Video equipment rental company Pete’s Big TVs supplied the high resolution LED video panels, projectors and a technical crew for the 30th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony April 18 in Cleveland, OH. The show airs May 30 exclusively on HBO.
Pete’s has been supplying the rock world’s big night since 1989, and growing with the event as the show has transitioned from its original private Waldorf-Astoria hotel ballroom days to today’s ticketed arena settings. Pete’s Big TVs VP Guy Benjamin said, “Because it has moved to large arenas and is now a televised event, the production requirements demand the newest products in video production technology, which we specialize in.”
Artists inducted this year at Cleveland’s Public Hall were Ringo Starr, The “5” Royales, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Green Day, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Lou Reed, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Bill Withers. Many of those inducted also performed.
To serve as the massive pictorial backdrop, the set featured a video wall spanning the stage at 60 feet wide and 15 feet tall. Pete’s Big TVs provided the 333 digiLED MC7 high resolution LED video panels to comprise this main video wall, which displayed archival images and video clips of the honorees.
Pete’s also supplied 74 panels of digiLED MK7 display panels to create the two screens at stage left and stage right, and Absen A3 3.9mm LED panels behind each podium. Four Barco 26K projectors provided IMAG in the house.
Bruce Rodgers of Tribe Inc. designed the production.
The different LED panels were chosen for different reasons. Guy explained, “Because the screens behind the podiums were so close to the presenters, we didn’t want the images to become pixilated on camera, so we chose to use the Absen A3 3.9mm screens there. The Absen panels are the highest resolution LED panels in our inventory.
“For the main screen, we chose the digiLED MC7 panels as they provided the high resolution needed for broadcast quality, plus they emit no radio frequency interference. These panels allow lighting designer Allen Branton to achieve some lighting effects from behind and through the video screens at various times of the show. There are not too many high resolution screens which have that transparency. These have been the most popular LED panels in our inventory.”
Benjamin supervised the crew of LED techs that included Matt Ellar, John Ellar, Jody Lane and Mike Brent.
While the production setup was similar to last year’s ceremony, the show looks different each year depending on the artists being inducted into the legendary hall, as well as the energy created by the performers and the unusual pairings of artists performing together.
“One of the entertaining highlights of the show is the creative collaboration of artists performing together for that one night each year,” Benjamin said. “We’ve received comments about how great they look on our large LED video screens, which adds to the energy on stage. It’s always an honor for us to be part of rock music’s biggest night.”
Pete’s Big TVs was again brought in by Line By Line Productions in New York, the supervising producer.
The 2015 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performer inductees were chosen by voters of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. Artists are eligible 25 years after the release of their first recording.
Photo: Craig Hopkins
About Pete’s Big TVs:
Pete's Big TVs, a Washington, DC - based video, staging and rental services company, has been serving the special event, corporate, touring and television markets across the United States and around the world for over 25 years. Pete’s takes pride in providing clients with cutting edge technology, and we lead the industry in introducing new video technologies to the markets we serve. We offer turnkey video services including LED screens, projectors, monitors, media servers, full video production and crew.
For more information, please visit our website at: www.petesbigtvs.com