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The Story Behind the “No Brown M&Ms” Legend

Many in our industry have heard the legend of Van Halen’s tour rider with the “No Brown M&Ms”. Some know it well and know its origins, but many do not. In this video David “Diamond Dave” Lee Roth explains the origin of this rider clause and how it was used to catch promoters who didn’t read the band’s tour riders and to ensure production safety needs were meet. We thank Parnelli Award-winning Lighting Designer, Rob Koenig for digging up this insightful video.

Designer Tobias Rylander Joins the ProProduction Sessions at NAMM

The ProProduction Sessions at NAMM presented by PLSN & FOH are pleased to announce that Lighting and Conceptual Designer Tobias G. Rylander will be joining us for a Q&A conversation. Rylander’s global work includes a range of artist from Miike Snow to Beyoncé, as well as a decade of designing for The 1975. This insightful session will be on Friday, Jan. 26 at 3:00-4:00 in Room 204A at the Anaheim convention center, free to all NAMM attendees. As well as Rylander’s session, the line-up includes Industry Insights; Touring Truths; A Look Inside the Snakepit (the design team for Metallica); and Hot Acts with Top Designs (Sam Hunt, Janet Jackson, Luke Combs’ designers).

Metallica Makes History on Record-Breaking M72 World Tour

ROE Visual Carbon LED Technology Shines in Stage Design

Metal heads around the world are rejoicing as the legendary band, Metallica, is on the road again amidst another record-setting tour. The heavy metal band is currently making history on its M72 World Tour, selling out stadiums and recently setting a new attendance record at SoFi Stadium. The tour boasts an impressive stage design, supported by ROE Visual technology.Read More »Metallica Makes History on Record-Breaking M72 World Tour

Classic Rock Returns to the Road

Debi Moen catches up with Michael Ledesma, John “Grinder” Procaccini, Gregg Maltby, Joe Cabrera, and Cat West, as well as Rob Koenig, Nathan Alves, and Seth Jackson, along with several others about the gigs they are on.

Ghost – A Design Like None Other

The Swedish rock band Ghost recently wrapped up the third, North American leg of its Imperatour tour for which Brazil-based Lighting Designer, Erich Bertti was once again back designing along with the band’s lead singer Tobias Forge. Also returning to support the Ghost tour and Bertti was Senior Account Manager, Steven “Creech” Anderson and Madison, TN-based Premier Global Production, providing lighting, rigging, truss and crew. Bertti and Anderson fill PLSN in on the design and their working relationship for Ghost’s tour.

Rule #1: Stay Calm

Asked what advice he would give to someone in the early stage of their career, Programmer and Lighting Designer Rob Koenig says his “biggest advice is to stay calm. It’s very difficult to learn to stay calm. You’re in an environment with upwards of 50,000 people. Something goes wrong in the middle of the show—the first thing you cannot do is panic. You’ve got to chill out. I always tell them, ‘You are calm as a coma.’ No matter what happens, you need to delegate what needs to happen, and start fixing what needs to happen immediately—without panicking—and without drawing attention to it either.”

Metallica 40 Shows Center on Robe BMFL Moving Lights

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Metallica marked 40 years with mid-December concerts for fans at San Francisco’s Chase Center arena. LD Rob Koenig and Production Designer Dan Braun relied on Robe BMFL WashBeams and RoboSpot systems to light the in-the-round shows, which also featured 45 large multi-layered and overlapping video surfaces.