Vari-Lite, Production Arts Lighting, and BASH Theatrical Lighting all contributed to the 39th Grammy Awards ceremony, held February 26 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Vari-Lite supplied a record 600 of its automated luminaires for the show, whose LD was Bob Dickinson. PAL put in a large-format Pani and PIGI projection system, while BASH equipment included 14 Altman 9-lite Punchlights, more than 700 ETC dimmers, an ETC Obsession console with an ethernet network, 65 High End Systems Cyberlights(R), four 2kW Strong xenon Super Troupers, eight 2.5kW Strong xenon Gladiators, and 1,600' (488m) of BASH truss...The Vari*Lite(R) VL5Arc (formerly VL5A) wash luminaire makes its US debut on The Nashville Network's Monday Night Concerts with Ricky Skaggs, which begin airing April 21...CITC's Hi-Lo Digifogger debuted at the 1997 Super Bowl in New Orleans. Two of the machines, which CITC says put out 400% more haze 40 times faster than conventional hazers, blanketed the Super Dome in haze within five minutes...Electronic Theatre Controls (ETC) has opened ETC West in Hollywood; phone: 213/461-0216; fax: 213/461-7830. The office combines ETC's West Coast sales group with its research and development group, previously known as Entertec. R&D can be reached at 213/461-7765 (phone) and 213/461-7945 (fax)...Michael Brokaw has joined The Obie Company as executive vice president of sales and marketing. Formerly an agent and a record producer, Brokaw will oversee the company's entertainment and corporate divisions and handle public relations...The movie Dante's Peak used a G300 fog and haze machine and fluid mixes from Le Maitre Special Effects Inc.