Brown Note Productions: Danny Wimmer Presents
Brown Note Productions, based in Denver, CO, handles a lot of musical festivals all over the U.S., several of which are produced by Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP). Brown Note (BNP) recently supported two DWP festivals back-to-back—Welcome to Rockville at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL on May 9-12, and then Sonic Temple that took place May 16-19 at the historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, OH.
“For Welcome to Rockville, which we’ve been doing since 2014, we handle the two main stages with lights, video, and sound, as well as handle the video and audio for the two VIP areas and site integration to send video and audio from the stages to I-Mag screens in other areas,” says Brown Note President, Ryan Knutson. “So that if you’re over at one stage, but can’t make it back, you can at least see the other stage on I-Mag. In terms of challenges, it’s a lot of gear since there’s a lot to cover. When we start these events, you want to design a lighting system for the best case scenario—it’s going to stay right where it needs to stay. But what ends up happening in reality is all the bands start showing up and asking about where to hang this, hang that, and whatnot. Our biggest challenge is getting all the information from all the bands to put a cohesive plan so we can formulate a rigging plan for these stages. Probably, the most amount of work is just the coordination of trying to squeeze all these bands on whatever stage we’re on. Other than that, it’s fairly a turnkey solution. We’ve done it for so long that it’s something we just know very well.”
Knutson continues, noting about the design done in-house by BNP, “We focus on trying to make it creative, but yet rock ‘n’ roll and easy to install because when you have everybody coming in like the Foo Fighters, TOOL, or some of these other groups, we’ve got to make sure that we can also do their specialty production.” When asked what he thinks makes Brown Note the right partner for a festival, Knutson says, “Because of the cohesiveness, and quality, of our team being able to handle all elements for the production. To make their advance easier by being that singular call. I think that’s a huge benefit to our clients. It’s one call to me, to my team, and we can get it all sorted out for them.”
Once Welcome to Rockville came down, the Brown Note gear and crew were off to Columbus, OH for Sonic Temple. The scope of work was similar for the BNP team, with a similar setup. The main stage was in the soccer stadium and there was a stage in the VIP area. “The main stage is a built-in stage, so we didn’t need to setup a mobile stage there,” says Knutson. “The biggest challenge was the quick turnaround; coming out of Rockville on Monday and then loading-in a show in Ohio on Tuesday. We were prepared to install our system quickly because our pre-production preparations. We have a team that really understands the needs of festivals and how they function. What I hear from our clients is when the artists start their advance, they feel a great relief knowing Brown Note is going to be there. Our team out there really cares for about these events and we know that for headlining acts, this is one of the most challenging days on your tour. You’re coming in with an arena show in your trucks and are now being put on a mobile stage, plus there may be seven or eight bands ahead of your act. Knowing that you have people there, our Brown Note crew, to support you and make sure that you’re going to be good, I think has really been the key to our success over the years. There’s a great camaraderie we are proud to have built with the artists; with DWP, and we’ve built trust. Because at the end of the day we’ve been performing at a level of consistency that keeps people happy.” Learn more about Brown Note Productions’ work at www.brownnote.com.
3G Productions: Electric Daisy Carnival
3G Productions, out of Los Angeles and Las Vegas provided gear, crew, and support for the quantumVALLEY stage at EDC Las Vegas, which took place May 17-19, 2024. 3G provided lighting, video, rigging, and audio rental equipment and services. “There are inherent challenges working on a huge festival site like the Las Vegas Motor Speedway,” says Keith Conrad, CEO of 3G Productions. “There are seven stages and numerous other activations. This always creates challenges with loading-in / -out including labor, logistics, and overall timing. We have been working on the site with this festival for over 15 years, so we understand the rhythm and properly prepare all our team for these challenges, so they approach with a positive attitude. Further we had some last-minute changes with lighting fixtures to make the rig symmetrical as designs don’t always translate as expected. We were able to meet these needs with our Vegas shop only a short drive away and our extensive lighting inventory that allowed us to swap in some fixtures.”
While having worked on the QuantumVALLEY stage before, this was the first year that 3G handled the full production for the stage. “We’ve worked with Production Manager Daniel Baca, and the Designer Koen De Puysseleir,” says Conrad. “Communication was very good throughout the whole process; we had a strong game plan coming into load-in, which allowed us to work through any challenges easily when they came up.”
When asked why was 3G the right vendor for this festival production, Conrad responds, “We have a long-standing relationship with the festival producer, Insomniac, so we understand what is important and how to bring their visions to life. Further, we are headquartered in Las Vegas, only a short drive from the festival site, which allows us to support the show as a local vendor and handle any last-minute changes with ease. Finally, we have an extensive inventory of lighting, video, rigging, and audio equipment, which festival producers are constantly looking for one-stop shop options when it comes to production support.” Learn more about the work of 3G Productions at www.3glp.com.
Deep South Productions: Cattle Country Music Festival
The Cattle Country Music Festival was built on a 400-acre ranch in Gonzales, TX. Production Manager Ryan Tarby says of the site, “We’re talking about rough and rugged. You know, just a backcountry cattle pasture, that we turned into something spectacular for sure.” Tarby, Jeremey Kelley, the Project Manager for Deep South Productions (DSP), and the DSP team built and managed three stages, which over the course of three days (April 12-14) saw 30 acts perform including Whiskey Myers, Koe Wetzel, Chase Rice, and Eric Church, who closed out the festival as the headliner.
Tarby comments, “I worked directly with Deep South who was the overall production vendor supplying everything from staging to lights, video, audio, LED screens, crowd control, crew, and more. Working with just one vendor I was able to ensure everything for production was dialed in. Jeremey Kelley and I just took the ball and hit the ground running. We worked from the ground up to bring the founder’s vision and dreams to life. Turning a cow pasture into one of the most beautiful festival grounds I’ve seen anywhere. Not an easy task by any means. We built roads, we survived a swarm of Africanized bees, rain, wind; all the good stuff mother nature could throw at us.”
James Kemp, Lighting Designer with DSP for the last eight of his 14 years in the industry gratefully points out that Rich Barrett/Quinn, “who taught me everything I know in this business,” acted as a consultant on the design. Kemp is also the Lighting Director for Cattle Country and the liaison between production and the incoming artists’ Lighting Directors. Rather than throw up the traditional three straight truss configuration on the main stage, a Stageline SAM555, he designed a four fingered structure raking towards the roof from the upstage position to down stage. A key light truss was deployed upstage of the fingers while a mid-stage truss spanned independently between the four fingers. Downstage over the pit a standard straight truss addressed front light and band needs. “The fingers gave us some negative space to play with, provided different angles for beams and added a great amount of depth to the overall look,” says Kemp.
The lighting fixtures for the entire rig were IP65 rated; a majority being from the SGM line. “We [Deep South] have a very large inventory of SGM gear as far as the spots go,” notes Kemp. “I like their color mixing a lot, and SGM does a great job with that part of their fixtures. And the gobo selection of the G7 Spot is excellent; my favorite being the triangle. I can get so much out of that seemingly simple outline.” For blinders and strobes, Kemp specified the SGM Q-8. “And then we had the Light Sky Shark 450. Which is a very bright punchy beam that has great color mixing attributes.” The downstage truss was loaded with SGM-G washes. Also, four FOH followspots were made ready for the three nights of incoming acts. A grandMA full-size drove the rig, though most acts brought their FOH setup and cloned into the system. “That was seamless,” Kemp notes. “The transitions were always smooth.” Learn more about Deep South Productions’ work at www.deepsouthproductions.com.
Global Trend Pro/Serpro Producciones: Tecate Pa’l Norte Festival
Serpro Producciones has been the official production equipment provider for the Tecate Pa’l Norte Festival in Monterrey, Mexico for the past 10 years. Serpro also has a relationship with Pacoima, CA-based Global Trend Pro (GTP) for the company’s Triton Black Widow LED video panels. “During this time, technological advancements have evolved along with the festival’s needs, always striving for innovation, and presenting new features each year,” explains Emmanuel González, General Manager of Serpro. “This evolution has required continuous growth in terms of equipment, technologies, and ideas. In 2017, Serpro decided to venture into the business of large-scale LED screens, marking the beginning of the relationship with GTP and the use of their product, Triton Black Widow. Thanks to this collaboration, Serpro was able to offer a significant solution for this market. Over the following years, the capacity to create increasingly larger screens gradually developed.”
This year, González and the Serpro team have achieved significant progress with LED screens in Latin America, combining various factors including structural calculations and technological challenges. “Tecate Pa’l Norte’s main stage (TKT Light) saw the largest increase in LED screens to date in the region, for the second consecutive year, with a total of 2,654 panels of the Triton Black Widow measuring 500 x 1,000mm,” says González, of the event held this year from March 29-31. “These panels spanned the entire stage from side to side. Additionally, this year we expanded the original TKT stage (Stage 2), where we also used 270 panels of the Triton Black Widow, accompanied for the first time at this festival by panels from ROE Visuals, the CB5 model, totaling 256 panels of 600 x 1,200mm. Finally, the Viva Aerobus stage (Surprise Stage) included 624 panels of the ROE CB5 and 98 panels of the Triton Black Widow. This implementation reinforces the close relationship between Serpro and GTP, key to carrying out this great project.”
The main challenge the Serpro team faces year after year at the Tecate Pa’l Norte festival is “achieving integration of the design with the environmental conditions,” González comments. “The climatic conditions during this time of year are a crucial factor influencing the event’s development. Additionally, increasing the size of the screens always poses a significant challenge, requiring robust engineering to achieve the desired outcomes. This year, we successfully overcame these challenges by combining the use of NovaPro UHD JR processors from NovaStar (for the Triton Black Widow screens) and Tessera SX40 processors from Brompton Technology (for the CB5 screens), all linked together through Barco’s E2 system.”
It all comes down to relationships, and the close relationship that Serpro has with the festival’s design and production team “is fundamental to achieving success at this event. Throughout the year, various meetings are held where different proposals are presented,” says González. “These proposals undergo thorough analysis, covering everything, from initial conception, creativity, and resource availability to the project’s viability in all areas involved. This collaborative process allows for the comprehensive creation of each of the festival’s stages.”
When it comes down to why Global Trend Pro and Serpro Producciones were the right vendors for the festival, González says, “Given the high demand for equipment required by the festival, Serpro Producciones stands out as the largest company in Mexico, and a significant part of Latin America, in lighting, rigging, video, and audio equipment. In collaboration with GTP, a pioneering and key company in Serpro’s growth in the LED screen area, they formed an essential team to successfully carry out this event. Learn more about the work of Global Trend Pro at www.globaltrendpro.com and about Serpro Producciones at www.serproproducciones.com
PyrotecnicoFX: Sueños Music Festival
PyrotecnicoFX specializes in innovative special effects services and is part of the Live Events house of brands. In late May, the special effects company supported the Sueños Music Festival in Chicago, IL’s Grant Park. Produced by C3 Presents, the Sueños festival has been around since 2022 showcasing Reggaeton and Latin trap. “We’ve worked with C3 Presents on this festival since it started,” explains Rocco Vitale, Executive Vice President of Special FX with PyrotecnicoFX. “Basically, we handle all the pyro, lasers, and special effects for the artists at this two-day festival. The one thing that’s really great is that special effects are extremely popular with this genre, and it’s a fairly substantial show for us. There are a lot of pyro pieces, a lot of flame units, and a lot of lasers. We do special effects for almost all the artists, every day, so it’s a heavy volume show. I’d say it’s similar in scope to many of the EDM shows we support that also use a lot of special effects.”
PyrotecnicoFX has been working with C3 Present for a lot of years. “We know Chicago well, and Grant Park really quite well through our work at Lollapalooza, which is held in the same venue,” says Vitale. “We know the venue, we know the city ordinances, and so forth. I think that knowledge and experience plays into making this a seamless experience for our client. We work closely with C3 and the promoters going over all the tech riders from the artists. A lot of the artists themselves have special effects designs already put forth in their riders. We work with all the riders to see what everybody needs and then design the form and fit of the show accordingly to meet everybody’s needs.”
When it comes to why clients value PyrotecnicoFX for festival work, Vitale quickly replies, “I always say it’s our people. I will always defer to the people we have working with us that make us valuable. On Sueños in particular, we have a person who leads this festival, Dani Sawtell, who is a Senior Production Manager and Laser Safety Officer. She’s been with PyrotecnicoFX for well over 12 years. She has been working hand in hand with C3 Presents for nearly a decade; they have a great working rapport. We work with them along with other festivals that we do business with. We just want to create a great experience for the artists and the festival. We do that through, I feel, having good people with the knowledge and experience to make a great event happen. They’re the ones who always deliver the commitments on our promises. We deal with explosive, pyro, fire, and lasers; we have got to have the right people doing that, and that have the training and experience.” Learn more about the work of PyrotecnicoFX at www.pyrotecnicofx.com.
Concert Stuff Group: Lovin’ Life Music Fest
Concert Stuff Group (CSG) is a network of companies dedicated to delivering clients a comprehensive solution for live events. CSG is made up of Special Event Services, Special Event Services Integration, Special Event Transportation, G2 Structures, G2 Mobile Structures, Musical Coaches, Guardian Barrier Services, Field Protection Agency, and Fabrineering. Recently, CSG supported the Lovin’ Life Music Fest in the heart of Charlotte, NC from May 3-5. Jason Alt, Managing Director of Technology with CSG led this project. “For the Lovin’ Life Fest, which is a first-year festival, CSG provided the staging, including main stage and second stage,” says Alt. G2 Structures provided a K1 stage for the main stage and G2 Mobile supplied a SAM575 for the second stage. Guardian provided all the barricades, platforms, VIP decks, rolling risers, and then SES provided lights, video, and sound on all three stages. “We do the design internally, which is led by Jeff Cranfill, one of the principals at SES. The LED screens were a request from the client to go with something big for the first year of this festival, so we went with some oversized LED I-Mag screens and an upstage video wall. We did more delay towers than we’ve ever done for a festival for 30,000 people, but there was elevation changes and we were in the middle of downtown Charlotte.”
In terms of solutions brought to challenges for this festival, Alt cites “overall communications through technology. We used some WhatsApp groups to solve some communications challenges. Obviously, radios solve a lot of problems, but it was really just relying on good communications. Also, being part of one umbrella with all our different services. Because we’re all under one roof and working interdepartmentally, we all work together really well. If Guardian had an issue with moving something around, or somebody could give up a forklift to help somebody else, it was really good to all be under one umbrella. We all communicate well together, and it’s a very fluid situation. In the past if you went to do a festival as an audio vendor, sometimes the lighting vendor didn’t want to be your friend.”
At this festival, the 360 services that CSG provided really made it more seamless for the client. “This year’s festival was really successful and they’re already planning out year two, and I think it’ll be even bigger and better when we do it next year,” says Alt. “In terms of improving, we’re working towards a model where there’s a point person that interacts with the client. Since we had only a few heads that the client had to go to get a problem solved, it made for a seamless solution. When there’s a small problem, there’s not 20 different vendors that the client has to go to; now there are three or four people, any of whom can get your problem solved. One call does it all, is sometimes a better thing for clients these days.” Learn more about the work of Concert Stuff Group at www.concertstuff.com.
Gateway Studios & Production Services: Gov Ball
Gateway Studios & Production Services (GSPS) provided LED screens, media servers, and I-Mag video production at all stages at the Governors Ball Music Festival in New York City’s Flushing Meadows Corona Park this year (a.k.a. Gov Ball, held June 7-9). “One of the hardest challenges at festivals is advancing all the production needs for each band individually,” says Andy Gerber, GSPS President. “With more than 60 bands at the festival this year, most have unique requests for content and additional equipment specific to their set that we must provide. These requests require flexibility with our infrastructure and our on-site technicians to adapt and change seamlessly between sets so that each band has what they need when they step on stage. We must also be ready for the curveballs that inevitably come in a festival environment.”
Gerber and the GSPS team worked hard to support the production management with the festival. “Working with Jonathan Nelson and Monty Curry has been a great experience over the past several years,” comments Gerber. “The video requests continue to increase every year as artists needs get more specific, and one of the most challenging things is the fiber networking infrastructure that it takes to tie all the stages together for video content and cameras. Collectively our staff and technicians have a great deal of experience working on festivals throughout the past 20 years and we are very detail oriented in our advance process with festival production and the artists themselves.” Learn more about the work of Gateway Studios & Production Services at www.gsps.com.
Music Matters Productions: Hangout Music Festival
The Hangout Music Festival has been celebrating three days of music and fun on the white beaches of the Gulf Shore in Alabama since 2010. The performing acts reflect the unique combination of what the audience listens to; everything from EDM to country and the festival’s location on the beach caters to a distinct cultural vibe for the fans and while also presenting a unique set of challenges for the production.
For the 2024 event (May 17-19), Music Matters Productions (MMP) was brought in to design and provide the lighting rigs for the Main ‘Hangout’ Stage and the secondary stage ‘Boom on the Beach.’ The main stage design was a solid festival approach with plenty of air space for headliner ODEZA to bring in their rig and hang it as well. The secondary stage this year was designated the EDM stage. The design for that that expanded on the traditional upstage LED wall with I-Mag on the stage left and right towers. Then three more LED sections were flown over the stage angled upwards. These were integrated into the overall lighting rig. There was a downstage LED header with branding interspersed with crowd content. Screenworks provided all the video using ROE CB5 tiles.
The anchor of the lighting rig for Boom on the Beach was the Elation Proteus Maximus. “Which is our big IP65 spot,” says Aaron Soriero, owner of MMP. Elation Rayzor 760s were deployed for the moving head wash. “I really love these,” Soriero continues. “It is a nice, big bright light and the LED ring is great for eye candy. Blinders have generally always been IP rated and we used the Elation DTW350 and 700.” Learn more about the work of Music Matters Productions at
www.musicmattersproductions.com.
Solotech: Luminato Festival
Solotech provided comprehensive technical support and equipment rental for a variety of performances at the Luminato Festival, a multi-arts festival in Toronto, Canada. “Our team worked closely with Luminato’s production managers, designers, and producers to ensure seamless integration of technology into the festival’s diverse range of artistic performances and installations,” comments Robert Kennedy, Director, Business Development, Live Productions Canada at Solotech. “One of the primary challenges of the Luminato Festival is the variety of venues and the need for flexible, reliable technology solutions that can adapt to different spaces and artistic requirements. Solotech addressed these challenges through a couple of different areas.”
Those areas included Collaborative Planning with Solotech worked closely with Luminato’s production team during the planning stages to understand their specific needs and objectives. This collaboration enabled Solotech to propose tailored technical solutions that enhanced the artistic vision of each performance. Also, through Equipment Versatility, the Solotech team utilized high-quality, versatile equipment capable of meeting the varied demands of the festival’s performances, from large outdoor concerts to intimate theater pieces. This inventory included dynamic lighting solutions and high-resolution video displays. And through Technical Expertise, Solotech’s skilled technicians provided on-site support, ensuring that all systems were installed correctly and operated smoothly throughout the festival. This included real-time problem-solving and adjustments to accommodate changing weather conditions for outdoor events.
Kennedy also points out, “Our client challenged us to design a structure to support a large LED screen utilized in their outdoor presentation in David Pecaut Square. We rendered several options and at the start of the festival we erected a custom engineered structure that met their needs. Supporting the designers and production managers involved in the Luminato Festival required a collaborative approach. Solotech’s team worked closely with them from the initial planning stages through to the final execution. We provided technical advice, helped troubleshoot potential issues, and ensured that all equipment met the specific needs of their designs. This partnership was crucial in realizing the ambitious artistic goals of the festival while maintaining technical excellence.”
As to why their clients value Solotech for festival work, Kennedy concludes, “Customers value Solotech for our reliability, technical expertise, and ability to deliver high-quality solutions tailored to the unique needs of each festival. Our comprehensive support, from planning to execution, ensures that every event runs smoothly and meets the highest standards. Additionally, our commitment to innovation and collaboration makes us a preferred partner for festivals looking to create memorable and impactful experiences.” Learn more about Solotech’s work at www.solotech.com.
