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Robe Up All Night with Black Coffee at Zamna Festival

Photo by Kristian Suárez

The beauty, magic, and history of Mexican Caribbean indigenous cultures blended with superlative dance beats as the rhythm and free spirit of rave sent a rush of positive energy and human experience coursing through the 2023 Zamna Festival in Tulum. The stunning eye-catching jungle venue surrounded by nature reserves and sacred cenotes, provided a perfect setting for this iconic Mecca-of-music event, and into this dreamscape reality stepped Lighting Designer Eran Klein, working with artist Black Coffee on the Island Stage.Read More »Robe Up All Night with Black Coffee at Zamna Festival

SES Boosts its Lighting Inventory with Commitment to Ayrton Product Line

Special Event Services (SES) has significantly expanded its Ayrton lighting inventory with additional purchases of Domino LT, Bora S, and Khamsin fixtures and further committed to the product line with large first-time investments in Perseo Beams, Diablos, and Zonda 9 FX lights. ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton products in North America.Read More »SES Boosts its Lighting Inventory with Commitment to Ayrton Product Line

CMA Touring Awards Celebrate Excellence

Winners of the 2022 CMA Touring Awards were honored during an industry celebration at Marathon Music Works in Nashville on Monday, Jan. 30. (L – R, back row): Morgan Pitt and Chrissy Hall (Ryman Auditorium), John Huie, John Stalder, Austin Neal, Chris Kappy, Dan Hochhalter, Robert Scovill, Jill Trunnell and Brian O’Connell. (L – R, front row): Michael Zuehsow, David Farmer, Keith Urban, Stephanie Mundy Self, Tyler Hutcheson and Jerry Slone. Photo Credit: Hunter Berry/CMA

After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Country Music Association’s CMA Touring Awards took place Monday, Jan. 30, 2023, at Nashville’s Marathon Music Works. We at PLSN congratulate all of the winners of this year’s CMA Touring Awards. Previously known as the SRO (Standing Room Only) Awards, the CMA Touring Awards were originally created by the CMA Board of Directors in 1990 to honor outstanding professional achievement within the touring industry. The SRO Awards were renamed the CMA Touring Awards in 2016.

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Filament Eleven 11 Gets Creative with Astera

The costume/set piece from ‘Scenes from a Yellow Peril’. Photo by Andi Crown

Auckland, New Zealand-based design studio Filament Eleven 11 is a creative tour de force combining the talents and imagination of lighting and visual artists Rachel Marlow and Brad Gledhill. Working across multiple genres – theatre, opera, dance, rock ‘n’ roll’ live events, installation, and light art – and embracing a mix of media and light forms, the company is known for its innovative and fun approach to enhancing storytelling with this unique form of expression.Read More »Filament Eleven 11 Gets Creative with Astera

Chaparral High School in Killeen, TX Installs Vari-Lite Luminaires to Enhance Professional Learning

The new lighting systems includes a Neo and Vision.Net control system, VL800, Acclaim LED and Coda LED fixtures, and Aurora LED Strips. Photo by Cindy Roberts

Chaparral High School in Killeen, TX opened its doors in August 2022 with a state-of-the-art performing arts wing designed to elevate student learning. It is equipped with an array of luminaires from Vari-Lite including a Neo and Vision.Net control system, VL800, Acclaim LED and Coda LED fixtures, and Aurora LED Strips.Read More »Chaparral High School in Killeen, TX Installs Vari-Lite Luminaires to Enhance Professional Learning

Nine Inch Nails Tour 2022

Nine Inch Nails played a limited number of make-up headlining dates on their spring and fall 2022 tour. PLSN caught up with Toss Film & Design’s Paul “Arlo” Guthrie about his work as designer, director, and programmer for the NIN tour. We also checked in with Lighting Technician Matthew “Matt” Schiller for some fixture details in the design, with lighting supplied by tour vendor Upstaging.

Upstaging Celebrates 50 Years

Live entertainment lighting and trucking company Upstaging marked its 50th anniversary in 2022. During the past half century co-founders, brothers Robert and Don Carone, and Robin Shaw, joined in 1979 by John Huddleston, have turned Upstaging from a garage-based pioneer into a stalwart of the industry. The four share with PLSN some of their reflections growing a company alongside the concert touring industry—the beginnings, the milestones, and what they hope people know about Upstaging today.

JRLX’s Sustained Success

Based in Tinley Park, IL, JRLX provides touring production, lighting, and visual solutions beyond their Chicago region in addition to their offerings in technical sales and integration. Today the business is about 75 percent sales and integration and 25 percent touring. Partners Jason Reberski (CEO) and Kevin Rosenhagen (COO) tell PLSN how their taking a measured approach to growth in this often-volatile industry has allowed JRLX to thrive.