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Earls Court 9-12 Sept 2007 |
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July 2007 - Glastonbury 2007 Special
Edition
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Avolites at Glastonbury 2007 Just as the mud and rain didn't deter enthusiasm and good vibes, Avolites lighting consoles once again proved they are the most universally popular choice for festival set ups of all types - at the UK's highest profile festival. A total of 21 Avo consoles and 20 Avo Art2000 racks were used site-wide at the 2007 Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Music & Dance.
Jazzed Up Diamonds At Jazz World, an Avolites Diamond 4 took centre stage, supplied by Essex-based DPL, who were enjoying their first year as a Glasto supplier. Dimming was also Avolites ART 2000 including a new rack purchased by DPL for their busy summer schedule. The Jazz World rig was designed by Darren Parker and Pete Watts, and the console was programmed by Watts and operated by him plus DPL crew members Mike Williams, Mike Pitt, Andy Higgins and Ben Shepherd throughout the 3 day event An eclectic and interesting Jazz World line up included Amy Winehouse, Corrine Bailey Rae, Damian Marley, The Guillemots, John Fogerty, Guilty Pleasures and many more
Pete Watts also used Avo's D4 Pilot linked in to the main console, giving remote control over any faders - to balance and run white lights for the television cameras during any visiting LD's slots - alleviating them of this additional task.
The D4 is Watts' desk of choice, and he comments, "It's really perfect for a set up like this where you are doing a lot of improvisational operating, controlling a wide variety of fixtures and also accommodating visiting LDs."
Acoustic Diamonds Over on the Acoustic stage, LD/programmer Gary Churchill used a D4 - also his desk of choice - to run 14 Martin MAC 700 Wash and Profile moving lights plus 4 MAC Tungsten Washes, 8 MAC 250 Entours and 24 Martin Stage Bar 54 LED battens plus conventionals including Molefeys and PARs … and a Maxedia digital media server. The rig was powered by Avolites ART dimmers. Lighting for this stage is co-ordinated by Rob Sangwell with equipment supplied by Bristol-based Fineline. Gary Churchill comments, "The D4 is a great bit of kit -I particularly like the wide choice of faders and the fact that you can put any playback anywhere you like for direct access to any fixtures onstage." Highlights on the Acoustic stage included KT Tunstall, The Hothouse Flowers, Waterboys, Richie Havens, Nick Lowe, The Bootleg Beatles and lots more.

Stuart Harris and Cate Carter with D4 Pete Watts on Jazz World with his D4 |
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Fine Pearls Other Fineline supplied stages included the Circus tent, where LD James Loudon used an Avolites Pearl Expert which he really loves "The Expert takes the Pearl's scope of operation to new dimensions" he commented. The console was also programmed and operated by Pearl owner Jan Osborne who was on Loudon's crew for the duration.
The Circus Stage rig included High End Studio Beams and Studio Spot moving lights, conventionals of all types and two of the mega new i-Pix BB LED wash lights.
Across the mudway in the Cabaret tent, LD Chris Randall was using another Pearl Expert to control a generic lighting rig, and over on the Theatre Stage, LD Hal Himsworth was running an Avolites Sapphire/ART 2000 dimmer set up. Fineline also supplied Studio Beams/Spots and generics for the Dance & Fire Stage, run by LD Andy Melony utilising another Pearl.
Smiley Diamonds It was Avo-tastic and all smiles over in the John Peel Tent, managed by South West Group's Julian Spear and showcasing some of the hottest and most exciting emerging band talent. SWG also supplied all of the lighting equipment for the stage.
SWG's lighting designer Cate Carter was using a Diamond 4 controlling Martin MAC 2Ks, 500s and 600 moving lights, Atomic strobes, 2 and 4 cell Moles, PARs and Source Four PARs. The rig was powered by Avo ART 2000 hot power racks and ART 4000 dimmers.
Carter has used Pearls many times before, but this was one of the first opportunities she has had to seriously put the D4 through its paces. "I absolutely love it" she enthuses "It's great to have everything right there in front of you - it's hugely flexible and easy to use. All the visiting LDs seem extremely happy with it as well!"
Carter also designed lighting rigs for the Park Stage and the "BBC Radio 1 Introducing" stage in the Park Arena, both of which featured Pearls for control and lighting kit supplied by SWG.
Dancing Diamonds & Pearls In the Dance Area, the West Dance Tent featured a lighting design by Colour Sound Experiment's Jasper Johns and yet another Avolites Diamond 4 console - run by a great team of leading dance LD/operators Jas Bhullar and Stuart "Woody" Wood.
Fixtures in here included 10 each of Robe ColorSpot and ColorWash 700 ATs, Moles, strobes and conventionals. Mark Vedo, A Guy Called Gerald, Mr C, Howard Marks, Kenji Williams, DJ Monkey Pilot, Phil Hartnoll presenting Long Range and numerous others all kicked ass in here over the weekend ... along with a stonking performance by Hybrid, with lighting operated by Avolites' own Dave Parry.
Lighting kit for East and West Dance stages, Roots, G and Glade stages, and the Dance Field Lounge Bar was all supplied by Colour Sound, getting right back to their dance origins!
Roots, G, Glade and the Dance Field Lounge Bar were also all-Pearl controlled and the West Dance featured 48-way of ART 2000 dimming.
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Avalon Southampton based GLS also made their first Glastonbury appearance as suppliers, providing lighting equipment for the Avalon Stage, which was designed by Will Thomas and Matt Morris with a Diamond 4 specified for control. This was controlling 10 Robe ColorSpot 700 moving lights and a host of conventionals.
Other Avolites Glasto 2007 hot-spots included LD Pete Hosier running a Diamond 4 Elite for The Kooks' energetic set on the Pyramid Stage and Alan King operating his own Pearl 2004 for the high octane show of Bassline Circus.
Killer Diamonds Saturday night Pyramid Stage headliners The Killers - who's hair-raising set shook the sacred Glasto lay lines to the core - brought in their own touring Avo Diamond 4 Vision console to the festival. This was run by LD Steven Douglas and supplied by Siyan, The Killers' tour lighting contractors.
All the Glasto Pyramid Stage lighting equipment was supplied by Neg Earth, who have serviced this and the Second Stage at the UK's best known festival for some years.
Douglas's D4 was controlling 18 Martin Mac 2000 Performances, 26 Mac 2000 Washes, 18 High End Studio Beams, 14 Martin Atomic strobes, fourteen 9-Lite Moles, twelve 2 Lite Moles and a raft of PARs and Source Fours.
'Avolifers' on Hand Avolites' Steve Warren, Koy Neminathan and Lindsey Markham set up 'Avolife' base camp behind the famous Lost Vagueness Chapel of Love. Other Avolites staff manned satellite "Avolife" camps across the site; Nick Forro, Dave Parry and Simon Harris were based behind the John Peel Tent, Aziz Adilkhodjaev was stationed behind the Cabaret Tent and everyone was jealous of new Avolifer Phil Blue who was camped in the VIP area between the Pyramid and other stages.
Their mission - apart from delivering 10 of the new Avolites Showsafe backup systems prior to the opening of the festival - was to enjoy the great atmosphere, catch up with Avolife friends – old, new and groovy all over site and help everyone party on happily for yet another super-squelchy uniquely fabulous Glasto weekend!
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