entertainment venue able to accommodate Kraftwerk’s unique show
set. This involved using drapes to block out all external light and provide
acoustic sound dampening.
Blackout’s involvement with the 2017 3D tour began not on UK soil but in
Antwerp, where the crew worked on two shows a night for four nights. The
tour then moved to Dublin for two nights at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre
before going to Belfast.
Tim Searle, Blackout’s project manager, said: “I was contacted by
Production Manager Winfried Blank back in January. He shared some
plans with me regarding venues and dates at that stage, and we were really
pleased to be asked to work with the band again.
“We were asked to supply the tour equipment, crew and general
support. We then liaised with the various venues regarding their individual
layouts and how the set would fit into them.
“The plan was for the look of the tour to be the same for all venues
INGENIOUS SOLUTION No. 749 Bespoke Flames for Worldwide Events
MT
FX .co
m/
AD
+ +
A Challenging Brief The Test Field
When it comes to your 2017 events, tackling tough challenges is what we do best.
Welcome to MTFX. The ingenious effects people. 01452 729903 info@mtfx.com www.mtfx.com
15
KRAFTWERK
but depending on their size and available rigging we had to make some
adjustments.
“It’s always a pleasure to be involved in a tour that goes to the Royal
Albert Hall. It’s a really good place to work with a very helpful in-house team
and a large number of house points.
“Overall, we’re proud to have been the only non-German supplier for
this iconic tour. The German crew have been great and welcomed us in from
day one which has been brilliant and made for a fantastic and collaborative
working environment.”
Other venues in the UK Kraftwerk played on the 3D Tour included the
Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow, Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool, Symphony
Hall in Birmingham, The Sage in Gateshead, City Hall in Sheffield, Bristol’s
Colston Hall, the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham, Oxford’s New Theatre,
The Brighton Centre and Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall.
The tour continues across Europe, heading to Dusseldorf, the Umbria
Jazz Festival in Perugia before the band play eight shows featuring their
entire back catalogue at the Officine Grandi Riparazioni in Turin, Italy.
TPi
Photos: Chris Cooper/ShotAway
www.kraftwerk.com
www.blackout.co.uk
AN
INGENIOUS
S
=
The Ingenious Result!
EVENT FOCUS
DEPECHE MODE
Stageco supports the electro pioneers’ latest European tour.
In the wake of one of the most stripped down and directly political album
releases of their 37-year recording career, Depeche Mode have returned
to the road with the Global Spirit tour and this summer’s European leg
alone will see them play to audiences totalling more than 1.5 million in
32 cities. Throughout a large portion of this itinerary, in Germany, France,
Switzerland, Poland, the Czech Republic and the UK, Stageco will be
leapfrogging three steel systems and helping the band to share staging
resources with Guns N’Roses.
Emerging from Basildon, Essex as pioneers of the early ’80s electronic
pop movement, Depeche Mode matured as a darker, more experimental
act by the end of their first decade, with the album Violator propelling
them into the premier division of international touring stars. With long-
time collaborator Anton Corbijn at the helm of visual content, Global
Spirit reinstates Depeche Mode’s reputation as a live act with the highest
production values.
Rehearsals initially began at LS-Live in Wakefield’s Production Park
before continuing for four days at Stockholm’s Friends Arena, where the tour
began on 5 May. Stageco Project Managers Michael Herbst and Tom Bilsen
organised an average of 12 trailers for each system in Europe, liaising with
Live Nation site co-ordinator Steve McCalmont.
On Saturday 3 June, the band - Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher
and touring musicians Peter Gordeno and Christian Eigner - made their
debut at London Stadium, and it was also the first time at the former
Olympic venue for Stageco crew chief Kevin De Meyer. He said: “My
crew colleagues and I arrived here on the previous Monday, and I was
immediately impressed with the stadium. Our plan was to start building the
next morning, however, one of the trucks containing tools and other crucial
equipment for the base out was held up at the Port of Calais and arrived
late.
“One of the most positive qualities of Stageco is that over the years we
have learned to deal with pretty much every type of problem imaginable,
and we always find a way to improvise around it. While we were waiting for
16
the missing kit, I had some hammers in my car and one of our team was able
to buy a new measuring laser so we could at least do some levelling and
scaffolding. The driver eventually arrived at 3pm on our first build day and
day three we had made up so much time that we had completed the job an
hour ahead of schedule.”
During the build - which also included construction of the spot / delay
towers, two FOH risers and VIP platforms - Stageco’s 11-person team was
assisted by local crew and it was reduced to six for the show day. Developed
by Bart Dekelver from Stageco’s R&D department, the stage itself was a
four-tower format construction measuring 26m wide and 22m high with a
16.5m deep playing area. To the sides of the stage, Stageco built canopy
roofs for the PA and video wings, bringing the total width to 54m.
As soon as the build commenced, everything went to plan although the
venue’s architecture forced a minor change, as De Meyer explained: “Due to
the extended junctions in the stadium roof, we needed to move the stage
forward by two metres compared to the original drawing in order to avoid
hitting our crane.”
After the show, the crew dismantled and loaded out all of Stageco’s pitch
structures, leaving the stage in place to be reassembled and rebranded for
the Guns N’ Roses concerts at London Stadium on 16 and 17 June. The same
approach also followed in Munich and Paris.
“Having Stageco on the tour gives us confidence,” commented Tony
Gittins, the Production Manager who has now been involved with Depeche
Mode for 12 years. “We have a few shows in the itinerary that are less
predictable, but it’s always smooth when Stageco is on board. Everything is
in great shape and on time. It’s a great company and I couldn’t ask for more.”
Stageco’s summer 2017 tours also include U2, Jeff Lynne’s ELO, Robbie
Williams, Vasco Rossi and Coldplay, as well as festivals such as PinkPop,
Rock Werchter, Hellfest, Electric Daisy Carnival and Download Paris.
TPi
Photo: Amanda Rose
www.stageco.com
 a1TPi_advert final.pdf 1 01/04/2016 11:26

Photo: Adam Kaplan

Vero is a large format sound system,
which has been engineered for new levels of audio
C
Photo: Johannes Krämer

and operational performance. It has been designed,

Y

CM
developed and perfected over the last six years
MY
by some of the most knowledgeable and
CY experienced audio engineers in the world.
CMY

K
Its meticulously crafted proprietary waveguides
and driver technology produce naturally
even frequency response and coverage.

The result is uncompromised

system dynamics, headroom and
coherency combining to present an
incredibly spacious stereo image,
which is why Vero is already
gaining the plaudits of
sound engineers from
around the world.

www.vero-system.com

T H E N E X T L E V E L O F T O U R S O U N D
EVENT FOCUS

MARTIN GARRIX
Three high-energy sold out shows at San Francisco’s Bill Graham Civic Auditorium launched
the DJ and producer’s latest tour, which is due to draw thousands as it makes its way around the
globe for the rest of the year.

To reinforce Martin Garrix’s globally appealling sound, the artist ensured
he was armed with a lighting and visuals show to match, created by
Production Designer Gabe Fraboni and featuring 138 Robe moving lights
- 90 Spikies, 20 Pointes and 28 BMFL Spots.
The main goal of this design is to take Garrix out of the straight-up EDM
aesthetic and take a more rock / pop show approach.
Fans at this year’s Coachella festival received a sneak preview of what
was to come with the plus-shaped video screen and surrounding grid of 90
Spikies tight at the heart of the performance environment. Now the power
and impact of this and the new production design has been unleashed to
the delight of his fans.
Fraboni had used Robe Pointes and BMFLs very successfully on the last
Martin Garrix tour, so when it came to the new design he wanted to add a
dynamic “trick fixture” for this one and chose to do it with Spikies.
The fixtures were rigged onto an elegant industrial trussing structure,
which is built upstage of the DJ booth and frames a large plus-shaped LED
screen in the centre that is also attached to the truss uprights.
The Spikies are placed exactly 2ft, 9in apart on the horizontal and
vertical plane and are the main focus of the show lighting.
Fraboni commented: “Spikies were the perfect fit. The continuous pan-
and-tilt, flower effect and the prism give the exact ‘trick’ elements I need to
keep up with the frenetic pace of Martin’s set.”
The Pointes and BMFL Blades are hung on three straight trusses above
the stage and add a complimentary architecture to the space, together
with texture and depth. In the full production version of the design there is
also a large 9mm LED screen upstage as a backdrop.

18
 ZOOM IN
OUT

LedBeam 150TM Zoom ParFect 150TM Zoom

www.150zoom.cz

LEDBeam 150 TM Zoom ParFect 150TM Zoom

www.150zoom.cz

ROBE_210x297_6mm_ADVERT_Led Beam_Par fect_ve02.indd 1 16.5.2017 13:06:14

MARTIN GARRIX

Opposite & below: Martin Garrix’s Production Designer, Gabe Fraboni, selected 138 Robe moving lights for the DJ’s latest stage show.

The BMFLs and Pointes also become prominent at certain points, video and in others it will be lasers that define the visuals for that piece of
providing a classic show lighting element, creating structures with beam music.
work and layering this with gobos and colour on top. Having all this information mapped into the cue sheets allowed Fraboni
The setup was completed by strobes and 4-lite blinders, making the rig to establish a narrative with Garrix - who takes a keen interest with his stage
relatively sparse for a full-on EDM show. presentation - for the show, which has a clear visual and scenic flow.
Previously Fraboni used Spikies on the North The light show was programmed by Fraboni
American leg of the Pretty Lights tour working as and Ben Dalgliesh and run by Fraboni for the
assistant designer and programmer for LD Greg three San Francisco gigs together with lasers,
Ellis. “They absolutely blew both Greg and me calling all the other elements via comms.
away,” he enthused, adding that he now specifies Dalgliesh will be taking the show on the road
them whenever an opportunity arises. globally, with video being run by Lorenzo de
The most important consideration on this Pascalis.
show is ensuring the entire rig was never used For these three launch performances lighting
all at once and layering all the different visual and video equipment was supplied by VER and
elements to ensure a diverse and interesting lasers and other special effects by Pyrotecnico.
show to help fans through the pumping musical “Spikies were the perfect fit. Internationally, the production will be
adventure. The continuous pan-and-tilt, supplied to Fraboni’s spec by the local promoter
The lighting and visuals are designed to and the fact that Robe is now widely available
flow harmoniously on this show. The new video flower effect and the prism give on all continents has also given the Production
content package was also debuted at Coachella the exact ‘trick’ elements I need Designer confidence that the integrity of the
after being in development for the six months design will be maintained the world over.
leading up to the tour. to keep up with the frenetic TPi
Each song in the set has its dedicated video pace of Martin’s set.” www.martingarrix.com
clip and is paired with a lighting look that it www.robe.cz
either compliments or contrasts. In some songs,
Gabe Fraboni, www.ver.com
lighting will feature heavily, in others it will be Production Designer www.pyrotecnico.com

20
 LED Singer
Swagger
High End Systems’ SolaSpot 2000
is the all LED fixture destined to
be the next rock star in your rig.
Multiple animation wheels, gobo wheels, rotating
prisms and crisp optics throughout its 8°-45° zoom
range offer stellar effects. A fixed color wheel and
a CMY + CTO system deliver eye-popping saturated
color on every fixture.

The SolaSpot 2000’s unmatched LED engine is bright

enough to cut across the largest venue and even
outshine the lead singer – just don’t tell them that.

Call your local High End Systems AED rep AED Distribution
to find out more about the SolaSpot 2000 www.aeddistribution.com
highend.com/solaspot info@aeddistribution.com
 PRODUCTION PROFILE

Opposite: Caption.

RAMMSTEIN
TPi was on site at Horsens State Prison in Denmark to marvel at the theatrical madness
that came courtesy of the seasoned showmen and their tight-knit touring family.
RAMMSTEIN
According to Lighting Designer LeRoy Bennett, the whole look of the show is based around the custom built stage, which now features a great deal of automation.
Much is made about the alchemy of pairing an artist with their perfect
venue; whether that is David Gilmour in a Roman amphitheatre or Queen
at Buckingham Palace. While industrial metal titans Rammstein’s search
is not necessarily over, their appearance at the imposing Horsens State
Prison in Denmark certainly conjured up a good degree of excitement for
the band’s ardent fanbase.
Horsens has long stood as a fairly run of the mill seaside town, verging
on the precipice of eternal mediocrity, until 2001 when local businessman,
Frank Panduro, said: “Give me a bag of money and I will make Horsens the
metropolis of rock ‘n’ roll in Denmark.” Since then, the area has become a
lodestone for some of the biggest acts on the planet, including Bob Dylan,
Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones and return visitors Metallica.
FEUER FREI!
Perhaps surprisingly in the cut and thrust of today’s music industry,
Rammstein’s lineup has remained unchanged since its inception in 1994.
From then on, singer Till Lindemann, guitarists Richard Kruspe and Paul
Landers, bassist Oliver ‘Ollie’ Riedel, drummer Christoph ‘Doom’ Schneider
and keyboardist Christian ‘Flake’ Lorenz have collectively been at the helm
of some of the most explosive and dangerous live performances ever seen
from a solely musical act. Since the beginning, the band’s attitude has been
to push the envelope at all times, courting critical acclaim and controversy
in almost equal measure along the way.
This journey has led to the creation of a tight family unit behind the
24
scenes; well drilled in taming the fiery beast that is Rammstein’s stage
show and precise to a fault. While all departments of this crack team are
being challenged on a daily basis, it’s not an exaggeration to say that
Rammstein’s pyrotechnics crew must be among the most tested of their ilk
the world over.
Now, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the band, saying they
use a lot of pyrotechnics is missing the point entirely. With Rammstein, the
special effects are as much a part of the show as any other aspect of live
production; they wear guitars, but they also wear head-mounted flame
units. Lindemann in particular is well trained in the use of pyrotechnics,
donning flaming angel wings for one song and wielding a spark-shooting
bow for another.
When Production Manager Nicolai Sabottka was hired by the band in
1997, the already considerable pyrotechnics were handled by the band and
crewmembers in a rather unorthodox way to say the least. He explained:
“As we grew larger I faced a lot of pushback from venues and authorities
due to shows the band had played there in the past. Even though they
were very spectacular, no one wanted to have us back using self-made
pyrotechnics and flame throwers!”
In order to placate these venues, the band started using more
legitimate pyro companies that carried the appropriate licences, which
allowed the band to increase their level of international touring. Sabottka
continued: “I got sucked into the world of pyro so I could handle permitting
and product distribution around the globe, finding local suppliers in each
 GLP German Light Products GmbH
Photo: Paul Gärtner | Design: Bertil Mark

THE ULTIMATE
HYBRID FIXTURE

O NEW: 440 WATT OSRAM O FIXED COLORS

LIGHT SOURCE O FROSTFILTER
O 3,5° - 56,7° ZOOM O ANIMATION WHEEL
O 2 GOBO WHEELS (22 GOBOS) O THREE PRISMS
O CMY COLOR MIXING O ONLY 25 KG

GLP German Light Products GmbH  Industriestraße 2, 76307 Karlsbad  +49 (7248) 927 19 0
 info@glp.de  /GLP.German.Light.Products  /GLPimpression  www.glp.de

NEW GIS
LP500 HOIST
AVAILABLE FROM LIFT TURN MOVE LTD

UP TO 60% INCREASE IN LIFTING

CAPACITY ON D8 MODELS
LP500/1 D8 MODEL – 800KG (LG50, 500KG)
LP500/1 D8 + MODEL – 500KG (LG50, 320KG)
IP65 PROTECTION
P AS STANDARD, LOW
WEIGHT AND LOW HEIGHT, PERFECT FOR
ENTERTAINMENT APPLICATIONS.
QUIET - REDUCED DECIBEL READING AT 1
METRE FROM 75 TO 65DB
3 YEAR WARRANTY

CALL +44(0)151 649 0467

SALES@LIFTTURNMOVE.CO.UK
RAMMSTEIN
Above: As well as being a formidable frontman, singer Till Lindemann is experienced in the use of pyrotechnics.
and every market we were due to visit.
“To be honest, I wanted to be a pyro tech ever since I was a boy and
played with matches all the time, but it got lost over the years and I only
rediscovered it since I began working with these strange musicians!”
Sabottka eventually resolved to become a qualified pyro tech and
purchased his own equipment. He said: “I offered to take over special
effects for the band since most of the work ended up on my desk anyway
while taking care of the production advance. Alongside some of our very
talented pyro techs and the band’s lead singer we started developing and
enhancing our own flame systems and the arsenal grew larger with every
tour. It doesn’t feel like double duty as I would probably be bored to death if
I only handled the standard production tasks!”
As Rammstein continued to amass international touring experience, the
special effects, much like the rest of the production, became more complex
and spectacular. Sabottka explained: “As technology developed and we
gained the ability to have custom pyrotechnics manufactured through
Evolution in Montana - combined with the band’s unquenchable thirst for
new effects - we were able to come to a level I would call unique in concert
touring.”
All of the special effects on stage at Horsens were shot manually using
a Galaxis system for the pyrotechnics and an MA Lighting dot2 XL-F for
the flame effects and Co2, with backups everything also supplied by ffp.
The crew all had in-ears monitors, headset radios and a ProTools feed to
keep track of every aspect of the show and ensure that everything was
happening with safety at the forefront.
ffp’s Pyrotechnics / Special Effects Crew Chief, Nick Thompsett,
explained: “Our shooter, Oliver Jost, will arm whatever unit or units are up
next, radio that he’s ready and whoever is standing by those units will clear
him to fire. Nicolai calls the shots and if there’s even a fraction of a problem
then we won’t shoot.
“If you rely on timecode for something like this you can become
complacent, which isn’t an option for us. Sometimes we need to use it
when we physically can’t do some of the faster or more complex moves, but
26
we try and keep it to a minimum. For example, the opening sequence is pre-
programmed, as is the beginning of Ich Tu Dir Weh. We obviously have a stop
procedure but we haven’t had to use it yet.”
Given Lindemann’s experience and the rest of the band’s comfort
in operating their own personal pyrotechnics, many of the weird and
wonderful ideas for an upcoming tour start with them. Thompsett
continued: “On the first tour there might have been six or seven songs
without pyro, now there are two. Even though the pyro is so heavy, it always
tells a story. It’s more like a musical in that way and there’s a meaning for
each gag. Nicolai and band talk creatively, he brings them products some
times, and we do our best to implement it and make sure it works in the real
world.”
He continued: “We rehearse a lot and we’ve had some of these elements
for 10 years or more, like the pyro headmasks the band wear for Feuer Frei!
or the milk canister sparks that Till appears to pour over Flake on Ich Tu
Dir Weh. In that case, Till sees if Flake is safe and then tips it forward - if he
doesn’t tip, then Oliver doesn’t initiate the gag. Everyone knows the score
by now and it’s as safe as can be.”
As well as refining old gags and adding new ones, the crew “beefed up”
some of the effects with this run of outdoor venues in mind. “The best, and
probably most dangerous, effect is on Sonne,” the Crew Chief said. “It’s only
a flame cue but we basically shoot 14m fireballs across from both sides of
the stage to meet in the middle with the band still there. You feel it at FOH
so I’m sure the band and audience can feel it too! We’re really proud of that
one.”
Although Thompsett was keen to praise the structured load in called by
Stage Manager Björn Harder, the show at Horsens didn’t leave much time
for testing the gear in anger before going on stage. He said: “Any strong
wind could affect the flames but we can always get to them and vary the
angles half a degree or so to account for it. We look at the units again during
the changeover and blast Co2, which always gets the crowd going even
though it will be another 20 mins before showtime! The kabuki drop at the
start also gives us a good indication of the wind.”
RAMMSTEIN
Prior to Bennett’s involvement, Rammstein were unashamedly against the use of moving lights; a prejudice Bennett has worked tirelessly to overturn since he began
designing for the band.
He concluded: “I think I have the best pyro crew on the planet, and they
certainly put in the hours. I’ve toured with a few bands and it’s always a
close environment but this crew really is like a family. Everyone helps each
other and wants to put on the best possible show. When you can do that
with a nice band and a great crew you really are living the dream.”
HIER KOMMT DIE SONNE
Renowned Lighting Designer LeRoy Bennett has worked with Rammstein
for 16 years, originally coming on board to oversee the visual aspects of the
Mutter tour. Since then, while the band’s stage show has generally remained
true to its Neue Deutsche Härte aesthetic, Bennett has developed and
refined the look over the course of subsequent tours.
He explained: “The whole look is very much based around the custom
built stage, which now features a great deal of automation, as well as pyro
and lights embedded in the floor and set pieces. There really is nothing like
it out there; it’s probably one of the most entertaining shows you can see,
regardless of what kind of music you are into.”
Prior to Bennett’s involvement, Rammstein were unashamedly against
the use of moving lights; a prejudice Bennett has worked tirelessly to
overturn since he began designing for the band all those years ago.
He said: “We’ve retained some aspects from back then like the Falcon
spotlights and PARcans but we’ve added a few different kinds of moving
lights as well. For example, we have pods made up of the new GLP GT-1’s.
It’s an amazing lighting instrument and the way we have them packed side-
by-side in 8ft trusses like little soldiers creates a really solid look. The whole
stage is very linear and there’s not a lot of ballyhooing in the rig. A lot of
the fixtures change angle by truss movement rather than on their yoke. We
have also had a lot of GLP impression X4 Bars that are built into the truss to
create an updated version of the band’s cross logo.”
Overall Bennett’s design made use of some 372 GLP fixtures. He
continued: “The fixtures themselves are so distinctive and are great for
Rammstein. I really enjoy using them to create sheets of light, which fits in
so well with the band’s industrial, linear aesthetic.”
While the whole band has an interest in the stage show, stage left
guitarist Paul Landers is the most involved when it comes to lighting
28
design, according to Bennett. He said: “Paul is very creative and has big
ideas; I understand by now where he’s coming from. I have done a lot in my
time but I never claim to know it all, so I’m always open to suggestions and
can generally filter them into a more workable reality.
“As a designer it’s your duty to have an open mind. If not you can
become stagnant and will always struggle to grow and improve. I don’t like
feeling comfortable and if I’m not struggling for a concept or design then I
don’t really feel like I’m doing my job!”
The LD continued: “As a rule, but particularly with Rammstein, I don’t
like it to be too busy on stage. I want certain textures but everything has to
be clean and precise. I try to keep it to one, two, or three colours at most,
and mostly rely on reds, ambers, greens, blues and variations of white.
Basically anything that’s slightly murky!”
Bennett’s design consisted of 39 GLP impression X4 Bar 20’s and 81 Bar
10’s on the cross-pod truss, with another 24 Bar 10’s flown. The GLP GT-1’s
were arranged in 7 pods of 10, while more Bar 20’s, 20 SGM Q-7’s, 11 A&O
Technology FALCON Beam 3ks and 12 7ks were arranged on the stage floor.
The riser and side light decks and the downstage edge were lined with
more Bar 20’s, and 18 more Q-7’s were used as backlighting for the band.
The rig was completed by Vari-Lite VL3000 spots, SGM P-5 washes, Martin
By Harman MAC 2000 Wash XBs, and MAC 101 moving head washes.
Bennett gave the reasoning behind this intricate setup: “It looks
complicated on paper but it doesn’t appear that way on stage. It’s all
about committing to a certain level of limitation and finding variety in that
situation. The movement of the trusses adds a layer of versatility and I love
that there’s no video in this show. A lot of my other shows have it because
that is what the artists want but I’m trying to convince some of them away
from it! They get nervous about letting go of it but Rammstein have always
been.”
UK-based manufacturer Perry Scenic created a number of pieces
for Bennett’s production design, as the company’s Managing Director,
Jonathan Perry explained: “Alongside a very labour-intensive 60ft wide
3D backdrop, we also manufactured the bespoke lighting pods, which
were packed with different lighting fixtures and finished in Rammstein’s
signature industrial distressed riveted cladding. An A and B set design were
 More than just stages

Call Now +44 1234 772233

info@StarEventsLtd.com www.StarEventsLtd.com
RAMMSTEIN
Above: The pyrotechnics crew; (L-R) FOH Olsen Involtini, and Lighting Operators Bertil Mark and Faren Matern; Cyberhoist operator, Martin Hoop; Production Coordinator
Dea Porter; Head Rigger, Martin Gehring.
created to meet their demanding tour schedule.
“We’ve been involved in making sets and props for Rammstein tours
since 1999, building LeRoy Bennett’s imaginative and often challenging
production design visions. They are one of the craziest bands in the
business and also one of the most professional to work with, and we have a
great relationship with Nicolai Sabottka.”
With the design in place, Bennett left the show in the capable hands of
Lighting Operators Bertil Mark and Faren Matern, the latter of whom has
been with the band since the genesis of their now world-famous stage
show.
He commented: “LeRoy’s design is fantastic and the way he has coupled
some of the fixtures together creates maximum impact. In a sense, he’s
building big lights out of smaller fixtures.”
As is to be expected with such an established look, it was initially a
challenge to integrate new fixtures into the rig, as Matern explained: “The
main difficulty lies in the fact that even the smallest fixtures can affect the
look and feel of the stage. We are still adding new fixtures now, despite the
potential difficulties, and that is always an exciting process.”
Mark went on to discuss the surprising subtlety with which the band’s
incendiary performance is lit on a nightly basis. He explained: “Working
with light also means working with shadow, and sometimes when we shut
the rig down it is just as effective as turning it up to 100%. For instance,
when the pyro is bright and outstanding, it makes no sense to fight against
it. In this case we can focus on accenting it or just creating an atmosphere.
We light very theatrically in that way.
“The pyro can also act as an overdrive to the rig - when we max out,
it can push the brightness that little further. This combination makes the
whole look so timeless and iconic. With the updated technology we are
able to do even more. I personally think it would be easy to tour this for two
years and it still hold its own.”
The entire system at the State Prison ran on an MA Lighting network,
clocking in at around 65 universes, of which all NPUs and nodes were MA.
The operators had two MA Lighting grandMA2 Full Size consoles at FOH.
While the show is timecode-based, a number of the lighting changes were
operated manually. Matern said: “Like everything in the show, the band and
lighting have to be completely in sync in certain places. We have to adapt
each day to small changes depending on the mood of the guys, but I’ve
been with them since 1993 so I have a pretty good idea of it by now.”
The crew also had 4 TimeCores from Visual Productions as a backup
30
solution for their main timecode setup. In this context, these boxes
essentially refresh the timecode signal and send it to specified locations
where they are needed, such as FOH, dimmer city, the pyro technicians, and
the CyberHoist technicians. Given free rein, it can generate, follow, convert,
trigger and analyse timecode signals, even potentially handling a number
of non-timecode protocols.
Visual Productions’ Zoë Castle commented: “The operators are very
positive about the stability of the TimeCore and see it to be a reliable
product, doing exactly the job that it should. Later in the tour their intention
is to swap out the main timecode setup so that it is all run with TimeCores.”
ES IST MEIN TEIL
Martin Gehring of Dortmund-based Dart Rigging + Projekt, who served
as Head Rigger on site at Horsens, explained the logistics of flying the
fearsome lighting, audio and automation package: “This is not a normal
outdoor or arena tour. In essence we are adapting a festival package
alongside what can be supplied locally, which takes a lot of planning and
drawing.
Everything has been calculated with load cells and I double-check the
loads once all of the trusses and motors are in the air. If our documentation
is right, which it usually is, then we can generally rig the whole set up in six
hours.”
The stage, trusses and PA system in place at Horsens were already
rigged by the local supplier, Nordic Rentals, as were the side IMAG screens.
Gehring continued: “It’s a 22-truck arena show we have but we can do this
with nine thanks to the support from Nordic. We still have to be spot on
in terms of the stage and planning really is everything. Whether we are in
South America, Russia or Germany we have to deliver the same standard of
show, and that means the locals have to give us the same conditions every
time.”
Ampco Flashlight has provided motion control for Rammstein for
several years, with the inventory in Horsens consisting of 67 CyberMotion
CyberHoists, controlled by a MotionCue3D console and operated by Martin
Hoop, Frederik ‘Frits’ Ton and Michael Jahns. Ampco Flashlight’s Rudolph
Nagtzaam said: “The CyberHoists ensured the crew could smoothly and
safely move several objects scenic and lighting pieces above the stage,
which greatly contributed to the dynamics of the Rammstein show.”
Hoop gave an insight into his duties on the show: “The motors in the
roof weigh 10 tonnes, with 12 tonnes underneath them. It’s the biggest

Above: Horsens State Prison looms ominously over the outdoor venue.
system I have run, touring wise, though we have had much larger one-offs
in Europe. We are essentially the only department that has no time off
during the whole six-hour load in period. The heaviest thing we have is the
pyro truss, which weighs 1,200kg in total, but we have 6 motors for it so the
weight distribution is good.
He continued: “We use the CyberHoist and CyberHoist II systems - the II
in particular is incredibly safe so we can lift pieces above people and even
lift the band members themselves with absolute confidence.”
As well as moving band members up and down for various gags during
the show, Hoop was also in control of the truss movement that created the
versatility previously lauded by Bennett. “Take the song Mein Herz Brennt,
for example,” said Hoop. “LDs usually want everything symmetrical but I
was given the freedom to design all of the settings for each lighting part. We
made it totally asymmetrical and have it line up for the climax of the song,
which is one of the best moves in the show for me. Although we read the
proud supplier of the CyberMotion
automated hoist system for
RAMMSTEIN
www.ampco-flashlight.nl
31
RAMMSTEIN
timecode clock to make sure these changes are at the right time, we still
have to visually confirm there is no danger before we trigger them manually.
Artists can be late or accidents can happen at any time so we can’t risk the
timecode being in control of these big moments.”
He concluded: “I’ve worked for Rammstein for 13 years now and
I’ll continue to do so because it’s one big family - the band, crew, and
management all come together to make this a really special family. Every
tour cycle we think of something new and crazy that has never been
done before. They are such a pioneering group of people in the way they
accomplish these things, whether that is using the latest technology to its
fullest or using older gear in ways that have been forgotten.”
ZERSTÖREN
The man in charge of ensuring that Rammstein’s aural assault matched up
to the visual madness on stage was FOH Engineer Olsen Involtini. Due to
www.cyber-motion.com
RAMMSTEIN
the brief nature of this pre-festival run, the crew made use of local suppliers
to provide the bulk of the audio gear necessary to translate the band’s
colossal industrial thud to open air audiences.
The main system, provided by Nordic Rental, consisted of 20 boxes per
side of L-Acoustics K1, which was reinforced by flown SB28 subwoofers. A
further 12 K1 per side were used as downfill, with hangs of K2 serving as
nearfill and outfill. The Horsens show also required delays, which were
made up of more K1 and SB28 subs.
Black Box Music provided the 7 L-Acoustics LA8 amplifiers necessary to
drive the system, as well as the LA-RAK amp racks to house them. The FOH
Engineer used L-Acoustics’ Soundvision software to map the area in front of
and around the stage and identify the possible impact it would have on the
surrounding properties.
He explained: “As soon as we arrived we were quite shocked to see
how close some of the houses were. The band creates a very powerful and
punchy sound, so we used the software to make sure we achieve the right
levels without fuelling any complaints. The L-Acoustics system has a really
controllable output and the simulation software is very useful in these
situations.”
Black Box Music also provided an Avid Venue Profile complete with
select outboard gear for FOH, a DiGiCo SD7 for monitors and a selection of
Shure, beryerdynamic and Audix microphones, as well as a Sennheiser IEM
system.
Involtini, who has a long history with Rammstein both live and in the
studio, opted for an older desk for this run: “The Avid Profile desk we have
here is an old analogue version that we carry everywhere with us. It’s
what we’re used to and it allows us to keep things simple when it comes to
potential complications with plugins and so on.”
Monitor Engineer Alex Becker, System Tech Andreas Vater, Jonas Fengler
and Manu Schröder completed the audio crew on site at the State Prison.
OHNE DICH
As well as working together as a single unit, the Rammstein crew also have
to move around the globe together - and on time. One of the principal
crew members in charge of this is Production Coordinator Dea Porter. She
explained: “I usually run ffp’s office in Los Angeles but I change hats when
going out on tour with Rammstein. My main duties here are to coordinate
the crew travel and accommodation, local transport, catering, runners, and
run the production office.
“We have 50 core crew plus another 10 -15 that travel to selected shows,
plus 16 team drivers in North America and 9 Truck Drivers in Europe. At the
start of the tour we send out over 850 flight confirmations, as we are ‘all-fly’.
32
I have a dedicated line with our travel agent that allows us to be in constant
communication to adjust air and ground transportation.
“We deal with flight delays, cancellations, and airline / ground crew
strikes almost every travel day. Additionally, we work together to monitor
possible strikes or terror alerts and come up with all of the transportation
back up plans, as our tight schedule does not allow for any delays.”
EFM was trusted to handle freighting requirements for the run of shows,
which began with 15ft x 40ft ocean containers being transported from
Berlin to Reykjavik, Iceland for a show at the Korinn Auditorium on 20 May.
Five of the containers returned to Berlin but the bulk of the equipment,
some 89,000kg, was flown by Boeing 747F charter to Billund, Denmark for
the show in Horsens.
Two of EFM’s most experienced crew, John McCafferty and Paul Jones,
travelled to Iceland to oversee the operation and continued on board the
charter to Denmark. On 17 June, McCafferty and Jones were joined by Alex
Jonas from EFM Germany to load the equipment onto the second charter
this year, which departed from Frankfurt into New York.
While in North America and Canada, EFM provided eight 53ft semis to
transport the equipment, with the final show in Las Vegas on 2 July. On 3
July the final charter departed from Los Angeles, managed by Steve Botting
of EFM USA into Vitoria, Spain.
HAB’ KEINE LUST MICH NACKT ZU SEHEN
The last word went to PM Sabottka, who was initially taken aback by TPi’s
final (somewhat rhetorical) question, before giving a surprising response:
“Could we ever do a stripped back tour? It’s possible; we have certainly
thought about a version of the show that does not contain any special
effects and only very minimal production - Rammstein naked, if you
will. Who knows what the future will bring, but the main production will
probably always carry some kind of effects and we have several things in
mind to top what we are currently doing out on festivals. There is never a
dull moment!”
TPi
Photos: Allan Toft
www.rammstein.de
www.ffp-fx.net
www.black-box-music.de
www.nordic.dk
www.ampco-flashlight.com
www.perryscenic.com www.rigging.de
www.efm-worldwide.com
www.visualproductions.nl
 SHAWN MENDES

After rocketing into the charts with Stitches in 2015, the fresh-faced Canadian has proven himself a
force to be reckoned with following the release of his second album Illuminate. Despite his tender
years, Shawn Mendes is making waves in the industry with his album-supporting world tour and, as
TPi’s Stew Hume found out, is giving younger crewmembers a platform to showcase their talents...

In just 2.5 years, 18-year-old Shawn Mendes has certainly been busy
with 2 full-length albums and 5 Top 20 songs on the Billboard chart.
After officially launching his second album, Illuminate, with a sold out
show at New York’s Madison Square Garden (MSG), the musician and
his collection of loyal crewmembers hit the road, much to the delight
of his devotees. TPi met up with the team a month into the cycle at the
Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg.
24/7 Productions’ Andrew Thornton took up the mantel of Production
Manager for Mendes’ latest outing. Watching from the first tier of the arena
bowl as the crew worked below, the PM recounted 24/7’s history with
Mendes. “We first took Shawn on as a client in January of last year, handling
several major TV appearances. His management then requested we took
on his touring production,” Thornton began. A subsequent small-scale
show was arranged, but, as Thornton explained, the crew were having to
play catch-up to Mendes’ surging popularity: “That first tour we worked on
included a small European run with two busses and a trailer, but that soon
expanded to include having two trucks, as we began to play arenas rather
than theatres.”
Riding the wave of success, 24/7 turned its attention to the impending
Illuminate tour. It is the singer’s most ambitious show to date, according to
Thornton: “The design is very similar to the MSG show. Paul Caslin, who has
worked alongside 24/7 from the start, collaborated with Okulus to design
the show. After the success of the launch we looked to replicate that MSG
performance as a tourable package.”
VER delivered lighting and video for the tour, Eighth Day Sound provided
audio and TAIT supplied staging. “The suppliers selected represent a
mixture of old and new relationships,” explained the PM. “I have used
Eighth Day several times in the US but this is the first time in Europe, as they

34

Opposite: Fresh from the release of his second album, Illuminate, Mendes and his crew set out on an extensive global tour. .
are one of the few suppliers able to provide an Adamson rig globally; it’s our
FOH engineer’s preferred choice. VER on the other hand is completely new
for 24/7, but their ability to come through with carbon copy lighting and
video rigs on both sides of the Atlantic made them a no brainer. They have
been fantastic throughout this tour!”
Thornton conveyed the significance of having an artist of Mendes’
calibre and popularity on 24/7 Productions’ client roster: “The relationship
with Shawn really came out of the creation of our new LA office, a major
step in 24/7’s expansion plan. This show really demonstrates how far the
company has come; from a UK-based outfit, to a worldwide production
company. Myself and John Pryer, who owns the business, have taken on
some other US clients in recent months and hope to expand on this in the
coming year.”
Duncan Ladkin, Stage Manager, aided Thornton with the day-to-day
logistics. After reminiscing about his days touring the UK hardcore scene,
Ladkin outlined his daily routine on the Illuminate tour: “I have worked with
Andrew on and off for several years, cutting my teeth with the Sugababes.
He runs a really great tour and it’s certainly got that ‘family’ vibe. You
could say my main role is to try and keep several steps in front of each
department and predict what they may need before they request it. I
oversee the load in and out daily before handing it over to our Show Stage
Manager, Anthony Levato, who handles show calls and backline.” Ladkin
also gets stuck into the show by helping with show calls and switch overs.
“That is where I come from, working backline and helping switch overs,” he
explained. “It’s always good to keep your head in the game. In many ways
I see my role during the day as foreplay, so I always want to stay involved
rather than just coming back later to clean up!”
35
PRODUCTION PROFILE
With such a heavily timecoded tour, show calling was of the utmost
importance. TPi spoke to Levato from his control centre. “Every single
department can hear me throughout the performance as I am calling pretty
much every cue from song changes, countdowns and instrument switches.”
Levato said, moments before he divulged one particularly hairy moment of
the performance, giving just a little insight into the challenges of timecode.
He recalled: “Shawn at the halfway mark of the show goes out to the
b-stage to perform. During the start of the tour we had him using the back
corridors but just last night we had to send him through the audience. I give
him the cue to go and then with the aid of both personal and venue security
he has make it in a few minutes before the timecode kicks in for the next
part of the performance and the piano rises from the stage. But credit due,
he has always made it!”
ILLUMINATE
Okulus partners, Louis Oliver and James Scott, talked TPi through the
creative process for the latest outing. “We were first approached by Shawn’s
Creative Director Paul Caslin for his previous run but timing regrettably
didn’t work out,” began Oliver. “Paul then got in contact in July last year
to work on what would become the Illuminate tour. Funnily enough, it fell
when James and I were going to take some down time. That soon went out
the window after we got the call!”
Scott picked up the conversation, discussing the original concept of the
look of the show. “During the very early stages Paul had an eureka moment
and decided there would be a glowing orb above the audience to tie in with
the album name,” said Scott. This was the first solid launch pad the two
designers had to work from. The glowing orb itself during the tour hung
SHAWN MENDES
Supplying both lighting and video for the tour was VER with TAIT Towers handling automation and staging.
above the b-stage where Mendes played several solo numbers during the
performance. “It was interesting to work with because the focus in most
shows is the stage,” mused Scott. But it had its pitfalls, he explained: “It
created a logistical challenge to not effect the sightlines of those sitting
on tiered seating.” The solution was to give the orb two positions and only
descend for the b-stage so as not to affect the view. The product chosen for
the orb was an Airstar Pendulair. “Paul had seen the Solar Equation project
which Airstar had been involved in and we contacted them directly,”
commented Thornton, who praised the craftsmanship: “It is very much the
centre piece of the show and acts as a main source of light for the audience
as the walk into the venue. The build quality and reliability made it perfect
for touring.”
For the inner lighting of the structure, Okulus opted for 12 TMB Solaris
Flares. The production also used four Panasonic PT-DZ21K2 projectors
to video map the structure. It was calibrated on a daily basis by Clarke
Anderson who utilised the ‘wrap’ function on a Green Hippo Hippotizer
Boreal media server. “This show went on sale before the design was
completed,” stated Anderson as he talked through his process, adding:
“There is always an optimum position for projection but the differing venue
layouts and our reluctance to cut into sold seats meant we had to be pretty
flexible. It’s head scratching stuff but I‘ve got into the groove of the tour now
and am able to set it up in a few hours.”
The Okulus team described the stage design. “There were a few
elements that we inherited from Shawn’s previous tour including the large
upstage LED wall which we worked into the design,” stated Scott. “One of
the new elements was an automated truss ring which the creative team
dubbed it ‘the halo’. On the structure we mounted 28 TMB Solaris Flares
and 16 Robe Spikies.” As for the rest of the staging, the main workhorse
fixture that Okulus deployed was the Martin by Harman MAC Viper with
almost 70 laid out among the rig.
Also on the lighting rider was 69 Martin by Harman Viper Profile, 69
36
Ayrton Intelipix Rs, 22 Martin by Harman Atomic 3000 Strobes, 40 Ayrton
Magic Blade Rs, 4 Philips Vari-Lite 3015 Spots, 40 Ayrton Magic Blade-Rs, 24
GLP impression X4 Xls, 22 Martin Rush Par 2, 12 Claypaky Sharpy Wash 330’s
and 47 Molefays.
“The goal from the beginning was very much to keep everything looking
sleek which I believe we have achieved,” commented Oliver.
Ryan Nixon, the touring LD, oversaw Okulus’ design. Using an MA
Lighting grandMA2 console, Nixon launched all lighting video and
projection cues through the evening. He explained how Shawn’s audience
engagement influences the aesthetic. He stated: “This show’s fairly heavily
timecoded with cues. We spent a great deal of time programming most of
the show in a CAST WYSIWYG before heading into production rehearsals in
the Fly By Nite Rehearsal Studios. During the show itself, as well as ensuring
all the song cues are working correctly, I also have some busking moments
for audience lighting as Shawn really likes to see the crowd during the
performance.”
VER’s Project Manager, Luke Pritchard, discussed some of the custom
elements the company provided for the tour. “VER specialise in challenges,”
Pritchard began. “For Shawn’s show on stage left and right wings for the
grid of Ayrton MagicBlades we had to build a custom square pipe rigging
solution to make sure all the fixtures are facing straight out into the
auditorium each day. The fixtures travel on the pipe in dollies making it
a quick and easy job every day. It’s very satisfying for us to come up with
solutions that make our clients’ jobs easier.”
VIDEO
WinVision Air 9mm was selected for the main LED screen. “I have worked
with the product several time,” commented Nixon. “It’s ideal for touring as
it is so light weight. We are able to set this one up in less than an hour, which
is really quite incredible.”
Wannes Vandendriessche, Video Director told TPi about his control
TPI_E-Series_QU03.indd 1 7/11/2016 8:37:09 AM
SHAWN MENDES
Okulus’ Louis Oliver and James Scott collaborated with Mendes’ Creative Director Paul Caslin to design the look for the Illuminate tour.
centre. “We have a total of four inputs for this show with one FOH camera
with three robo cams on the stage,” began Vandendriessche. “As Shawn
is the main man in this performance, I keep all my focus on him. We try to
alternate between using IMAG and the LED stage wall for live content to give
a mixture of looks as well as combining some prepared content. Through
one of the robo cams which is situated upstage I have also managed to
produce some great shots looking out at the orb.”
To deliver the screen content, the production again deployed Green
Hippo using the Hippotizer Taiga server. “Paul suggested in the design
period that we made use of Notch to produce real time effects on the
screen,” commented Scott. “With the content that was produced by
Treatment Studio we used a Microsoft Xbox Kinect camera and have a 3D
model of Shawn’s outline live streamed onto the LED screen.” The team
also used this set up to manipulate IMAG feeds to create unique content
which was all fed by the Taiga to side projectors. “We really love how
Hippotizer integrates with Notch. It’s simple with our normal programming
style and, once you couple with the built-in Hippotizer FX, you can generate
really unique looks,” said Scott.
Treatment Studios was challenged by Creative Director Paul Caslin
to create and imaginative and complementary visual design to impress
Mendes’ audience. Describing Treatment’s approach was Animation
Director, Simon Russell. “In many ways it’s been very technical, combining
3D, LIDAR, particles, Kinect data, real-time effects and so on,” explained
Caslin. “It has been a really fun, creative project to work on. It’s great to be
so closely involved in the creation of the show. For me it’s been great to
work not only on pre-baked animated sequences but also on the real-time
elements of the show. Using Notch to create 3D and particle-based effects
in real time which respond to the performance has been new to me and
really stimulating.”
38
STAGING
TAIT Towers provided the staging and automation for both the halo and the
orb. Thornton reported: “As far as the reasoning behind going with TAIT, for
us, they are fairly unbeatable in terms of the service they offer. They have
provided a slick package that has worked really well.”
Todd Vernon, Project Manager at TAIT, discussed the company’s
involvement with the tour. “The MSG show was the first major project which
we worked on with Shawn. The goal then for the tour was to replicate the
staging and automation elements into a realistic touring package. In doing
this, the goal operationally was to reduce the amount of time and labour
required to build the show.” Collectively TAIT produced a 60ft wide x 40ft
deep rolling stage with an integrated pantographing staircase. The design
allowing allowed Mendes to appear from the centre of the stage through a
hole that appeared to the inevitable screams of his fans. TAIT also supplied
a 16ft diameter circular b-stage area for the piano lift.
For automation, 3 of TAIT’s Nav Hoists were used for the halo giving it
the ability to pitch and roll with another hoist being used for orb.
Vernon concluded: “It was a great experience to work with Andrew and
the show designers to help them realise their design within the requisite
timeline.”
John Purciful, Automation Rigger, commanded all points of motion
during the show who worked closly with Production Rigger Colin Raby.
“It’s a fairly standard rig with between 97 and 100 motors, weighing in at 38
tonnes,” stated Raby. VER brought in Actus Industries to supply rigging for
the show while Eighth Day providing the PA rigging.
AUDIO
The mainstream press can’t seem to get enough of Mendes; one popular
conversation has centred around the singer’s age. It has been two years
 The Magical
Branding < multifunctional
lighting solution
Signalisation < perfect for festivals,
Decor < music and live events

London. Paris. Barcelona. Berlin. Los Angeles. Orlando. Mexico. Rio de Janeiro. Shanghai. Hong-Kong...
And more locations on www.airstar-light.com

M U LT I - AWA R D W I N N I N G M E D I A S E RV E RS
With 4x DisplayPort, DVI or HD-SDI outputs, Hippotizer Boreal is designed for the rigors
of life on the road. All video outputs are EDID managed with dedicated hardware to
ensure easy set up and operation in any environment.

The new hardware for Hippotizer Boreal and Karst creates new possibilities, driving more
displays from your Hippotizer Media Servers with the DisplayPort Hippotizer’s offering
full support of Datapath FX4 splitters and 4K (4096 x 2160 @60hz) on all outputs.

Find out more about the Hippotizer Boreal, the Media Server of choice for Eurovision
Song Contest 2017
www.green-hippo.com/boreal
SHAWN MENDES
The production used a Microsoft Xbox Kinect camera and have a 3D model of Mendes’ outline live streamed onto the LED screen, managed through a Green Hippo
Hippotizer Taiga media server and a Notch plugin; FOH Engineer, Tom Wood; Touring LD Ryan Nixon and Video Director, Wannes Vandendriessche; Production Manager,
Andrew Thornton, Show Stage Manager Anthony Levato and Production Stage Manager, Duncan Ladkin.
since his hit single Stiches was released, yet, it is still incredible that an
18-year-old is selling out arenas world wide. Better still, Mendes is not
the only youth success story on the Illuminate with the FOH team only
in their early 20s. FOH Engineer, Tom Wood (24), talked about his history
with the singer. “I first started working with Shawn 3 years ago and have
been with him ever since,” began Wood. “In the early days I was helping
out with his first support shows and have just been able to hang onto the
role despite his rapid success. I think it’s quite unique for a FOH Engineer
to hang onto an artist who has experienced such a spike in popularity; not
that I’m complaining! Although it’s been quick, the vibe on tour has always
remained the same. I still ride in a bus with Shawn and we talk about the
show at the end of the night and constantly try and progress. It’s been one
hell of a journey.”
Hailing from Britain, Wood made the trip over to Canada six years ago.
He met Mendes’ Tour Manager and has since really made his mark. “While
we were on tour with Taylor Swift, Tom had a chance to use her Adamson
system and really liked it,” explained Thornton. “He was such a fan of it
he insisted we put it on the rider for Shawn’s previous US run and then
again for this world tour. The decision to use Adamson also became the
deciding factor to bring on Eighth Day Sound as our audio supplier due to
their heavy investment in the system and their ability to provide us with a
service world wide.”
Wood put forward his justification for going with Adamson: “First off, it’s
always great to keep it Canadian!” he joked. “The reason Adamson stood
out to me compared to other PAs on the market, were its punch and the
liveliness. From my position at FOH it makes me feel part of the show. I can
push it without it biting back. Not only that but it’s incredibly quick to rig;
40
the best on the market right now without a doubt!”
The rig itself consisted of 15 Adamson E15’s per side and 3 E12’s with a
side hand configuration of 12 E15’s and 3 E12’s. For subs Wood deployed
16 E119’s on the floor with and addition 8 E119 per side in the air. “I would
describe Shawn as a bit of a ‘sub monster’,” joked Wood. “Some pop artists
start to get uncomfortable when their shows become a bit bassy and want
you to push the higher frequencies. Shawn on the other hand loves it,
which is a dream for me!” For frontfills 8 Adamson S10 Loudspeakers were
used.
An Avid VENUE S6L was used for FOH control. “We were previously using
the Avid Profile but made the switch to the S6L at the start of the Illuminate
run. I have been using it for about a month and a half at this point. I have
been very impressed with the customisation it offers. The Profile, I always
found, is a very good ‘point and shoot’ desk whereas the S6L allows you to
really dial in the set up you want making it ideal for a long tour like this one.
Sonically, I also find I have used far less plug-ins with the S6L model.
“Another advantage with the new console is the ability to run a single
Cat5 cable straight into ProTools rather then having to use a MADI card. You
are able to even use a lot of ProTool functionality on the desk surface which
has made live recording a lot easier.” As well as using Waves SoundGrid
Server One, Wood also had an Avalon VT-737SP Channel Strip.
THE VOICE
As with any pop act, there is always one aspect of utmost importance; the
artist’s voice. “Although we have a full four piece backing band and Shawn
plays guitar and piano during the show, his voice is the money,” explained
Wood, laying out his daily priorities. Although it is such an important
artistbuses supplied by: crewbuses supplied by:

Headoffice Austria: Phoenix Bussing Services UK:

joerg@beatthestreet.net | klaus@beatthestreet.net | hannes@beatthestreet.net paul.hattin@phoenix-bussing.co.uk | andy.gray@phoenix-bussing.co.uk
sean.gerrard@phoenix-bussing.co.uk | stewart.scott@phoenix-bussing.co.uk
Office UK Buses:
tim@beatthestreet.net | garry@beatthestreet.net

www.beatthestreet.net www.phoenix-bussing.co.uk
SHAWN MENDES
Best seats in the house with the MA Lighting grandMA2 Monitor Engineer, Michael Flaherty and Audio Tech Adam Field; Projection Tech Clarke Anderson ; The Number 3
catering team; Emily Cribley, Amy Moore, Dan Jones, Jacob Bruckner, James Purdew.
asset, the FOH Engineer explained it was actually one of the simplest jobs:
“Shawn’s projection is incredible! He’s a very loud vocalist which makes it
really easy to ensure he rises above the mix while still having a full sounding
show.” This opinion was backed up by Monitor Engineer, Michael Flaherty,
who confirmed, “It is mind blowing how well he projects. We are having to
attenuating the mics running them at -42Hz because he is coming in really
hot on the receiver.”
The microphone chosen to spar with Mendes’ super-hero like projection
is a Sennheiser SKM 2000 with EM 2050 receivers. Four are used for the
various singing positions on the set. For IEM both Mendes and the band
used Sennheiser 2050’s with the collective opting for Jerry Harvey Audio
moulds.
Wood explained how he dealt with feedback during Mendes’ b-stage
segment of the show: “Prior to this tour our PM Andrew introduced me to
the Waves plug-in, X-FDBK. I was slightly reserved about using plug-ins that
cut out feedback as I always prefer to use my ears but I have to admit I’ve
been converted. The plug-in never effects the tone of the channel and gives
that safety net especially when Shawn is in front of the PA.”
As well as the standard challenge of dealing with a live microphone
in front of a PA, both Wood and Flaherty had an additional challenge; the
Mendes fans. “They are certainly loud,” laughed Wood adding, “The real
issue comes during the b-stage moment when all the fans gather around
the barricade. Each night they easily get up to 110/115 db. At that point in
the show I usually mix in headphone to ensure everything is sound great.
Back in monitor world, Flaherty looked through his DiGiCo SD10 control
system. “In total I have 64 outputs, but that is always growing. My usual
DiGiCo go-to has been the SD7 but for this size of show, the 10 has suited
me perfectly. It has given me a really compact footprint which is always a
blessing with festival season following on.”
For communication, the production opted to move away from the
42
traditional talk-back system working through the monitor desk and
instead opted to bring out a completely separate comms setup. Walking
TPi through the system was Adam Field, Audio Tech. “Essentially what
we have created is a comms system that integrates with the Motorola
walkie-talkie framework we use throughout the day. Going this route has
several advantages. Firstly, the range is incredible so even our PM can keep
track of the show from the depth of the production office. We also have it
set up so each department has its own separate line of communication,
which means a lot of channels, but we are not having it run through Mike’s
console, meaning he can focus on his actual job.”
LOGISTICS AND FOOD
Phoenix Bussing joined forces with Beat the Street to provided tour with
busses. “27/7 Productions has a long history with Phoenix and we have
never really used anyone else over the years,” stated Thornton. “We are
good friends with all the drivers and have always been very impressed with
their service. The Beat the Street addition came from Shawn who had used
them on a previous tour and really liked them - but as they are known for
collaborating, it was a simple deal to make.”
Sheffield-based Stardes provided trucking. Just like Phoenix, the 24/7
team have used them for several years making it a no-brainer on this run.
Finally, Rock-it Cargo handled logistics. “They are taking care of all sea and
air freighting throughout the world tour,” explained Thornton, adding, “We
had three containers come over from the States with an additional two
going back post-European run. After the US run we then break down to
airfreight package for the rest of the year.”
New addition to the catering market, Number 3, provided sustenance
for artist and crew members. Owned and operated by Charlie Amos,
this new company was conceived out of Ed Sheeran’s touring party but
a chance meeting with 24/7’s Andrew Thornton soon brought Number
 SHAWN MENDES

With Mendes’ European coming to an end, both the singer and crew headed west to continue the American leg of the Illuminate tour.

3 into the Mendes fold. “I met Andrew in 2016 and we collaborated on After closing out his European leg both the singer and crew hopped over
the last Shawn Mendes run in the US,” commented Amos, “We both love the Atlantic to continue the Illuminate campaign in North America, leaving
coffee and a G&T…need I say more.” With their mutual shared admiration a trail of satisfied fans their wake. But with the run of success the Canadian
for beverages, Amos was asked to provide catering for the Illuminate has had over the past two year, it will surely be no time until the European
tour. “Charlie has smashed it for this tour,” said Thornton. “He has spared Mendes Army will get to reunite.
no expense investing in a whole new catering rig that is taylor made for TPi
touring. He has even supplied us with a barista style coffee machine!” Photos: Kris Goodman (The Flying Lampie) www.theflyinglampie.com
Amos elaborated: “I designed the rig from scratch and sourced www.shawnmendesofficial.com
equipment that would fit into a truck in a way that makes it take up less wwww.24-7productions.co.uk
space and fits together with other department’s gear. I believe a successful www.okulus.co.uk
tour catering comes down to three points. First is efficiency, catering www.ver.com
needs to be up and running as soon as it gets on the road. Second is being www.8thdaysound.com
modern. I wanted to use up to date techniques on my touring rigs. And www.airstar-light.com
lastly, the crew, the Mendes tour has a mix of Canadians, Americans and www.taittowers.com
Europeans so it’s been important to reflect that in what they produce.” www.phoenix-bussing.co.uk
Amos concluded that he was excited to expand the Number 3 client base. www.beatthestreet.net
“I’m keen to continue growing at a sensible pace, it’s obviously easier to http://stardes.uk
build more touring rigs once you have a blueprint that works.” www.rockitcargo.com

YARA
UNIQUE BRACKET DESIGN
TOURING PROOF
SMOOTH RGBW COLOR MIXING
IP65 RATING
SILENT OPERATION
SMOOTH PROJECTION
Outdoor RGBW LED Fixture POWERCON TRUE1 IN & OUT
Affordable lighting essential RDM READY

WWW.CLF-LIGHTING.COM CLFLIGHTING

43
 HARRY POTTER IN CONCERT
A Harry Potter Concert Series took to the road recently, bringing one of the world’s best-loved book-
turned-film franchises to not only the big screen, but the stage. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s
Stone was shown in UK & Ireland arena venues for the first time, with a live score performed by the
Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. The production, brought to fans by producers CineConcerts
and production / promoter Senbla, delivered a first-class audio-visual cinematic experience, and
the end product didn’t disappoint, as Kel Murray reports…

They say no two touring jobs are ever the same… and that’s certainly the
case for the crew and companies behind this hybrid arena tour. I’ll be the
first to admit, I’ve never seen the Harry Potter films. (Well, it turns out
I’ve seen bits of the second one, probably on long haul plane journeys as
an adult.) What could be so different about watching the film in an arena,
instead of a cinema, I thought? Foolishly...
The contrast is stark. Not only is this style of production interactive,
but it delivers a sound quality that traditional cinema simply cannot
rival. Mid-way through the tour, TPi visited the show and spoke to the
team behind the film fun. Harvey Leslie, Technical Production Manager at
Senbla works for the promoter in both an advancement role and on-site
during the tour. Before curiosity got the better of me, I sat down with him
to better understand what I was about to see... “Senbla has worked with
CineConcerts, the tour producers, beforehand with a screening of The
Godfather, so we knew roughly what we needed to achieve for a full tour. In
terms of my suppliers and crew, I wanted to use people either myself, or my
Stage Manager [DNG’s Martin Barraclough] had existing relationships with.
DNG have a lot of experience in these UK venues, so Martin’s knowledge
was invaluable. My audio vendor, Adlib, brought the right equipment
together for this cinematic experience, and ultimately, my decision to use
them came down to a great rapport I developed with Phil Stoker and Phil
Keility; they gave me a sound solution which worked really well.
“We use SFL for all of our video projects and I wanted the show to be
as impressive as possible, production wise, so I was always going to bring
them in. The extra key details such as lighting [from Zig Zag] and rigging
[UK Rigging] were also a clear choice for us.” Tour buses are provided by
StarSleeper and trucking via ETS.
Working very closely with Leslie was Senbla Rep, Kitty Stafford-
Clark: “Kitty and I are both reps in some sense… she’s an asset to the
smooth running of the tour, taking care of all things front of house while I
concentrate on the needs of the technical production.”
The results certainly seemed to work, and the screening TPi attended
was a hit with varied generations of fans. Leslie concluded: “I think both the
customers and the technical crew are were happy with this tour. We got just
the right set up. Senbla uses various orchestras depending on the type of
show we’re running, but we always work with a very high standard, and The

44
 PRODUCTION PROFILE

Opposite: The Royal Philarmonic Orchestra; Production Manager, Harvey Leslie.

Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra worked brilliantly here, even more

so considering they were on the road and not just popping into a venue for
a one-off performance like orchestras typically would have to do.”

COOL CREW
Martin Barraclough, part of Manchester-based DNG Production & Event
Crew, has worked with Senbla for a couple of years, and as the company
has grown, it’s been a natural progression to become more involved in a
hands-on role. To help make the magic happen with Harry Potter, he’s been
assigned the role of Stage Manager. “I’m here to support Harvey on a daily
basis, so we work as a two-man team, I generally lead on logistics, the stage
set and facilitating the orchestra. The biggest challenge for me in this show
is the amount of musicians I have to get on stage, and, perhaps making
them feel comfortable is a less controlled and more unusual environment
than they are typically used to.”
Although it may not seem like a drastic change for a stage manager to
be working with classical musicians, and the daily routine is very similar
for the load in and load out, the actual showtime is a much quieter affair…
“This point in the day is definitely slower than a normal gig, which can
either give you a breather, or make you lose your momentum; you have to
keep a vital focus.
“The show is made up of 2 DNG touring local crew to do the orchestra
portering, 2 projection crew, a lighting technician, 5 audio crew, Harvey,
Kitty & myself. The idea of touring 2 crew from DNG is to give some
consistency to the detail of an orchestra setup.”
Senbla has moved into a new format of show by scaling up and bringing
in a strong, yet small team. “This makes for a really easy job in a very
collaborative way, which isn’t always the case. The tour has gone really well
as a result, and the audience response seems great - we’re excited to see
where it can lead,” he noted.
Additional crew were utilised from UK Rigging, which provided a rigging
supervisor and local production rigger to the Motorpoint Arena Cardiff,
Barclaycard Arena Birmingham, Manchester Arena, Echo Arena Liverpool,
First Direct Arena Leeds and The SSE Hydro. Leslie commented: “UK Rigging
were invaluable, it was Martin’s call to bring them in and it was the perfect
way to go about our needs. It saved a lot of time and it worked seamlessly
by using them, as they know the venues so well. The rigging teams liaised
with Alan Harrison from Adlib and Neil Hunt from Zig Zag to ensure we had
exactly what we needed in each venue.”
CINEMATIC SOUND
TPi Award winner, Adlib, was called in to deliver a flawless cinematic sound,
carefully handling both the impact of the film in an arena, and the needs
of the orchestra. The rental house provided main hangs of 12 L-Acoustics
K1 and 4 KARA per side, side hangs of 12 K2 (per side), a centre cluster of 6
KARA, 16 KS28’s in a cardioid configuration for subs and fills of ARC II and
KARA, running off 40 LA12X amplifiers. Adlib also supplied CM Lodestar
1T motors and Load Guard LG16 and LG10 motors. The show was mixed
through a Yamaha CL5 and RIO rack at FOH. PA control was via Lake
processing, Dante control over fibre. The entire system was clocked by an
Apogee Big Ben running 96k throughout.
Microphones on stage comprised 54 DPA 4099’s, 20 Neumann KM184’s,
12 AKG 414’s and various dynamic models. Percussion and keyboard
fold back mixes were Adlib’s own MP2 wedges running on Lab.gruppen
PLM10,000Q amps.
Adlib Crew Boss / System Tech, Alan Harrison, talked TPi through the
set up: “There were several reasons I chose L-Acoustics K1 and K2 for this
tour; the main directives of the show were ‘cinematic sound, coupled
with preserving sightlines to the screen, whilst reducing spill onto stage’.
I know through working with L-Acoustics that it can definitely deliver on
the big, smooth sound associated with a cinema experience. K1 isn’t the
smallest cabinet, but It has the ability to deliver a good amount of power
and vertical coverage - when used with KARA for downfill - with a smaller
than normal box count, to preserve sightlines. As to the onstage spill, these
speakers are the most predictable in terms of coverage pattern that I know
of, so they presented no issues onstage at all.
“I went with a conventional main L-R with side hangs, and
supplemented this with a centre cluster of KARA. This enabled me to push
the main L-R offstage more, to help with sightlines to the screen, whilst still
maintaining a good coverage in the middle. We found after a while that
grilles to the front, connectors to the back was the optimal strategy. The
use of K2 on the sides allowed me to utilise the louvres to minimise the
amount of unnecessary HF flying around. As we were only doing 1/2 - 3/4
length halls, no delays were necessary.”
The FOH console - which also ran the minimal monitoring for the
conductor and pianist - was a Yamaha CL5. Mic lines entered the RIO
rack onstage and that system uses Dante to distribute audio. At FOH, in
Harrisson’s control rack, he used a Big Ben to clock the CL5 to 96k. This

45
HARRY POTTER
Mix engineer David Hoffis with Adlib’s Crew Boss, Alan Harrison; The Adlib Audio team; SFL’s Sam Wheeler and iMusiclmage’s Mike Andreas; Senbla Rep, Kitty Stafford-Clark.
became the master clock for the Dante. “I actually then used AES to feed
my LM44’s at FOH, which sent PA returns over a separate Dante network.
Using digital audio with minimal sample rate conversion and minimal
ADDA conversion allowed all of those magic little harmonics, details and
overtones of a live orchestra to be reproduced as faithfully as possible,” he
added.
There were 70 physical inputs on stage. “With so many sources and
mics, we needed to minimise extraneous pickup and phase. We went with
the directional DPA 4099 microphone for strings, which to be honest, is
a ridiculously good microphone for pretty much anything! We also used
Neumann KM184’s for wind instruments, which is equally as impressive
sounding. A large blend of large diaphragm DPA 414’s and a few dynamics
were used for the rest of the band. The DPA 4099’s really excelled, and
coupled with amostly digital audio path, we were hearing stuff you very
rarely get to hear in a live environment.
“The main challenge of the FOH mix was balancing the dialogue and
special effects which came from track, versus achieving the live orchestral
feel. So knowing the score was vital; being able to bring in the primary parts
around any dialogue at key moments, but letting the orchestra do its thing
most of the time is key. The subs were mixed on an auxiliary to enable a
varying degree of sub frequencies to be brought to bear at different times,
meaning the special effects and weightier passages had more impact on
the audience. It was magical to be involved. I think the audience maybe
didn’t quite know what to expect, and seeing their faces when the orchestra
was at its peak was pretty entertaining!”
The Adlib crew was completed by Laurie Binns, James Coghlan, Antonio
Calvi and Adam Bruce. The live mix engineer came courtesy of David Hoffis.
VIDEO & PROJECTION
SFL has a great working relationship with Senbla, having worked together
many times over the last few years, providing both projection and playback
solutions for their live shows. “When this tour came up we were the obvious
choice,” said SFL’s Craig Lawrence. “In our position as the preferred AV
provider for the Royal Albert Hall, we have done a considerable number
of live cinema shows (including a couple of world premieres) so we knew
46
exactly what was required to meet the stringent demands of such a live
cinema tour.
“The biggest challenge for the Harry Potter tour was to ensure the sight
lines were such that as many seats in the house had a clear view of the
screen. Of course, this also meant that the speaker hangs didn’t obscure the
image so careful prep and planning was required. In a couple of the venues,
this pre-prep paid off as we foresaw situations where the rigging positions
weren’t maximising the screen sightlines so we moved the screen further
downstage to compensate.
“A live cinema showing is an amazing experience, and the thrill of seeing
the orchestra play live to the film is like no other. Harry Potter attracts a
younger audience than some of the other live films we’ve worked on, and
seeing the eyes of the audience, both young and old, light up was truly
worth all the hard work.”
SFL supplied a custom made 20m x 8.5m anamorphic truss surround
screen, three Barco 20k HDX projectors & hush kits, HB TLD+ lenses 1.6-2.6:1
/ 2.6-4.1:1, a Barco Image Pro 2, a Lightware TPS DVI over Cat6 transmission
system for conductor monitor, and a Modex DVI over fibre transmission
system for the projector feed.
“We chose to use Barco HDX FLEX projectors as they are best-in-class for
brightness and image quality. Their size and weight also makes them easy
to tour, even for a two-man team. We knew we couldn’t hide the projectors
away in each venue, and often had to rig them in the seating close to the
audience. So by fitting the hush kits on each of the three projectors we
could drop the fan noise considerably, thus ensuring the audience weren’t
distracted from the story unfolding on-screen in front of them.
All-in-all, the tour was a great success and we are looking forward to
working on more projects like this in the future,” Lawrence concluded.
THE LIGHTING TOOLS
Leeds-based rental house Zig Zag has worked with orchestras before, but
never while touring an arena-sized film screening. “But then, I haven’t heard
of it being attempted like this before…” pondered Zig Zag’s MD, Neil Hunt.
“This lighting design was more about meeting the necessary requirements,
rather than a classic rock lighting system, as the lighting fixtures are not a

Stage Manager, DNG’s Martin Barraclough; ETS’ Alex Webster.
feature, but a tool. The emphasis of the shows was always going to be the
giant screen - but as the show’s main unique feature is the live orchestra
their presence had to be seen without intruding on the screen.
The
predominant fixture was therefore a Robe wash unit able to give a full stage
wash.
Some emphasis on the conductor, Tim Henty, and soloist musicians
was also required for which Robe Pointes were used in their softer edged
mode.”
The rig consisted of 12 3m sections of pre-rigged moving light trusses
that formed 2 18m trusses. In addition, a cable bridge was essential to keep
the cables clear of sight lines to the screens.
24 Robe Colorwash2500eATs
were used to wash the stage with 8 Robe Robin Pointes for the tighter
highlighting needs of the aforementioned conductor and soloists.
On tour, the whole system was rigged and operated by Damian Courage
who controlled the lighting effects on an Avolites Pearl console, Courage’s
desk of choice. Like many of the crew working on this interesting tour, Webster is also
Hunt concluded: “This was a different experience to our usual rock ‘n’
roll jobs - even our social media was different! I often see my facebook
friends getting excited about various acts, but even Zig Zag’s friends in the
music industry were getting quite excited about this one. It’s unusual, but
technically speaking, there’s not much difference.”
NO TEARS TRANSPORT
For the tour’s technical transportation, Senbla asked for the services of
Event Trucking Services (ETS). The last time TPi met owner Alex Webster,
he was using his truck as a rave venue up a mountain in Austria. This time,
he described the job as a, “very straightforward, planning wise.” He added:
“The loads were complicated however as we’ve had to fit 3 trailers worth of
kit into just 2. But by the third show we had this down to a tee!”
Professional
Used gear
47
HARRY POTTER
It’s the first time Webster - probably one of the most sociable truck
driver you’ll ever meet - has worked with Senbla. He continued: “Harvey
and Kitty have been great, as they appreciate your input into any issues
that may arise on tour. As we all know, inevitably something always does
crop up, but there’s a definite feeling of team work felt with them, and that
little sense of appreciation really helps morale.
“I’ve worked with Martin, our stage manager, quite a few times now and
have a good working relationship with him; he’s really switched on and
never seems to get flustered!”
Webster’s trailer has been designated as the Zig Zag and SFL equipment
trailer, both of which were new companies to ETS. Webster continued:
“We’ve gelled into a good little team. We’ve got our specific load outs timed
perfectly and the Adlib audio crew are on the second trailer that ETS has
supplied - their load out team goes like a well-oiled machine!”
new to the notion of touring a cinematic concert: “It’s my first time ever
working with an orchestra, which was really amazing to see and hear. I’d say
the most challenging part of this tour for me is holding back the tears at the
sad bits of the film!”
TPi
Photos: Andrew Benge
www.cineconcerts.com , http://senbla.com
www.zigzaglighting.co.uk
www.adlib.co.uk
https://ukrigging.net
https://dngproductioneventcrew.wordpress.com
www.event-trucking.com
http://www.sfl.live
 PRODUCTION PROFILE

Team work makes the dream work: Anastacia and her crew work in an environment which promotes appreciation and respect.

ANASTACIA

With a career spanning well over a decade, and a plethora of hit singles, US singer Anastacia is
showing no signs of slowing down. After gracefully flipping the Big C the middle finger, not only did
the star become a beacon of hope and a symbol of everyday reality to women globally, she also
became a symbol of strength and dignity. Now the artist is back on the road and ensuring her loyal
fanbase get to experience a production that serves as a place where they can come together to
have fun. Production Manager Keely Myers leads the Ultimate Collection tour’s crew as they travel
the UK with an artist they all love working for, as Kel Murray reports.

I’m sure it won’t come as a big surprise to you that I grew up in a mosh
pit, and not singing Anastacia on Saturday night Karaoke, so when I
arrived at London’s Hammersmith Apollo, primarily because I knew how
much the crew on the tour loved their jobs, I didn’t expect to leave as in
awe of Anastacia as I did. Sufficed to say that when I turned up for work,
I had no idea I’d leave that night after dancing with fierce drag queens to
Motown classics.
Production Manager Keely Myers, of her newly launched company,
Global Touring Office (GTO), is also the tour’s producer. “I started working
with Anastacia a year ago through her manager, Craig Logan, whose
other artists I’d worked with before. Anastacia was actually due to tour
in 2013, but unfortunately she had to cancel the dates due to a breast
cancer diagnosis. She went through her recovery and came back wanting
to tour,” began Myers on the delicate challenges of the beginning. “When
we knew we were going to be out on another tour together, the challenge
was to make a show that was both tourable and sustainable in the very
competitive mid size venue marketplace, which plays to around 3,000 per
night.
“We’ve managed to come up with a design that retains a very definitive
look. We based it around her logo as a sort of statement piece that says: I’m
back! Along with Simon Horn, our LD, and her Show Director, Gareth Walker.
The stage set is split in two levels (riser by Pro Productions and detail
by All Access). Total Fabrications manufactured the bespoke metal stage
pieces, including the central ‘A’ which packs down into a keyboard case
and then can be easily transportable on flights. “This was imperative to the
design, we needed to sustain the look everywhere we perform worldwide,”
noted Myers.
Picking her crew was another aspect of the role she enjoyed, describing
the process as “really exciting.”
“Coming into this, I’d never worked with Simon before, but he’s worked
with Anastacia for quite a while. I think it’s really important to maintain
those core relationships. Becky Pell, our monitor engineer, I’ve worked with
for a long time and she’s also worked with Anastacia on and off for years.
Our FOH engineer, Chris Madden, had worked with Craig Logan too.”
Not one for shying away from hard work, Myers not only PMs this tour,
but is also working on Take That at the same time. “George Sinclair is tour
managing this for me when I’m out with Take That. It’s been great to have
her on board, but I also advanced this tour to the Nth degree! When you’ve
toured for years, it becomes like second nature. We have familiarity and
flexibility!”
The tour is utilising 2 tour busses from Beat The Street and a truck from
Stage Truck, the flown lighting package is from Neg Earth, augmented by LD
Simon Horn’s own floor package, audio is via Clair UK. Myers commented:
“Where possible, we put our own PA in. Chris will tell you all about his love

49
ANASTACIA
Production Manager, Keely Myers; Monitor Enginner Becky Pell.
for these Clair boxes,” she smiled. “He’s still raving about them!”
The audio equipment also benefits from a Sennheiser endorsement,
much to the approval of the engineers. The tour sources one local rigger
in each venue, and the troops are fed and watered by TPi-approved The
Pantry Maid. Did we even have tastebuds before today?
Back to Myers, and there’s a definite sense of calm and clarity with this
production. I get the impression that the crew and artist alike are friends.
“She’s great to work with, she’s such an interactive artist. Even off stage she
has such a great energy about her. She’s entertaining all of the time and the
Ultimate Collection tour is a great way to remind people that she’s still going
and writing new material. The demand is there; we’ve returned to 5 cities on
this tour that she sold out last year plus added another 9.”
Even the sadness surrounding the recent terror attack in Manchester
didn’t deter her supportive fanbase from coming out to see her play. In fact,
they helped her raise money for the victims, as Myers explained: “When the
tragedy in Manchester happened, we came into town 2 days later. Her fans
helped to get the word out that we were collecting for the appeal. Her fans
are an extension of her family. We recorded a live CD in Manchester & we
will do the same tonight in London, with the proceeds going to charity. We
have a separate recording studio in the back where they record and mix it
so it’s available straight after the show. We’ve been selling a lot of them, and
like everyone in this industry, we’re pulling together a lot at the moment.”
SHOW DESIGN
Lighting and Show Designer, Simon Horn, is a mainstay in camp Anastacia
having found his footing in pop concerts with Westlife and Olly Murs. “Steve
Levitt from Production North recommended me for this job, which I’m very
50
thankful for. [Anastacia] couldn’t appreciate what I do any more, I’ve never
felt so loved and welcomed in any job, the way I do with her,” said Horn.
There’s a lot of elements to this show design, from rock ‘n’ roll to funk &
soul, from the feminine & the theatrical to the heavier, moody effects. “It’s
very refreshing to be able to have the freedom of creating so many different
looks and feels in just one show.”
A big look within the show - her logo - was born from an idea seen on
her drum skin, as Horn explained: “It had various incarnations, but the focal
point of my design became quite simple: her name. As you’re looking at the
set, you’re drawn into the centre point which is her logo. It’s quite impactful
while not being intrusive. The set itself is fairly basic, but it works perfectly
because it provides different levels for the dancers to work on, and they’re a
big part of the art within the show.”
Another key part of the versatile stage looks were the LED ‘lollypops’
that Total Fabrications constructed. The set is finished in LED tape, a
product from which Horn is very pleased with. “I told them I wanted a ‘plug-
in and go’ product, which is exactly what I got. We’re beta testing that on
this tour and it’s going really well.”
Horn’s fixture rig comprised 6 Martin by Harman MAC Quantum Washes
for front wash, 12 Martin MAC Aura XBs, 4 Martin Atomic 3000 LED strobes,
12 Claypaky Sharpys, 6 Robe Pointes, 12 Showtec Sunstrip Active DMX,
5 4-cell blinders, 4 Chroma-Q Chroma One 100’s (used as truss toners), a
Robert Juliat Merlin Followspot and 28m of LED pixel tape from DigitalTape.
For fixtures Horn explained that he needed something that could “do
a lot with the space I had”. He opted for Sharpys in the flown rig for the big
beam looks, and his own Pointe’s on the floor. “I’m such a big fan of that
light!” he smiled.
 With Claypaky Axcor Profile 900, users can finally
choose the most powerful and digitally advanced LED
Profile Spot on the market, without any sacrifices in
terms of light output, features and effects.

DISTRIBUTOR FOR UK & IRELAND:

AMBERSPHERE SOLUTIONS Ltd. Phone: +44 (0)20 8992 6369
Where quality products enjoy total support info@ambersphere.co.uk - www.ambersphere.co.uk

Claypaky_Axcor_A4_Amb_EN.indd 1 09/05/17 11:35

ANASTACIA
Simon Horn created various looks for the Ultimate Collection tour.
Horn was also “blown away” by the MAC Auras. “They’re so little yet
powerful,” he noted. lot of time laughing together. Madden continued: “It keeps me on my toes
For control, Horn uses ChamSys, and has done since the console’s
early days. “I think this must be my 12th year on this desk,” he reminisced.
“I’ve very much been with them since the word go. I do use other consoles,
but I find this is the easiest desk for me to get around its functionality is
stunning.” Much like his purchase of his Robe Pointes, Horn is a fan-turned
owner of his current desk, a Chamsys MQ500. “It’s a brand new console that
I bought to have at home. Ergonomically, this new console is much better
for me; it has an integrated visualiser, and a big selling point is the ‘Offset
Patch feature’, with fixture positioning never quite being the same the
MagicQ offers the ability to update the patch offset on pan and tilt by simply
moving the position to where it should be and hitting update. This saves
having to tweak the tilt for example on every single position palette.”
The powerful 200-universe MQ500 was also chosen for its compact
footprint, which is again ideal for both saving on truck space and flying to
festivals.
AUDIO
Becky Pell, Monitor Engineer and FOH mixer Chris Madden also have a clear
admiration for their boss. “She’s a really amazing woman,” stated Pell. “I
really respect her as an individual and as an artist. I’m also a big fan of her
music, so it’s such a joy to mix this show.” Madden agreed: “I’m loving this
job! She’s got a killer band and she’s such a great vocalist. I knew the hits
before I came into this tour, but the wonderful thing about Anastacia is that
she has got a massive back catalogue of incredible songs. When you leave
tonight, you’ll know them all! And,” he smiled,“of course she’s adorable &
rather hilarious too.”
The comedic values of the singer are noted by various people
52
throughout the day, with the crew citing that this is a tour which spends a
to be honest because I never know what she’s going to say or do! It’s good
to be challenged I always say!”
At FOH, the mix is rockier than you might imagine having heard the
‘hits’ as it were, on radio. “There’s a lot of guitar in my mix, and I tend to
mix what I see; she has rock band on stage made up of some very talented
musicians.”
Pell agreed: “She is really funny, and that’s why a lot of her fans love
watching her perform, she’s very personable with them. But the quality of
her singing doesn’t alter, she’s brilliant at doing it all.”
Pell describes her monitor mix as “her vocal sitting just underneath her
with the full band, so it’s pretty straightforward. It’s quite a musical mix and
she uses everything I would if I was a vocalist, so she’s very easy to mix as
long as she has something to pitch to.”
Pell does some EQing, but other than that, she credits the Sennheiser
MD5235 condenser microphone as being a real asset to the singer’s
powerful sound. “This mic really suits her voice. I don’t know anyone that
this mic doesn’t suit actually! She love this mic too, she knows what she
likes and she’s very technically articulate about her needs.”
For in-ears, it’s a Sennheiser G3 affair, with the brand being top of
both engineers’ riders. Pell continued: “I always use Sennhesier, and it’s
always the top of my spec for the entire mic package. We have them on all
of our drums including the 901 / 902 combination for the kick drum. It’s my
absolute favourite, with 904’s on the rest of the drums. And, I have to say,
their support is brilliant.”
For mixing preferences, the pair laugh they they “took a different fork in
the road” as Pell always opts for DiGiCo and Madden is an avid Avid fan!
Pell furthered: “I’m using a DiGiCo SD8 on this tour, which I love. I’ll always
 PARTNER S I N TH E MI X
L E I S U R E T E C | linking Pioneer DJ to the trade

DISTRIBUTING PIONEER DJ FOR 22 YEARS

L E I S U R E T E C . C O. U K | +44 (0) 1525 850085

PDJ_LEISURETECxPDJ_AD_2017_MASTER.indd 1 31/05/2017 09:51

ANASTACIA
Stage Manager Nick Gosling with LD & Show Designer, Simon Horn; FOH Engineer, Chris Madden.
go for the very top of the SD range as I can, with the SD7 being my Rolls
Royce of desk choice, but the SD8 has everything I need and it fits into our
single truck with ease.” Pell is a big fan on the SD7’s onboard reverbs, citing
them as “an excellent feature.”
Over at the Hammersmith Apollo’s theatrical FOH position, Madden too
is excitable about his console, an Avid s6L. He said: “I’ve been an Avid beta
tester for a long time now, so I’m very, very close to Avid as a manufacturer.
The s6L is a fantastic desk. The software is continually developing and
improving significantly but the signal path hasn’t changed, which is
brilliant.
A key thing for me as an engineer, isn’t just that I need to love the
product, I need to know I have support if and when I need it. I know if I was
in Timbuktu, they’d help! It’s very important that they don’t leave us out
there on our own.”
Pell echoed the opinion: “Having relationships with companies is a big
part of why we use them; it’s not like that with every company, but for me,
knowing I can pick up the phone to DiGiCo or Sennheiser and get what I
need straight away really impacts how comfortable I am within my work.”
The same can be said for Madden’s enthusiastic choice of PA, the Clair
Cohesion 8. “It’s an incredible box, it’s a very, very good design and it’s a
remarkable step up for Clair engineering. We used the system last year and
I thought it was amazing, so I naturally wanted to use it again.” With just 12
boxes a side and a couple of subs, Madden is confident that for this tour, it’s
a case of “Once they’re flown, it’s job done. Andy Walker at Clair UK used
to fly the PA stage right for me, once upon a time so I wanted to use their
services as I know what they can do. If you haven’t heard this system, you
should; it really stands out compared to historical Clair boxes, and its small
footprint fits into our truck very nicely!” he concluded.
A TEAM EFFORT
A valuable team member for Myers is Nick Gosling, Stage Manager and
Drum Tech. Knowing how tricky it is to fit everything from the stage into
54
the truck, and managing a dual role, Gosling was thankful for the crew
he’s able to work alongside. “In one truck we’re carrying audio, lighting,
backline, set pieces & catering but by show 3 [out of 14] we had the packing
down to an art. A lot of this crew were new to me before I began working
for Anastacia 18 months ago, but I’ve been very fortunate in that Keely has
chosen some great crew, including Carpenter, Dom Dryburgh, Lighting Tech
Alessandro Schillaci, Audio Tech Ben Byford, Backline Tech Ben Dawson
and Production Assistant Victoria Bunney. There’s a fair bit to juggle, but
it’s a really enjoyable tour to work on.
“Tours work from the top down so if you’re treated nicely by the artist,
the crew tend to really care about what they do. It all filters down and
Anastacia really appreciates us. She makes an effort to talk to us and ask
how we are. She’s a lovely person to work for and that means that everyone
else is nice to be around!”
Straight after talking to Gosling, there was crew photo call with
Anastacia, her band and dancers. As I approached the stage for the photo
op, the singer, not one to miss a new face, said hello. I told her I was visiting
the crew to see how they’d put her tour together. And she told me, as she
stroked my leopard print coat with crazy cat lady fashion approval, “Girl,
please do; my crew work so hard, they’re amazing.” So there you have it,
straight from the lionesses’ mouth.
TPi
Photos: Shirlaine Forrest, Nora Jerker,
Andy Teo @ Photocillin Phorograohy, TPi
www.anastacia.com
www.negearth.com
www.clairglobal.com
www.beatthestreet.net
www.stagetruck.com
www.thepantrymaid.com
www.trussing.com
www.purplelighting.co.uk
 WWW.PRODUCTIONFUTURES.CO.UK

SAVE THE DATE

11th October 2017
For more information contact Justin Gawne – j.gawne@mondiale.co.uk

brought to you by
 SIMPLE MINDS
As well as bringing a skilfully refined production to Manchester in May this year,
veteran Glaswegian rockers Simple Minds and their crew also created a platform
for the people of the city to display their inherent defiance, in the face of abhorrent
cowardice. TPi’s Ste Durham spoke with the crew behind the monumental show.

When Simple Minds embarked on the 47-date Acoustic Live 2017 tour of
the UK and Europe, they couldn’t have foreseen what was to come the
night they arrived in Manchester on 22 May. The very fact that you have
this magazine in front of you means it would be a waste of time to explain
the significance of this date and location any further.
Sufficed to say, not a soul in the land would have begrudged them the
decision to postpone their show at Bridgewater Hall the following evening.
As you may already know, the band and their crew disagreed. The show did
indeed go on, and the life-affirming atmosphere created in that building
became the perfect antithesis to the mindless hate exhibited across the city
only 24 hours before.
LET THERE BE LOVE
The tour itself was made possible by an enviable roll call of technical
suppliers, with HSL for lighting and rigging, Britannia Row for audio, Red
Burn Transfer for trucking, Phoenix Bussing, Popcorn for catering, and The
Appointment Group keeping on top of travel arrangements.
FOH Engineer Olivier ‘Gégé’ Gérard started working with Simple Minds
in 2008, taking over as primary FOH Engineer in 2012. He said: “Simple
Minds are a real live band whose ethos is to give their audiences a great
live experience for their money, every time they play. Another thing about
Simple Minds is that they have a long history - their music spans more than
40 years and covers everything from post punk to underground new wave
and stadium rock. For this acoustic tour, they wanted to experiment with a
new way of bringing their songs to their audience; something more intimate.
I tried to capture that feeling by delivering a raw sound that was more
natural.
“I put aside the usual Jim Kerr vocal with delays and reverb sound and
I went for more authenticity and emotion. That was the starting point, but
it developed during the creative process to the point where we were using
acoustic guitars and percussion as well.”
Johnny Keirle, System Engineer, talked through the touring system:
“We chose an L-Acoustics KARA system, supplemented with ARCS II as
ground fills, X8 as lip/balcony fills and SB28 subwoofers. We travelled with

56

42 KARA elements, which were distributed as required on a daily basis.
All system designs were done the morning of the show as we didn’t have
exact coverage requirements nor did I have any existing venue drawings.
Systems varied between basic two-hang main hangs, main hangs and side
hangs, main hangs and delays, and split main hangs depending on venue
requirements.
“My primary goal was to achieve uniform coverage across all audience
areas, and paid particular attention to the tonal balance between audience
zones. The main challenges we faced were acoustical - concert halls and
symphony halls being very reverberant spaces. This made reducing spill
and overshoot crucial, and somewhat dictated design approach. In general,
I found a higher, flatter PA worked well to cover all audience areas without
overshooting into rear walls, ceilings or other reflective surfaces.”
He continued: “The KARA system was fantastic for this tour as it has
incredible high frequency throw and substantial lows, particularly when
using longer arrays. The lightweight box and rigging flexibility got us out of
trouble on many occasions where we faced weight restrictions and where
the occasional ground stack was required. The single-point flexibility
offered with the KARA’s M-BUMP is particularly useful in these theatre
and concert hall situations where we didn’t always have multiple points
available per hang.”
Where suitable, a four-hang (mains and sides) system was deployed to
achieve uniform coverage to 180°, though in the venues sold to 270°, side
hang positioning was adjusted and ARCS II were used to extend coverage.
For concerts sold 360°, such as the one in Manchester, between 4-8 X8
coaxials were attached to the mid stage and upstage lighting / set trusses
to cover choir stalls. The system was powered by L-Acoustics LA8 amplifiers
with processing taken care of in LA Network Manager.
Keirle continued: “The generic sub design was a physically spaced
array centre stage. The default design was 5 stacks of 2 SB28’s, spaced
and electronically arced with delay groups in LA Network Manager.
Configuration, physical displacement and electronic delay varied
depending on venue restrictions and coverage requirements. This
design was chosen in an attempt to achieve uniform sub-bass coverage
and minimise power alleys/valleys created by traditional L-R subwoofer
configurations. In venues where a spaced array was not achievable, I opted
for a more traditional L-R cardioid setup.”
Since 2012, the production has used Britannia Row for all audio
requirements. Gégé said: “When you are on tour it is very important that
you feel nothing can go wrong, especially on a long tour like this. Having the
support of a good PA company is a major part of the tour’s success. When
I’m FOH on Simple Minds tours I can always count on really good PA techs
such as Adam Smith, Craig Ross, Pawel Zakrzewski and Johnny Keirle. This
was Johnny’s second tour with Simple Minds and when you have PA tech
that understands what you are doing, and can hear it, you are the king of
rock ‘n’ roll!”
57
PRODUCTION PROFILE
He continued: “It is rare to be able to rely 100% on your partner in crime
when you are stuck at your desk hoping that the third balcony recognises
the song. When the show is taking place, Johnny walks around with his
tablet and keeps on tweaking every corner of the room, then he comes back
and usually says ‘up there it sounds just great - much better than here’. The
amazing results and comments we get for the sound are mostly due to the
fantastic job he does.”
The theatre setting also required Gégé to slim down his FOH footprint.
He opted for a Soundcraft Vi3000 running with the UAD RealTime Rack that
he knew well from previous tours. He said: “The UAD emulations sound
sensational; the Lexicon and plate reverbs are nearly real. As outboard I use
an Avalon VT-747SP inserted on the L/R bus. My lead vocal channel is an old
DPR 901II and an EL8X Distressor, which makes it nice and tight. I feed the
PA controls on AES, left, right and subs via the matrix. We used the Lake to
control the system.”
Gégé completely re-worked his live microphone setup to capture the
acoustic essence of these concerts. At the heart of the new arrangement is
a selection of DPA d:screet Miniature, d:dicate Recording, d:facto Vocal and
d:vote Instrument microphones, each chosen for their audio quality and
natural, transparent sound. The fact that they also have great resistance
to ‘spill’ and translate so well in the final mix is, according to Gégé, a major
bonus.
“I’ve been working with Simple Minds since 2012, but this tour is
different because the band is playing in an acoustic style,” he explained.
“They have worked with the concept and have delivered new life into the
songs included on Acoustic, their most recent album. It’s a new energy
and a new experience through songs that were worldwide hits when they
were originally released. Therefore, from a live point of view, it is quite a
challenge.”
To meet this challenge, Gégé decided to stick with the sound of the
album which he describes as “much more roots and raw”. He needed
microphones that could capture the detail and nuances of an acoustic
performance so he turned to DPA’s Belgium distributor Amptec - a company
he holds in high regard thanks to their extensive product knowledge - for
help and advice.
“Amptec’s Pro Audio Sales Manager, Dany Meeuwissen, suggested I try
DPA microphones some years ago, but I was in the middle of a tour and I
didn’t want to change the mics at that stage because it can have an impact
on the monitoring - it is very easy to get the routing out of balance just by
changing one small thing,” Gégé said. “However, on this occasion I got Dany
to look at my patch and he proposed miking the whole percussion set with
DPA. I went for it because I know DPA microphones sound great and I was
going for inconspicuous microphones to complete the idea of the ‘acoustic’
concept. I also needed superior sound and high SPL handling, which DPA
was able to deliver.”
The percussion line up includes five d:vote 4099 Instrument
 SIMPLE MINDS
Above: Olivier ‘Gégé’ Gérard, FOH Engineer and Johnny Keirle, System Engineer.
Microphones on toms, hi-hat, snare bottom, chimes and bells; a d:screet
4061 Miniature Omnidirectional Microphone on the Cajón; a d:dicate 2011A
Twin Diaphragm Cardioid Microphone on the bass drum and six d:dicate
2011C Compact Cardioid Microphones on the two snares, underheads and
gong.
“The first thing that drew my attention was the lack of spill,” Gégé
commented. “With other microphones I’ve tried, the more mics you open
together the more mid-high harshness you get in the mix. When I opened
all the DPA percussion mics together, everything was there - I didn’t have to
incorporate any EQ because I could clearly hear the source of the sound.”
Gégé also used 4 d:facto Vocal Microphones - two wireless and two wired
- for backing and guest vocalists. These include Sarah Brown, who has
previously worked as a backing singer for Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones,
George Michael and Simply Red.
“The d:facto is absolutely great for her because she has very wide range
and diversity in her sound,” he explained. “Most microphones would be
great when she is giving it, but I would have had to jump on the Highpass
when she became smoother and warmer. With the d:facto, the sound
stands in the mix as naturally as the rest of the DPAs.”
The crew didn’t use a d:facto on lead vocals because singer Jim Kerr
has been used a Shure Beta 58A for 40 years and is, quite understandably,
reluctant to change. Gégé said: “I tried other mics a couple of times but for
him, it is his instrument. It’s not only the sound but also the shape and the
weight of it. I also use a pair of Sennhheiser MKH 8060’s as ambiance mics
and they are the best. All DI’s are Radials except for the bass that is picked
up by the mono valve Manley DI.”
Monitor Engineer, Tommy Gorman, used a DiGiCo SD10. Given the fact
that the band wanted to use wedges again so that they could play more
acoustically, so Gégé chose to use d&b audiotechnik M2’s. Jim Kerr, Sarah
Brown and Cherisse Osei opted instead for a Sennheiser 2000 Series IEM
system.
SEE THE LIGHTS
Lighting Designer Stephen Pollard has worked with Simple Minds since
The world’s top artists, global brands, gruelling schedules and the most demanding logistics are entrusted to our experience and care
because we never miss a beat and no-one knows Europe better than our crew and team.
Now with a bigger fleet than ever at our disposal, we have retained our ‘boutique ‘ style and personal touch. If you need your
consignment to arrive smoothly, safely, and ahead of time every time, call Chris Redburn.
UK: 0044 (0)208 804 0027 . chris@redburn.co.uk . www.redburn.co.uk
58
1981 and, as a result, is essentially given a budget for the show design and
left to his own devices until the band walks into rehearsal. He said: “I love
seeing them experience it for the first time and, luckily, they’ve not been
disappointed so far! After years of big rock-looking shows it was nice to
tap into a different energy this time around and learn new things about
ourselves. This job is all about evolution and moving forward and this show
in particular has been a really eye-opening experience.”
As well as affecting the PA configuration, the 360° nature of the
Manchester show also meant that the lighting department couldn’t use the
full might of their touring rig. Pollard explained: “We’d done it earlier on in
the tour so it was just a case of rearranging the trusses and stage set. We
usually have three panels of white sharkstooth with black gauze in front of
it that were inspired by the shape of the railings at Glasgow fruit market. We
reconfigured the panels so they sat on the floor, allowing people behind to
see properly. We’d been told in advance at a couple of venues but this one
was a bit of a surprise! That said, the rig was designed to be flexible so it
wasn’t too much of a challenge.”
The adjusted version of the rig used in Manchester was basically the
same three-truss system as was used elsewhere. The front truss provided
key light for the band and overall wash lighting, while the mid stage truss
housed backlighting and some Martin by Harman MAC Axiom Hybrids
for floor beams and effects. The upstage truss had a number of Martin
by Harman MAC III Profiles focussed to blast through the set, essentially
making them into giant gobos.
The full lighting package, provided by HSL, consisted of 14 Robe Robin
600 Profiles; 13 Robin LED 600 Washes; 18 MAC III Profiles; 6 MAC Axiom
Hybrids; 7 Philips Showline SL 350 LED Washes; and 9 Philips Selecon
Acclaim 650W fresnels with barndoors, which were rigged onto Avenger
lighting stands at various heights. Pollard also specified an MDG haze
machine and a Martin by Harman JEM ZR33 smoke machine, both of which
were controlled from the lighting desk - in this case an MA Lighting grandMA.
Pollard explained his somewhat unconventional choice: “I had four of
them on tour, just in case, but I only needed the one. They are getting a
little bit long in the tooth but I love the feel of them - I don’t need the latest
140 years on the road,
4 generations behind the wheel,
5 times trucking company of the year
 SIMPLE MINDS

LD Stephen Pollard with his MA Lighting grandMA;

and greatest. For me it’s important to be comfortable and, given the

fact the band play without timecode, this is essential for me to follow
them closely. I set it up like I would a desk from the ‘90s - I don’t use cue
stacks - just a scene and page for each song with the looks and a few
minor effects all built from scratch. If something pops into my head I
want to be able to play along with the band, not to mention the fact that
it allows you to adapt better to the wide variety of venues we are playing
in on this tour.”
Although Pollard is no stranger to video, the LD opted to focus
on lighting in a more theatrical way and using the set to create a 3D
environment for the band to inhabit. He said: “I feel light people aren’t
combining lights and video very well at the moment, and it wouldn’t
really have been right for this show anyway. The directive from Jim [Kerr,
singer] at rehearsals was he didn’t want anything to be reduced, despite
it being acoustic. The guitarist still has a massive pedalboard and there
are no Persian carpets or tea candles in sight!”

SOMEONE SOMEWHERE
Redburn Transfer was tasked with transporting the band’s gear around
Europe during the tour, which was also not without its challenges. Tour
Driver Iain Lewis commented: “All Simple Minds tours are full on and
this acoustic tour was no different. ‘Days off’ in the touring schedule
only occurred when it was not possible to single drive from one gig to
the next. Madrid overnight to Lisbon into a cross load in and Brussels to
Dundee with collections and drops in London en route were just some
of challenges we faced and executed.
“As with any Simple Minds tour they seem to find some amazing
and intimate venues, which also present their own trials. The
manoeuvrability of our new DAF CF Euro 6’s was tested fully in the tiny
streets of Florence, Bologna, Porto and Baden Baden in particular. Life
would become a bit dull if you didn’t face new challenges and take them
on!
“This has been the fifth tour I have completed with the band and
the assembled tour crew is really first class. There have been very few
changes over the last six years and everybody gets stuck in, from the
start of load in until the last truck is rolling after the show.”

DON’T YOU (FORGET ABOUT ME)

While the venues were challenging, the travel was relentless and the
shows were frequent, the dutiful choice to take the stage a day after
the heartbreak at Manchester Arena cannot be ignored. As you would
expect, the crew were modest in the face of such praise.
Gégé said: “When you are on tour you are in a bubble, so we didn’t
fully realise at first what was going on. We woke up in Manchester as we
would in any other town and were very shocked by the news, although
for us it was just the next gig. However, we changed the intro of the show
to pay tribute to the victims, which was absolutely the right thing to do,
but our overall message was clear - we all have to carry on as planned
and not resign ourselves to fear. As Jim said that night, it would have
been cowardly not to carry on. The decision to do the show was taken
by everyone, including the crew, and it was unanimous.”
TPi
Photos: Shirlaine Forrest
www.simpleminds.org.uk
www.hslgroup.com www.britanniarow.com
www.amptec.be www.phoenix-bussing.co.uk
www.redburn.co.uk www.popcorncatering.com
www.appointmentgroup.com

59
INTERVIEW

DIAMANDA GALÁS FROM FOH
TPi’s Ste Durham sat down with Audio Engineer Daniel Neumann to talk experimental sound and
life on the road with one of music’s most enigmatic and creative figures.
Even after over 40 years of creating some of the most bold and
challenging compositions ever committed to tape, avant-garde
icon Diamanda Galás continues to push the boundaries of musical
expression. In order to give her the perfect platform to do so, the artist
needed an engineer that was unafraid to follow her to new and often
dark frontiers - enter Daniel Neumann.
He began: “My background is in media art, and at that time I did sound
engineering as a job to make money. At some point I feel like these two
interests started merging more and more so that the professional sound
work entered into the artistic activities and vice versa. To me, that’s the
interesting thing - to approach live sound with real artistic sensibilities -
which also lends itself to working with unconventional and experimental
artists like Diamanda.”
The only UK date on Galás’ tour was at London’s Barbican Theatre and
given the extremely light way in which Neumann travels with the artist, was
largely reliant on equipment sourced in-house.
“Usually I advance the show with the venue and then request
certain mics or monitors,” he said. “If the venue doesn’t have what I feel
comfortable with then they go to their local supplier and rent it for us. It’s
a nice way of doing things because then you can begin a conversation with
in-house technicians who know the room and what gear will work best.”
The equipment at the Barbican was based around a Meyer Sound MILO
system, with a DiGiCo SD9 at the FOH position and d&b monitor wedges
on stage. Neumann commented: “I am happy with the MILO system, which
61
DIAMANDA GALÁS FROM FOH
sounds great in this room, and I really like the sound, EQ and workflow of
DiGiCo consoles.
“I also run MainStage alongside it on the laptop for song-specific
effects. It’s basically like having a very flexible effects rack that I can carry
in a little computer pouch and the latency is decent. I have a good quality
RME audio interface and with MainStage I can programme a set list and
change the entire architecture of the effects setup with the touch of a
button. This is great when the set morphs during a tour or, sometimes, even
during the show itself if she spontaneously isn’t feeling two intense vocal
songs in a row, for example.”
With what some would consider to be the key elements of a venue’s
sound up to scratch, Neumann was allowed to go into more detail with
some of the more intricate aspects. He continued: “It depends on each
venue but we’ve recently started using two pairs of monitors around her.
She wants the ones on either side of her to be really loud and retain all of
the same effects that are coming through the main PA. The second pair
are slightly behind her and soaked in reverb in order to give her the room
response that she isn’t getting from any particularly dry concert halls. This
really helps her with the operatic vocals in particular and saves her from
overly exerting her voice.”
Given the naturally occurring acoustics in the Barbican, Neumann was
able to get by with only the front pair of monitors, which were in this case
d&b audiotechnik MAX2’s.
The engineer’s usual protocol is to use a single vocal microphone,
DIAMANDA GALÁS FROM FOH
Above: FOH Engineer Daniel Neumann makes extensive notes during soundcheck to ensure any venue-specific issues are ironed out.
with another five or six on the piano, allowing him to make use of different
aspects of the instrument for different songs, or parts of songs.
He said: “I place one of the stereo pairs very close to the hammers of the
piano in order to capture the attack and an aggressive, almost percussive,
sound. I then place a pair further back above the soundboard for a bigger,
more full-bodied piano sound. The fifth mic is actually a pickup that I
position even further back, which gives me a lot of signal before feedback
and can be used for heavy piano effects. I travel with the pickup as it’s not
the kind of thing that is readily available on the road, but most of the gear
changes venue to venue.”
At the Barbican, Neumann opted for a pair of DPA d:vote 4099’s at
the hammer position and d:dictate 4011As above the soundboard. He
continued: “It’s interesting how every piano, even if it’s the same Steinway
model, sounds different. I always fiddle around with both mic pairs to see
where is best to get the sound that I want.”
Getting this elusive sound is perhaps not as cut and dry as it might be
if the engineer was travelling with the same equipment to each venue.
The solution for this is a meticulous process that is developed through the
course of a show day.
Neumann explained: “I usually set everything up in the morning before
Diamanda arrives at around noon. First she warms up on the piano, which
is my chance to really focus on that aspect of the sound. I can go back and
forth between sticking my head into the piano and going back out into the
house to make sure I have the perfect mic positions. She then goes away
for vocal warm up before we do a quick sound check of every song in the
set.
“It’s kind of nice for us both to be able to go through and make sure the
monitors behave and all of the effects are dialled in correctly. I even take
little notes on each of the songs for effects levels that I can use to stay a few
steps ahead on the night.”
When the performance itself is underway, Neumann mixes from the
ground up - focussing on the fundamentals and allowing the artist and her
songs to convey maximum impact. He said: “I want to squeeze an intense
and full sound from the piano and voice without running into feedback,
and the two places that are the most dangerous for that are the piano in
the subwoofers and the vocals with effects in the monitors. Beyond that I
just want to make sure the sound comes across in the entire room and each
song is articulated specific to its artistic intent.”
Although Galás makes uses of various musical styles and forms to
express her creative vision, the subject matter is generally geared towards
the macabre, meaning Neumann has to follow her to the dark side when
62
operating at FOH...
A prime example of this is the epic and disturbing, Die Stunde Kommt
[The Hour Comes], which is based on a 19th Century poem by Ferdinand
Freiligrath. Neumann explained. “Diamanda composed an 8 - 10 minute
song from the poem, and it’s essentially about someone who is standing at
the grave of a deceased love that they said something awful to. It’s about
this regret and the fact that the hour might come where your love will die
and you wont have the chance to reconcile anymore.
“During the chorus she puts in these earthquake-like, low piano notes
that can often come at slightly different intervals. I crank the bass to
emphasise these low notes but I have to hit them in exactly the right spots
or the effect reveals itself. I wait for these notes and engage the effect a split
second before she hits it. It’s these kinds of nuances that I am picking out
during the whole performance.”
He continued: “She also does these multi-phonic high vocals that I try
to emphasise by saturating them towards the point of overdrive in order to
pick up the higher overtones. By doing this you add more overtones to the
sound and it really helps - you can almost feel her vocal chords vibrating
against your head!”
It’s this odd dichotomy of the classic and the experimental that
characterises both Galás’ challenging sound and Neumann’s captivating
approach to mixing her live show.
He commented: “When I first started with Diamanda I asked her
whether she wanted me to push the effects or keep it clean and operatic;
and she encouraged me to experiment and push things as much as
possible. I think her exact words were, “if you’re not going to push the
limits, why bother doing it,” and that, to me, describes really well what it is
like to work with her. It’s a real dialogue and she has a very precise artistic
vision, but not in a dogmatic way. I can always make suggestions, but she is
very vocal on what she feels works or doesn’t work.”
The strength of this working relationship was underlined further by the
fact that Galás herself was keen to give TPi her side of the story. She said:
“Dan Neumann has phenomenal ideas, endless energy to implement them,
and great ears. When I make a suggestion, he exhausts the possibilities and
hands me back something I never thought of. Working with him is one of
the great joys of my life.”
TPi
Photos: Andreas Stavrinides, Awais Butt & TPi
www.diamandagalas.com
www.danielneumann.org
www.barbican.org.uk
GEAR HEADS

XTA APA & MC2 Delta

www.audiocore.co.uk
www.mc2-audio.co.uk

Off the back of this year’s Glastonbury Festival, XTA / MC2 Sales Application & Support Manager,
Richard Fleming, discusses the R&D processes behind the APM and Delta amplifiers, telling TPi’s
Stew Hume why they were the best choice for the world-famous live music gathering...

What were the main goals in the creation of the Delta and APA range of
power amplifiers?
The goal for the APA series was very focussed. To design a range of
amplifiers with benchmark long-term power delivery and outstanding
audio quality, with advanced network audio capabilities. The Delta
amplifiers on the other hand were designed to bring not just audiophile
sound quality but a very high level of flexibility to sound system design. For
example, the Delta DSP has 4 inputs and 8 outputs. Four outputs drive the
local amplifier channels and four are available as auxiliary DSP outputs.
The four XLR line level outputs allow central control for sound systems
using active and passive speakers. All the DSP amplifiers in the Delta range
contain the world renowned XTA DP448 processing algorithms. Delta builds
on this further by offering amplifiers ranging from 1KW to 5KW per channel
and all the amplifier models, including the non-DSP, can be Dante enabled.
Combining DSP and non-DSP amplifiers in the Delta range allows designers
to focus different amplifiers power / signal processing suitable for their
application.
What were the main technical challenges in creating the systems?
We wanted to combine XTA’s vast experience in advanced DSP and MC2’s
in-depth knowledge of high power amplifier design. Points that were
particularly challenging were the range’s innovative and efficient thermal
management and combination power supply / power stage design, while
being mindful of the dynamic requirements of delivering good sound.
The APA amplifiers can also pull massive current from the mains supply,
essential for delivery of high quality sound at low frequencies in particular.
Another key challenge was presenting a complex processing system in a
logical, easy to use manner with a workflow based on feedback we had
received from engineers.
What do you see as the key benefits of the system for the end users?
The combination of amplifiers with and without DSP is right at the heart
of this system. In terms of budgets, why would you use a 5KW amplifier
to drive a 75W compression driver? Delta allows DSP to be used where it
is needed and amplifier power selected appropriate to the job in hand.

64

Opposite: The XTA APA and MC2 Delta. Below: Richard Fleming XTA / Mc2 Sales Application & Support Manager; The XTA APA and MC2 Delta in action at the Glade stage at
Glastonbury 2017, using the AudioCore software.
This offers flexibility to the designer and brings the user savings without
compromises. As part of the APA and Delta development programme,
Audiocore has had a major upgrade allowing simple control of systems.
How will users be able to use the tablet app and AudioCore software to
control the system?
Yes, users get the benefit from the new grouping functions for EQ, gain,
delay and limiting. Inputs and outputs can be a members of up 32 relative
groups and 32 absolute groups, allowing fast and simple control of complex
systems. For example, in with a Delta system with 6 DSP amplifiers there
are 24 input channels and 48 output channels, this can be reduced to a few
groups quickly and easily.
The new Delta Direct app and Audiocore work seamlessly together,
grouping options are all configurable and controllable from both an iPad or
PC. The amplifiers are also ‘group aware’, meaning grouping data is stored
locally in the amplifiers and can be retrieved or synced with both the Delta
Direct app and Audiocore. Making moving between the two controllers
easy.
The product was recently used at Glastonbury Festival. Could you briefly
discuss what was provided for the event and why the new range of power
amplifiers were the right piece of kit for the job?
The Glade stage main system was powered by MC2 Delta Amplifiers and
XTA APA-4E8’s with sub being provided by the active Funktion One F132.
MC2 Delta provided matrixing for the system and XTA APA-4E8 powered
65
XTA APA & MC2 DELTA
the main left and right and 4 surround towers. The surround system was
quad-amped and the main system was an asymmetric bass 5-way system.
During the festival, Audiocore provided fast workflow and easy setup and
alignment.
The system had 50 amplifier outputs all with DSP, the main input to the
system being a 6-channel surround primary input via Dante, with inputs
from Cadac and Yamaha desks requested by engineers.
The grouping system within Audiocore made setup very easy. The
combination of integrated DSP / amplifiers with Dante brought incredible
flexibility in system design and control and provision for redundant signal
paths.
Using some of the auxiliary DSP outputs on the Delta amplifiers on
the Glade stage we were able to provide recording outputs with dynamics
processing for FOH engineers.
Where else can we expect to see the system?
The next time the product will be rolled out will be the BBC Radio 1 event
at Cafe Mambo, Ibiza, clubbers can also head to Funkhaus, Berlin, Input,
Barcelona, Output, New York and Numero Uno Malta. Our DSP amplifiers
are firmware upgradeable over the network, with a number of new DSP
updates in the works, including an additional dynamics processing
upgrade being made available later this year.
TPi
Photos: Courtesy of XTA, TPi
www.audiocore.co.uk www.mc2-audio.co.uk
IN PROFILE

NITELITES: THE NEW ALTERNATIVE

33 years on from its inception by Jim Moore, the North East’s premier rock ‘n’ roll rental house,
family-run Nitelites, is bigger than ever, and yet, remains as personal as ever. On the cusp of the
UK & Europe’s monumentally busy festival season, and just weeks after becoming an L-Acoustics
K1 partner, Kel Murray heads (even further) North to meet the Tyne team in demand and discovers
the next generation of road crew could learn a career’s worth of education from this bustling and
bubbly warehouse...

Before the door’s even closed at Nitelites’ North Shields HQ the words
“How are we doing pet?” can be heard from around 10 people at once.
Within minutes there’s a fresh cup of peppermint tea (this is noteworthy
because it’s probably the only time I’ve drank tea with Nitelites), and
there’s a lot of phones ringing from all different directions. They’re as
busy as they are welcoming and they’re as loud as they are genuine.
To the untrained ear, ‘office banter’ with anyone from Nitelites could
require subtitles, but to any ear, it’d still be 90% laughter. (Much like this
interview was upon transcribing…)
Yet, their entire dynamic couldn’t possibly operate in any other fashion.
Certainly no strangers to TPi, the Nitelites family - I say that both literally
and affectionately, as you’ll find out later - has come a long way in the last
few years, having carefully combined the importance of success in business
with the success of forging organic relationships with their clients. The
results are becoming both a dream and a concern. The concern is that with
a growing number of successful artists on its roster, there is a blossoming
number of young people interested in the glamour of touring instead of the
reality: the graft of touring. A notion that Directors Jamie Moore and Andy
Magee certainly didn’t begin their careers with, as you’ll be able to tell if you
ever watched children’s TV in the early ‘90s: “One of the first gigs we ever
did together was PJ & Duncan,” smiled Moore. “I’m serious!”
Nowadays, Nitelites is a true contender in audio, lighting and rigging
for concert touring, as well as being the preferred supplier for all manner
of unique and challenging one-off gigs. Magee elaborated: “We’re probably

66
 NITELITES

Opposite: The Nitelites team; Catfish And The Bottlemen at Manchester Apollo; The comapny has recently become an L-Acoustics K1 partner.

quite different to a lot of companies in the K1 network. For example, we’ve
just put a lot of K1 up and down the River Tyne for the Great North Run. The
boxes were everywhere. We also do a lot of smaller, arty stuff so we like to
mix it up between local events, and our bigger tours.”
Moore agreed: “People don’t know a lot of what we do, and to be
honest, I think we pull off the impossible time and time again… so maybe
we don’t shout about it as well as we should do. I think the main thing
about us, as a company, is that if you do work with us, you know what we’re
about. There’s no getting away from that, because everyone knows us
personally.”
Now, I know what you’re thinking, this sounds like a line from a friendly
high street bank advert, but I can clarify objectively, that this is a company
in direct contact, and often in friendship with, its clientele. I’ve seen it with
my own eyes over a glass of err, peppermint tea shall we say. “Every artist
we work with can ring us,” Moore continued. “And that is what makes us
different. They’ve got our mobile numbers and can relay whatever they
need to us directly. That’s how you build long-term bonds with people.
That’s how they really know they can trust you with their tours. You can
see for yourself that we’re incredibly busy at the moment, but we have
to make sure, that no matter what happens, we never lose that personal
touch... I know we won’t though,” he smiled. “Because that’s just our DNA,
we can’t help being involved at that level, regardless of what level we reach
oursleves.”
If you were to look closely, you could identify a turning point in the
success of Nitelites to about a decade ago, when the Geordie gang first
invested in an L-Acoustics system. Magee elaborated: “The company was
given a new lease of life when Jamie took over and we purchased KARA. We
sort of blind purchased it because we knew everybody wanted it and we
knew everyone liked using it. Our customers were suddenly paying more
money to use us, and complaining less at the same time!” he reminisced.
The recent K1 investments comes as a second large direction change,
following the purchase of RCF’s TT+ system last year, another PA the

Follow us on
Audio Rental
Consoles
@johnhenrysltd
Speaker Systems
Monitoring
Wireless Systems
Communication Systems
DJ Equipment
Backline Rental
Grand Pianos
Music Stands
Specialist Suppliers to the Entertainment Industry Transformers
Rehearsal Studios
The Pro Shop
Staging Rental
On Stage, On Air, On the Road Rolling Risers
Delivering quality equipment and professional services to the entertainment industry since 1976 Skid Decks
Transportation
16-24 Brewery Road, London N7 9NH | www.johnhenrys.com | e: info@johnhenrys.com | T: +44 (0)20 7609 9181

67
NITELITES

James Bay’s touring production was a big success for the Nitelites family, which counts TPi Award-winning FOH Engineer Rob Sadler & Monitor Engineer Marc Graham
(who just helped your Glastonbury experince run smoothly!) among its loyal clients; The RCF TT+ system in use for some of the rental house’s more unusual gigs and local
festivals.

company has seen great demand for. “Between who we are and how we
work, and of course our top notch equipment, we’re doing really well at the
moment but we’re working really hard at it all the time too,” added Moore.
To name but a few, the current roster reads like a pretty substantial
festival line up: Rag’n’Bone Man (the latest addition to the camp with TPi-
Award winning FOH Engineer, Rob Sadler), Catfish & the Bottlemen, Et Al,
Nothing But Thieves, and what’s set to be a new TPi story, Linkin Park’s UK /
European festival run and headline shows, including a night at London’s O2
Arena. As my time at Nitlelites draws to a close, Magee plays a track from a new
In fact, when I visit Nitelites HQ, it’s just a couple of days before one of
their most high pressure gigs to date: Alt J at the O2 Arena ahead of their
Glastonbury appearance. Moore & co deployed a K1 rig, and needless to
say, they ‘smashed’ it. Catching the attention of some US rental houses
while they were at it...
As I walk downstairs to see what’s happening in the warehouse, there’s
a clear generation divide which in reality is working in unison and there’s a
sense of respect felt thoughout. People barely out of school are just metres
away from ‘Big Jim’ - or Jim Moore to the postman - who is making wooden
cases in the back. Still client facing with the company’s older acts, Moore
Sr is as straight talking as he is press shy. Old school through and through.
“He’d still be loading boxes out of the trucks at 4am if we let him, which we
don’t!” noted Moore.
“It’s true,” agreed Magee. “It’s not hard to find people with passion these
days, but it is hard to find people with passion, determination and work
ethic. A lot of educational establishments are full of people teaching kids
about live music production when they’ve never even mixed gig or been
on the road in their lives. I mean, what do they really think they can teach
them about the realities of living on a bus? We need to bridge the awful gap
between the learning experience and he real life experience.”
Moore, and his brother Shaun Moore [currently Project Manager on
Linkin Park] were born into the heady world of concert touring, but there
wasn’t a day that went by when Moore Sr wouldn’t make them graft. In
a word, they were gifted absoutely nothing. “The family vibes and the
personalities we have in here are what we’re all about, but you have to want
this career 24/7, and that means everything that comes with it too.”
Magee is of a similar line of thinking. “We learnt how to do the jobs we
needed to do, and then later we worked out the science of why we were
doing it. But a lot of that learning is up to the individual.”
artist they’ve recently taken on. Going by the name of Sam Fender, Magee
gave me some context: “He’s a local (don’t pronounce the c!) lad who has
recently signed to the same manager as Ben Howard.” Magee, who mixes
Howard’s FOH sound, played the new discovery’s debut single, Play God.
My ears pricked. The song remained in my head for the days that followed
and it wasn’t until I sat down to write this that I realsied why: the singer’s
sound is easy to absorb, but his lyrics made this story even more poignant.
Recorded in his mother’s flat and garden shed, Fender, who works with
producer Tom Lewis, sings with meaning: “It’s all the same down in the
capital / All the suits and crowded feet / Soon we’ll rattle on the underground
/ In a race to make ends meet.”
And just like that, there’s a reminder of the northern comfort in what
it means to make it elsewhere but remain as grass roots and honest as
you know you should. It seems like a perfect fit. So the next time you see
a Niteliter, buy him or her a drink; not only will they deserve it, but you’ll
probably spend a good amount of time giggling out loud whilst quietly
wondering how you become a part of this expanding bloodline...
TPi
Photos: TPi, Nitelites &
Shirlaine Forrest.
www.nitelites.co.uk

68
 The Crossroads
Where Production
Meets Performance

g Brands
Certification / Leadin
ucation / Industry
ssional Ed
c a se s / D e mos / Profe
w
System Sho

Business Begins Here.

Start your business year at the show that
unites the biggest names in music, sound
and event technology. NAMM showcases the
latest products with dedicated exhibit halls,
education programs curated by industry
partners including AES and ESTA, and
community events, like the Parnelli Awards
and TEC Awards. Learn more at namm.org/mondo #nammshow

NS18_MondoAd_July3.indd 1 7/3/17 12:15 PM

NITELITES

WHAT THE TEAM SAYS…

EMILY TERRY, WAREHOUSE ASSISTANT (18)
“From the age of 16 I knew I wanted to work in live music; I loved going to gigs and started to wonder what
the guys behind the desks were doing… I went to college to study lighting but I’ve learnt so much more from
being hands-on here. I met Liam Tully [Newcastle local and James Bay’s LD] when he came into my college
to do a presentation. Then he introduced me to Rob Sadler, who did James’ FOH sound. He’s currently out
with Rag N’ Bone Man. He knew I wanted to get in with a rental company so he passed my details onto Jamie
Moore. That was it; I was shadowing anyone and everyone I could for a year while I was still at college before
I officially started working here. I love it. I work in the warehouse every day and I’m getting more and more
interested in audio. I really enjoy prepping gigs and I want to learn as much as I can.”

VICKI HAY, LIGHTING TECH (24)

“When I started working here at 16, I was the first girl to come into the warehouse. I started, like everyone
does, doing work experience, and now I’m full time. It’s been 8 years, and I really love it here. I started out as a
student in theatre; I went to university and carried on working here at the same time. Emily started properly
in April, but for a long time, it was just 15 lads and me! They’re like my big brothers, and I can’t imagine not
working here. It’s in the pipeline that I’ll be going on tour soon, I’d like to be a touring Nitelites Lighting Tech.”

TOM GEOGHEGAN, SYSTEM TECH (24)

“I’d done some work for another rental company and kept meeting people from Nitelites. I eventually sat down
with Jamie and we got on so well that he put me on lots of different gigs straight away. He puts a lot of trust in
people and pushes me to do things that I didn’t know I could. Because of that, I end up pushing myself. This is
definitely a family-led company, so it’s agiven that we all look out for each other. I’m personally doing a lot of one-
off gigs at the moment because Nitelites are getting booked constantly now they have the L-Acoustics system.”

LUKE MAY, FOH ENGINEER (27)

“I’m from the Midlands, but I moved to Newcastle for a university course in music production and event
management. I quickly heard about Nitelites being a good local company. Andy Magee was coming into my
classrooms a lot at this time, and seeing if there were any potential students who might want to work for
them. I thought it was the coolest company anyway, so I grafted and showed them that I could do this. That’s
what I’m now trying to teach the younger people coming in. I’ve been here 8 years - and on tour for the last 3
with Sunset Suns –as a FOH Engineer. My main advice is that you have to know the gear, of course, but that’s
a base knowledge because technology is always expanding. You don’t have to know absolutely everything,
but you do have to learn on the job. A vital part of being touring crew is actually just being a nice person! It’s
almost a priority; being friendly, adaptable and being able to talk to people in any situation are key traits.
We’re out there representing Nitelites and this is a family-run business that brings other people into the
extended family. That’s something you have to 100% be a part of.”

GARY SURREDGE, WAREHOUSE ASSISTANT (26)

“I was working at Newcastle Academy, on the bar, when I developed an interest in lighting. It was a great
place to learn the ropes, but eventually, I realised that I wanted to be part of the team coming into the
venue so I joined Nitelites. I like it here because everyone comes from different backgrounds, but all of
the people are supportive of each other. We all teach each other on a daily basis, and help each other
learn. Eventually I’d like to go on tour, but for now, I really want to stay here and fill my head with as much
information as possible…”

MARC GRAHAM - FREELANCE MONITOR ENGINEER / PRODUCTION & STAGE MANAGER

“Nitelites go the extra mile whenever you need it, wherever you need it. Jamie runs the ship because he’s a
good leader. And I mean that: he inspires people, especially the younger crowd coming through the doors
here. He’s not the kind of person who stands at the back and points his finger, he gets stuck in and gets his
hands dirty - and so does his dad. Some people in this industry are a bit long in the tooth, and they tend
to forget that younger people need to be around someone who still has that work ethic and enthusiastic
attitude about getting the job done right, every day.”

70
 Coming soon...

CATEGORIES
Best Nightlife Venue
Best House of Worship
Best Sporting Venue
Best Integrated Resort
Best Performance Venue

Two more categories to be added in 2018

ENTER
Look out for the new website coming in Summer 2017
to submit your project for the 2018 Awards

www.mondodrawards.com

SPONSORSHIP
Want to sponsor the
2018 mondo*dr Awards?

drawards@mondiale.co.uk
 INFOCOMM’S TIDE CONFERENCE
At this year’s InfoComm tradeshow in Orlando, Florida, organisers launched their latest incentive,
TIDE. Billed as a new thought-leadership conference, the day event invited experts from the fields of
design, architecture, integration and live events to talk about how they have enhanced the ‘story’
in their latest projects. TPi’s Stew Hume was in attendance to see what this new conference had to
offer the live events community...

No doubt most readers of TPi have attended a number of tradeshow
talks and panels. Although varying in content, it is fair to say that they
often follow a very similar format. However, at InfoComm 2017, event
organisers opted to turn this staple of the tradeshow week on its head
with the TIDE conference. The event offered a fresh format to the usual
panel discussions that put the technology to one side to instead look at
the art of ‘storytelling’. TPi spoke to Dan Goldstein, Senior Vice President
of Marketing for InfoComm International, to discuss the new incentive.
“TIDE is all part of a wider initiative for InfoComm,” began Goldstein. “At
this year’s InfoComm the tag line has been ‘what will you create?’ As with all
shows, this year there is a lot of new technology on the tradeshow floor, but
all of this is meaningless without content. We want people to come into the
show itching to create new projects and then finding the tools to make it a
reality.”
TIDE was an extension of this thought process. An acronym for
Technology, Innovation, Design and Experience, the conference, taking
place the day before the official opening of the show, brought a cross
section of speakers from various fields. The goal was to provide a forum for
conversation, learning and insight. The format was designed to be a cross
between TED, SXSW and an Experimental Marketing Summit while still
being relatable to the various industries present in the room. The theme of
the inaugural event was centred around ‘storytelling’ and how considering
the importance of a narrative can seriously improve your end product –
whether that be an installation in a shopping centre or at a live rock show.
Hosted by blogger and writer, Luvvie Ajayi, the event saw keynote
talks from Pixar’s Matthew Luhn, CEO Emblematic Group and ‘Godmother
of Virtual Reality,’ Nonny de la Peña and NASA’s Director of Advanced
Exploration Systems, Jason Crusan.

72
 EXPO

Opposite: Pixar’s Matthew Luhn delivering the opening keynote speech at this year TIDE conference. Below: Dan Goldstein, Senior Vice President of Marketing for
InfoComm International; The conference ran for the whole day prior to the official opening of InfoComm at the Hyatt Regency, Orlando.

“One thing that I said from the beginning of the development of TIDE “In our opinion, a live event or experience has all the fundamental elements
was to bring in new faces on the stage,” said Goldstein. “None of the of a narrative. It is designed to evoke certain emotions at certain times from
speakers during the day had ever spoken at an InfoComm event. This the participant. There were so many lessons, particularly from education
meant we could bring in new personalities and perspectives into the forum. where classroom design has really become a science of nuance, that are
As well as those speaking, we were also keen for those attending to come applicable to live events.”
from various factions of the market place. These days various industries Looking to the future Goldstein discussed what was next for the TIDE
are drawing inspiration from one another. For conference. “From the outset we knew we
example, at a previous trade show the leading wanted to bring TIDE to other events around
discussion was how people were drawing the world,” he began. “I think there are massive
inspiration from the theatre market in unrelated opportunities for it in the Middle East and in
industries. With this current trend of cross- certain regions in Asia. For now, its next stop
industry inspiration it only makes scene to get will be Amsterdam for the upcoming ISE in
everyone under one roof.” February 2018, as well as next year’s InfoComm
As well as talks, panel discussions and open in Las Vegas. It will have a similar set up to the
debates, during the day all attendees were Orlando event although we have not settled on
divided into splinter groups to have a chance the theme. The immediate plan for now is to look
to collaborate in small workshops designed to
make attendees further explore how they could
“As with all shows, this year there through the feedback and see how we can grow
the project.
utilise the importance and power of storytelling is a lot of new technology on the “We are very happy with how our first
back in their own industry. attempt has gone. As I discussed with some
During the day there were several members
tradeshow floor, but all of this of the TIDE organisers when the event came
of the live events industry including panellist Eric is meaningless without content. to a close, I believe the European market and
Grossman, COO of TAIT Towers: “I thought the
day was great. The conference was well curated
We want people to come into the the west coast of America would embrace the
concept even more so, in many ways, Orlando
with an amazing list of diverse speakers. This show itching to create new pro- was the toughest choice to launch TIDE. But, if it
variety provided an excellent background to
discover the impact of storytelling not just in
jects and then finding the tools can succeed here, it probably means we are on
to something...”
clearly branded industries like retail, restaurants, to make it a reality.” Until then, videos from the conference
and advertising but in markets like education as Dan Goldstein, will soon be made available online for those that
well.” were unable to attend.
Grossman went on to describe the benefit Senior Vice President of Marketing for TPi
the talks could have on the live events industry. InfoComm International www.infocommshow.org

73
FESTIVAL FOCUS

FESTIVAL FOCUS 2017

As is the annual tradition, we at Team TPi have packed our tents and wellies to bring you this year’s Festival
Focus. Running every issue form July to October, the TPi editorial family will be speaking to the wonderful
men and women who make the European festival season what it is - legendary.

ROCK IM PARK
TPi were onsite at Rock im Park at the Zeppelinfeld in Nuremberg, Germany, this June, where 80,000 fans
enjoyed a stellar rock line-up featuring Rammstein, System of A Down and Die Toten Hosen.

Rock Im Park is promoted by Argo Konzerte,
whose Managing Director Peter Pracht has
nurtured the event from being first held in
Vienna, via Munich and Nuremberg’s main
football stadium before settling into its
long-term home at the city’s Zeppelinfeld.
He now works in association with Marek
Lieberberg and Live Nation Germany, who
promote Rock Am Ring to ensure strong
artist line-ups, which can be largely shared
between the two sites.
The event, combined with sister festival Rock Am Ring running
simultaneously at the Nurburgring race track, combines to be the biggest
music festival in Germany attracting more than 150,000 ticket holders to
Nuremberg and Nürburg.
We heard how this picturesque Nürburgring site is steeped in history,
the scene of Zeppelin airship flights during the early 20th century, then
from 1933 to 1938 also the venue for the infamous Nazi rallies conducted by
Adolf Hitler. There is a collective pride by everyone involved in Rock im Park
that ‘the evil history has been overcome, now hosting a celebratory music
festival, where the overriding sentiments are peace and love’.
Pracht is still very hands-on with many elements of the festival. He told
TPi: “When it comes to the content of the festival I want to make sure it stays
fresh and loyal in its ethos to its core fanbase.
“I wanted to add some decoration to public areas to create a more
immersive environment for our audiences this year. I liked the idea of
drawing links to the 30’s historic era, so we have introduced scenic
elements to recreate the feel of streets from back then on the food and
concessions areas, which have been really well-received.
“We were keen to improve our audience experience around the already
strong music offering where possible, so we added a big wheel overlooking
the main field this year. We have also introduced a luxury camping area.
There are three levels of luxury tents on offer sharing an exclusive bar and
outdoor garden area and we’ve sold out all 500 of these tickets available
in its first year, which we’re very pleased with. There is definitely a section
of our audience that don’t want to go off site to a hotel but are increasingly
looking for more comfort than the basic camping experience. So it’s up
to us to listen to them and cater for what they want, which is what we’ve
done.”
Pracht was also the founder of festival infrastructure provider Bümo

74

Opposite: Over 80,000 music fans descended on the Rock im Park festival site. Below: Argo Konzerte Managing Director Peter Pracht, CEO of the EVAGO AG group Goran
Marincic; Mojo Barriers were on site to ensure the safety of both artists and festival goers.
during the early 1970’s, he recalled: “Back then there was no company
servicing the German market with equipment to meet the requirements of
the bands from the UK and US, so we built our own inventory, which other
festivals wanted to use - so we had a new business concept and Bümo was
born. Bümo is a mixture of the two words Bühne (stage) and mobil (mobile).
He concluded: “Nowadays Bümo with its Head Goran Marincic is a
professional partner that drives the positive development of our products.
We appreciate the unique combination of purposeful innovation and the
continuity with their understanding of our ethos.”
We fittingly went on to speak with Marincic, CEO of the EVAGO AG, of
which Bümo is a member and now one of the largest players in the German
live events market. Marincic had his first Rock im Park experience in 2001,
supplying VIP Security. The services he offered grew over years to include
fencing and barriers, before he bought Bümo in 2015 and began to offer a
complete festival infrastructure service.
Bümo has been a primary supplier of a wide range of infrastructure for
Rock im Park and Rock Am Ring for several years. Once again a hands-on
CEO, we found Marincic in the main Zeppelinfeld arena overseeing the
installation of the temporary ground protection.
The idea of one company supplying multiple services to a festival
promoter is not a business model seen so often at UK festivals but in
Germany it is more commonplace.
Marincic explained: “In Germany promoters want a supplier who
can deliver them all the products they need. In this country we have big
companies, whereas in the UK there are many small companies who are
specialists in flooring or fencing or barriers or furniture. I think in the next
few years finance will be increasingly important for promoters. If I can bring
one truck with all the products as opposed to two companies bringing two
different trucks there are significant savings for the promoters.”
The recent purchase of Mojo Barriers is another key piece of the jigsaw
for EVAGO as it builds a reputation as the complete supplier to events.
At the same time as its crews are on site at Rock im Park, Bümo is
75
ROCK IM PARK
also working on European tours for Guns N’ Roses, Depeche Mode,
Coldplay and Bruno Mars. With a very visible presence in Germany, Austria
and Switzerland and ambitious plans for the UK, the US and Australia,
expanding the product range is key for Marincic.
“I work with all kinds of promoters, and I want to bring them solutions
- not problems. For me Mojo Barriers offer the best products for crowd
management in the world.
“Initially I purchased a large amount of barriers from them, but the more
I saw of the people, the ethos and the products in the end I decided to
buy the whole company! Now we are looking to develop the company and
widen the products we can offer clients globally.
“Once we have the right personnel and infrastructure in place, we will
be looking to offer the full-service, as we currently have in Germany. We can
use this on indoor or outdoor events, at festivals, single shows and so on,
offering all the equipment and material needs.”
This streamlined approach is something Marincic believes benefits
promoters, and not just in terms of equipment suppliers. One point of
contact means one place to send invoices to, one person’s advice to seek,
one person to have site meetings with. This is something that sits well with
organisers of Rock im Park, a huge event with many moving parts.
“From Peter’s point of view you’ve got just one project manager so when
you have to make a call you’re dealing with just one guy as opposed to ten
different guys. And you’re talking about a full service for the site, safety and
all the materials you need.
“We are very similar in that we both like to be hands-on, and on site. You
won’t often find Peter stuck in an office, which helps make him an excellent
promoter connected to all elements of his events, his artists and his
audiences,” he said.
Although it’s only the first year Mojo has been part of the EVAGO stable,
using its barriers is already having an effect.
“Prior to this year we used entirely steel barriers, not aluminium,” said
Marincic. “This makes a big difference in terms of handling and transport.
ROCK IM PARK
Bümo’s Project Director, Walter ‘Schlanky’ Schilling; Festival Site Coordinator, Sebastian Zimpel.
We can bring 450 pieces of aluminium barrier material in one truck as
opposed to 275 of steel.”
Bümo’s Project Director on site is Walter ‘Schlanky’ Schilling, who has
been working at Rock im Park since 2004, he told TPi that Bümo’s presence
has grown to the point that there are very few corners of the festival where
you won’t see their kit.
The list of what EVAGO and Mojo supplied to Rock Im Park this year is
staggering. It includes 30,000sqm of floor protection, 27.5km of fencing,
1,400m of pedestrian barriers with 2,500m of mesh fencing, 1,000m of Mojo
Barriers, 180-200m of entrance gates, 580m of cable bridges, 47 full fitted
out dressing rooms, 290m of Layher scaffolding, 1,200sqm of small tents for
the merchandise and food areas and the tents and furniture for the deluxe
camping area.
“Even if you went to catering you would see a Bümo freezer, sink,
washing machine or even the dishwashers and the kitchen flooring,”
Schlanky laughed.
“We are one of those rare companies who can provide a client with the
whole package - that starts with the expertise of our people and moves
into a vast array of products. We keep it straightforward for the clients, so
people can just say to us: “hey, this is my act and this is the area I want to
play - how much does it cost?”
To operate in the events industry, where companies come and go and
brands change or are absorbed, since 1978 is no mean feat and there is a lot
of pride in the Bümo ranks that they have not only survived, but grown.
That’s why, Schlanky said, Mojo Barriers is a good “fit”.
“Looking at Mojo, it is a great company with great products. You can
look at any rider in the world and it will request Mojo or ‘Mojo-type’ barriers.
I would say in our business that 99.9% of people know their name – it’s a
very, very strong brand. Now it’s time to see what it can do in the future, to
put some power behind it.”
Having gained a wide experience of the touring bands and the wider
events industry since 1986, Schlanky joined Bümo in 2014, at a time when
76
the company itself was going through change.
Having heard the company might be up for sale, Marincic phoned
Pracht, the then owner and told him, half jokingly, to let him know before he
listened to other offers. A couple of days later he got a call back, and soon
Bümo was part of EVAGO.
Along with his partner Bernd Loy, Marincic saw the potential and, while
keeping the name, decided to not only modernise the company but invest
in new equipment and grow through acquisition.
As well as the appointment of Schlanky, they also recruited Monica
Kashuser who is an expert in artist liaison, and has been head of dressing
rooms at Rock Am Ring for the past six years.
“Goran didn’t want Bümo to just be a company inside another
company,” said Schlanky. “His approach has always been that if he acquires
a new company or product he allows one year to observe it and then he
knows what it is capable in the future.”
The first show that the ‘new’ Bümo was involved in was AC/DC on the
Zeppelinfeld in May 2015. A week later the company was straight into Rock
im Park.
To get an idea of the scale of the festival, you only have to spend a few
minutes with the festival site Coordinator Zimpel, who this year also took
on the role of Technical / Licensing Director. He is also part of Bümo and
another example of how the company is geared up to solve all of its clients’
challenges.
Rock im Park takes place within 11km of fencing and pretty much
everything inside that perimeter falls into his lap.
“I have to find a way to make sure everyone is happy,” he said. When
‘everyone’ means the city authorities, suppliers, merchandisers, utility
companies, caterers and the police along with the 75,000 on-site campers
spread across 90 different camping areas, it’s a lot for one man.
“Up until this year I thought I knew everything about Rock im Park but
with the new technical licensing role it means there are a whole lot of new
things to check. And double check!”
 5
YEAR WARRANTY

18,000 Maintenance-Free Lumens

from a 1-Chip DLP Projector?
SURELY NOT?
YES - IT’S HERE!
20,000 HOURS ILLUMINATION
BRIGHTEST 1-CHIP DLP LASER PHOSPHOR PROJECTOR

COLOURBOOST MULTIAXIS PROJECTOR SMARTSTACK

TECHNOLOGY INSTALLATION CONTROLLER SYSTEM

www.digitalprojection.com

TPI MAGAZINE HALF PAGE.indd 1 06/06/2017 07:40

COLOURBOOST COLOURBOOST COLOURBOOST COLOURBOOST

TECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGY

DOWNLOAD THE TPi APP

Search “TPi Magazine” on the App Store and Google Play.

WWW.TPiMAGAZINE.COM
ROCK IM PARK
Below: The 1930’s inspired concession area; Bümo’s scaffolding Project Manager Bernard Seitz.
Even the weather comes under Zimpel’s remit - and midsummer
European storms are not something to mess with.
“If we get lightning there is plenty to think about. Being in the city centre
we are at slightly less risk - we’re in a wide open field and we have a sports
stadium and large funfair adjacent to us should we need to evacuate the
site,” Zimpel commented.
“Our approach, and it’s something the promoter is also keen on, is not
taking action once something is happening but rather planning in case it
might happen.
“We have a big security office where the fire service and police are
based and that’s where the accurate weather reports come in to. Last year
we stopped the show three times, we had problems with hail at one point
and also lightning, our procedures worked very well last year, and we will
always keep updating them.”
“As an inner-city site, Rock im Park benefits from infrastructure
investment into all the elements that any resident might expect. The
stages, catering and merchandising areas run without generators from
mains electricity, we’ve introduced solar power charging points for
the public, we’ve got vacuum flush toilets and there are plentiful water
hydrants on site. But being so close to a city of nearly 800,000 people
brings another set of challenges.
“We have a good relationship with the police and local authorities. The
Chief of Police has made three site visits already this year and it’s often a
case of us helping them out and them helping us out,” said Zimpel.
“The site largely dictates what we do. We have to put stages in certain
places because of sound considerations with the local residents. We
might change things ever so slightly like moving a speaker a few metres or
repositioning an emergency exit but there won’t be huge changes.
“When it comes to the local residents, some of them love us and some
of them hate us. There are laws in this part of Germany relating to people
having access to green space and because this is a park we have to be very
careful about that. We have learned not to annoy the dog walkers!”
A significant change this year was driven by the promoter’s desire
78
to introduce scenic elements to transform the site for the audience, in
particular the catering area. Bümo’s scaffolding project manager Bernard
Seitz, designed and installed over 150m of Lahyer scaffold walls, adorned
with artwork creating movie style catering streets in the theme of the
1930’s Zeppelin era.
He explained: “There is a German folk-law character called Helga, and
a popular saying ‘Where’s Helga?’. So in one of the main bars the promoter
wanted to create was called Helga’s - a lot of thought went into this new
decor and the feedback from the audience has been that they really like the
new elements.”
Judging by the hefty files of structural engineering drawings and
calculations in Bernard’s on site office there has been a lot of thought from
his side too.
“The German regulations for temporary structures and wind loading are
high and they are rigorously enforced, so I produced detailed calculations.
Bümo went the extra mile and invested in a TUV certificate, which means
that the drawings and the actual build are checked and signed off. That
certificate means that I can build the same structure anywhere in Germany
- there are no variations with local authorities as with other countries, so
that’s a very useful certificate that can save a lot of time on future events.”
Clearly Bümo has very strong relations with festivals like Rock im Park
and there are plans for more to come, as Marincic explained: “We have
ambitions to reach out globally with brands like Mojo and extend what
we can offer across the world. In addition to stage barriers we have more
flooring systems on the way. At the moment we have just agreed a rental
exclusivity for Terraplas products Supertrak and Terratrak but what I’ve
been developing is a system that can offer any promoter a complete
flooring solution, which would be the first of its kind.
“Supertrak is a very good system but it’s not suitable for all occasions
and the same is true of Terratrak.”
www.rock-im-park.com
www.mojobarriers.com
www.buemo.com
DOWNLOAD
DOWNLOAD
After last year’s apocalyptic showers, Castle Donington once again lowered its draw-bridge to the global
metal and rock community, but this time with serveral measures in place to combat the adverse weather. TPi
spoke to Festival Manager John Probyn and some key suppliers to find out more...
As one of the many thousands attending last year’s Download, there
is one word that can sum up the weekend; wet. At one point on the
Friday of the festival there was 5 inches of rain in just 20 minutes. Such
extreme conditions would have been challenging to any event but as
preparation for Download 2017 began, Festival Manager John Probyn
had one thought; it could always happen again. “In my 25 years of
working festivals, I have never seen conditions like that before. It caused
a multitude of problems from audience movement to logistical issues
such as getting in food and emptying toilets. On top of the weather, the
M1 was closed for 27 hours, which had a knock on effect with access to
the site.”
The production’s first goal was site drainage. The result was the
creation of a whole new system and an installation of over 3,000m of
drainage, quadrupling the amount from last year. An additional 1,115m of
new ditches were also added to take away ground water on site. “During
the rest of the year the site functions as a race track but we have a really
good relationship with the management,” explained Probyn. “We made
sure all the infrastructure we put in would not affect the site. During the
festival build we did have some rain, which gave our new drainage system
a test run. I have never been so happy to see rain on site as it proved we
had made the right moves.” Thankfully during the weekend mother nature
was kind to the punters but as Probyn stated, it’s always better to be over-
prepared. “This went for our traffic management system this year as well.
We had SEP Events in to provide several action plans in case there was an
issue on any of the surrounding roadways.”
Melvin Benn, Director of Festival Republic discussed some of the
changes made to this years site: “We’re always looking to improve the
experience for our customers - it’s always at the forefront of any planning
we do, so the feedback we received on last year’s festival has been
80
invaluable. We introduced the Dog Blog this year, which has enabled us to
really listen to the Download fans and take on board all suggestions, and in
turn implement plans that will see this year’s Download be the best yet.”
Probyn also highlighted the importance of the Download family in
the organisation of the festival: “The vast majority of our audience take a
deep interest in the festival organisation and are incredibly committed to
the event. They are also brutally honest and we take their feedback very
seriously. It really is a community who all care for one another.”
With recent world events taken into account, security was paramount.
Glasgow’s Specialized Security was brought into the festival for the first
time. “The feedback from both the crew and the attendees has been
fantastic,” commented Probyn. “It was a tough job for them getting to know
the layout of the site but their management team was incredible. Since
the winter they have been down on site working out the logistics as well as
attending every planning meeting. The Glaswegian humour of their staff
was well appreciated by the fans; they nailed the balance of good nature
and making people feel safe.”
Another addition this year was the Dog Squad; 400 members of newly
appointed volunteers who were onsite from Wednesday to Sunday to aid
festival-goers with any onsite issues. “Our security team have so much to
deal with in terms of rules and regulations of letting people in and out of
the festival as well as crowd management,” said Probyn while explained the
initial concept of the Squad. “The idea to bring in volunteers was to provide
Download with mobile help points. Each one of the Squad had a book
with almost every possible question a festival-goer may have, along with
a walkie-talkie to contact their base.” After the success of the incentive,
Probyn stated that the Squad would certainly be making a return in 2018.
Photo: Matt Eachus
https://downloadfestival.co.uk
 DOWNLOAD

SSE AUDIO
The audio specialist once again supplied year but were a no-brainer to bring back. The’re bulletproof in terms of
the main and second stages for the annual reliability.”
Donington event. SSE Hire Manager Miles Like many other departments the audio team had to deal with high
Hillyard looked after the project for SSE: winds during the build, however Hillyard sighted his team’s incredible
“Download 2009 was the first time SSE preparation for the reason the show was still a success. “Due to the winds
deployed L-Acoustics K1. As our experience we lost 3/4 of the first day load in. However, the amount of preparation we
and knowledge of the system has grown, do prior to the show meant we were ready to go as soon as production gave
alongside the release of upgrades and new us the all clear.”
products by L-Acoustics, we have been able www.sseaudiogroup.com
to refine the system year after year. Last
year we deployed the KS28 sub for the first time, which brought a step-
change in the low end coverage.”
Hillyard went on to describe the set up for this year’s event. “For 2017
we’ve flown the K1SB cabinets as a separate hangs behind the main L-R
hangs. For the under hangs we’ve upgraded from KARA to K2 as well as all
amplification now coming from the L-Acoustics LA12-X. The cumulative
effect of these changes has been a significant increase in the ‘grunt’ of the
system. We’ve got significantly more bottom end and it is running with
more headroom. The response we’ve had from bands FOH engineers has
been one of critical acclaim.”
For FOH control SSE supplied an Avid Profile desk with and Yamaha CL5
for monitors. “Every year we always discuss the possibility of changing the
consoles we provide,” commented Hillyard, “But in the end our main job
is to make every engineers job easier. From our experience the Profile is
the best option for FOH as it’s a common ground for many engineers and
almost everyone has a show file for it. The Yamahas were a first for last Above: SSE Hire Manager Miles Hillyard

81
DOWNLOAD
PRG XL VIDEO
For the 15th consecutive year, PRG XL Video
supplied a comprehensive lighting and
rigging package for the festival as well as
video screens for a selection of the touring
bands stopping off to play at the UK’s
premier heavy rock and metal festival.
Two of the three main stage headliners
used touring rigs supplied by PRG XL,
including System Of A Down on Friday and
Aerosmith on Sunday. System used 9 PRG GroundControl followspots,
with the controls stations located under the stage. Other headline lighting
products specified by Lighting Designer Rob Sinclair included Martin by
Harman MAC AIRFX and PRG Best Boy spot moving lights, as well as Solaris
Flare LED effects and strobe lights. System used a PRG XL Video LED video
screen, hung in a diamond orientation and made up of ROE 18mm Hybrid
LED tiles, powered by a Green Hippo Hippotizer media server.
Aerosmith’s Lighting Designer, Cosmo Wilson selected a plethora of
lighting fixtures for Sunday night’s show, including 272 GLP impression X4
LED lights, as well as Robe Pointe and BMFL moving lights, and Martin by
Harman Atomic strobes. All of Aerosmith’s lighting was controlled by an MA
Lighting grandMA2 lighting console. Aerosmith had a ROE MC-7 upstage
video wall, driven by a Catalyst media server package. Elsewhere around
the site, PRG XL also supplied the lighting and rigging services for stages two
and three, as well as the touring rig for Rob Zombie, who occupied the stage
two headline slot on Saturday evening. There was a core lighting rig on the
main stage, which was designed to be flexible enough to accommodate the
additional kit brought by the headline acts, as well as versatile enough to be
used for the band playing throughout the day and early evening.
Overseeing the Main Stage at the festival was PRG XL Video’s Mark
Scrimshaw. “This year’s set up was quite interesting as we based our whole
rig around Aerosmith’s lighting rig,” commented Scrimshaw. “We then
looked at the rest of the headline acts fitting in their bespoke elements on
SERIOUS STAGES
Providing the 72m wide stage with the eye
catching bespoke totem poles was Serious
Stages, a very similar to the set up from last
year’s event.
Project Director Max Corfield working
alongside Simon Fursman in collaboration
with the Festival Republic team. Extensive
planning during the months in advance of
the festival ensured the look and technical
requirements of the promoters and this year’s
incoming band productions were met. Corfield commented: “It was great
82
top of the Aerosmith rig. Other than that other acts throughout the weekend
may bring a few bits of floor package but nothing we can’t handle.”
Once again at the main stage FOH PRG XL Video provided a WYSIWYG
workstation where LDs could run through their show files before hitting the
stage.
PRG XL Account Manager Gordon Torrington oversaw the supply of
equipment and crew for Download 2017: “I’ve been involved as the Crew
Chief for Download Festival for more than seven years, this year I’ve
approached the project from a different angle, as an Account Manager,
which brings its own unique challenges, but is just as rewarding and a lot
less muddy. I’m really pleased to still be involved once again!”
www.prg.com
Above: PRG XL Video’s Mark Scrimshaw
to work with the Festival Republic team returning to Download Festival.
There are a lot of big touring bands across the top two stages with some
pretty hefty incoming productions and sets, so it’s important that we
are very attentive to their rigging and load in requirements. There was a
detailed planning phase to ensure the stage designs met requirements so
the production teams could deliver their shows. It was a testament to our
hardworking staff and crew delivering the stages for this event given the
difficulties with the weather during the build.”
Nathan Kemp, Serious Stage Crew Chief, oversaw a team of 35 on site
for three weeks. The whole festival production had to be stopped on the
Tuesday just as we were ready to raise scrim, with 25mph winds whipping
the site, moving fence panels and blowing portable toilets across the car
park. Work was (obviously) halted for a day, so our team had to pull out the
stops.
Andy Grey, Main Stage Production Manager stated: “We lost the entire
Tuesday to wind, so there was no working at height. On Wednesday
everybody on site pulled together and the Serious team were brilliant at
playing their part in getting us back on schedule with extra people so we
could get back on with the rigging. We opened doors on time – which was a
testament to everyone.”
The most visible alteration to this year’s main stage was the 15m long
front of stage thrust, requested by Sunday’s headliners Aerosmith and used
by bands throughout the weekend. There were also four additional sub
platforms on the main stage requested.
Serious Stages also supplied the three other stages at the festival and
extra wrestling stage, with FOH positions and assisted viewing platforms,
camera and signing platforms across the festival site.
Photo: Graham Brown
www.stages.co.uk
 DOWNLOAD

STS TOURING
STS Touring returned to the festival
providing two stages with a set backline
for all bands to use along with rider
specific retail backline for several
performers. This year the company were
across all 4 stages during the weekend,
looking after bands such as – Five Finger
Death Punch, Coheed & Cambria, Devin
Townsend Project and Simple Plan to list
a few. The company also had a couple of
trucks parked on site as a mobile warehouse.
“There seemed to be a move back to the ‘old school’ with us supplying
a lot of Marshall and Orange Amplification again this year,” commented
General Manager, Richard Knowles. “Quite a few bands early on the bill
were after large cab walls to enhance the look of their shows. Some
careful management on site was needed as a some of bands started their
tours at Download and took the gear on from there, likewise a couple of
our bands went straight to The Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards and
took the hires with them for the show.”
Knowles went on to discuss some of the site changes the festival saw
this year, “The facelift and stage shuffle didn’t really have an impact on us
directly although there was a lot more room on the pads behind some of
the stages which is great for working.”
Photo: Ross Silcocks
www.ststouring.co.uk

Proud to suPPly our first rock im Park

international
Veldzigt 3
3454 PW, de Meern

+31 (30) 242 82 00

info.int@mojobarriers.com

worldwide crowd control solutions

netherlands united states united kingdom australia
Veldzigt 3 181 E Stiegel St. 1 Oaktrees Borough Green Road Building 4, 3 Anderson Street
3454 PW, de Meern Manheim, PA 17545 Wrotham Sevenoaks Banksmeadow NSW 2019
Kent TN15 7RD PO Box 1024 Narrabeen NSW 2101
+31 (30) 242 82 00 +1 (717) 664 0158 +44 (1708) 687 440 +61 (2) 9648 2097
info.nl@mojobarriers.com info.us@mojobarriers.com info.uk@mojobarriers.com info.aus@mojobarriers.com

83
DOWNLOAD

MOJO BARRIERS
It was a welcome return to Donington Park’s
Download weekend for Mojo Barriers.
Heading up the company’s return to the
festival was Jim Gaffney, who recently
returned to Mojo as a Senior Account
Manager.
Gaffney explained: “I have managed the
design and installation of the stage barriers
at Download Festival since it began in 2003,
where Mojo Barriers have always been the
Above: Mojo Barriers Crew Chief, Costa Chaparov and Senior Account
Manager Jim Gaffney.
system of choice. I enjoy a great relationship with the Festival Republic
team supporting Live Nation, it’s always been a high priority for Melvin
Benn and John Probyn to deliver a safe festival. We have a lot of planning
discussions to look at the crowd dynamics and create the best barrier
design.
“We have developed a very particular barrier configuration for the main
stage, accounting in particular for the sloping ground stage right, the very
wide sight line, along with the need for the incoming productions to get
easy access to the FOH. While very good natured, we also considered this is
a very boisterous audience who like to get their mosh pits and circles going,
all of which led us to a unique layout. Our primary front of stage curved
barrier has a central thrust back to front of house, and two secondary
‘arms’ that allow the security improved access to the audience. The layout
also allows the audience a choice of areas and a safe event without being
too restrictive.”
This year Mojo also had to accommodate Aerosmith’s 15m thrust
coming off the front of the mainstage, which meant looking at the
downstage edge curves very carefully to avoid any pinch points. This is
where experience became invaluable. The pit for security personnel was
also slightly deeper, because of the thrust, but the fact that the festival
management had invested in putting down hard standing in front of the
stage since the previous year meant Mojo’s load in and out were much
easier, with less ground damage from plant to deal with.
Also joining the Mojo Barriers UK team at Download was Costa
Chaparov as Crew Chief. Gaffney and Chaparov have worked together for
many years and, with Mojo this summer, they have already managed barrier
installations at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Hull and the Old Trafford
Manchester One Love memorial concert at very short notice.
Over 1,200m of aluminium stage barrier was deployed in unique layouts
at all five stages and around front of house towers, camera platforms and
assisted viewing platforms. Mojo also supplied over 200m of bar barrier to
the various bars and concessions around the whole site giving their staff a
secure working environment.
www.mojobarriers.com

EAT TO THE BEAT

Artist, production and crew catering
specialists Eat to the Beat were brought
in by Festival Republic to provided food
and refreshments for dozens of rock and
heavy metal artists at Download Festival
2017.
Eat to the Beat, part of Chesham-
based Global Infusion Group, served-up
over 4,800 meals to the weekends featured
artists from a bespoke dining marquee that
was transformed into a rock ‘n’ roll haven. Its temporary kitchen served
hundreds of meals, including a full English breakfast and a hot, rolling
meal across lunch and dinner, allowing artists to eat at a time that suited
them. Dishes across the weekend included sweet potato, coconut and
chilli soup, brisket of beef braised in craft ale, chargrilled chicken with
vegetable and chorizo gumbo, and an English afternoon tea Inspired
cake selection. As well as managing the artist dining, Eat to the Beat also
provided bespoke meals for some of the headline acts.
Olivia Morris, Eat to the Beat Account Manager, said: “This was one
of ETTB’s many years catering at Download Festival which is one of our
favourite events of the season. We’ve previously toured with Aerosmith
and Slayer so it was great to cater for them once again! We can’t wait to
be back again next year!”
www.globalinfusiongroup.com

84
SPONSORED BY

SAVE THE DATE 22.10.17

8:30PM HIGHLINE BAR

REGISTER FOR COMPLIMENTARY

TRADE TICKETS USING CODE
TPIBPMPRO

REGISTER
NOW
22-23 OCT 2017
GENTING ARENA NEC
BIRMINGHAM UK VISIT BPMPRO.ONLINE
GREEN PLUGGED FESTIVAL / CREAMFIELDS’ STEEL YARD

NEXO STM SERIES FOR SOUTH KOREA’S

GREEN PLUGGED FESTIVAL
In South Korea, one of the first big events of the music season is the Green Plugged festival, attended by
45,000 people. Now in its eighth year, Green Plugged features more than 60 Korean bands and singers,
including headliners Gukkasten, Dean, Junggigo and Romantic Punch.

Staged in Han River Nanji Park in Seoul, the With a plentiful choice of 45° N-12 and PS15 monitor speakers, the stage
two-day festival is also a two-stage festival. sound was also an all-NEXO affair. All systems were powered with NUAR
In fact, the wide double main stage has racks, featuring NEXO’s proprietary NXAMP4x4 amplification.
become something of a tradition for Green www.gpsfestival.net
Plugged, and a familiar challenge to regular www.nexo-sa.com
PA provider Way Audio.
One of the early adopters of NEXO’s
flagship modular line array, Way Audio
debuted the STM Series on the Green Plugged
festival five years ago and has been using it
ever since as the primary PA for the main stages, named Moon and Sky.
Way Audio’s Audio Chief and System Engineer Jordan Lee exploited
the modular design of the STM Series, using a cluster of 6 STM M46 main
modules to fill the centre of the extremely wide stage, maintaining a centre
audio image and adding coverage for the front centre of the audience.
Bands alternated on the two stages, using a L/R system set up with 9
STM M46+B112 main and bass cabinets and 10 S118 subbass per side. For
many of the band engineers, the Green Plugged festival provides a first
chance to use the STM system, and to monitor the PA network using NEXO’s
proprietary NeMo remote control software, and there were thumbs-up from
all the visiting audio crews.

ER PRODUCTIONS LAUNCHES KINEKT LASER

SYSTEM AT CREAMFIELDS’ STEEL YARD
The final Bank Holiday in May saw thousands of EDM revellers descend upon London’s Victoria Park to see
headliners, Axwell ^ Ingrosso, at Creamfields’ Steel Yard festival.

Laser specialist ER Productions supplied

a huge rig for the event unveiling its latest
innovation, Kinekt.
The enormous 20m high Steel Yard
structure is a lighting designer’s dream, where
the crowd is immersed in the audio-visual
production. Axwell ^ Ingrosso’s designer,
Andy Hurst, took full advantage of the
expansive venue creating a supersized, highly
sensory scheme of lighting and lasers.
A regular collaborator on Hurst’s diverse projects, ER Productions has
created a range of defining laser designs for the Swedish DJ superstars,
which have been seen across the world including the duo’s headline set at
Miami Ultra. nine BB3 lasers were rigged onto Kinesys motors and focussed down onto
A consistent visual theme in all Axwell ^ Ingrosso shows is the iconic the stage, with the beams appearing to draw the DJs into their opening
inverted V logo, which was souped-up for the Steel Yard gig with 104 lasers positions.
converging to form the shape’s silhouette behind the DJs. With Axwell ^ Ingrosso closing the three-day festival, ER Production’s
To achieve this show stopping effect, ER Productions used its newly skilled four-person crew rigged a total of 138 lasers comprised of over 100
launched Kinekt laser system. As the name would suggest, Kinekt’s highly Kinekts, a Phaenon Pro 30000, Laserblades and the BB3s on an overnight
innovative system design enables any number of units to connect. changeover. The experienced crew pulled it off, delivering a visually
“Not to get too technical, but the collective laser beams meet on the X impressive show that went without a hitch.
and Y axis to create upscaled array effects, far beyond anything that can be “The May bank holiday was a phenomenal first outing for Kinekt.
created by a standard moving head light. Kinekt comes with an in-built FB4 Andy even used an additional 98 units on Sigma’s landmark live show at
control and works with DMX, Beyond and Art-Net, making it extremely user the Royal Albert Hall on the same weekend. We’ve put a lot of work into
friendly,” said ER Productions’ co-founder, Ryan Hagan. developing the system and couldn’t be happier with how it performed,”
Another striking signature laser effect that has been used time concluded Hagan.
and again by Hurst in his work for Axwell ^ Ingrosso, is the apparent http://creamfields.com/steelyard/
teleportation of the duo onto the stage. To create the effect at Steel Yard, www.er-productions.com

86
 MONTEREY INTERNATIONAL POP FESTIVAL

MEYER SOUND FOUNDER RETURNS

TO MONTEREY WITH LEO FAMILY FOR
ICONIC FESTIVAL’S 50TH CELEBRATION

In June of 1967, a young John Meyer travelled from Berkeley to a festival site in Monterey where he
supervised set-up of the on-stage amplifier systems he had designed - in a last-minute rush - for a relatively
obscure blues-rock guitarist named Steve Miller.

The Monterey International Pop Festival

launched 1967’s ‘Summer of Love’, an
auspicious time when John Meyer not only met
his future wife and business partner, Helen,
but also realised that his passion for sound
would be channeled into an exploding new
market for high-level concert reinforcement.
“At that time it was all brand new, with this
whole new style of music just coming out of the
woodwork,” Meyer recalled. “I realised that we
would have to start building a whole new generation of equipment that could
cope with this level of outdoor festival, systems that could be not just loud but
also articulate. Monterey really opened things up. It was an important event,
and I knew it was not going to fade away.”
This year’s event, officially titled Monterey International Pop Festival
Celebrates 50 Years, was jointly produced by Another Planet Entertainment
and Goldenvoice in association with the Monterey International Pop Festival
Foundation. Meyer Sound was chosen as the official sound partner.
Helen Meyer did not attend the 1967 festival, but she shares in the
excitement of the anniversary gathering. “It’s very special,” she said. “It’s
almost surreal. It feels great to have the system all Meyer Sound, and to know
that what started with one small stage system inspired John to create this
amazing array of equipment we have now, and to know all these new bands
will be experiencing it.” and the crowds move forward - a mixture of younger and older fans - you can
Another Planet’s Gregg Perloff stressed that ensuring great sound was tell they are really engaged. They are not just observing something from the
a top priority. “Sound is so important in a setting like this, and we wanted past. Yes, in some ways it’s a different scene now, but there’s still that same
to make sure it would be perfect. We are an independent entertainment enthusiasm, the same excitement.”
company based in Berkeley, and fortunately the world’s top sound equipment Headline acts for the 2017 festival included Jack Johnson, Leon Bridges,
manufacturer happens to be another Berkeley-based independent company. Norah Jones, Father John Misty, Gary Clark Jr. and Regina Spektor. Michelle
Meyer Sound proved to be an ideal partner for this year’s return.” Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas - a group central to the original festival
One important goal for the production team was to revive the spirit - the - made a guest appearance with The Head and the Heart. Three billed acts
‘vibe’ - of the 1967 event while still recognising the music of today’s younger also featured 1967 veterans: Booker T. Jones with his Stax Revue (he backed
artists. One solution was to keep a unified focus at a single stage. Otis Redding), Eric Burdon and the (new) Animals, and the Grateful Dead’s
“At other big festivals you have people running all over to see different acts Phil Lesh with his Terrapin Family Band. As an appropriate echo of Steve
at different stages,” Perloff noted. “Here, everybody comes together at one Miller’s ‘proto-Meyer’ stage system of 1967, Lesh played through a custom
stage. It may mean something different to each person, but at least everybody amplification rig largely based around Meyer Sound components.
has the opportunity to join together to hear all this fabulous music at the The main PA system at Monterey 2017, supplied by UltraSound, was
same time.” anchored by main front arrays of 12 each LEOPARD line array loudspeakers
Legendary folk-rock impresario Lou Adler, a pivotal figure in the 1967 with two per side MSL-4 loudspeakers as outfill. Bass was supplied by eight
festival and also involved in this year’s event, is well aware of the changes 1100-LFC and four 900-LFC low frequency control elements with six additional
brought about by that first seminal festival. “I’m proud of the fact that we LEOPARD as front fill. The artist foldback system comprised 12 MJF-210
treated all the artists with great respect, the way they should be treated, both stage monitors, five 700-HP subwoofers, four MSL-4 for side fill, and one CQ-2
on stage in performance and within the industry. And the fact that we are still as drum fill top. The small Garden Stage, active only when the main stage
talking about Monterey Pop fifty years later, I’m proud of that as well.” was quiet, deployed a system with four CQ-1 loudspeakers, four 700-HP
For his part, John Meyer was gratified to find that the way audiences subwoofers and six UM-1 stage monitors.
respond to good music as heard through a good sound system has not https://montereyinternationalpopfestival.com
changed over the last half century. “When these young bands get on stage https://meyersound.com

87
PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE

Photo by Tom Pumford on Unsplash

STAGEHAND

You need to know this: The PSA has a charity arm, it’s called Stagehand. It’s our Welfare and
Benevolent Fund. We’ve been a bit guilty of not shouting about it enough, but it’s been there for
20 years, quietly helping out members who, through no fault of their own, have fallen on hard
times and need a little bit of financial assistance. We’re (I say that as a trustee rather than as a
PSA thing) not talking pensions here, we’re talking small grants from a modest fund that help with
those expenses that aren’t covered by benefits or any rainy day savings that you might have. We’ve
helped a good few people in many different ways but it’s not something to shout about because,
well, we don’t shout about other people’s issues, this isn’t Eastenders.

So now you know. It’s a proper registered charity and there’s a board
of trustees that convenes to discuss and approve claims as well as
ensure we’re sticking to our constitutional aims and objectives. During
a meeting we had last year we spotted a trend; the past few claims had
one thing in common - they were all related in some way to mental
health conditions; we had ourselves a trend. We also have statistics;
nearly two-thirds of people (65%) say that they have experienced
a mental health problem. This rises to 7 in every 10 women, young
adults aged 18-34 and people living alone. The deaths this virus has
caused have risen to the point that if you are a man between 20 and 49,
you’re more likely to die from it than cancer, road accidents or heart
disease. Male, between 20 and 49; like it or not, that’s a big chunk of our
demographic and it’s safe to say that throwing in long hours, lack of job
security, static or dwindling day rates and being confined to the bus
perhaps tips the stats against us even more.
The Stagehand Trustees decided that it was time to get proactive, to
find a way to encourage prevention rather than provide financial assistance
while a cure is being sought or, worse still, after the illness has taken
someone’s life. We decided on one simple aim; to make it more OK to talk
about mental health issues. To achieve that aim, we thought it would be
good to find some people who are OK to talk to, or even some people who
can spot the signs, talk and encourage. Think back to the tragic accident
in Stuttgart earlier this year, Backstage Academy dispatched someone
who was seriously OK to talk to, a consultant psychotherapist who they

88

happen to retain within their student welfare department. Perhaps a little
more than we need on a day to day basis but this was an extreme event. No
names mentioned here, but there are organisations that were told about
that move that felt the need to look at their own duty of care and plan of
action in case of traumatic events. Those plans were put into place after the
horrendous murders outside Manchester Arena.
We hope we never need to see a consultant psychotherapist in a crew
hotel again, it’s tough enough out there. What we can do is populate our
industry with Mental Health First Aiders - it’s a thing, it exists and a couple
of Stagehand Trustees have been on the course; it’s good. As with ‘physical’
first aid, we’re not aiming to turn out therapists, we’re looking for people
who can spot symptoms, talk and, most importantly, listen then encourage
people to seek help and find ways to help themselves. Mental Health First
Aid (MHFA) training does that over a 2-day course. For the many that use
social media, Facebook in particular, you’ll be familiar with the cut and
paste post, the one with a gentle emotional blackmail request to share
again, the one that says it’s suicide awareness week and you’re available
if needed, all you have to do is call. And that’s fantastic, but what do you
say when they do call? What if they don’t call? What if piling their trouble
on their mates is the last thing they want? The awareness, knowledge
and skills that can develop through MHFA training can raise our game.
The course we attended was a mix of employers and industries, one in
particular struck a chord - a large financial institution. An industry that
used to be all about manning up or getting out is taking mental wellbeing
seriously.
Back in March Steve Banks, the PSA’s chairman, himself an advocate of
improving mental wellbeing, had a meeting with PLASA’s MD, Peter Heath.
We were in the process of assessing MHFA training and their meeting led to
a commitment to joining forces to promote mental wellbeing. We started
at PLASA Focus in Leeds with a panel discussion to gauge interest and
shape ideas. I was also invited to speak at PLASA’s recent AGM, now a plan
has started to come together. Something really interesting happened after
both of those events; people who I’d known or seen around this industry
89
PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE
for years approached me to say what a great initiative this was becoming
and that they themselves had suffered from one illness or another in the
past. It makes it seem more serious but, more importantly, it really does
demonstrate the ease with which you can start the conversation.
To start, we’re looking for commitment; we’re looking for companies
to pledge their commitment to getting a member of staff or two trained
in Mental Health First Aid. Sometimes that’s not as easy as it seems. At
a recent meeting of industry safety advisers, those involved in larger
organisations found that mental wellbeing fell in a void between the health
and safety department and human resources. This is quite interesting, and
perhaps reflects what the Health and Safety Executive have said in their
future plans, that we’re pretty well sorted on the safety aspects, that’s
across all sectors, but the health thing is where we focus. The cumulative
effects that cause illness, whether it’s noise and hearing loss or dust and
breathing problems, or fatigue and stress leading to a lack of mental
wellbeing, that’s where they’re looking for us to focus.
It’s not all about the training. MHFA England has the resources to help
organisations refine and improve their approach to mental wellbeing;
we’re not reinventing the wheel, we’re just hoping to improve our industry’s
understanding and approach. MHFA England has done all the hard work,
we’re just pointing you in the right direction.
We do, however, understand that we’re a special case in one particular
area - touring. It’s not really a case of having a couple of people in an
organisation that has a fairly fixed set of people under the same roof. That’s
where Stagehand and the PSA comes in. We’re looking at ways to support
individual members in key positions such as production assistants/
managers, tour managers or crew chiefs, a good handful of pioneers that
are keen to raise the bar a little higher. It’s not like you don’t already look
after each other.
TPi
Photo: Tom Pumford on Unsplash
www.psa.org.uk
https://mhfaengland.org/mhfa-centre/news/8-steps-excellence-mental-health/
INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS
INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS
beyerdynamic has announced Dutchman Edgar van Velzen as the
company’s new Managing Director. Together with Wolfgang Luckhardt, he
is now at the helm of the German-based audio specialist. “We value the
extensive experience that Edgar van Velzen brings to the company and are
delighted to have acquired such an accomplished audio industry executive
and someone who knows exactly how to handle the challenges of the
digital age,” remarked Wolf Michael Nietzer, Chairman of the Administrative
Board of beyerdynamic. “Edgar is an expert in developing global
distribution strategies and understands the importance of a strong brand.
He is able to harness his knowledge in order to drive the company forward
on the international stage with innovative product ideas and advance the
business as a whole by means of strategically smart optimisations across
the board.”
d3 Technologies has announced the expansion of its global sales team
with new appointments for the EMEA, APAC and Americas regions. Sarah
Cox, who joined d3 Technologies in July 2014, has been promoted to Sales
Director of the EMEA region. She will be supported by Eloise Reed who
has come on board as Sales Manager EMEA. Reed was formerly Business
Development Manager and Project Sales Manager at Martin Professional.
“Eloise brings to d3 a wealth of knowledge on the entertainment,
exhibition, artist and architectural design industries, which will
undoubtedly benefit our company. We are very excited to welcome Eloise
to the team,” noted Cox.
d3 has also welcomed Krzysztof Grabowki to support Reed in the
region. Fernando Kufer, d3’s General Manager, added: “Krzysztof comes to
d3 from our exceptional sales partner Prolight in Poland. He will join the
technical sales team as Technical Sales Specialist. In the Americas, Marcus
Bengtsson and Anthony McIntyre have come on board the New York sales
team as Technical Sales Managers joining Hans Beijer. Last autumn, to meet
the growing demand for d3 products and to better serve customers in the
APAC region, Stephen Tsui was named Regional Sales Manager and Kevin Li
90
Sponsored by
www.interfacio.com • +44 208 986 5002
Technical Sales Manager.
“We are delighted to have the new members on board and to see Sarah
become our Sales Director EMEA. Each region has seen strong growth over
the past few years, breaking into new countries and verticals. We now have
a growing network of over a hundred rental and sales partners, d3 studios
and certified solution providers. With the ever growing community, we
hope that the bigger teams will help meet the demand of each region.”
J&C Joel has appointed Paul Young as its new ASEAN Sales Manager.
Young has 26 years experience in the industry having previously worked
for AED, MA Lighting and Litec. His background includes working in design,
sales, project management and operational management. Young said:
“I’m really looking forward to working for such a well-respected market
leader, being part of a developing market and meeting all the customers.
The products, the reputation and history, and of course the personnel that
make it all happen, are second to none.” James Wheelwright, J&C Joel’s
CEO, said: “Paul is an extremely welcome addition to the team. He brings a
wealth of experience to J&C Joel and his industry knowledge will be a real
asset to the business.
“It’s an exciting time for Paul to be joining the company with the
opening of our new facility in Vietnam and his impressive and diverse
background will complement the Asia sales team. Having him in place will
provide our clients with a valuable local connection and ensure we are
providing the best customer service across the region.”
NEXO has initiated the STM Partners Network with more than 100
rental houses worldwide now offering the STM Series modular line array.
NEXO is creating a special Partner Network for customers of its flagship
sound reinforcement products. Aimed at the touring and rental sector
of its business, NEXO’s new Partner Network will bring STM owners and
users closer together in a programme for global cooperation. One of the
primary reasons for establishing a detailed international database of users
is to facilitate crosshire, subhire and collaboration between STM rental
www.interfacio.com • +44 208 986 5002 INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS

Opposite: beyerdynamic’s Edgar van Velzen and Wolfgang Luckhardt; J&C Joel’s Paul Young; EM Acoustics’ Ed Kinsella, CS&A’s Rich Trombitas and EM Acoustics North
America’s Jim Shearing. Below: PRG’s Michael George and Robert Watson.

houses. The STM Partner Network programme is being overseen by Val

Gilbert, NEXO Engineering Support Manager for Touring and Rental. “The
modularity that is the hallmark of the STM Series makes it uniquely suitable
for collaboration between rental suppliers. It’s easy for smaller companies
to pool STM resources and be able to pitch together for larger festival
and event contracts.” An exclusive communications channel with NEXO’s
Engineering Support team will give the partner community access to the
manufacturer’s highest level of technical expertise and back-up.
“There is no minimum entry requirement for our Partner Network, any
STM customer is automatically part of the club,” clarified Glibert.
Renkus-Heinz has announced promedias AG as its new exclusive
distributor for Switzerland. “We were seeking a distribution partner capable
not just of meeting rising demand, but of providing an unequalled customer
experience,” explained Renkus-Heinz Technical Sales Manager for Europe,
Michal Poplawski. “With strong technical sales abilities, promedias AG will
quickly introduce excellent product support and sales into Switzerland.
promedias AG has been a leading voice within the Swiss industry for some
time now, and the company has rapidly built an impressive portfolio of
products.”
promedias AG CEO, Chris Steiger added “Renkus-Heinz is the perfect
addition to our catalogue, bringing true expertise in beam-steering to our
customers. We are planning to promote the Renkus-Heinz product range
and technology through all available channels including open days and
special presentations of the technology. This agreement is very important
to us, now we can offer integral solutions with these very high-quality
loudspeakers.”
PRG XL Video has added Robert Watson and Michael George, who
have both joined as Account Managers, to its music team. Stefaan Michels,
Director of Music, PRG XL Video, commented: “It’s a pleasure to have explained. “I have known of Cardone, Solomon & Associates for many years.
Michael join the team. He’s great to work with. It is exciting to expand into They are a well-established and highly respected name with a successful
the live streaming market and with Michael’s expertise and high standard of track record in professional audio throughout the north-east and mid-
delivery, it’s sure to be a resounding success.” Atlantic regions.”
Robert Watson brings more than a decade of experience in live Shearing continued: “They set the standard for manufacturer
production, working as Project Manager and Crew Chief on several high- representative firms by always being respectful of their clients’ needs
profile music festivals, designing lighting for theatre and concerts, and and having solid working knowledge of their businesses. They will only
most recently working as a Project Manager at Panalux Broadcast & Event. recommend equipment which will truly be of value and make good sense
Yvonne Donnelly Smith, Director of Music, PRG XL Video, added: “I’m for the long-term health of that particular organisation. This consistency
delighted to welcome Rob to the team. His in-depth technical knowledge and reliability over time has become a core part of their reputation. Each
and on-site experience of delivering shows is a great benefit to us. member of the CS&A team brings something unique to the table and it has
Additionally, Rob’s personality complements the rest of the team, and he’s been a distinct honour to work with all of them to help bring EM Acoustics
already fitted in well!” loudspeakers to their line card.”
On the heels of the announcement of the appointment of Contact Mike Solomon, Founder of CS&A, was equally enthusiastic: “John
Distribution as EM Acoustics’ exclusive Canadian distributor, the British Cardone, myself and everyone at Cardone, Solomon & Associates is excited
loudspeaker manufacturer continues to strengthen its presence in about becoming the first US-based, manufacturer’s representatives for EM
North America with its first rep firm appointment, Cardone, Solomon & Acoustics’ incredible sounding and thoughtfully engineered loudspeaker
Associates (CS&A), based in New York. products. As CS&A celebrates our 20th Anniversary, we are so very proud
Jim Shearing of EM Acoustics North America is pleased to be working to represent EM Acoustics, a company that is committed to excellence,
with CS&A. “A year down the line since the launch of EM Acoustics North is responsive in providing applications-oriented loudspeaker systems,
America, we are now in a position to appoint a well-known rep firm, and we inventory, and timely support that meets our customer’s needs.”
have been very methodical in looking at all the options available to us,” he www.tpimagazine.com/category/industry-jobs/

91
TPi PRODUCTION GUIDE

THE PRODUCTION GUIDE

The TPi Production Guide is kindly sponsored by
PRG XL Video – Tel: + 44 (0)1442 849 400 / +44 (0) 845 470 6400. Web: www.prg.com
2 Eastman Way, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP2 7DU / The Cofton Centre,
Groveley Lane, Longbridge, Birmingham, B31 4PT

The ultimate support act The new Gerriets LED

Supertitle System

Production Support • Stage Design

Rigging Manpower / PROJECTION
r14 is here
with real-time generative effects
/ MEDIA SERVERS
For more information call
& device recording / CREATIVE VIDEO
on +44 (0)1253 894688 or email Gerriets Great Britain Ltd. +44 20 7639 7704
enquiries@knightrigging.co.uk d3technologies.com/r14 18 Verney Rd, +44 20 7732 5760
London SE16 3DH info@gerriets.co.uk TEL: 0845 689 2000 / WWW.CPLAV.COM
knightrigging.co.uk UK www.gerriets.co.uk

ASIA PACIFIC
EUROPE
MIDDLE EAST
NORTH AMERICA

Integrated solutions
for inspired designs

Display Video Digital Audio

+44 (0)1293 582000  music@ctlondon.com

www.ctlondon.com

Temporary Power Specialists Total Production Solutions

Corporate - Live Events
Touring - Broadcast
SOUND LIGHTING
VIDEO RIGGING
Power for Events, Festivals & Broadcast NOW AVAILABLE:
Sync & Twinset Units
Full Site Power Design & Implementation
Nationwide Service
Contact our specialist team today!
North West - 01565 654 004 01565 652202
Wales - 01758 713 100 rental@vme-uk.com
www.eurogenerators.co.uk
hire@eurogenerators.co.uk
www.vme-uk.com

92

E NTEC
SOUND & LIGHT
517 Yeodlng Lone Northoll Middlesex U85 6LN
T•I 020 8842 4004 Fox 020 8842 3310
E moll solesOentecLIVE.com
Web,ite www.entecLIVE.com
To advertise here enquiries should be made to Lauren Dyson or Georgia Guthrie
Lauren Dyson - Tel: +44 (0) 161 476 8360 Email: l.dyson@mondiale.co.uk
Georgia Guthrie - Tel: +44 (0) 161 476 8399 Email: g.guthrie@mondiale.co.uk
JULY 2017 ADVERTISERS
Adamson Systems Engineering 37
ADJ 63
Airstar Light 39
Alcons Audio 29
Ampco Flashlight 31
Beat The Street and Phoenix Bussing 41
Bluman Associates 89
ChainMaster 5
Chauvet Professional 7
Clair Global 11
Clay Paky 51
CLF Lighting 43
Coda Audio 33
DiGiCo 13
Digital Projection 77
TPi PRODUCTION GUIDE
Travel M
anagem CELEBRATING 15 YEARS
for the
Live Mu ent Services
sic Indu
stry
• Saving you time, money, stress and hassle
• Help with planning, budgeting and routing
• Hotels, flights, ferries and other travel products
• Various budgets and expectations catered for
• Trade only prices with financial protection
• Detailed itineraries provided for all tours
• Free travel advice and 24 hour support
SPECIALISTS IN THE ART OF
E: info@travel4tours.com
TOURING & ENTERTAINMENT
T: +44 (0) 1904 777 217 (UK)
F: +44 (0) 1904 777 172
www.tourtravel.co.uk
W: www.travel4tours.com
T: +44 (0) 20 7434 7408
Equipment we offer:
• Cable Ramp - Rental & Sales
• ADA Disabled Wheelchair Cable Ramps - Rental
• Event Power Distribution - Rental
• Cable - Rental
• Powerlock Cable Systems - Rental
• Lighting & Adaptors - Rental
Tel: 0845 606 6049
Email: hire@tempower.co.uk
www.tempower.co.uk
Duratruss 59 Philips Vari - Lite BC
ffp Special Effects 27 Protec 3
Funktion One 17 Redburn Transfer 58
GearSource Europe 47 Robe 19
GLP 25 Rubber Box Co 91
GLS Lighting 57 Star Events Group 29
Green Hippo 39 STS Touring Productions 81
High End Systems 21 The NAMM Show 69
John Henry’s 67 The Showman Show 25
Leisuretec Distribution 4 TRUCKINGBY Brian Yeardley 79
Leisuretec / Pioneer Dj 53 TW Audio 6
Lift Turn Move 25 Zig Zag Lighting 45
Meyer Sound / VER 2
Mojo Barriers 83
MTFX Ltd 15
93
BACK CHAT
GILL TEE
Director - Hire Services, entertee
How did you initially become involved in the live event
production industry? Did you take an academic route or a
more practical one?
My route was practical. I had two children and was helping
to run a business in the building industry with my husband.
I was working two days a week and a few evenings, while
still being a mum to my kids, which was a role I loved then
and still do now! The building industry did not excite me
particularly, and I decided a change was needed. I managed
to secure a part time job as assistant to the General Manager
of the Duke of York’s Theatre in London, and this changed
my life. Unbeknown to me, the theatre was owned by Capital
Radio, and very soon after being
employed, I was asked to get
involved with their projects.
The theatre was sold and I was
asked to continue my work with
the promoters in Euston Tower,
the (then) home of Capital. We
were having a hard time at home
financially, and this coincided with
Capital wanting me to work more
days for them. I agreed and built
a career at Capital, eventually
becoming Head of Entertainment,
where I was involved with many
live music projects.
What have been some of the
milestone events you have been
involved in and what role did you
play on them? How did they lead
to the creation of entertee?
One of the projects I was tasked
with putting together whilst at
Capital Radio, was a large music
event for the radio station. I was to work with the Prince’s
Trust to produce an event where the radio station could show
off their brand, and also raise money for the charity.
The programming director had seen this concept work in
America and wanted me to bring this idea to life in London.
The event was Party in the Park in Hyde Park. During the
period of working on this project, I was fascinated seeing a
whole world being built on an empty piece of land, and how
everyone who had worked together to make this happen had
all been as important as each other in making it a success.
Something in me clicked and I realised that I wanted to leave
Capital and become involved in this world. I was not sure why
I thought I could, or indeed why I would want to leave the
security of a company like Captial Radio, but I did. That was
1998, entertee was created with a great friend of mine from
Capital Radio, Deb Shilling, and we set about learning our
94
trade. 19 years on we have learned how to build temporary
worlds and hopefully will still be doing for years to come!
What is the company’s ethos and what have been some
standout shows?
Our company ethos is to work with great people who have
heart, are hardworking, and who have a capacity for fun. If
we are not having a good time doing what we do, how can
we expect our audience to feel it. I truly believe that.
There have been many amazing moments in my career,
but Party in the Park was a stand out show for me. To play
a major part in this successful event
was life changing. Standing on a
stage watching 100,000 people
come through the gates at an event
you have been part of is truly mind-
blowing.
My other stand out moment, was
watching Prince perform Purple
Rain at the Hop Farm Festival. I was
the Festival Director and entertee
was the production company for
5 years. We produced shows with
incredible artists during that time,
but for me, standing at the back of
the arena on my own, watching the
magic that happened that night
was truly incredible. Prince was the
best he could be, and was enjoying
every minute he was on stage, and
that translated to the audience
like nothing I personally have seen
before. I must admit, I shed a few
tears.
Although you have to keep your upcoming project under
wraps until October, can you give any hints as to what it
might entail?
We are very excited that we have the green light on a project
that is very close to our hearts, where we believe we can put
into practice all the skills we have acquired over the years. It
is a festival on a beautiful site, and is a genre that is growing
in the UK. The time has finally come where entertee has
ownership of our own project, and that hopefully we will be
able to create something that not only gives the ticket buyer
a great experience, but also is an opportunity to help others
along the way. We have, in the past, had to dance to the tune
of other people. We know we are in a high risk business, but
we have sound financial backing from people who also bring
a huge amount of business experience to the table. They
respect what we do, so we believe we have every chance of
building something that we can all be proud of.
SAVE THE DATE
FEBRUARY 26TH 2018

BATTERSEA EVOLUTION, LONDON

Contact Hannah Eakins for more information:

h.eakins@mondiale.co.uk

WWW.TPIAWARDS.COM
 Taking the industry
by storm
“There’s no other light out there like that,
it’s a texture that doesn’t exist anywhere else.”
LeRoy Bennett
Show designer & lighting collaborator on Bruno Mars 24K Magic Tour

The VL6000 Beam has proved to be the mid-air effects

fixture of choice with the live entertainment industry.
It’s distinctive stage presence, retro aesthetics and powerful beam effects
means that it has already been used on some of the most prestigious
shows including Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl half time performance;
Bruno Mars 24K Magic Tour; Amsterdam ArenA; Depeche Mode Global
Spirit Tour; Third Eye Blind tour; 59th GRAMMY Awards; Backstreet Boys
at Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas; The Voice Kids NL just to name a few.
Join the revolution.

Discover more at
philips.com/VL6000Beam

VL6K_shows_A4.indd 1 19/6/17 12:39:24