Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Press releases are provided by companies as is and have not been edited or checked for accuracy. Any queries should be directed to the company issuing the release.

Stagemaker Hoists Lift Spirits on Chris Tomlin Tours

Stage rigging specialist TLS Productions Inc. (TLS) has supplied Stagemaker hoists and rigging expertise for two consecutive tours for contemporary Christian music artist Chris Tomlin.

Stagemaker Hoists Lift Spirits on Chris Tomlin Tours

Stage rigging specialist TLS Productions Inc. (TLS) has supplied Stagemaker hoists and rigging expertise for two consecutive tours for contemporary Christian music artist Chris Tomlin.
TLS, a Hibino USA company, won two separate contracts to provide the rigging equipment and a traveling head rigger for the two-month-long Worship Night In America and Holy Roar Tours, which took place during the spring months of 2018 and 2019 respectively. The 2018 tour included 24 shows, while this year's circuit ended with an iconic 28th show, the Good Friday Concert, which took place at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Jordan Yeo, production rigger / production manager at TLS, traveled with both tours.
TLS, a distributor of R&M Materials Handling Inc.'s Stagemaker entertainment range of hoists, reported to two production managers and a tour manager over two years to deliver all of the lifting equipment, steel, shackles and controls, plus a rigging workbox that stocked tools for day-to-day use on the road. Yeo himself was responsible for marking the floor and leading the local crew in rigging the shows safely.

Challenges


Yeo said: "It was a different lighting rig for both tours and each venue is different. Not all venues can hold the same amount of weight and have varying beam layouts. I took each venue's information and put our show into their building. Sometimes we had to move things around to accommodate venue-specific challenges. Each show had its own rigging plot slightly modified to each specific venue. There were times that certain elements of the show did not hang due to the size of venue."

Solutions

Over 100 hoists were used in total—57 this year, 56 last—the majority of which were Stagemakers, ranging from ¼ to 2-ton capacity. Yeo highlighted the fact that all of the hoists ran at 16 ft. per min, while the length of the chains was typically 60 ft. or 80 ft. There were varying trim heights for the rig; the lowest was 16 ft. and the audio hangs usually trimmed to 60 ft. The lighting trusses' maximum trim was 45 ft., Yeo added. Lighting trusses usually had three or four hoists moving at once and the audio main hangs had three hoists working together. The side hangs, meanwhile, had two pick-points that worked in tandem.
Stagemaker entertainment motors are designed to handle stage and theatrical equipment, enabling the safe and accurate position of speakers, lighting systems, stage sets, and sceneries. The range is lightweight, making it ideal for touring events, reducing time and improving ergonomics for riggers. Its compact size permits it to fit inside truss structures, and its quietness makes it ideal for operation during performances.
Yeo recalled the hectic schedule: "We usually chalked the floor around 8 a.m. Load-in started at 9 a.m. and we were finished with the rig up in the air between 12-1 p.m. each day. Sound check took between 2-3 p.m. Doors opened at 6 p.m. and typically the show started around 7 p.m. After performances, we were packed up and ready to move to the next venue in two-and-a-half hours."

A Good Friday

The latest tour is memorable because of the scale of the pre-rig for Tomlin's final show at Bridgestone Arena.
Pre-rigging is when the tour rigger and local riggers go in earlier than the rest of the equipment and tour personnel to hang all of the motors. Sometimes this is done a day before or a few hours in advance of the main load-in. In this case, the team chose to pre-rig due to time restraints in getting the show loaded with added elements that hadn't been on the tour previously.
Yeo said: "We added about 20 additional hoists to the Good Friday show due to the performance being almost 100% in the round. There were extra lighting trusses, video walls, and audio hangs to accommodate the seats to the sides that wrapped around the stage. The previous show was in Kansas City and I flew from there to Nashville early to be in time for the pre-rig, starting our day at 6 a.m. The timing with the driving distance was the main reason why the tour crew and gear did not show up until 11 a.m. We had 70% of the rigging done by the time the rest of the team arrived."

The Latest

Artificial Intelligence

AI: Is it the real deal?

More Stories

photo of exotec as/rs

Exotec Launches Next Generation of Skypod System, an All-in-One Robot-Based AS/RS

Atlanta, GA, Feb 6, 2025 - Today Exotec®︎, a global warehouse robotics provider, announced the commercial launch of the Next Generation of Skypod®︎ system with higher performance, improved storage density, and advanced software features.

The Next Generation of Skypod comes with a number of design improvements including a new and more compact Skypod robot, a workstation for robot-to-robot picking, high-throughput Exchanger, and denser storage. These redesigns combined with new software features improve the throughput at a single workstation by 50% while also enhancing storage density up to 30% compared to the previous generation.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

Vanderlande to Showcase How to Automate Your Warehouse Success at ProMat 2025

ATLANTA– February 5, 2025Vanderlande, the global partner for future-proof warehouse solutions, today invited ProMat 2025 attendees to visit booth #S1503 to learn more about the fully integrated technologies, best-of-breed solutions and comprehensive services available to warehousing operations regardless of where they are in their automation journeys. Vanderlande experts will also present two interactive conference seminars that will draw on real-world examples and lessons learned to show attendees how they can successfully deploy automation for the faster and more efficient warehousing needed to stay competitive and thrive.

Known for providing leading global brands with the most advanced distribution centers (DCs), Vanderlande offers the fully-integrated and comprehensive suite of solutions dynamic retailers, including omnichannel brands and e-commerce companies in the general merchandise, apparel and food sectors, need to excel. The company’s automation technologies encompass the systems, software, robotics and services needed to optimize throughput, order accuracy and storage capacity in the most demanding fulfillment and store replenishment operations.

Keep ReadingShow less

Warp Announces Preparation for U.S. Government Partnership to Enhance Service and Efficiency

Los Angeles, CA, Jan. 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Warp, a tech-powered network of cross-docks and carriers offering various vehicle sizes, announced that 2025 it will extend its solutions and services to the U.S. government. Warp aims to modernize government freight logistics with machine-learning-driven planning, optimized network strategies, and flexible solutions to create efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable supply chain transportation.

Focused on optimizing every load, every time, Warp employs machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), and groundbreaking consolidation techniques to blur the traditional lines of freight shipping by combining the best elements of LTL, FTL, and parcel delivery. Using its homogenous fleet including cargo vans, sedans, box trucks, and 53-foot trailers, Warp facilitates carrier injections, inbound vendor consolidation, pool point distribution, zone-skipping, store replenishment, and national retail distribution for some of the world’s largest shippers.

Keep ReadingShow less
Toyota Material Handling MidSouth’s Forklift Donation Raises $40,000 for Higher Education

Toyota Material Handling and Toyota Material Handling MidSouth partner to donate 5,000-pound-capacity pneumatic forklift at Concrete Industry Management’s annual charity auction.

Photo courtesy of Toyota Material Handling

Toyota Material Handling MidSouth’s Forklift Donation Raises $40,000 for Higher Education

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 28, 2024 – Toyota Material Handling MidSouth, a full-service dealer for Toyota Material Handling, showcased its dedication to fostering the next generation of industry professionals by donating a 5,000-pound-capacity Toyota Core IC Pneumatic forklift to the Concrete Industry Management’s (CIM) annual charity auction on January 22.

The forklift’s winning bid of $40,000 significantly contributed to the auction’s total proceeds of $2.15 million, supporting CIM’s mission to address the growing demand for skilled professionals in the concrete industry. Offered at five universities, CIM equips students with technical, communication and management expertise, preparing them for successful careers in a rapidly evolving industry. Proceeds from the auction are used to assist CIM in funding higher education programs that offer degrees in concrete industry management.

Keep ReadingShow less

Chang Robotics launches 'The Chang Robotics Fund' - A Seed Stage Venture Capital Fund targetting a $50M Raise to Specialize in Disruptive Technology

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Jan. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- 2,750 miles away from Silicon Valley, Matthew Chang, founder of Chang Robotics, today announced his next business venture: The Chang Robotics Fund. The Fund is targeting a $50M raise to address the numerous needs and market opportunities the Chang Robotics engineering team identified in their daily operations by investing in disruptive technologies designed to confront the industry's most urgent challenges—from labor shortages to energy efficiency to environmental remediation. By utilizing innovative intellectual property and the engineering and management expertise of Chang Robotics, the Fund seeks to scale its targeted innovations into impactful, transformative, and profitable businesses.

Global industries, from manufacturing to healthcare, face mounting pressures such as intensifying global competition, workforce constraints, escalating expenses, and the urgent need for environmental restoration. Tackling these issues demands a new paradigm of intelligent automation, energy efficiency, and sustainable innovation.

Keep ReadingShow less