Avicii 'lifts' the audience at his European tour show with XL Video's AV solutions

Tim Bergling, known professionally as Avicii and one of the world's most reputable DJs and record producers, has entrusted the innovative show of its 'Wake me up' tour in the UK and other European countries to video production solutions, projection and control supplied by XL Video.

The current tour that the international Swedish DJ and record producer Avicii is doing in Europe has high visual impact systems, with a music show, light, sound and pyrotechnics that are combined with amazing videos with cinematic elements and animations in real time to the delight of the thousands of fans who attend their concerts.

A varied and complex AV production, made up of large-format LED screens, projection, Cameras and control systems, that Avicii has entrusted to the specialist XL Video and its project manager Paul Macca; under the direction of Curly Jobson on the tour, with the AV effects made by Harry Bird, of the company This Is Comix, Specializing in live visuals and motion graphics.

Innovative scenario

The show of Avicii's tour has two visual areas formed by two screens. The backdrop features two Pixled F-12 displays from XL Video, of 18 meters wide and more than five meters high, Hung on the sides to replicate the diagonal wall design.

The front of Avicii's cab has been clad in an OLite LED display 510 of the Belgian firm Ship, which is creatively used to generate versatile shapes that are then precisely mapped and enhance the work of this DJ, without the event being affected by the lighting of the environment. In this case, XL Video has created custom-made modular LED systems, following the diagonal lines of the design.

Both types of display are robust and ideal for transport while touring. In this sense, Model F- 12 is integrated into XL Video's lightweight touring frames, that facilitate installation and disassembly time.

Live audiovisual production

The playback of the video content made by Harry Bird runs completely live, without using timecode in this program, using the Resolume Sand, as well as another Resolume system for stock footage, images and graphics that serve as support in Avicii's show.

In addition, there are two FT side projection screens in portrait mode (20×11) which are powered by two Barco FLM 26K rear projection systems, with a power of 26.000 Lumens. Most of the time, these displays replicate the playback content displayed on the main screens with some occasional IMAG snapshots, for which XL Video has supplied a package consisting of three cameras.

This proposal consists of an HD/SD camera Sony HXC-100, that allows systems to be configured in conventional triaxial mode, operated with a FOH mixer, and a remote camera Bradley Ball Cam 2, located just behind Avicii to capture the images of the attendees, and a combined operated by Ray Gwilliams using a switchboard Panasonic MX100, as an effective solution to involve the audience in the energy and dynamism of the show.

The video is made in the center, at the heart of the visual spectacle, which also encompasses lighting, Laser and special effects. All these elements are performed live, even when there is no track list and Avicii performs a totally unique system in each performance, While certain well-known tracks are previously included.

For video creation, the technicians worked closely with Tim Bergling (Avicii) in order to produce footage to match the different sounds. In this sense, this DJ's most recent work incorporates "more organic 'live' sounds, which are accompanied by more cinematic elements for the video material, while for the dance floors more traditional dance, the video is oriented with neon colors and moving shapes".

The result is a dynamic mix of these different styles, so the contrast in the images is complemented simultaneously and in harmony with the music and, as the technicians of the show point out "that is what provides a distinctive visual elegance to Avicii's show".