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39 years of German engineering descended on the West Coast of the United States as Kapt’n Sascha Konietzko, Lucia Cifarelli, Andy Selway, and Andee Blacksugar delivered the gospel of the Ultra Heavy Beat to sold out theaters. This tour marked the 10 year anniversary of R90 Lighting’s collaborative efforts with the almost 4-decade strong industrial powerhouse known as KMFDM and we couldn’t have been more thrilled to have been invited back in support of such an influential and iconic musical act. A band that delivers the degree of energy and ferocity that KMFDM is known for obviously requires a lighting package that has the ability to both assault the senses while also allowing for brooding atmospherics during the less in-your-face melodic sections of the set list. Lighting designer James McKenna needed to come up with a design that delivered a visual throat-punch while also being able to pack down and fit into a bus trailer. With the enormous costs of touring these days, it also needed to be friendly on the wallet. What emerged as the final design was an assortment of old staples mixed with a new generation of lighting fixtures that, when paired, demonstrated that age is irrelevant if it does the job right. The rig was comprised of (30) Blizzard Lighting Hotbox 5, (8) Omnisistem 2-Lite LED Blinder, (6) Chauvet Professional Color STRIKE M, (4) Robe Pointe, (10) Showtec Sunstrip Active, (4) Mega-Lite Bright Stripe, (4) Martin MAC Aura, (4) Elation Professional SixBar 1000IP, (6) Chauvet DJ Geyser P7, and (2) HazeBase FAB hazer. At the helm of this mayhem machine was the ChamSys MQ500. There was a bittersweet element to it for us as a lighting company, as it also marked the retirement for the trusty Sunstrips from our inventory due to lamp unavailability. We wanted to retire them with honor and feel that this was the perfect show to achieve that with. Farewell, old friend! Not content with settling for the limitations of 2022’s East Coast only tour, KMFDM set off to remind the citizens of the West Coast why they remain one of the best live performances after nearly 40 years of touring. It was truly an honor to once again be apart of this wonderful touring family.

R90 Lighting has added a new member to our ever increasing inventory of lighting fixtures as we welcome the Elation KL Panel XL IP! The Elation KL Panel XL IP fixtures are designed to provide bright, vibrant, and dynamic lighting effects for large-scale events as well as theatrical and film productions. With a high light output and a range of features, these fixtures are the perfect option for any studio or on location film shoot. The fixtures are equipped with IP technology, making them easy to set up, control, and maintain, even in challenging outdoor environments. In the field, the Elation KL Panel XL IP fixtures are used to create dynamic lighting effects. Their versatility and high light output make them suitable for use in a wide range of applications, from stage lighting to film lighting. With the ability to be controlled remotely and easily integrated into a lighting control system, the KL Panel XL IP fixtures offer event producers and lighting designers the freedom to create the lighting effects they envision. The acquisition of the Elation KL Panel XL IP fixtures is another milestone for R90 Lighting as we continue to bolster our film and television based lighting inventory. With this new addition to their inventory, R90 Lighting is now better equipped to meet the needs of their clients and provide them with exceptional lighting services for events and productions of all sizes.

Of all the wacky things we did over the past two years there’s one project that we are particularly proud of having been involved with and that is a group called Sessions In Place. Fairly early on in the pandemic, as we were starting to iron out the idea of Covert Bat and pioneering drive-in concerts, Derek Zanto came to us with a request. Seems a guy named Oliver J. Stellfox was heading up a group of extremely talented videographers who were using their pandemic downtime to promote, boost, and assist local live musicians. Once we saw what they were up to, we knew that it was a project that we needed to be apart of. We were thrilled to donate small lighting packages as well as occasionally space to record in the R90 Lighting warehouse as they kept coming up with more and more local artists. The concept of Sessions In Place was to highlight a local artist in a COVID-19 safe live-stream. Everything on this was donation based with the only thing monetarily supporting the entire project was a meager Patreon account. The whole thing ran on heart. With a ton of support from Fremont Abbey Arts Center, Black Raven Brewery, and a whole handful of other sponsors that saw the same appeal in this sort of entertainment. It was nothing short of amazing witnessing all of these talented people come together to volunteer their time and skill-set to achieving a unified goal. Sessions In Place is still operating to this day and have moved towards a hybrid format. If you want to go watch genius videographers at work, and catch some live music at the same time, take a peek at their calendar and try one out. Sometimes, when you produce amazing content and pour your soul into something, it goes unnoticed. Sometimes it is noticed… For their hard work; Oliver, Ben, Derek and the rest of the Sessions in Place team are up for an Emmy. It’s only a regional Emmy at this point, but we’ve heard that’s the path to a full on legit “as seen on TV” Emmy. We’ll find out tomorrow night! No matter what the outcome, this is one of our personal favorite projects that we’ve ever had the pleasure to support. Photo Credits: Julliann Itter, Joanne Leadbetter and Diane Bartos

Well we might as well tell you… As the world reopens post Covid-19 things have gone a little crazy here at R90 Lighting. The overwhelming demand for lighting equipment now that live events have returned has led to a massive shortage in equipment across the board. We realized that we would need to expand our inventory even further in order to keep up with our ever expanding commitments. Over the next few weeks we’ll be announcing the arrival of some shiny new toys that are going to bolster our inventory. Just this week we received the first batch of shipments which contained the Elation Proteus Excaliburs, the Elation Fuze Max Profiles, and the Elation Fuze Wash FRs. The Elation Fuze Wash FR is a versatile moving head wash fixture with a 480W additive RGBAL LED source which has a CRI of 92, making it a great candidate for TV and film applications. It also features a wide 9°-60° zoom range and a full internal shutter system. We are intentionally pricing these fairly low to foster their use as a video friendly front wash fixture for corporate, hybrid, and live-stream events. They supply amazing color rendering, a seamlessly smooth wash, and never having to worry about getting your focus done before the banquet tables go in. We’ll be doing fixture spotlights on all of our new equipment as it trickles into our ever-expanding production facility. For more information on the Elation Fuze Wash FR, check out this video from Elation Professional. Our site is always updated with the latest fixtures that we supply, so feel free to browse around our inventory to make sure that your next event absolutely shines.

Opponent invaded the R90 Lighting warehouse this past week to film the music video accompanying their latest single which drops today! They blasted in to our shop with fire and mayhem in tow. We were happy to provide them with ROBE Lighting MegaPointes to ensure that the full force of the band’s aggression was felt as they punched through the lens. We were incredibly happy that they chose us to be apart of this monumental moment for them as they take this next step in their metal career after signing with Solid State Records . Opponent’s new single Betrayed drops today!

Ready for summer? Outdoor events call for outdoor fixtures. We just took delivery on our new ADJ Encore LP7IP RGBL LED par. Now, normally there’s not much to brag about when you buy some IP rated LED pars… but hear me out. These are smaller than an ELAR par, but brighter with 20w chips at 2500lm. They pack a punch. The RGBL chipset means truer whites at a higher CRI. They are IP rated but have done away with cable tails! Direct panel mount True1 throughs and 5pin XLR! What a time to be alive!!! Our favorite part?…. The 25deg frost lens is easily removable to give a tight 10deg beam. This punchy fixture makes a perfect truss warmer or a descent front wash for short throws. (100) now available for rental.

Getting ready to set the truss trim height for this year’s #hardpnw festival at the Tacoma Dome tomorrow. We are absolutely thrilled to be apart of another Insomniac Events production, providing the lighting for two explosive stages. These rigs are going to absolutely slap! Lighting design by Erik Mahowald of Bending Lite Productions . Lighting equipment provided by R90 Lighting Main stage lighting director: Erik Mahowald B stage lighting director: James McKenna