BRISTOL, UK – New art and cultural movements seem to blossom most rapidly (and colorfully!) outside the grip of commercial interests. Such was the case in 1988, when the so-called “Second Summer of Love,” sprang up virally in Bristol and other UK cities, as young people flocked to clandestine rave clubs that opened in abandoned […]
WASHINGTON – Last year, David Beebe became one of the first house LDs to add CHAUVET Professional’s Maverick Force S Spot to his rig when he took shipment of six of the then-new 350W lightweight movers from JRLX at the legendary club The Birchmere, where he’s been looking after the lighting since 2004. At the […]
NEW YORK – Sometimes lighting design comes down to an elemental level, even when it results in a 54-universe, deeply evocative show with an intergalactic theme that takes place at one of the world’s most famous arenas. Such was the case on April 28th when Butch Allen and André Petrus lit Nigerian superstar Burna Boy’s […]
HULL, UK – During a game of racketball in the 1830s, a group of London schoolboys noticed that a punctured ball, which “squashed” on impact with the wall, offered more variety and more intensity of play than its intact counterpart. Thus, to the delight of millions of fans ever since, the game of Squash was […]
SAN BERNADINO, CA – Magical things often happen at the 11th hour; that sometimes harrowing, mythical time when an unexpected turn of events can demand a sudden change of plans. It is at such moments when (hopefully) inspiration and resolve kick in, resulting in an outcome that shines all the more brightly because of the […]
ROTTERDAM – “In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion,” wrote the great French philosopher Albert Camus. The wisdom of these words holds true even when that “turning away” is not voluntary, but brought on by external forces. Erwin Van Lokeren experienced this during the COVID pandemic. Like […]
ONTARIO, CA – Like all artistic achievements, every lighting design, no matter how elaborate and complex it becomes, begins inside someone’s head. The creativity that spawns this process is impossible to define, so too is the feeling that one gets when seeing the final result come to life in the real world. Gus Martinez knows […]
CHICAGO – The band played mostly Cheap Trick songs during its hour-long set, but this was no ordinary tribute show. In fact, it wasn’t an ordinary concert of any kind, taking place as it did in a private airport hangar with no live audience. Still, once the music started, both of those things were quickly […]
NASHVILLE – Matthew “PJ” Row was determined to shake things up and defy expectations a bit when he set about designing a light show for Koe Wetzel’s current national tour. It was an attitude that his superstar client understands well. Just as the Texas-born Wetzel has set his own course by infusing a highly original […]
TOKYO – Building on the success of the legendary R2 Supperclub in Tokyo’s lively Ropponghi district, the venue’s owners have expanded their hospitality portfolio with the launch of the R3 Club Lounge, a colorful, gorgeously appointed “hybrid venue” that combines trendy dining with a red hot DJ-driven nightclub experience. Designed to offer incredible spatial diversity, […]
TAMPA – History echoes everywhere, more evocatively in some places than others. One such place is the Tampa Theatre, a nationally registered landmark in the heart of this booming Florida city. The transformative atmosphere of the almost-century-old venue was never lost on designer Peter L. Spadaro III when he lit shows there. So, when Spadaro […]
HARARE, ZIMBABWE – Throughout her career spanning 15 years and nine studio albums, Sinach has garnered recognition far beyond the borders of her native Nigeria. Take her 2015 hit “Way Maker;” aside from being covered by over 60 international Christian artists, such as Michael W. Smith and Darlene Zschech, it was also named “Song of […]