Festivalbar is a regular TV extravaganza celebrating music, summer and outdoors. Launched thirty years ago to merge music, fashion and trends, it stops off every summer in the main squares of Italy’s cities, ending its adventure in Verona’s amphitheatre in September.
This year promises top international stars: from Italy’s Britti, Bennato, Morandi, Oxa and Consoli to big names like Ben Harper, Craig David, DJ Bobo, Robbie Williams, Ricky Martin, Simply Red and Tom Jones.
An event of this calibre demands high standards in creativity and technology, which are ensured by expert professionals working incessantly backstage to create the best possible show. A familiar face behind the scenes is Renato Neri, whose company Xenon has staged Festivalbar for over 15 years, supplying the entire sound and lighting system.
This particular edition was strongly marked by movement and colour. To combine the needs of both a live show and a TV broadcast, Clay Paky Super Scan Zoom 1200s were used for overhead stage lighting and backlighting, while Clay Paky CP Color 150-E outdoor color changers flooded backdrops and scenery with a kaleidoscope of colour.
Some products were chosen to meet certain filming requirements. “Every square has its characteristic corners, details and monuments that can be enhanced,” explains Renato Neri. “In Pistoia, for example, we used a Pani 6000 that projected a coloured slide onto the building opposite the stage, while other CP Colors backlit the courtroom windows overlooking the square”.
The lighting system also featured a series of traditional spotlights and Aircraft 250W with colourchangers, designed and developed by Xenon. One of the many special effects was a huge led-wall at the back of the stage that screened the show, alternated with graphic images. Another 4 led-walls covered the sides and towers of the stage.
In front of an enthusiastic audience, Festivalbar united the public, international stars and new talent with a fresh and overwhelming vitality. The expertise of those behind the scenes, together with all the technical and artistic support, certainly guarantees many more spectacular music-filled summers.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Organizer: Andrea Salvetti
Production Director: Duilio Celia
Executive Producer: Miride Bollesan
Sound and lighting service: Xenon
Lighting Designer: Renato Neri
Photography Director: Massimo Manzato
Music Director: Pippo Abbà
Director: Egidio Romio
Clay Paky stage lights: Super Scan Zoom, CP Color 150-E, CP Color 400
Other lights: Xenon Aircraft 250W, Pani slide projector
Other effects: 5 led-walls (1 large central and 4 side led-walls)
Sound system: Meyer