Who’s Doing What

This week we take a look at what’s happening on the music scene. From Radiohead to Rod Stewart and the beaches of Miami to the Big Apple, crowds are being entertained with the help of the latest in lighting and sound equipment.

Vari-Lite, Inc. illuminates the summer tour of British post-rock band Radiohead. The band began the North American leg of the tour in Houston in June and has since been playing to sold-out arenas and amphitheatres. Radiohead opted to do more with less, using nearly 70 Vari*Lite® spot and wash luminaires. Lighting designer Andi Watson is lighting the show, often washing the band in deeply saturated blues and reds. Watson’s rig includes14 VL2416™ wash luminaires, 26 VL2402™ wash luminaires, and 29 VL6C™ spot luminaires.

Rod Stewart recently took the stage for a tour in support of his new album Human. Electro-Voice’s new X-Line loudspeaker system, supplied by Sound Image of Escondido, CA, backs up Stewart. Mix engineer Lars Brogaard and system engineer Taidus Vallandi team up to run the X-Line (below). Other equipment on tour includes the Midas XL4 FOH console, EV P3000 amplifiers, and Klark Teknik DN9848 crossovers, all product brands from parent company Telex Communications.

Telex Communications, Inc. recently provided wireless intercommunications equipment to the British Done & Dusted production staff working on a live film/video shoot of the British singer Dido. Held at the newly inaugurated multimillion- dollar Xcel Energy Center, the triple bill of Dido, Scottish roots-pop group Travis, and Icelandic newcomer Emiliana Torrini was filmed for future post-production. Two Telex BTR-300 wireless intercom receivers, eight TR-300 wireless belt-pack transceivers, and eight HR-1/HR-2/PH-44 headsets were used to facilitate the communications between the director, producer, and stationary/roaming camera operators.

Billboardlive will be opening a multilevel, multipurpose entertainment center in September on the beaches of Miami, FL. An Innova-Son Grand Live console for FOH and a second Grand Live for monitors are featured in the three-level club. Billboardlive’s VP of talent and production, Jed DeFilippis conceived the overall design. Jack Alexander of Martin Wavefront Loudspeakers fleshed out the basic sound system. While, Michael Harris of Harris Audio and Paul VanPuffelen of Miami’s Southern Technical Support made the design a reality. The facility plans to host everything from multi-band concerts to radio shows, and from live webcasts to live recordings.

The World Trade Center’s Austin J. Tobin Plaza offers a summer of free music, dance, and theatre performances, as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey host "OnStage at the Twin Towers." The 15th season of the CenterStage series presents a wide variety of concerts ranging from Celtic music to salsa to rock and roll. Sound reinforcement for the series is provided by Rainbow Sounds, which specified a Midas XL200 for FOH and an XL250 for monitors. Glenn Davis, FOH engineer, and Charles Moses (below) man the system.