IPS, ACT, and Elation Light Up Montreux Jazz Festival Miami

	"I love the old-school look of a traditional mole and the color mixing capability. It is a simple and effective fixture." Betancourt says.

The second annual Montreux Jazz Festival Miami, an extension of the iconic Swiss music festival, brought three days of sold-out performances to The Hangar at Regatta Harbour in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami. With technical production support from IPS and a striking lighting design built around Elation lighting gear, the event featured powerhouse sets from music legends Jon Batiste, Chaka Khan, Janelle Monae, and La Descarga, among others.

ACT Productions returned as the local production company, with ACT director of operations Barbara Goicoechea noting: "The cooperation with IPS was excellent as always and our client was extremely happy. This year's show was absolutely gorgeous, mostly because of the lighting that was used. We cannot thank IPS enough for doing such an incredible job."

The festival, which ran from February 28 to March 2, featured everything from high-energy headline sets to intimate jam sessions. Lighting designer Bradley Solheim of Shine Lighting & Design, who also handles Jon Batiste's tour lighting, brought his touring design to the Montreux Jazz Festival stage. Working with Michael Betancourt of IPS, the festival's lighting rig was fully adapted using Elation gear.

Solheim praises the collaboration: "I love working with IPS. They are always delivering professional service and communication from the first pre-production calls all the way through the day-of-show experience for an incoming LD. Their tech staff on-site was top notch, and they take great care of their gear." Caleb Franke of IPS programmed and operated lighting for artists without touring LDs, and Carlos Henao of ACT served as technical director. Sig Greenebaum was festival director.

On opening night, Jon Batiste, the Grammy and Academy Award-winning artist who also co-owns the festival, took the stage with a 20-piece band and surprise guests. A late-night jam session featuring over 30 artists -- including Shania Twain and Lauren Jauregui.

Betancourt created a flexible and dynamic lighting rig that supported the variety of performances throughout the weekend. Solheim commented, "Michael Betancourt designed a great festival-style rig. Working under a tent trim height restriction, they still loaded it with a diverse range of Elation fixtures for dynamic and unique looks throughout the set."

IPS, which also supported last year's inaugural event, provided lighting, LED video, and broadcast cameras for IMAG and recording. They oversaw the multiple-day setup, starting with rigging, securing goal posts over doorways (Global Truss), and hanging fixtures prior to Coper Productions bringing in the stage.

Betancourt redesigned the lighting plot using an array of Elation gear that included 23 PROTEUS LUCIUS, 28 PROTEUS RAYZOR 760, 12 PROTEUS RAYZOR BLADE L, 24 SOL I BLINDER, six PROTEUS HYBRID MAX, 12 PULSE PANEL FX, two KL PANEL, and 18 SIX+ PAR L. Also featured were VS2 2.9mm LED panels from sister-company ADJ.

PROTEUS RAYZOR 760 wash FX moving heads positioned on the downstage delivered a rich stage wash, the company says, complemented by PROTEUS LUCIUS profile moving heads for key lighting, and full-color SOL I Blinder effects for audience illumination. These, along with PULSE PANEL FX dynamic strobe lights mounted on the mid-stage and upstage trusses, provided dynamic stage washes and visual effects. "The LUCIUS and HYBRID MAX fixtures delivered some incredible aerial visuals that really cut through the stage wash from the 760s," Betancourt says. "The PULSE PANEL FX added smooth eye candy along with powerful blinder and strobe effects."

On stage, PROTEUS RAYZOR 760s were used for side lighting, while RAYZOR BLADE L linear lights on the downstage edge, KL PANEL softlights on C-stands, and PROTEUS HYBRID MAX moving heads on truss totems added layered effects and visual eye candy. Around the venue, SIX+ PAR L fixtures served as uplights to enhance the overall atmosphere.

Solheim states, "As the workhorse of this rig, the PROTEUS LUCIUS performed great as a whole, and their brightness punched through, even with deep and dark color tones and saturation. I enjoyed the gobo selection for interesting and crisp in-air textures."

Having used discharge-lamp moving heads on Batiste's 2024 tour for beam and hard-edged profile looks, Solheim found the PROTEUS HYBRID MAX to be a strong substitute for brightness, beam control, and overall features. It was also his first time using the PULSE PANEL FX, which he loved: "They're insanely bright -- I only wish I had more time to play with all the features and maximize their capabilities. For the limited time I had to see them in-person and integrate into my show, they were awesome!"

The designer also praised the SOL I BLINDER, which he found extremely bright. "I love the old-school look of a traditional mole and the color mixing capability. It is a simple and effective fixture." Betancourt adds, "The SOL I BLINDERS lit up the crowd beautifully -- especially when Jon Batiste stepped off the stage and into the audience. It was a standout moment."

Elation's proprietary SparkLED background sparkle effect, featured in the RAYZOR Series fixtures, is a feature Solheim had never used before but one he thoroughly enjoyed. "I dig it! It's a great piece of eye candy to use once or twice during a show."