LEEDS, UK – It was quite a homecoming… even by the standards of rock and roll legends! Fresh off the release of their new album “Selling A Vibe,” The Cribs returned to Leeds to perform at the city’s Millennium Square this summer, their first appearance at the historic site in a decade.
Packing every part of the 4,500 square meter space for the show, thousands of fans erupted into wild cheers the moment the band took the stage. They didn’t let up throughout the 22-song set. Pumping fists, jumping up and down to the beat of songs like “We Share The Same Sky,” and singing along in unison to anthemic favorites like “Men’s Needs,” the big crowd became one with the three local lads who had gone on to achieve international fames as one of indie rocks most influential forces.
Keeping pace with it all whilst conveying the mood of the music was lighting designer Tom Rawlinson, who powered his hard-driving light show on his trusty ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M+ Stadium Console. (He also had a MagicQ MQ250M as his backup.)
Rawlinson mirrored the intensity of The Cribs in his design. He backed the band with three rows of intense lighting directed downward or (more often) in the air, avoiding direct backlighting, something he says he is “not a fan of.” Setting a bold tone on stage was flashing lettering that spelled out the band’s name.
There was very little in the way of traditional moving effects. “I’m not big on movement,” explained Rawlinson. “I’m very much a position change type of guy.” Indeed, the overall vibe of the lighting was direct, bold and uncompromising, much like the music of the band itself. Given that the summer show took place during daylight hours, Rawlinson kept his brightness levels high.
Discussing his console’s role in creating this vista, Rawlinson said: “I’ve been using ChamSys for quite some time. The people there are very supportive and good to deal with. The MQ500M+ is always what I prefer to use as my main console. Its lay fits the way I work, and I like the multiple screens. On The Cribs tour, I really appreciate the Group Cues feature. It’s phenomenal, as it made it very easy to expand my number of fixtures at different venues.”
A longtime fan of The Cribs, Rawlinson didn’t hook up with them until four years ago. The Leeds show and current tour mark a milestone in his relationship with the band. “This was my first real full design for The Cribs, and I wanted to make sure they were happy,” he said. Happy? The band was that and much more on this summer’s day, so too were the fans that crowded into the square.
Les Sables-d’Olonne, France – Scientists tell us that the human eye can see up to 10 million different colors. Steve McCracken of Mac-Events didn’t use all of them when lighting the popular K-Pop Forever! tour… but he made a pretty good dent in the list.
Working with the Colour Picker feature of his ChamSys MagicQ MQ250M, the designer and owner of Mac-Events conjured up a vast rainbow for the two-part, 90-minute show that features a variety of artists celebrating this rapidly-growing musical genre.
Turquoise, violet, tangerine, lemon yellow… McCracken and his team gleefully blended these and all sorts of other hues into a beautifully balanced mix that reflect the upbeat, unconventional vibe of K-Pop. “Being that this is a high energy show, I needed to recreate that energy visually,” he said. “The songs in this show demanded that you do something to make them stand out from the ordinary. Coming up with bold color mixes was the best way to do that.
“The ChamSys MQ250M ‘s Colour Picker was very handy,” continued McCracken. “This feature made it quick to produce some of the distinctive colours we needed. This was much more efficient that having to wind color flags in and out. It was also very quick to tweak when morphing into different rigs and fixtures. For saving time, I also like the new feature in the patch for saving modes on fixtures.”
In addition to its free-flowing colors, McCracken’s show, which was produced by Taylor Entertainment, relied on high energy motions and sheer speed to convey the essence of K-Pop on stage. Like the performers it supporting, the lighting never seemed to idle for long. There were always fast-moving patterns of aerial effects. Chase sequences along the upstage panel fixtures and an array of compelling images flashing across the vertically oriented video panels that formed the backdrop.
McCracken relied on his console to help him keep pace with the action. “This show had a slight element of busking,” he said. “I have on cue stacks — then within that, we have macros triggering FX on separate playbacks. Again, this makes it easier when we have to change anything on the fly. So, for example, I have bump buttons on my ChamSys for strobes, blinders then key lights on additional faders to pull in and out when required.
In practical terms, McCracken reports that his MQ250’s compact size helps keep pace on this busy global tour. “As a lot of the dates on the tour are fly dates the ability to have the 250 in a peli which can be checked in on a plane is crucial,” he said. “Also, since you can’t always rely on having the correct desk with correct firmware when you arrive at different venues, the Morph Clone and Offset Patching are invaluable. They allow me to adapt to a venue’s rig in minutes while keeping my groups and grids intact.”
Having a console that is a good traveling companion in critically important when working with K-Pop Forever noted McCracken. The band is booked for more tours in 2026 – and given the way they are touching fans; the best is still to come.
LONDON – CHAUVET Professional has been promoting its new COLORado PXL Curve 1 with the slogan It’s Not Just Another One. While that is certainly true of this groundbreaking IP65 arrayable batten, which offers eight zones of control in a single massive pod, it also applies equally well to PLASA Stand D10 at Olympia London.
CHAUVET Professional and ChamSys have discarded familiar “trade show” notions to create a stand that is indeed not like any other – one that offers visitors a standout experience that leaves them better prepared to take their lighting projects to the next level. By the time visitors gather at that stand on September 7 for the 6-9 pm after-show party, they will have a lot of uniquely exciting things to talk about.
As always, it begins with products, CHAUVET Professional and ChamSys will be showcasing products that do far more than offer slight changes to existing models, instead they’ll be introducing visitors to products that lead the way to new possibilities.
In addition to the COLORado PXL Curve 1 with its RGBW pod and dual linear warm and cool white LED strobe cells, the company will be featuring the COLORado PXL Curve 5 with its five independent motorized heads; the motorized STRIKE Array Ultra, a next gen blinder with a RGBW-WW engine; and the extraordinary Ovation Rêve series of theatrical fixtures.
Opening a new path in theatrical lighting, the new Rêve ellipsoidal, Fresnel, par, and house light fixtures offer a single, seamlessly integrated package that delivers a consistently superb lighting solution from the first cue to the final curtain with exceptional color quality, higher output and greater versatility.
Like all of the CHAUVET Professional fixtures on display the Rêve products have NFC and connect to the company’s new Unrival app. Many of the lighting fixtures will also be at The PLASA Lab, an independent live lighting demonstration.
ChamSys will also be providing visitors to the stand with a view into a bold new future … one that is available today! The company has reimagined MediaMaster with the introduction of MediaMaster 26.0. Featuring a brand new, more intuitive user interface, MediaMaster 26.0. has expanded 4K HDR media playback, along with updated project and workspace tools, to give designers and programmers more flexible ways to organize shows.
Joining the industry-standard-setting MagicQ Stadium consoles at the stand will be new additions to the company’s popular QuickQ range of lighting control consoles. Visitors can expect everything they’ve come to value about QuickQ, plus a little more. Exactly what that “plus” means will become clear at PLASA London, where ChamSys will offer a first look at the latest evolution of its intuitive approach to lighting control.
PLASA show-goers can get hands on experience with these CHAUVET Professional and ChamSys products at the stand. ChamSys is also offering a series of free learning sessions featuring representatives from the company and well-known designer-programmers. For more information on these sessions and to register visit https://chamsyslighting.com/trade-shows/plasa/
Free Learning sessions, product demonstrations, and product introductions taken to a new level! CHAUVET Professional and ChamSys will indeed have a “Standout Stand” at PLASA.
GRANT COUNTY, WA – It’s easy to see why festival fans love The Gorge. Voted nine times as Pollstar’s “Best Outdoor Music Venue,” the universally acclaimed site 150-miles east of Seattle offers breathtaking views of the Columbia River Canyon – and, since it’s situated in the middle of a prehistoric rock formation, it also serves as a natural acoustic bowl.
James McKenna appreciates all the virtues of The Gorge, but as a lighting designer, he knows that the iconic site also possesses some formidable challenges. “The Gorge is one of the most beautiful venues to visit — and one of the most punishing to work at,” he said. “You have to contend with the heat, dust, and the aggravation that comes with working there.
It’s also far enough from civilization that if you forget to bring something, your options are limited. The venue has done a lot of work over the past couple of years to greatly improve the infrastructure out there. At the end of the day though, when you see how spectacular shows look there, it’s always well worth the effort.”
This kind of effort put forth by McKenna and his team at R90 Lighting paid off beautifully for fans June 25th at the 2026 edition of Insomniac’s Beyond Wonderland at The Gorge. Brought on by Insomniac to set up two stages, they created a well-oiled machine that supported a variety of acts over the three-day festival.
For his part McKenna did double-duty at the event. Not only did he supervise the set-up of two stages, but he was also asked by Erik Mahowald of Bending Lite Productions to run the lights on the bassrush-powered Mad Hatter’s Castle Stage. Helping him keep up with every intense dubstep, trap, and bass as he busked his way through the festival was a ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M Stadium Consolesupplied by R90 Lighting . “I like my gigs like I like my chicken nuggets: double-dipped,” he quipped.
Lighting all but three of the acts on the stage during the festival, McKenna delighted in mashing buttons aggressively. “Mad Hatter’s Castle is a bass music stage – and bass music is fairly chaotic,” he said. “What I enjoy most about running lights to that style of music is that I get to just go for it with big in your face looks that go in unpredictable directions. The lighting can be as punishing as the sounds emitting from the PA. There is a certain amount of freedom in that you get to use every gimmick that that your rig is capable of when busking that kind of show.
“The only limitations that you have are your imagination and how much programming time is available,” continued McKenna. “This allows you to blend everything you have in the desk to match the highs and lows on whichever path the music is taking. Since we’re talking about bass music, there are a lot of strobes and shutters. Want to let out some aggression in a healthy way? Busk!”
McKenna leans on his ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M when expressing himself with busking. “The ease of programming with the MagicQ software is made for someone like me.,” he said. “I am one of those masochists who would rather build a fresh show every time than retool an old one to fit a new rig. Each show gets programmed for the rig in front of me. Adapting a previous show’s programming to a completely different setup is sometimes messy (or boring) when you want to busk.”
The 12-key Executor was also helpful to McKenna at Beyond Wonderland. “It’s just a nice area to put big reusable looks in an easily accessible space,” he said. “It is where I put my get-out-of-jail-free looks, so if I’m caught off guard, I always have those keys on standby.
“Lighting fixtures are using more and more parameters today,” continued McKenna. “I won’t go into detail, but just say that the MQ500M did not require additional network processing to handle every fixture on this rig in their full channel modes. That wasn’t the experience we had with the consoles that the visiting LDs brought to the festival.”
A versatile console wasn’t the only thing helping McKenna at Beyond Wonderland. Also coming in for praise was Maryalice Weed, lighting lead from R90; Eugene Cognomen and Dwight Upton-Francis, lighting techs from R90; and the entire R90 warehouse crew back in Seattle.
“Everything really came together for us at this festival,” said McKenna… and that brought out the best in one of the USA’s most legendary outdoor music venues.
BELLADRUM, SCOTLAND – The most memorable music festivals often seem to spring out of the land in which they take place. Such is the case with the iconic Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival. Located on the historic 1,150-acre Belladrum Estate in the highlands just west of Inverness, the three-day event is rich in Scottish traditions from late night Ceilidh dancing to vibrant story telling.
Steve “Mac” McCracken of Mac-Events drew on the latter when lighting the 2026 festival headliner show by the multi-award winning local legend, Callum Beattie. Given that Beattie’s set was 90-minutes, McCracken had ample time to unfold what he called a “visual story” that moved in unison with his client’s music.
‘The aim was to create a lighting show that was energetic, powerful and really connected to the music.,” said McCracken. “We wanted a strong visual identity, with intense reds, ambers and fiery tones creating a feeling of heat and aggression. The lighting was to feel like part of the performance, rather than simply illuminate the stage.”
To do this, McCracken and his team worked their ChamSys Magic MQ250M Stadium Consoleto conjure up programmed sequences and live busking looks from their Limelight Event Services rig. “Our lighting followed the music and energy of the performance,” he said. “We could build looks gradually, strip things back and then hit the bigger moments with maximum movement, colour and intensity. The MQ250M was ideal for this because we could have a large number of programmed looks and effects available while still retaining full live control.
“We also used our floor package to create a specific look for Callum while still having the festival rig to complement the design,” continued McCracken. “The festival rig was the main structure for the larger-scale lighting system, particularly the overhead coverage and fixtures already installed in the rig. Our own hanging and wheeled pre-rigs were then integrated into that system to give us the specific looks we wanted for Callum. Limelights Event Services provided a great platform for us to build the show around with their festival rig, in addition to giving us great support all around, Festivals like this are always a team effort, and having a good relationship between the artist, lighting team, production and festival supplier makes a massive difference.”
Not only did McCracken and his team benefit from being with a supportive festival crew, but they also relied on the MQ250M to make the production process easier. “Even under the best of circumstances, there are always challenges when taking a pre-programmed show into a festival environment because the available rig can be different from what you originally designed around,” he explained. “The MQ250M made that process much easier. We could adapt the patch, fixture selection and programming quickly and integrate our own hanging and wheeled pre-rigs with the festival system.”
McCracken says that “flexibility” was one of the biggest advantages of using the MQ250M on this project. He also listed “speed of programming,” and Playback as key features. On the latter, he noted, “Playback and busking capabilities were critical, allowing us to have programmed looks ready to go while still being able to react live to the music and performance. The MQ250M allowed us to build a large part of the show in advance and then adapt it once we knew exactly what the festival rig looked like. That saved a huge amount of time.”
Having saved this time, the Mac-Events team was able to focus more on the creative, story- telling aspect of the show. And oh, what a story there was to be told, full of energy, surprises and passion… qualities right at home in this corner of the world.
ChamSys is proud to have performed the first ever live road test of the new Sig-Net protocol at the Big Top Tent at WOMAD festival in Neston, UK. A ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M+ was used to control a ChamSys GeNetix GN8 running Sig-Net protocol controlling 100 fixtures on 6 universes of lighting. ChamSys MQ500M+ supports 400 universes of Sig-Net on up to 10 different Sig-Net scopes direct from the console without requiring any additional processing nodes.
Sig-Net ran flawlessly both during the build and over the four show days, controlling the lighting for over 20 top Artists from all over the world including KOG, Kofi Stone, Emma-Jean Thackray, Barrut, José González and Mádé Kuti – grandson of famous Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti.
Lighting Designers Will Thomas and Chris Kennedy put the lighting through its paces, with moments of transcendent calm and furious flashing. Sig-Net performed superbly throughout, without any latency, flickering or routing issues. Swapping between the main and backup consoles was handled flawlessly. The stage team of Nikki Dickinson and Katy Jane Lord were amazed at the simplicity of using Sig-Net – a simple passphrase was configured and then it was just left to work for 6 days!
WOMAD was founded in 1980 by a group of musicians including Peter Gabriel who is still involved to this day. WOMAD celebrates the world’s many forms of music, arts and dance with live shows and workshops – it even features a Taste the World stage where famous artists cook on stage. It is entirely fitting that a festival built on the ethos of bringing peoples from around the world together in a safe and secure space, should be the first to use the World’s first safe and secure lighting control protocol.
Sig-Net® is a free to use protocol designed by Singularity (UK) Ltd that provides security and authentication, created by Art-Net inventor Wayne Howell. Unlike Art-Net and sACN where anybody with a console or computer can accidentally or maliciously take control of the lighting rig. All new lighting equipment must support secure lighting protocols by the end of 2027 to be compliant with the incoming European Cyber Resilience Act. Sig-Net enables a full secure remote management and diagnostic interface to ease network configuration issues and uses Multicast Folding™ to overcome the scaling and routing issues of sACN. In addition, RDM, Timecode, MIDI and OSC can all be sent over Sig-Net securely.
Lighting for all stages at WOMAD was provided by TSL Lighting based in Basingstoke with the support of Account Director Ian Turner. ChamSys consoles were used throughout the site on five stages.
ChamSys, Singularity, Robe and other top lighting manufacturers will be demonstrating Sig-Net at the PLASA Cybersecurity Pavilion (K66) PLASA London. 6th – 8th September.
LEICESTERSHIRE, UK – Frenzied mosh pits, colorful bangers, gritty riffs, and gut-splitting bass spreads… all that and way, way more were everywhere you turned at Donington Park during the revamped Download festival. So too was ChamSys!
From the jam-packed District X, to the star studded Avalanche and Dogtooth stages, talented LDs were keeping pace with the festivals’ ferocious outpouring of music by running power-packed shows on their ChamSys consoles.
ZigZag Lighting kept FOHs throughout the festival grounds humming by furnishing ChamSys desks, in addition to providing the lighting kit for all stages except Apex and Opus. (PRG supplied kit for the Apex Stage and Siyan for the Opus Stage.)
This year, Download continued to hold its title as the “largest rock festival in the UK,” drawing over 100,000 fans. Those fans were treated to a wider array of pulsating music as the festival featured a healthy representation of younger artists, as well as more geographically diverse performers.
LDs relied on the versatility and intuitive layout of their ChamSys consoles to enhance the reenergized festival’s multifarious performances, which ranged from the nostalgic, to reality bending phantasmic shows. Whether it was a house rig, a touring production, or something on the late-night District X stage, MagicQ delivered the flexibility and reliability needed to keep the keep party times going all weekend long!
Relentlessly running shows on house rigs were the MagicQ MQ500M Stadium Console on the Avalanche Stage 3 and Dogtooth Stage 4, as well as the District X Doghouse. Also moving with the music at District X were the MagicQ MQ250M Stadium Console on The Den, and theMagicQ MQ70 on the Ace of Spades, as well as MagicQ MQ60s on the Hellfire and The Outpost.
ChamSys was also well-represented on touring rigs at the festival. The USA’s Pete Therrien worked his MQ80 and an Extra Wing for Social Distortion on the Opus Stage to rev up energy for the legendary act’s sing-along hits like “Story Of My Life.” Wiktor Kozak and his Mini Connect flawlessly covered the attacking tracks of Polish deathcore band Decapitated on the Dogtooth stage. Then there was Stefan Gunkel crushing it on his Stadium Connect for Cypress Hill, Adam McNally deftly working his Stadium Connect for RØRY, as she made her hugely anticipated Download Festival debut on the Apex Stage, and Richard Wolfgang working wonders on his MaxiWing for The Pretty Wreckless at their Sunday Apex show.
The entire ChamSys team express gratitude to ZigZag Lighting, especially Neil Hunt, Tom Rawlinson, Luke Maxwell, Isaac, and the entire crew, for helping make ChamSys such a visible part of Download. They appreciated the excellent work by the teams at PRG and Siyan.
Teamwork all around, plus performances of all kinds, great music, rides, excellent food choices… Download 2026 had everything needed for a memorable festival, including reliable and versatile ChamSys product on every stage!
NANTES, FRANCE – Late in the summer of 1887, Vincent Van Gogh wrote a letter from Paris to his younger sister Wilhelmina back in Holland cautioning her against taking art too seriously. Being overly serious, the great master advised his sibling can make art sterile. This was the sort of advice that Ultra Vomit would readily agree with.
Although the quartet from Nantes can grind intense metal music with the best of them (anybody who’s heard La Puissance du Pouvoir knows that!), their performances are marked by a freewheeling witty parodic, sometimes slapstick sense of humor. Nothing overly serious and certainly nothing “sterile” here.
Designer and programmer Gregory “Gru” Dutein from Chirac Design has been reflecting the band’s multi-faceted music and stage persona in light since 2017. He described the essence of their performances this way:
“An Ultra Vomit show should be seen as a true burlesque performance. Each song is essentially a tribute to a specific style or artist from the metal, hardcore, punk, or even mainstream scene. Visually, every track has a very distinct identity, reflecting the codes of the style being parodied. At the same time, the show remains very “alive,” with constant improvisation and audience interaction. That’s why I always keep live faders ready.
Although the band plays to a click with some pre-programmed sequences, Dutein runs the lighting manually without timecode, He explains that he does this to preserve an organic feel. Doing so requires that he maintain tight synchronization between lighting, video, and music.
To help him do this, he relies on his ChamSys MagicQ MQ70 Compact Console. “We actually started with a ChamSys MQ80, but we were immediately drawn to its compactness and efficiency,” he explained. That philosophy still holds true today — the MQ70 remains a powerful, reliable, and tour-friendly solution.”
There are many reasons why Dutein is so devoted to his console. For starters, given his busy touring schedule. First, there is the matter of time savings. He values the Fan Mode (no toggle), switch, which when combined with Subselect Pair allows X-axis positioning. . There is also the Offset Patch, which is essential for fast position programming, and the Expand Palette, which he “uses constantly.”
Dutein organizes his show files carefully to account for his client’s fast-paces shows In his first layer, all groups and patterns are, organized vertically with a clear hierarchy (for example, Spots, Spot Back, Spot Front), using color tags in the patch for clarity. Layer two is the programming layer, with extended group views ad color/beam patters. The third layer is divided into four sections:
The top left is devoted to song pages for instant access.
The bottom left covers the main cues stack.
The top right is the Execute Page.
The bottom right is the Full Group Master access.
Dutein also maintain a dedicated programming page to test rigs and rebuild presets quickly, again using Playback.
The time-savings features designed into his console are also invaluable to Dutein. These include Fan Mode (No Toggle), combined with Subselect for x-access positioning, as well as Offest Patch for fast position programming, and Expand Palette. Other feature that helps him adjust quickly to the various venues and house rigs he encounters include Group Cues, Morphing, Cloning, and Custom Macros.
“All of these features allow me to adapt very quickly to different rigs, whether in venues or festivals,” said Dutein. Given the popularity of his client’s humor-tinged shows, having such efficiency at his fingertips is no lighting matter.
NEW YORK – Publilius Syrus lived long before technology brought us the concept of “multi-tasking, but the ancient Roman philosopher pretty much nailed it when he advised “to do two thing at once is to do neither.“ Scientific research has shown that our brains simply aren’t wired to multi-task, but that doesn’t mean we can’t plow through two different things in rapid succession and ace both of them.
Austin Zangi knows that! The Seattle-based LD just wrapped up the 27-date North American Zenith Tour for his client, Scottish metalcore heavies Bleed From Within, during which he not only ran their show, but also that of their main support act Sylosis. For added good measure, he served as the tour manager too!
Not only did both shows go off without a hitch night after night, but each also supported the band on stage with distinct looks that fit the music like a well-worn pair of jeans. “The biggest thing for me was making sure each band had its own visual identity even though they were sharing the same rig and production environment,” said Zangi, who ran the tour’s show on a ChamSys MagicQ MQ250M alongside his GeNetix GN10 nodes and GeNetix GS8 switch. “I wanted anyone to be able to walk into the room and instantly feel which band was on stage purely from the lighting.”
For Bleed From Within, Zangi’s design leaned toward the atmospheric with wider looks, impactful silhouettes, and dynamic movements that supported the “emotional rise and fall of the set.” The looks he created for Sylosis, tended to be darker and more aggression, with faster cueing transitions and sharper movement.
Zangi credits the Timecode feature in his ChamSys console with helping him maintain consistency as he moved from one band’s show to the other’s. “ChamSys made the timecoding process really efficient because of how flexible and tour friendly the platform is,” he explained. “One of the biggest advantages was being able to build and organize cue stacks quickly while still keeping everything easy to edit and adjust during rehearsals and show days.
“Also, the Timeline workflow let me program very precisely to musical moments, but still make fast edits on the fly. Another thins I relied heavily on was Group Cues, which helped speed up programming and patching house rigs. Whether we were in smaller clubs or larger venues, the Group Cues feature made it easy to adapt positions, timing, and fixture layouts without rebuilding entire sequences. That flexibility was a huge part of keeping both shows consistent.”
Maintaining consistency was made more challenging by the wide variety of venues on the tour, which kicked off April 2nd at the Palladium in Wooster, MA and concluded May 7th at New York’s Gramercy Theater, with stops at LA’s The Regent Theatre and Chicago’s House of Blues along the way.
“I worked with Squeek Lights to create a compact rig that would work most places, but we still had to make adjustments along the way,” said Zangi. “My ChamSys setup made a big difference, since it’s intuitive and fast. Having a console that allows you to work quickly and confidently is incredibly important. The Workflow feature played a huge role in allowing me to balance multiple responsibilities throughout the tour. The efficiency and reliability of the software meant I could spend less time tied to the desk and more time focusing on the tour management side of things.”
Although each of the two shows Zangi ran with this ChamSys console had distinct personalities they did share a common under-riding quality. “My goal for both was to create something that felt heavy and immersive without just blasting away. I had the band members stand out while still maintaining a dark and aggressive aesthetic that suited both bands in ways that were individual and unique.”
BOSTON – Sure, he’s run his share of cue stacked and timecoded shows, but Vinny Shaw makes no secret about it: he loves busking, especially when it involves fast-paced, “heavy” artists, The UK-based LD got precisely what he wanted this spring when he ran Fit For An Autopsy’s support show on Lamb of God’s 27 city North American tour, which ended April 26th with a raucous unfiltered performance at the Music Hall at Fenway.
Everything Shaw likes was there: a tight ionic deathcore band playing as fiercely as ever with intense breakdowns, beatdown vibes, heavy chugs, and loyal fans raising fists to familiar hits like “Warfare” and “Far From Heaven.” Every night was a dream… but lived out in a somewhat different way.
Although Shaw had the same Squeek Lights floor package throughout the tour, he had to work with different (sometimes radically different) house rigs. This made him grateful that he had his familiar ChamSys MagicQ MQ250M Stadium Console with him at every venue.
“It was a different flown rig each night, and occasionally smaller stage space as well,” he said. “This required me to adjust the show to suit the alternative fixture models and counts. But truly, adapting daily to alternative rigs is made very easy with ChamSys, thanks to the simple patch clone/morphing, the Group Based Cues, and Grid FX. Even the simple ability to change the mode of a fixture from the main patch window helps make updates to the show fast.”
Of course, Shaw’s console did more than help him keep pace with ever-changing rigs and stages, it also made it easier for him to spread his creative wings and fly in a compelling show that began with a dark, moody walk on, and then erupted hard with a searing first song, followed later by menacing blackouts where only a single band member was lit.
“This is a complex show that can be seen on many levels,” Shaw explained. “FFAA songs are very dynamic with heavy riffs, fast passed sections and some clean vocal choruses,” Shaw explained. “I use open white spots, blinders or strobe FX to punch through darker saturated colors and punctuate key rhythmic sections, stabs and guitar solos. There are also some specific moments in the set where I like to isolate the drummer or singer for dramatic effect.”
There were many features about his ChamSys console that helped Shaw meet the challenges of running this powerful show, even as he dealt with the varied flown rigs. For starters, he says that Cloning/Morphing allowed him to patch easily, reducing time spent on the “boring part of the day.”
There were also Group Cues/FX that made it easier to adapt to different fixture mixes and head counts. Then there was the convenient size of the ChamSys MagicQ MQ250M Stadium console and its rugged flight case, something definitely appreciated by a British lighting designer crisscrossing the USA for 27 shows in under two months!
“This console is compact given its power,” said Shaw. “Being able to fly with my own console and slot it in easily to FOH without needing much real estate is always an advantage. This let me put more focus on the creative fun stuff, which at the end of the day, is what a tour like this is all about.”
PARIS – “Creativity takes courage,” Matisse famously observed. The great master was correct, of course, but the creative quest doesn’t stop there. In these modern technologically driven times, bringing a new vision to life often requires a healthy dosage of collaboration as well.
The mysterious space where creative collaborators meet is the focal point of La CoLAB, a popular live format program on France 3 TV in which different musicians collaborate and reinterpret songs together on a stage set resembling a recording studio. The artist interactions are insightful and engrossing — and they are made all the more dramatic by a lighting design that endows the set with greater depth and texture.
Cyrille Dupont, also well-known as “6sou,” who handles lighting and scenography on La CoLAB runs the show seamlessly with a ChamSys MagicQ MQ500 Stadium console. “I work on the project with Groupe B Live, where I’m a project manager,” he elaborated. “We provide and operate the lighting, sound, and media servers. We’ve been on the project since season one, so this is our fourth year working with the program’s creator, Couac Productions.”
Dupont and his colleagues build their lighting design around the idea of defining the space with their lighting fixtures. A key reference point on the set is the large X in the background and the diamond outline that frames the area. “We use MagicHD software in this design,” he said. “It is freely available and runs very efficiently. “I send media with a few layers, usually up to eight. For some of the fixtures I use the console’s Pixel Mapper. I have fewer than 1000 pixels to control, so the integrated pixel mapper in my ChamSys is more than enough. It also means I don’t need to add another media server.”
A ChamSys user since 2014, Dupont values his console for its speed of reprogramming and its pixel mapper. “Even back when I switched to ChamSys those features were already strong,” he said. After 2014, all my tours have been done on ChamSys. Today the ChamSys solution still appeals to new, younger users. The interface is clear and straightforward. Also, since the software is free, you can do a lot of preparation work without the need to buy extensive hardware. For example, if I want to test my Patch, I just plug an Ethernet cable from my computer and run it to the network. The computer interface is very well designed, and everything fits on one page.”
When working on La CoLAB, Dupont is finding his MQ500 to be an invaluable time saver. “What I really appreciate in the logic of the MQ500, and all MagicQ consoles since they share the same core, is the way Cues and Cue Lists are managed,” he said. “With limited programming time, the ability to work quickly when updating Cues, inserting, or removing them, and adjusting their settings is particularly helpful in a project like La CoLAB. I get an hour and a half, maybe two, during soundcheck and rehearsals, and that’s the only time I have to program the show. Independent Timings are one of my favorite tools to build layered transitions without needing multiple cues. I also enjoy using BPM for effects and when busking.”
In addition to crediting his efficient console, Dupont believes La CoLAB runs smoothly because of his dedicated and talented colleagues — Hugo Bachelet (Operations Manager / Set Design & Director of Photography); Clément Pelzer (Director); Matthieu Yakovleff (Music Programming & Director); Nastasia Paccagnini (Host); Toky Rakotoson (Sound Technician); Alvin Hédin (Lighting Assistant); Benjamin Fleury (Sound Assistant); and Yann Bramoullé (Stage Management).
Collaboration is indeed the key at La CoLAB, not only for the artists on stage, but also for the team behind the scenes!
CLEVELAND – Pop Punk Joy! The headline in a local Cleveland music magazine pretty much summed up the mood at the Agora Theatre when Say Anything and Motion City Soundtrack took to the stage at the legendary venue. There may be no better way to describe the pure intensity that the two emo stalwarts having been serving up every night on their 17 city 2026 leg of their coheadline tour, which began in Fort Lauderdale.
The music of both bands is driven by a raw honesty that lies at the fiercely beating heart of this enduring genre. Moving with this energy every step of the way for the Say Anything part of the show is a potent, fast-moving lightshow from Peter Therrien of JDI Productions.
Running his show on a ChamSys MagicQ MQ80 with a PC Wing, Therrien busked his way through the 70-minute set calling on penetrating strobe effects, black outs, fog, and sometimes unsettling light angles to reflect the mood of the music.
“I love busking,” said Therrien. “Do I make mistakes? Sure. Is my show perfect? Probably not. But I like the flow of the lights in this genre more than the ‘produced’ look of a time coded show. Every song in this show’s set has a page built. On that page will be position, color, and intensity. Then on my ChamSys MagicQ MQ80, I use an executor page and all the play/pause buttons to activate movements, color chases, and dimming effects. I also have the new MagicQ Compact Wing, which I absolutely love, where I kept strobe/blinder looks and downstage washing.”
Therrien relied on ChamSys Multi-Emitter Colour Picker to keep his show varied during the set. “I think all LDs reach a point where certain colors provide a vibe on the stage,” he said. “I’m always impressed with the way theatre designers use color. It’s such a skill that I really try and work on — so thank you. Say Anything really is just raw energy and controlled chaos on that stage sometimes. It can be a crazy ride and intense and moody. To me it’s super important those color choices reflect that feeling. I really believe a crowd can be feel that energy.
“I use color, along with various intensity chases, to change up looks during the show,” continued Therrien. “I’ve also really started changing the amount of front light I use… lot more light from top and behind rather than a ton from the front.”
Given that the show stops at a wide variety of venues, of different sizes and with different lighting rigs, Therrien is always thankful for this console’s versatility. “In general, I’ve always said you can’t beat the ChamSys fixture library,” he remarked. “It’s vitally important when you’re in different places every day. Like I said the new wing is also incredible to have. I’m also not the smartest when it comes to networking but the ChamSys is so easy to just take over house rigs — it doesn’t matter whether it’s the house console or if they run DMX or sACN. You never know what you’re getting on an extended tour like this one.”
Although Therrien and the rest of the production crew might never know what to expect, fans who have turned out for this coheadline tour certainly do — an intense performance in keeping with the tradition of this musical genre, all supported by reliable exciting lightshow.
LONDON – “If you look at things with a pencil and paper in your hand, you are going to see far more,” advised David Hockney. The legendary artist and theatrical set designer had a point. Even in this era of sophisticated AI technology, committing an idea to paper and pencil endows it with greater depth, compelling us to view it in a different, often more nuanced way.
Such was the case with Will Thomas, a lighting designer who was “lucky — or old — enough” to be taught how to draw plans and elevations to scale at art college back in the early 90’s. Thomas puts this talent to good use, often sketching designs by hand before making them come alive on his ChamSys console.
He did this for a Mastery Presents show at Church of St. John at Hackney in March headlined by Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Alessandro Cortini, who earned his spurs as the keyboardist for Nine Inch Nails.
“If you are doing a massive rig with multiple heads and complicated staging then of course it makes sense to take a different path, but if you want to communicate an idea on a smaller show quickly, being able to accurately draw a visualization of what you plan to do is really important in my view,” he said. “The other thing I have found to be really important is that actually handing a piece of paper to the client and also to the crew gives everyone a greater sense of ownership.”
Thomas’s design as he sketched it and ran it on his ChamSys MagicQ MQ70 Compact Console was an artful creation that deftly relied on subtle lighting nuances from his 30-fixture kit to play off the architectural fixtures of this iconic church, whilst also reflecting the music of different artists on stage.
“Happily, my client, Bianca Mayhew at Mastery Presents had a very clear idea of how the evening should be presented,” said Thomas. “Each position of every fixture was purposeful and reacted something they’d mentioned. However, speaking with her – in the actual space – and with the performers as they set up, I was able to glean from them that the improvised nature of each performance meant. It was then up to me to be present and use my console and the lighting design to react to the music that they played in that moment and not rely on preprogrammed looks or effects.
“For this particular show the final layout changed from the drawing, and we added an extra two tank traps and stands because the client wanted to have the risers covered with a neat black drape,” He continued. “The lower fixtures would have been lost behind it so we moved them out on to the additional stands. The only inconvenience to me was a quick regroup of fixtures on desk. This sort of adaptability and willingness to change is important to me and is valued by the client.”
Thomas evoked powerful moods during the event, not only through his evocative color mixes, but also by my mixing light and darkness. He explained how the nature of the venue allowed him to control dark space on stage. “The joy/challenge of working in a space like St. John’s Hackney is that it lacks any dark space when you are setting up, so you get to determine where darkness is,” he said. “Incrementally revealing the building gave a much greater and gentler dynamic than I would have achieved if everything was lit up at the beginning of the night. Once the performances began, I split the floor wash group into odds and evens — and by selectively using the zoom, I was able to separately illuminate the golden alter-piece and backlight the performers.
Thomas’ MagicQ MQ70 Compact Console aided him in achieving this vision. For example, to reflect the overall mood of this show, he used tungsten 40W lamps on microphone stands. His console made it easy for him to shift/copy these, add a third fader to them, change the direction of the chase. Additionally, using his ChamSys console he was able to randomize or bounce the chase live.
“Although this was a very small lighting rig, being able to make sub-groups of fixtures easily meant I could use different parts of the rig to create different shapes.,” said Thomas. “For example, the lower set of Rogue FxB’s pointing up and the higher set focused down at the performer. I love having a start centre stage position for the heads and then being able to easily record a new position for each performer and update it live. This is important when there are multiple acts on stage, and it was too light to focus them precisely when they sound checked earlier.
“ChamSys allows me to do this –and it is really important when there are multiple acts on stage and it was too light earlier during soundcheck to focus precisely. My MagicQ MQ70’s Shift-to-Access and Fine Pan Tilt are essential in allowing me to create these defined focuses without the audience really noticing the position changes.”
There was more than responsive and flexible equipment involved in helping Thomas create this evocative design. He also gives credit to Paul Jarvis from Copper Red Design who worked with him on the project and to Colour Sound Experiment show supplied the gear. Together they helped transform a creative vision that began with a sketch and ended with a deeply moving lighting design.
INDIO, CA – About 2,700 miles separate the Empire Polo Club from Manhattan’s Lower East side, where the legendary Luna Lounge once stood. But on April 12, the Mojave Stage on the windy club grounds during the Coachella festival was transformed into a classic post-punk hotbed, when New York’s own Interpol kicked off their mercilessly intense performance.
Photo by JakeWestPhoto
As soon as the first instantly recognizable chords of the band’s seminal hit “Obstacle1” rang out from the red drenched stage, fans knew they were about to embark on an unforgettable experience that would rile them on the deepest level.
The raw edgy music was at the heart of it all, but there was also Ed Warren’s lighting and production design that set the unsettling mood. As one fan’s social post expressed it: “Their lighting is incredible and honestly that helps so much, but they sound so good!!”
Warren programmed his show on his ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M Stadium Console and had his LD Christian Lincoln run the show on the same model console during the festival. To provide extra firepower, he relied on 35 CHAUVET Professional STRIKE 1 fixtures from his touring package.
Photo by JakeWestPhoto
“We had our STRIKE fixtures in columns of five on seven of the stage’s nine upright towers,” said Warren. “They were used for backlighting and strobe effects.
“As always with Interpol, I like to create a dark moody look that is mostly backlit. to provide mood-setting backing and intense strobe effects, he continued. “Throughout this design, I incorporated clean geometric vectors and wide washes of solid block color. I love the use of straight lines with this band — as I’ve shown with previous design iterations. This time, I wanted to kind of encase the band in a room of narrow beams, which slowly develop and expand with the music.”
Another important function of the STRIKE 1 units was to unleash the bold strobe effects that punctuated the show. When paired the with the monochromatic washes and generous level of fog that covered the stage, the strobing projected a restless in-your-face energy level, the kind reminiscent of Hell’s Kitchen Manhattan back in the day, when this bold group of New Yorkers was starting to shake up the music world.
LONDON – Sometime around the start of the second century, in the spot where The Guildhall now stands, the Romans completed a coliseum which housed chariot racers and, yes, gladiators. On 13 November, a bit of this ancient grandeur (happily without actual gladiatorial combat!) returned to London, as the city hosted the long-awaited premiere of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 at Leicester Square, complete with set pieces inspired by Roman architecture.
The setting, created by Limited Edition Event design, welcomed a glittering array of guests, including the film’s director and stars, along with none other than King Charles, himself. Contributing to the glamorous and festive tone of the event was a lighting design by Richard Godin that was run on a Chamsys MagicQ MQ250M desk, anchored by a mighty legion of CHAUVET Professional LED video panels, all supplied by Milton Keynes-based IPS .
At the heart of the design were 132 REM 3IP LED screens that ran along the length of the Romanesque set pieces that flanked the red carpet area. Framed on either side by « Roman columns, » the bright (4,500 NITS) indoor/outdoor panels displayed images from the film. Their DCI-P3 color gamut made it possible to use a broader range of hues, while its 3.9mm pitch ensure crystal clear images.
« The Chauvet REM 3IP LEDScreen in this project looked superb, » said James Mason of IPS, who added that five OnAir IP panels were also used at the premiere, lighting the star-studded event’s busy interview area. Other CHAUVET Professional fixtures that helped make this global career shine included six Ovation Reve E-3 Profiles and 36 WELL Fit uplighters.
Like the film itself, the global premiere of Gladiator 2 enjoyed rave reviews on that November night. The 72nd Royal Film Performance™ by the charity in its 100-year history, the event not only raised money for a good cause, but it also provided all involved with what one news reporter called « a hot to trot » good time. Indeed, the premiere just might have been one of the more notable gladiatorial events to happen in London in about 19 centuries or so.
LONDON – Sure, fortune is fickle, but sometimes lady luck has a way of quietly handing out subtle, unexpected treasures, especially to those with an eye for such elusive opportunities.
Widely acclaimed lighting designer, Ed Warren certainly falls into that category. He noticed the way light hit a mirror ball over his video wall and drape backdrop when rehearsing for Michael Kiwanuka’s recently completed Small Changes tour. A startling discovery? No, but it opened the door to a powerful creative opportunity.
« It was a happy accident, » said Warren « When we ran through things in rehearsals, I decided to hit the mirror ball with a single spot from below, wash out some blue light, add a bit of haze, and it worked perfectly — of course with the help of incredible visuals from my video designer Ed Hoare. We came up with a look that made it seem as if a single plume of smoke was rising up the backdrop. It really was a magical moment, everyone just stood there with their jaw on the floor. »
That particular look was just one of many nuances that Warren called upon to set a deeply evocative aura on stage for his Grammy and Brit Award nominated client’s very moving and emotionally reflective show. There was a captivating pensive and contemplative quality to Kiwanuka’s performance on this tour, and Warren’s delicate, uncluttered blend of video and light created an ideal setting for it to play out on.
« This tour is a kind of continuation — but also a revamp — of the last tour we had, » said Warren. « I completely reprogrammed most of the songs, and changed a lot about the way the show was structured light-wise. We stripped it right back, removed almost all the colour, only introduced haze halfway through the show, and kept everything super simple. I would describe the looks as a 1960s recording studio/concert experience. There was minimal production, but when it was done, it was super effective and efficient. We let the music do most of the talking! »
Laying a visual foundation for this design was a collection of 174 CHAUVET Professional STRIKE 1 Array fixtures supplied by GLS. Arranged along the back of the stage and on either side, the fixtures were used to provide a distinct linear look that anchored the rest of the stage’s lighting and the redolent images on its 40’ x 30’ video wall, (The wall itself was bordered on the top and sides by 8’ wide drapes to provide an extra element of warmth to the stage.)
« The STRIKE fixtures gave us a warm backlight, sitting nicely between the screen and the floor and acting as a beautiful warm strip that held the stage together nicely, » said Warren, who notes that the show was run on a ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M Stadium Console.
Warren praised operator Franki McDade for running the show seamlessly throughout the tour. « She has done an excellent job on this and other tours we’ve done, » said Warren. « We are lucky to have her. »
Luck? Yes, but as Ed Warren demonstrated during rehearsals for this tour, luck always seems to shine more brightly when one is inspired.
LONDON – Academy Award winning director Bong Joon Ho tells interviewers that his latest film, “Mickey 17” a futuristic dystopian tale about an intrepid journey made by “expendable” beings to colonize a distant ice planet, is, at its core, an exploration into the “human condition.” Fascinated by his gripping work, critics infer different meanings from the film’s message, which is, at turns, serious and comic, but there was no doubt in anyone’s mind about the “condition” of the large crowd of humans who attended the film’s premiere at Leicester Square – it was pure joy!
Really, there was no way it could have been anything else! Fans got to see Bong and the Mickey 17’s nattily dressed stars Robert Pattinson and Naomi Ackie in an elegant setting, not to mention a parade of “drones” from the film marching down the red carpet, while also enjoying lively video clips shown on a 32m long structure featuring 160 active CHAUVET Profession REM 3IP LED panels.
Created by Limited Edition Event Design, the gala evening immersed fans in a celebratory atmosphere worthy of a major premiere, in addition to conveying an engaging sense of the film itself. Milton Keynes-based IPS, supplied and installed the premiere’s video panels as well as its lighting kit, which included 14 Color STRIKE Mfixtures, positioned in pairs at the bottom of each of the seven light towers that interspliced the video wall. Each of the screens along the red-carpet walkway wall measured 2.5m wide by 4m high. The custom content they displayed was played back via a media server.
Lighting designer Richard Godin skillfully ran the lighting and video on his ChamSys MagicQ MQ250M Stadium Console to create the evening’s engaging atmosphere. His well-timed strobes and colour effects that matched the film’s imagery contributed to the overall sense of excitement that marked the affair.
As is the case with any event that takes place in Leicester Square, the Mickey 17 premiere had its share of challenges. Load-in and tear down schedules had to be arranged carefully to meet time and space restrictions. And the structure for the video panels had to be constructed to account for the sloping surface of the area. Project Manager James Mason and LED Technician Dan Ainsley from IPS were more than up to the task of meeting these challenges, leading a dedicated team of colleagues, they helped the premiere come off without a hitch, ensuring that the “human condition” on this London evening was indeed a happy one.
ISTANBUL – Every night, fans of Empire of the Sun, affectionately known as Empyreans wait in line to see the Australian duo’s Ask That God tour. Many follow the band from city to city. And why not? Attending this richly nuanced and incredibly diverse show time after time never gets boring. It’s like looking at the starry sky night after night — always different, always timeless, always transporting you to a universe of fantasy and imagination.
Less of a traditional concert, and more like an experience where sci-fi mysticism slams into concert energy, Ask That God blazes its own path in every possible way. Describing this four-act show with its mix of theatre, costume changes, cinematic video, soft intimacy, and thunderous musical blend of EDM, synth-pop, New Wave and various forms of rock is often difficult for fans to do in a single sentence.
Imagine, then trying to light this panoramic production!
Oliver “Olly” Suckling was more than up to the task on the long-awaited EU leg of the Ask That God tour, which concluded August 30 at Bonus Parkorman in Istanbul, after beginning July 23 at Sagres Campo Pequeno in Lisbon, with stops in Spain, Italy, The Netherlands, Germany, The UK, Poland, The Czech Republic, France, Belgium and other countries along the way.
After designing the show, Suckling skillfully ran it on a rig supplied by Lights Control Rigging (LCR), using two ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M Stadium Consoles. Throughout the show, he navigated his way brilliantly through its multifarious facets, always maintaining looks that were as fresh and vibrant as his client’s music.
“It was important to follow the style and pace of the music,” said Suckling. “This is a very theatrical show that ranges from intimate moments to full rock out moments, heading all the way to all out rave moments. The lighting looks we created aimed to support this quality, whilst also keeping it dark, moody and mysterious.”
Suckling relied on 14 CHAUVET Professional COLORado PXL Curve 12 motorized battens, positioned along the front edge of the stage to evoke the range of moods he was seeking to convey. Drawing on the fixture’s 12 independently controllable moving heads with their wide (5.7° to 36.3°) zoom range, he created a variety of supportive looks that fit every moment.
Explaining his choice of the fixture, Sucking said: “We needed a batten type pixel fixture that would add a punch to the front edge of the stage but also be able to stand strong against all the other fixtures we had on stage. We needed to make the single line of them stand on their own. We also needed the added feature of being waterproof due to half our shows being at outdoor festivals.”
In the end, Suckling used his rig to contribute mightily to a tour that one critic said, “is as much a visual experience as a musical one.” It was also an experience that, as all Empyreans know, never ceased to excite and amaze.
NASHVILLE – You don’t win four awards from Country Music Association, two awards from the Academy of Country Music, and a Grammy Award by being a one-dimensional band. So, it’s not surprising that Diamond Rio has touched a lot of musical bases in their storied career.
It may be impossible to imagine a single show encompassing the full range of moods the multi-platinum band conveys with their songs, but Diamond Rio is coming pretty close on their 15-city fall tour. Reflecting the scope of the six-piece group’s music with dynamic looks that engage audiences every step of the way is a boldly colored lighting design by Willis Underhill that features a broad selection of CHAUVET Professional fixtures.
Running his show on a ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M+, Underhill of Graffiti Lighting Concepts calls forth a continuously changing stream of colors to reflect the mood of each song. “I like to rely on bold color combinations to help evoke emotion and help create moments between the band and the crowd,” he explained. “I use a lot of reds, whites, yellows, and deep orange for high-energy moments on this tour. For more intimate moments, I lean towards pastels and similar colors.”
Of course, there is much more than a captivating palette that’s engaging Diamond Rio fans, Underhill is keeping his looks fresh by changing light angles and accenting his bold, often monochromatic, color schemes with bright white light accent.
Unleashing the full power of this rig, Underhill is creating looks that are very powerful, but also very approachable, as they flow with his client’s music. He explained that since Diamond Rio is a very upbeat band with an ebullient style, he wanted a lighting rig that could keep pace with the many highpoints in their performance.
“The Maverick Storm 2 Profiles are ideal for this show,” he said. “I rely on them to provide delicate midair breakups to help highlight key moments between the band and the crowd. Then, I use the STRIKE Bolts as sidelight downstage to help frame the sides of the performance area and create depth on stage. I also use them as eye candy to create movement, as well as a strobe for impactful moments when needed.
“I am also able to turn around immediately and utilize the Storm 2 Profiles’ high-output LED engine to help transition to high-energy moments with ease, to engage the crowd. As for the Storm 2 Beam Washes, they help me create both deep, saturated colors and airy pastels. This allows me to transition smoothly from high-energy moments to slow ballads with ease.”
Throughout his show, Underhill is careful to highlight the individual band members, each of whom has a dedicated special spot downstage and upstage in the house lighting rig. He highlights individual performers with this house rig and uses his ground package to direct attention to different areas of the stage at different moments. “I want highlight different band members at key moments, so they all get attention,” he explained.
Given all that this band was done since it started in Nashville in the ‘90s, the attention is very well-deserved.
CHICAGO – Silhouettes say a lot without ever revealing too much about themselves… a beguiling quality that makes them so moving in art and drama. Zach Scott is tapping into this power in his captivating design for punk rock icons The Academy Is… on the 12-city fall leg of their Almost Here tour.
Fans got a taste of this enchantment on September 21st when the band kicked off their tour at the 20th annual Chicago Riot Fest. Running his show on a ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M Stadium Console, Scott mixes richly saturated colors, a stark blend of intense brightness and dark space –and some artfully placed silhouettes to captivate attention while supporting his client’s dynamic performance.
“The role of silhouettes, brightness and intensity in this show stems from my deep-rooted programming style of theatrics with impact,” said Scott. “It is heavily influenced by one of my mentors, Gigi Padron. I prefer to use dark space as my dynamic rather than video, and the band was on that exact same thought process.
“This is something that the guys noticed immediately when we first worked together back in 2022, and they wanted to keep on that path with this new show,” continued Scott. “The band absolutely loved the use of silhouettes in that show, so we immediately started discussions on how to use less key wash light and allow light to come from the rig naturally. With the record that the band is touring (Almost Here), the vision was to create texture around the guys without washing it out using DS fixtures. I have six Chauvet Outcast 2X Washes placed on the DS sides of the deck to give a bit of punch to their faces during certain moments, but most of the time these fixtures are used along with the rest of the rig as texture light.”
In addition to the DS side units used, Scott has 12 other Outcast 2X washes in his rig — eight directly in front of his upstage sleds to provided color behind the band, and four in front of the drum riser to serve as mid-stage washes.
Scott relies on his washes to light band members at times during the show. This was no easy task, given that the animated band enjoys moving around on stage. “We have a handful of moments where the guys will stand at their taped marks for certain key light cues,” said Scott. “But for the most part they’re moving around. Six washes at 50-percent output cover them very well.”
The JRLX supplied rig also includes 15 STRIKE P38 90W warm white blinders mounted on deck truss, and eight Rogue R2 Beams on the downstage wings. “My main purpose with the beams was to extend the visual experience as far left and right as possible,” said Scott. “With the larger venues and stages on the tour, I want to ensure that the entire audience is immersed with the same show, even if they can’t be directly in line with the stage.”
Scott created his immersive show without the use of video. “The band and I had contemplated having video involved during our initial talks, however we always made it back to the fact that it was too literal for this show,” he explained. “We wanted all elements to compliment the guys’ performance.”
Another consideration, said Scott, was that video would take away from “the raw feel” that he and the band wanted. That “feel” is so well expressed on this tour by the mystery of silhouettes and the artful interplay of darkness and light.
Saint-Jean-d’Angély, France – Experience, they say, is the best teacher. It is also the surest way to overcome hesitancy and doubt. Just ask Marc Brissonnet.
The Technical Director of the venue, Brissonnet led the way in the initiative to convert it to an all LED system, inaugurated in 2018 by the City of Saint-Jean-d’Angély. The actual process started in late 2024 when the theatre installed eight Ovation Rêve E-3color rendering ellipsoidal fixtures and ten Ovation Rêve F-3 color rendering Fresnels from CHAUVET Professional.
As a multi-disciplinary house, the performance venue hosts a wide variety of different types of productions, and Marc acknowledges that initially some touring companies were hesitant to perform under LED lights. Experience, however, taught them otherwise.
“Some companies came in with preconceived notions—concerns about color rendering, intensity, or beam quality,” said Marc. “But once they saw what the Rêve units could do, most of those doubts disappeared. LED technology has come a long way, and today we’re able to get excellent results across a wide range of applications.
“An example is how the Rêve F-3s offer us all the flexibility we had with traditional fixtures, but with far better color control, consistency, and energy efficiency,” continued Marc. “They’ve made our setups faster and more precise. Honestly, they’re a great replacement.”
Purchasing the Rêve fixtures was on of the steps Marc has taken to convert the venue to an all LED system. This year, l’Eden added six Maverick Storm 2 Profile fixtures and two Rogue Outcast 2X Washes to its house rig.
“The the potential is already clear,” Marc said of the new fixtures. “Having motorized LED fixtures in the venue gives us a lot of creative flexibility. I’m glad that Chauvet offers IP20 fixtures, because IP65 is often unnecessary in venues like ours.”
Prior to embarking on his journey to an all LED system, Marc upgraded the theatre’s lighting capabilities by acquiring a ChamSys MagicQ MQ250M Stadium console. “We needed more universes to control our fixtures, and this console offered the right combination of features and price,” he said. “I had a solid introduction to the system via Rémy Rouvoy, while Victor Faré familiarized us with the lighting fixtures.
“Prisme Éclairage, who handled the integration and provided excellent support throughout the project also deserves a lot of credit,” continued Marc. “And of course, a big thank you to the Ville de Saint-Jean-d’Angély, since as a municipal performance venue, this kind of investment depends heavily on the City’s support.”
The investment is already paying dividends in a multitude of ways. One of which can be felt in the comfort level inside the theatre. Marc notes that there has seen a drop of about 7°C in the venue during the summer, which makes a real difference for both the artists and the audience.
“The space feels less stuffy and more pleasant overall,” he said. “On top of that, the lighting quality is better, and the response from visiting productions has been encouraging … even from those who were initially hesitant about using LED!”
STAFFORDSHIRE, UK – Starting strong is good… but ending strong is what critics will always remember. Every performer recognizes that, so too do the creatives behind the wildly popular Alton Towers resort, which is why every November, they end their season with a bang (quite literally!) by staging a breathtaking fireworks extravaganza supported by an equally stunning light and laser show.
Of course, any phantastic ending must contain an element of surprise. (Who laughs at a punchline they already know!?) This is why Alton Towers adds a new twist to the fireworks spectacle every year, so even guests who attend the event repeatedly (as many do), are always delightfully surprised.
The 2025 edition of the three-day event was no exception. Built around the all-new story of “Alton Intelligence” this year’s 25-minute show, opened the doors of imagination to the fascinating, multi-dimensional world of AI. Making a key contribution to this year’s event was a brilliant light show designed by Olly Suckling, associate LD Martin Winton, and production manager John Slevin, that featured 187 CHAUVET Professional fixtures supplied by GLX Productions.
Run on two ChamSys MagicQ MQ250M Stadium Consoles, the show artfully merged lighting and lasers with the massive pyrotechnics to create an experience that immersed Alton Towers guests in the realm of AI.
Creating this powerful AI-infused imagery involved a great deal of collaboration on many levels, not the least of which was the rapport between Suckling and the GLX Productions team. Although Suckling has designed on many Alton Fireworks shows in the past, this was GLX Productions’ first go at the event.
Suckling and GLX have worked closely on many other projects in the past, and they drew on this experience to create an entirely new look for the 2025 Alton Towers fireworks show. “GLX was a fantastic collaborator,” said Suckling. “This was a new project with new challenges for them, but luckily they could draw on their experience working at other projects where the build took place whilst an event was open to the public — so they handled this one incredibly well.”
“Alton Towers lives in its own weather eco system as the park sits in a slight valley with a lake at the bottom,” said Suckling. “So, IP65 is an absolute must for this show as warm days and cold nights with high humidity mean fixtures end up sitting in cold and misty conditions.”
Elaborating on this point, Zak Nicholson of GLX noted: “Only buying IP has been a strategy for GLX for some time, as it gives us more flexibility in the solutions we offer to clients – plus, it just makes sense. A complete ChamSys control solution also makes sense in projects such as this one. We have a large number of ChamSys consoles, therefore when the GeNetix line was released it made sense to invest into the GeNetix nodes too.”
By using the GeNetix nodes to interface with MagicQ Suckling could see exactly what was going on in the network. He also loved the ability to save scenes directly to the nodes and then recall them remotely from the front panels. “This sped up testing by enabling us to deploy test patterns when testing the network and fault finding,” he explained “Is the issue the network between nodes or is the issue a bad cable downstream of the node? We could answer such questions quickly and simply.”
As for the fixtures in the kit, Suckling noted that given this year’s AI theme, it was essential for him to think carefully about his choices. His design featured five self-supporting 16-meter structures, representing “AI towers” staggered along the edge of the lake that was closest to the audience, along with fixtures on the far side of the lake where the fireworks were launched from.
Each of the towers was topped with Maverick Storm 1 Beam fixtures, which Suckling used to pump up the excitement level by creating towering columns of the light. He also added an extra dimension to the towers themselves by highlighting them with light from his Rogue Outcast IL Beam fixtures.
Suckling created a captivating sense of depth in the event’s staging area by coordinating backlighting from his Color STRIKE M fixtures with the firework launch positions. He also accented the evening’s laser shows by supporting them with colorful light from his COLORado PXL 16 Bar battens, which were position on suspended V-shaped trusses from each AI tower.
Blending this lighting with the breathtaking fireworks required an adroit balancing act in 2025 just as it does every year. “Selecting the lighting to compliment the fireworks always demands careful consideration,” said Suckling. “There are moments where the lighting shines or the laser or the fireworks take center stage — and then there are moments where they all come together to build those epic panoramas.”
Suckling, Winton, and the GLX team worked closely together to achieve such moments. The result was a seamless multi-dimensional show that gave guests something very special to remember as the Alton Towers season drew to a spectacular close.
Ivancna Gorica, Slovenia – Her hits like “To Mi Je Vsec” and “Malo Malo,” which rode high on the charts for over 150 weeks,” achieved anthem-like status in Slovenia. She has sold out arenas. Her work has been universally hailed by critics for its style and power. Nina Puslar has indeed come a long way in her celebrated career.
Yet, the singer-songwriter never strayed far from her roots, which is why, when it came time to mark her 20th anniversary in the music business, she could think of no better place to celebrate the occasion than in her tiny hometown of Ivancna Gorica. Fans overflowed the local football field where the concert took place, many more of them than there are residents in this central Slovenian village.
No one in the big crowd was disappointed. Nina’s heartfelt performance was flawless. Supporting it was an appropriately artful Greta Godnic set design and a bold light show by Crt Birsa of Blackout Design that he ran on his ChamSys MagicQ Stadium Connect.
“The entire light show acted as an extension of Nina Pulsoar’s music from the intimate ballads to guitar riffs very close to rock music,” said Birsa. “My colleague at Blackout, Amadej Superger normally does shows for Nina. I had to scale his concepts. I took his colors, time code, cues and make them fit this particular event, remaking cues, and effects etc. This gave me an appreciation of MagicQ software and its flexibility. The ChamSys Group Cues was a really big help in this project. Actually, I cannot imagine program a show like this in the old ‘individual cues’ way.”
Birsa programmed the 36-universe show in his Blackout studio using a ChamSys desk and rand onsite with his MagicQ Stadium Connect. “The show was 95-percent pre-programmed,” he said. “There is no other way in modern productions with so many fixtures. It was pre-programmed in WYSIWYG, which really works well with ChamSys. Using focus points in Wyg helps a lot because you can transfer the pan/tilt information from WYSIWYG to ChamSys so you can spare quite some time when focusing lights.”
In addition to the Group Cues feature, Birsa found the Quick Editing feature in his MagicQ software especially helpful. “I relied on Quick Editing quite a bit for this show,” he said. “Really though, all of the MagicQ software features were very important for the fast and smooth workflow,” continued Birsa. “This is extra important in on projects like this one, where time is your biggest enemy no matter how early you start the pre-production.
These tools served Birsa well, as did his colleagues on this project, who, in addition to set designer Godnic, included Klemen Krajnc of Blackout Design and production manager, Rok Lozar. Together, they created a spectacular show, with light emanating for circular and triangular truss structures heading out in every direction. The total look evoked images of endless possibilities and wrapped fans in a welcoming embrace, just like the music of this beloved star.
ROTTERDAM – A vast garden of great moments is always ready to blossom at a 25th anniversary celebration, especially when you’re talking about an iconic band like DI-RECT. That garden flowered abundantly for 50,000-plus fans at De Kuip Stadium for three nights this summer, as the band from The Hauge celebrated a quarter century of making music.
DI-RECT’s wide range of compelling music was there for every fan to enjoy, not only by listening, but watching as well. Like the band’s songs, the concert ‘s production was breathtakingly varied.
The show started with a soft, gentle mood, with lead vocalist Marcel Veenendaal and guitarist Frans « Spike » van Zoest performing on a diamond-shaped 360-stage. The show then moved to a full (non-360 stage), as the show amped up to included more symphonic parts with an orchestra on tiered risers backing the band, as well as a full-fledged rock show vibe with two towering video walls and beefy lighting rig.
Running this extraordinarily diverse panorama on five ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M Stadium consoles were Leon Driessen and his team at LD Company. Three of those consoles were used during previz — one for controlling a Disguise GX3 server for video, the two others for controlling lights in a multi-user environment.
“The ChamSys Multi-User function was great because we were able to program with two programmers in the same cue list as the same time,” said Driessen. “So basically, as one programmer was setting the look and feel in the cue list of the song, the other was programming the effects, highlights like build ups and drum riffs.
“Also, at some points, we programmed two songs at the same time in the same show file,” Driessen continued. “It was really invaluable that our ChamSys allowed us to connect multiple previz systems to the same show file.”
Once the design team was on site at De Kuip, they expanded their capabilities by bringing in two additional MQ500M units. These consoles were used to control the show’s extensive video element. (In addition to the two massive video walls, the production had video content running throughout the stage, often displayed on lighting fixtures.)
“We used the ChamSys DMX Merge feature to integrate all video content into the console from servers,” said Driessen. “In this case, we were able to map video across all washes and LED strips. Since all consoles acted in the same network, we could control all cues from the same main lighting desk and go to video and key lights.”
The show was programmed on timeline and hand cues. “Basically, each song was running on timeline, but the outros were by hand,” said Driessen. This provided the band with the opportunity to “expand the songs at the end,” he explained — and given the rich abundance of DI-RECT’s material, building onto each song came naturally.
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