DJ LED video panels and moving head lighting fixtures were used as part of the production for an event last month which celebrated the 10th anniversary of the La Bascala concert hall. The event, which attracted a 1000-strong audience, featured a popular local band supported by a well-known local DJ. Their energetic performances were enhanced by ADJ lighting and atmospheric fixtures, while a large, multi-section LED display at the rear of the stage displayed graphics and animated visual content.

Located in Bruguières, just north of Toulouse, the modern La Bascala venue can accommodate an audience of up to 1,800 and hosts a wide variety of performances, including dance, comedy, and theater as well as both classical and contemporary music. Since the planned celebrations for its 9th anniversary had to be canceled due to the pandemic, all the stops were pulled out to make the recent 10th birthday party a big success. Mikaël Nomikos and his company Live Solutions, which has a longstanding relationship with the venue, were contracted to cover the technical production of the event. In turn, Mikaël brought in the team from Les Rythmes de la Nuit to assist with the lighting and video aspects of the event.

Mikaël and his team provided video and lighting design for the show, working in advance using the Capture software to plan the location of video and lighting fixtures to allow for an efficient installation on site. The team also ran the systems during the evening and supplied equipment to supplement fixtures already owned by La Bascala as part of its house rig. Les Rythmes de la Nuit is a local ADJ dealer and has used ADJ equipment since 2013. Over the past eight years, the company has amassed a significant inventory of various fixture types. It was one of the first companies in Europe to invest in ADJ LED video panels and now uses them extensively for a wide variety of projects.

“We have used ADJ LED video screens since the very beginning,” confirms Technical Director, Kévin Antoine. “We bought some of the first shipment of AV6 to arrive in Europe. Before that we had used products from various companies, but the AV6 stood out as different. At the time, no other product in our price range offered a 6mm pitch, such high resolution was just crazy! The image quality is amazing, the brightness is fantastic, and the panels have proved to be very reliable. When the AV4IP came out, we added those panels to our stock because they are IP-rated and incredibly bright for outdoor events, but also offer an even tighter pixel pitch for situations when an audience is close to the screen. Both are great products and, for an indoor show like this, with the audience quite a distance away, they can be used together on the same stage and the audience won’t be able to tell the difference.”

For the Le Bascala 10th Anniversary event, Les Rythmes de la Nuit supplied a total of 68 ADJ LED video panels. These were arranged into a central 7 x 5 panel rectangular screen flanked by two single-width columns, each comprising 7 panels. All three of these display surfaces were created from AV4IP panels. To the outside edges of this arrangement, were two separate triangular screens, each created from 9 AV6 panels. The result was a multi-segment video display which filled the whole back of the stage and provided a stunning backdrop to the evening’s performances. This was driven using an ArKaos Stage Server running animated visuals and custom graphical content.

When it came to the lighting, ADJ’s Vizi Hybrid 16RX was central to the design. Powered by a Philips® Platinum 16R discharge lamp, this multipurpose lighting tool operates interchangeably as a spot / beam / wash fixture and is packed with beam-shaping features. The venue owns twelve of these fixtures as part of its house rig and eight were deployed for this show. Four were arranged around a large circular truss, created using Duratruss DT 34 and flown above the audience, while an additional four units were positioned at the top of truss podiums (also DT 34) standing at the sides of the stage.

“The Vizi Hybrid 16RX is a very versatile fixture because of its wide zoom range,” explains Kévin. “We can use it for beam effects but also when we need wider GOBO projections or washes. It is also very powerful; in the past we have used 20 of the fixtures on a large outdoor event and it was crazy how far away the beam effects could be seen.”

ADJ’s immensely popular Vizi Beam RXONE dedicated beam fixture was also utilized for the show. Four of these were rigged to the truss circle, alternating with the Vizi Hybrid 16RXs, while an addition four units were positioned above the stage. Featuring a deceptively small and lightweight design, this fixture packs an incredible punch. The light from a potent 1R HTI long life lamp is focused through precision-engineered optics into a super sharp 3-degree beam that is ideal for creating piercing aerial effects.

“The Vizi Beam RXONE is a very nice fixture because it is small but powerful,” enthuses Kévin. “The beam is very sharp, and it is my favorite fixture for creating beam effects. For indoor events, it stands up against other much larger fixtures in terms of its output but has the obvious advantage of small size and low weight. It is a really impressive fixture!”

Finally, the Les Rythmes de la Nuit team supplied a pair of ADJ’s Fog Fury Jett Pro high velocity fog machines to create atmospheric effects on stage. Featuring a 1450-Watt heater, each of these units is capable of shooting a dry even blast of fog over 40 feet (12 meters) into the air. The machine can be use vertically or horizontally, and its reservoir tank can be mounted in the front or rear of the unit to allow the machine to be pointed up or down. It is also fitted with 28 x 3-Watt colored LEDs (6 Red, 7 Green, 6 Blue, 3 Amber & 6 UV), which surround the output nozzle and can be used to illuminate the column of fog as it leaves the machine.

“We started out using the original Fog Fury Jett, which is also a nice product, but the Fog Fury Jett Pro is even better. The effect it produces of quick, powerful, blasts of fog is very close to C02 jets but without the need to purchase, transport and safely store C02 cannisters. Having the inbuilt LEDs to color the fog then adds even more creative potential. We originally only planned to use the effect during the DJ’s sets, positioned at either side of the booth, but when the band saw them, they asked us to keep them on stage and use them during their performance too!”

As La Bascala was used for a theatre production on the evening prior to its 10th Anniversary celebration, setup time was limited for the technical crew. Rigging, programming and sound check all had to take place during the day before the event, however the team had everything ready in time for the show and technical equipment worked perfectly throughout the night. The venue’s management were very pleased with the production of the event, and it was extremely well received by everyone in attendance.