Over 400 ADJ fixtures used across four stages at the inaugural REBELLiON outdoor festival — TPi

Following almost 10 years of success organising large indoor events, REBELLiON – the RAW Hardstyle sub brand of promoter REBiRTH – ventured outdoors for the first time this summer. The one-day REBELLiON Outdoor festival took place at Almere near Amsterdam and attracted thousands of visitors who enjoyed music performed across five stages.

Lighting for the four largest performance areas was provided by production company Spectrum AV, which extensively utilised ADJ fixtures drawn from its significant rental inventory. These included Vizi Beam CMY moving heads and Jolt Panel FXIP LED fixtures, which are recent investments for the company, as well as Hydro Series IP65-rated automated luminaires which have served spectrum AV reliably across multiple festival seasons.

The main stage was completely exposed to the elements and therefore IP65-rated fixtures were used almost exclusively. The only exception being a pair of LED-powered Encore FR50Z Fresnels, which were used to light the DJ position and installed under a protective canopy. ADJ’s Hydro Wash X19 served as the primary moving head fixture for this stage, with 32 of the units deployed across the stage’s heavily themed custom set. Each featuring 19 independently controllable 40-Watt RGBW colour mixing LEDs mounted to a motorised zoom assembly, this versatile fixture offers huge output and a variable beam angle of 6 ~ 40-degrees. This meant that it could be used to generate wide colour washes of the crowd as well as intense aerial beam effects. In addition, eight of ADJ’s feature-packed Hydro Profile fixtures were also used to illuminate the stage.

48 of ADJ’s 32 HEX Panel IP static LED wash fixtures were used to light the stage’s décor, deployed alongside 12 of the lime-infused Encore LB15IP linear units. A new addition to Spectrum AV’s rental inventory for the summer 2024 season was the Jolt Panel FXIP, the much-anticipated IP65-rated version of ADJ’s immensely popular multi-functional LED wash / blinder / strobe. Featuring a central strip of cool white LEDs, surrounded on both sides by RGB colour mixing LEDs, it offers LDs huge creative potential thanks to its immense brightness and zone control for both LED variants. 12 of the fixtures were deployed across the stage pointing directly back at the crowd and were used to create blinding strobe hits as well as to wash the audience in vibrant colours.

“The Jolt Panel FXIP is a long-awaited fixture for me,” explained Spectrum AV’s CCO, Lex Willems, “it was the last gaping hole in the IP65-rated product line up of ADJ. Now that we have the fixture in our rental inventory, it has proved to be well worth waiting for. The fixture has great output and offers consistent performance at a competitive price point. No tilt function means that you don’t have to pay for it all the time, even when you don’t need it, which is the case for 99% of our productions.”

REBELLiON Outdoor’s second stage – known as Shark Bay – was housed within a huge ‘big top’ tent structure. This meant that fixtures without an IP65-rating could be safely utilised, providing an opportunity for Spectrum AV to deploy another of its new investments for 2024, ADJ’s Vizi Beam CMY. The latest addition to the popular Vizi Series, this dedicated beam moving head harnesses the power of an OSRAM Sirius HRI 310W PRO discharge lamp, focusses it through precision-engineered optics, and provides huge versatility through an expansive feature set led by CMY colour mixing. In total, of 50 of the luminaires were utilised for Shark Bay, spread across the stage set as well as trusses hanging from the tent’s central support pillars.

“I really love the Vizi Beam CMY!” enthused Mitchel Hajdu of YourLD, who was contracted by Spectrum AV to program and operate the lighting for Shark Bay. “One of the standout features is the lamp’s brightness. It’s extremely bright, which makes it ideal for outdoor productions where impactful lighting is needed. I was also really impressed with the speed of the pan and tilt movements; the Vizi Beam CMY is incredibly fast and precise. This was particularly important for REBELLiON Outdoor, an event fully focused on RAW-style music. The speed of the fixture was crucial for keeping up with the very high BPM music. Even with quick aggressive movements, the fixture remained very stable, which is important for creating sharp consistent looks. The CMY function also stood out for its speed, allowing me to make rapid colour changes. Additionally: the separate multi-colour effect is a unique feature that not many fixtures offer, and you can really create some nice looks with it.”

ADJ’s compact Focus Flex LED wash-zoom fixtures were also used for the stage, with 6 rigged from the central supports and another six deployed across the front of the stage. 76 of ADJ’s 7P HEX IP LED par fixtures were used to illuminate the stage’s décor – which included uplighting a series of metallic cylinders that lined the rear of the set. In addition, further 32 HEX Panel IP fixtures were also utilised as well as more Encore FR50Z Fresnels which were used alongside the larger Encore FR150Z model to light the performers.

The event’s third stage – Velocity Village – was also enclosed within a temporary structure and utilised Vizi Beam CMY and Focus Flex moving heads for aerial effects. A combination of 32 HEX Panel IP, Encore LB15IP and 7P HEX IP LED wash fixtures were utilised to illuminate the stage set, while Encore FR150Z luminaires were again deployed to light the performers.

Thunderous Treasure, the festival’s fourth stage, was open air and shaped like a huge treasure chest. Its impressive décor was also illuminated by 32 HEX Panel IP wash fixtures, while a 9 x 4 matrix of 7P HEX IP fixtures was installed in the lid of the chest and looked extremely effective after dark. Aerial effects were generated by ADJ’s IP65-rated Hydro Beam X12 dedicated beam fixtures, which each feature a powerful 260-Watt Philips Platinum 12R LL MSD discharge lamp and offer a concise 2-degree beam angle. Completing the line-up of ADJ fixtures utilised at the event were additional Encore FR50Z Fresnels which lit the DJ booth and Encore LB15IP linear LED wash fixtures which served as footlights to illuminate performers on the stage in front of the booth.

“My overall perception of the ADJ brand is very positive,” concluded Mitchel. “The products of ADJ, like the Vizi Beam CMY, are reliable and packed with strong features. One thing that stands out is that ADJ’s product development team listens to feedback from lighting operators and designers. This responsiveness shows both in firmware updates for existing fixtures and in the continuous improvement of their products, with each new release offering better quality and more refined features.”

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