Features

WASHINGTON DC — Over a million people gathered on the National Mall and along the inaugural parade route to witness history in the making when Barack Obama took the oath of office as the 44th president of the U.S. For those lucky enough to have made it to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, it was up close and personal. But for the rest of the crowd, most of which surrounded the Reflecting Pool, IMAG played a big part in helping one of the largest crowds to ever assemble in the nation’s capital witness the historic moment.

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WASHINGTON, DC — The new administration hadn’t even taken office, but with gigs aplenty in the nation’s capital, the inauguration provided more than a ray of hope to lighting and staging companies. In the span of eight days, Atmosphere Inc. coordinated and executed lighting for 52 shows in 24 different venues across the city, including two of the largest — the Commander in Chief’s Ball for members of the military at the National Building Museum and the Youth Inaugural Ball at the Washington Hilton & Towers.

The Obama inauguration was accompanied by events all over the metropolitan Washington D.C., and they gave lighting suppliers and designers the opportunity to shine. At The Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, which hosted approximately 30,000 guests Jan. 18-22, for example, Showcall Inc. and Baltimore Stage Lighting Productions lit themed rooms and ballrooms for the Texas State Society’s Black Tie and Boots Inaugural Ball.

*Ranked by Billboard Magazine, according to total sales, Nov. 14, 2007-Nov. 11, 2008

1. Bon Jovi's Lost Highway Tour 

Lighting Co: Ed & Ted’s Excellent Lighting (now Epic Production Technologies)

CREW
Performance Environment Designer: Doug “Spike” Brant
Show Director/Executive Producer: Justin Collie
Lighting Director: Pat Brannon
Lighting Crew Chief: Storm Sollars
Lighting Crew: Jason Bridges, Greg Walker, Trevitt Cromwell, Chris Keen
Set Company: Tait Towers
Rigging Director: Mike Farese
Video Director: Tony Bongiovi
Video Suppliers: Kosher Pixels, Nocturne Productions

Lincoln Maynard leads a double life as an artist and general manager of Scenic Technologies for PRG.

Adorning the walls of PRG’s Las Vegas offices are photographs of flashy sets from famous shows and concerts — the Billboard Music Awards, VH1 Rock Honors and Criss Angel: Believe, to name a few. They showcase decades worth of work on the Las Vegas Strip and across the country. Photographs of sets the company has built, however, aren’t the only works of art on display. They share the space with paintings by artist Lincoln Maynard, who also happens to be general manager of PRG Scenic Technologies.  

We don’t mean to be cavalier about this, but compare and contrast the recently-held LDI 2008 in the Las Vegas Convention Center to the one held immediately after September 11, 2001 in Orlando and you can come to only one conclusion: What recession?

If others see that this is both beautiful and that it works, then they just might be willing to try it themselves.  Such is the hope of the lighting and visuals designer Andi Watson and the planet-friendly band, Radiohead.  Lead singer Thom Yorke is a member of the environmental advocacy group Friends of the Earth, and the other band members and crew join his interest in taking the steps necessary, however inconvenient, to tread as lightly as possible on a fragile planet.

Fifteenth century Italy had its Renaissance men, but we have our Renaissance machines — software and hardware in a variety of areas that will redefine the entertainment lighting industry as we know it.  This year’s PLASA differed from last year’s in that there seemed to be much more change and more innovative new products. And unlike years past, there was more than LEDs and media servers.

Dennis Sheehan has had a backstage pass to rock and roll history. For a quarter of a century he has shepherded U2 to the four corners of the globe and back again. Prior to that, he assisted Led Zeppelin on their historic tours. The one-time professional guitarist has also served a host of acts including Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, Lou Reed, Siouxie and the Banshees and members of the Sex Pistols, among many others.

Bandit Lites got its start when founder and chairman Michael Strickland was just 12 years old. In the early years, Strickland would have to “borrow” the lights from a local high school theatre to light the Monkees, the Beach Boys and other bands of the 1960s — hence the name.  Today, Strickland’s company has emerged as a global leader in the entertainment lighting industry, with offices in Knoxville, Nashville, San Francisco, the U.K., Hong Kong and Taiwan, and while the company is still called Bandit Lites, Strickland no longer scours local high schools for gear.

“Michael Tait is the reincarnation of Leonardo da Vinci — an artist, an engineer, a sculptor, a true genius,” says production designer Steve Cohen. “He single-handedly raised the bar on production design in my lifetime and stewarded the growth of our little business into the gift that keeps on giving.”