DENVER – Fans who catch AFI on the current Mourning In Amerika tour as they open for Rise Against have no doubt what the multi-platinum band’s initials stand for. Slamming the stage with the power of a thunderbolt, and burning through their songs with reckless abandon, the iconoclastic quartet seems to be driven by some […]

BELGRADE – Serbia’s picturesque capital is currently enjoying something of a cultural and clubbing renaissance, thanks to a wave of new clubs that are showcasing some of Europe’s best DJ talent. Reflecting the city’s emergence as a hub of electronic entertainment is the annual Belgrade Foam Fest. Now in its ninth year, the super-charged event […]

WAREGEM, Belgium – Although originally disregarded by critics as another flash-in-the-pan post-war artistic movement, surrealism is perhaps the only early Twentieth Century “ism” to have made a continuing and lasting impression upon art, music and culture. The organizers of the EDM festival Hype-O-Dream appreciate the strong link between the escapist elements of surrealism, which promised […]

GRIFFITH, AUSTRALIA – “Music is the space between the notes,” wrote Claude Debussy. The great French composer would most likely have been very pleased with John Matkovic’s lighting design for a recent concert by Australian rock legend Ian Moss at the Griffith Regional Theatre. Adopting a “less is more” approach to lighting the singer/guitarist’s acoustic […]

LONDON – Like much of Kahlil Gibran’s work, Broken Wings takes readers outside themselves, evoking a sense of yearning, hope and loss by setting the deepest human emotions against the backdrop of time’s ceaseless passage. The evocative quality of the great poet’s autobiographical book is captured brilliantly in a new musical of the same name, […]

PHILADELPHIA – Shortly after it opened in 1917, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway was heralded as “the greatest Twentieth Century accomplishment of any city in the world.” More than a slight exaggeration perhaps, but for the past 101 years, the mile-long road in the City of Brotherly Love has brimmed with creative activity, hosting historic concerts […]

GILFORD, NH – Over 60 worship bands took to the stage at Soulfest in early August. Not all of them were as famous as the festival’s headliners (a group that included for King & Country, Skillet, and Toby Mac.), but each was supported by a lightshow worthy of a star, thanks to a main stage […]

MADRID – Chart-topping Spanish artist Pablo Alborán has been drawing record crowds for his Prometo Tour as it works its way through Spain and South America. Providing powerful visual support for the Grammy-nominated singer/musician’s show in Madrid is a dramatic lighting design by Chus Fernandez that features CHAUVET Professional Nexus Aq 5×5 pixel mapped panels […]

SANTA FE – An annual tradition since the early 20th century, the burning of Zozobra during the Fiestas de Santa Fe is said to make all concerns and worries go up in smoke, giving everyone a fresh new start. “Zozobra is all about burning gloom away,” said John Garberson of Creative BackStage, which lit the […]

LONDON – CHAUVET Professional’s Maverick, STRIKE, Ovation and COLORado fixtures have been making their mark on the theatrical and touring scene this summer, being specified for shows on Broadway and concerts by bands like Counting Crows and Nine Inch Nails. Now as fall approaches, the company will be showcasing some of the hottest new products […]

NASHVILLE – Jason Aldean’s High Noon Neon Tour is named after his recently released hit single, which got its name as a remembrance of the small honkytonks and clubs that the Macon, Georgia native played when he started out some 20 years ago. Today, 20 Number One singles, millions of album sales and a fistful […]

NEW YORK – “Theatre was created to tell the truth about life,” Stella Adler once observed. The legendary actress and drama teacher’s aphorism is especially appropriate when applied to My Name’s Not Indian Joe, the Elizabeth A. Davis blues-tinged musical about the unlikely bond formed between a homeless Native American man and a young aspiring […]