ADJ’s flagship IP65-rated Hydro Profile automated luminaires were used alongside almost 300 other ADJ fixtures to illuminate two of the areas at the 2024 Rebirth hard dance festival held in the Netherlands last month. The event’s outdoor stage allowed festivalgoers the unique experience of riding the huge Ferris wheel which provided the focal point for its set design. This was integrated into the stage’s lighting design through vibrant swathes of color generated by the Hydro Profiles, while the rest of the stage set was illuminated by static LED wash fixtures from ADJ’s IP65-rated range and adorned with additional Hydro Series wash and beam fixtures.
All festivals strive to offer their attendees an unforgettable experience, but allowing audience members to ride a full-size Ferris wheel integrated into a stage’s set design took this to a whole new level. Expanding on the popular ‘boiler room’ format that allows audience members to witness a DJ’s set from behind, this unique setup allowed festivalgoers to enjoy a bird’s eye view of the whole festival site as well as experience their favorite DJs’ sets from an unconventional angle.
The challenge of illuminating this truly unique stage backdrop was given to Spectrum AV, the company which has supplied the technical production on Rebirth’s outdoor stage for three consecutive years. General Manager, Lex Williams, explains that the company’s go-to fixture for illuminating stage décor is ADJ’s 32 HEX Panel IP static LED-powered wash. Indeed 72 of these units – alongside 21 of ADJ’s 7P HEX IP LED pars – were deployed to light the rest of the stage’s carnival-inspired décor. However, because of the size and moving nature of the Ferris wheel, it was determined that using these fixtures would not be practical. Instead, the versatile Hydro Profile – with its 25,000+ Lumen output and expansive feature set – was selected for the task.
“Instead of using a huge number of additional 32 HEX Panel IP and 7P HEX IP fixtures, which would have been labor intensive to setup, we decided it made more sense to place two scaffolding towers at Front Of House and place six Hydro Profiles on them,” explains Lex. “This proved to be the missing link that really made this stage. In the beginning the LD wasn’t convinced the Hydro Profiles would be capable of covering such a large area and standing out alongside all the LED wash fixtures positioned up against the décor. However, they are incredibly powerful fixtures that really made the Ferris wheel look fantastic, with the framing shutters allowing us to accurately shape the light and avoid polluting the rest of the stage. The decoration, the lighting, the setup, everything really came together on this one and it worked out even better than any of us thought it would.”
Protected from the elements by a DJ canopy, the only non-IP fixtures utilized on the stage were a pair of Encore FR150Z LED-powered Fresnels which provided even, warm white illumination of the DJs. Coverage for the rest of the performance space was provided by a collection of lime-infused Encore LB15IP linear LED wash fixtures, which lined the front of the stage and served as footlights. These versatile fixtures were also rigged to truss pillars that flanked the DJ position, facing directly outwards and used to generate ‘eye candy’ visual effects.
Additional fixtures from ADJ’s Hydro Series of IP65-rated automated luminaires were also utilized for the stage’s lighting rig. The Hydro Wash X19 is wash-zoom fixture that features 19 x independently controllable Osram 40-Watt RGBW color mixing LEDs and is capable of generating everything from concise 6-degree beams to wide 40-degree washes. The Hydro Beam X12 is a dedicated beam fixture, powered by an extremely efficient Philips® Platinum 12R LL MSD discharge lamp, which generates an intense output with a tight 2-degree beam angle.
“We are very happy with our investment in ADJ’s Hydro Series,” states Lex, “the fixtures offer the perfect balance of features/output and price to work for our business model. We have also had very few problems with any of our Hydros, which work very hard for us. We’ve had 24 of the X19s for four years now, and on average each fixture has been out on over 100 events. The X12s, which we have 48 of, we bought at the beginning of last year’s season. Every one of them was used for 25 events last year, which were mainly outside, and they’ve performed exceptionally well!”
Spectrum AV also deployed a variety of ADJ fixtures in one of the festival’s tented dance arenas. In this space a truss structure was created to frame the DJ position, which was lit internally by further 7P HEX IP LED pars. Custom décor elements and a scenic backdrop were also illuminated by more of these fixtures as well as additional 32 HEX Panel IPs. A sense of depth was created within the set through gaps in the scenic panels covered with wire mesh. Graphics displaying alien creatures were then positioned further back – illuminated by the LED wash fixtures, giving the impression they were imprisoned within the set.
Additional Hydro Beam X12 luminaires were positioned at various locations around the stage set and used to shoot aerial effects across the entire length of the space. A pair of trusses also ran the length of the arched structure, allowing lighting fixtures to be positioned above the crowd. 18 of ADJ’s compact Focus Flex LED wash-zoom moving heads were utilized for this purpose, alongside additional Encore LB15IP linear LED fixtures. Demonstrating the unit’s versatility, in this instance they were positioned pointing directly down and used to create ACL-style ‘fingers of light’ effects.
Utilizing ADJ fixtures almost exclusively, these two stages at Rebirth 2024 provide an excellent showcase of the diversity offered by the company’s portfolio of products. Covering both IP65-rated and regular indoor-use-only fixtures, as well as static and automated luminaires, the ADJ range has the potential to serve all the needs of production companies working on large scale events and festivals. The very different aesthetic of these two stages is also testament to the creativity of the Spectrum AV and Rebirth teams, demonstrating how ADJ’s lighting tools can be utilized to realize grand creative visions.
