Barco 'Ups the Ante' at Hard Rock's New Joint

Tuesday, April 28, 2009 || High End Systems

Digital and automated lighting pioneer Barco announced today that the new entertainment venue at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas has recently installed a line of High End Systems lighting and control products. The New Joint, with a price tag of $60-million, held its star-studded grand opening April 17-19 with concerts by The Killers, Avenged Sevenfold and Paul McCartney.

Montreal-based Solotech and The Joint's Lighting Designer Alex Ares handled the installation, which includes 13 High End Systems SHOWGUNs, 4 DL.3 digital lights with a D-Tek D-Mix Pro switcher, 2 SHOWPIX pixelation luminaires and a Road Hog Full Boar console.

Says Alex Ares, "I chose the SHOWGUNs to add an edge over every house rig in Vegas. They are tons of fun and their 'punch' is just awesome! After having them in the old Joint for a year I feel like I can't be without them. They are a part of every design I've been doing. I also went with the DL.3s to add another dimension to my rig and added the D-Tek switcher to give my video guy three more cameras to play around with to enhance the overall experience to our customers. I like the Road Hog Full Boar console - it is very stable and user friendly."

Ares misses the challenges of the original smaller Joint - which closed in February to allow for the new expansion - but the increased production values of the new venue offer so much more for the touring talent. One of the challenges was to design the rig to allow for a touring band to bring in their own gear, and still keep the house rig intact.

"The New Joint still has the small theatre vibe; it's just double the size. The stage is 90-feet across by 52-feet deep, and we have a full grid capable of hanging anywhere," Ares says. "If a tour wants to hang their own lighting rig -- which hasn't happened yet -- all I have to do is just raise up our in-house rig. Up next are Bon Jovi and Kenny Chesney, and so far, every tour lighting designer is using my house rig and using their floor package, which is exciting for me. I'm happy I was able to design my own rig and really create something that bands can have fun with."

Montreal-based architectural design firm ScenoPlus designed the new 4,000-capacity venue to accommodate a wide mix of events beyond concerts including boxing, wrestling, martial arts events, corporate functions and trade shows, along with red carpet movie premiers and advanced screenings. In addition to the innovative lighting and sound installation, other features include four dressing rooms and a production office, a new green room and a meet-and-greet room, a full blogging station for the press, seven premiere VIP hospitality suites, WiFi access throughout and many flat screens to provide ultimate viewing.

Says Ares, "We had an incredible opening weekend. The Killers just brought the house down and I'm still speechless by the show Sir Paul put on! The New Joint is an amazing venue and we're going to see more incredible shows to come."