ChamSys Versatility on Display at Glastonbury
PILTON, UK – ChamSys consoles make themselves right at home in all sorts of FOH platforms. This was brilliantly evident at Glastonbury 2023, as various models of the company’s products powered a wide variety of shows on over a dozen sites, from the Pyramid Stage, where Jason Hyne displayed his virtuosity on the MagicQ MQ250M Stadium console for Cat Stevens, blending soft washes with retro video images; to the Funkingham Palace, where David Howard used his MagicQ MQ250M to support relentless DJ Performances.
Another site where ChamSys versatility was front and center was at Kelis’ performance on the West Holts Stage. Sam Campbell used his MQ250M (supplied by DPL Production Lighting) to conjure up a wide array of looks for the New York singer, sashaying multi-color washes across the deck in sync with her hit “Got Your Money,” and moving to more in-your-face strobing looks for her performance of “Caught Out There.”
The MagicQ MQ250M ’s diverse capabilities supported a variety of performances at the Lonely Hearts Club stage. Fineline Lighting, which provided the console there, also furnished MagicQ MQ500M units for the Acoustic Stage, as well as the Circus Big Top.
Helping to generate visual excitement for a variety of acts outdoors was the MagicQ MQ500M that GLX Productions provided to the Flying Bus stage. Other ChamSys consoles that helped to make life brighter at Glastonbury were the MagicQ MQ50 Compact Console, used with a wing at the Glasto Latino stage, which was supplied by Mass Affect Lighting and Enlightened, and the MagicQ MQ70 Compact Console, used by Phil Dawkins at the Greenpeace Tree Stage in collaboration with set designer Belinda Best. That stage featured a surprise performance by Fat Boy Slim.
The MQ80 also contributed to the visual feast, being used at three venues: The Hive Stage (provided by Luke Adams Lighting), The Truth Stage (PF Events), and Left Feld (SWG Events).
Like ChamSys, noted designer/programmer Ed Warren seemed to be everywhere at Glastonbury. In addition to lighting a diverse group of musical acts at the festival, Warren was at Carhenge a mystical, dreamlike space where old, abandoned vehicles were arranged in vertical formations reminiscent of Stonehenge. Working with his trusty MQ80, he mixed beams and a variety of redolent colours, to deepen the transcendent vibe at Carhenge. It was a look quite different than those created by other LDs that animated the performances of artists like Fat Boy Slim and Kelis, but all demonstrated the versatility of ChamSys, while contributing to the panorama that is Glastonbury.
