Features

Howard Ungerleider's designs for Rush's Time Machine tour called for more special effects than the band's previous Snakes & Arrows tour. Pyrotek Special Effects' John… Read More »Blast from the Past

When Prince comes 2 town, it's always a big production. Lighting designer Demfis Fyssicopulos was tasked with keeping it that way for Prince's current Welcome 2 America tour. The show is presented in the round on a stage in the shape of Prince's unpronounceable symbol – the same shape used for Prince's 2007 Super Bowl halftime show performance. High above the stage is a lighting rig in the shape of a hexagon with six spokes radiating from the center. At the end of each spoke is a pod that is hidden by six large video displays. Four of the six pods also house followspots.

When founder Paul O'Neill and tour director Elliot Saltzman first put Trans Siberian Orchestra on the road 11 years ago, the entire production fit in a single truck. Today's TSO holiday shows, which give Christmas-themed orchestral music a heavy metal edge, are visually animated with massive video displays, moving truss, lasers and pyro, and it takes 20 trucks of gear, including one generator truck, to make the East and West Coast shows happen.

Would you pay to train your competitor? PTT of Florida, LLC does…sort of. PPT is a temporary employment company that provides manual labor, professional crew, and rental equipment for lighting, sound, and rigging primarily for live events.

The BET Network has recently designated Pete's Big TVs/Performance Video of New Castle, DE, as their "go to" company for a host of shows. But even a "go to" company sometimes needs to know how to "go to" get help when the unthinkable happens – like when their equipment does not arrive.

On the Friday night of LDI, live event industry professionals crammed into the Rio Hotel and Casino's main ballroom for the 10th Annual Parnelli Awards. The highlights were many, including the presence of Paul Anka, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, who came to honor and present Parnellis to people who were important to their career.

Sitting in the public gallery of the Los Angeles Superior Court, it is easy to see why the trial scene has been the trump card of dramatists for centuries. From the ancient Greeks to The Merchant of Venice to Twelve Angry Men to A Few Good Men, a good trial scene is hard to beat, and Los Angeles has seen some of the best.

For over two decades, the annual Lighting Dimensions International trade show has been our window into the world of live event production. And this year, there was a big elephant staring back through that window. The elephant in the room, of course, was LED technology.

Words can't describe it. Photos don't really do it justice. Even videos posted on Youtube after every one of their concerts can't quite capture the immersive laser experience at a Ghostland Observatory concert.

The Projection Studio's Ross Ashton and sound artist Karen Monid recently collaborated on a son et lumière titled Rose. The 40-meter-high projection lit up York's Gothic cathedral and its large rose stained glass window, serving as a centerpiece for the 2010 Illuminating York festival of light.

XL Events supplied LED screens and camera systems to Pope Benedict XVI's recent state visit to England and Scotland, including video support at three of the four major sites where the Pope made formal appearances.

Rush's Time Machine tour recently brought an ambitious Steampunk-themed extravaganza to venues across North America. At the visual helm was LD Howard Ungerleider, currently celebrating his 37th year with the power trio comprised of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee; guitarist Alex Lifeson; and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart.