SXSW 2014

Lightwave takes the famous Austin festival by storm supporting multiple artists on several stages.

During the week of March 7-16, 2014, thousands converged on the city of Austin for the Southwest Music Conference and Festival (SXSW). Lightwave was there working around the clock filling the music capitol’s venues with lasers and special effects for artists including Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Zedd and more.

Wednesday Jay-Z and Kanye West combined for a powerful, hit-filled two-hour Watch the Throne reunion show sponsored by Samsung. Fans lined up several hundred yards around the block before the show with hopes of getting in. Those who did were treated to an energetic performance from two of hip-hop’s biggest stars along with Lightwave’s dazzling laser display. They emerged individually atop two large boxes stationed on the stage and in the crowd and began the show near the rafters. They played selections from their “Watch the Throne” collaboration throughout, including “No Church in the Wild,” “… in Paris,” “Who Gon Stop Me” and “Otis” as images of Doberman pinschers, lions and tigers, great white sharks and gazelle-killing cheetahs flashed across a screen that wrapped around the stagebound box. The pair each also played hits from their own lengthy catalogs. West, engaged and smiling and even occasionally trading high fives with the crowd, performed “Black Skinhead” and “New Slaves” from his latest album “Yeezus” along with older hits like “Jesus Walks” and “Runaway.” Jay Z offered favorites recent hit “Tom Ford” from “Magna Carta … Holy Grail,” and standards “99 Problems,” “Empire State of Mind,” “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” and “Big Pimpin’.”

On Thursday night Lady Gaga took to the Doritos #Boldstage at Stubb’s BBQ. The show sponsored by Doritos to benefit her Born This Way Foundation included moments meant to provoke and others meant to inspire. “I love my fans because they always let me be myself and they don’t care what anybody says,” Gaga told the crowd. Her creative set was flanked by dazzling laser light arrays created by Lightwave’s talented artists utilizing it’s Insight audience scanning system.

Friday night Zedd pulled out all the stops at the iTunes Music Festival at ACL Live at the Moody Theater, where Austin City Limits tapes. Lightwave was there to help the DJ take things to the next level. Lady Gaga also put in a surprise appearance as he was about to play the track he produced for her, the crazy electro-pop “Aura”.

On the Doritos #Boldstage Lightwave supported multiple artists Friday and Saturday night.

The SXSW festival generates over $220 million in revenues for Austin and brings over 155,000 people to the city. It is an incubator of cutting-edge technologies and digital creativity, featuring days of compelling presentations and panels from the brightest minds in emerging technology, scores of exciting networking events hosted by industry leaders and an unbeatable lineup of special programs showcasing the best new websites, video games and startup ideas the community has to offer. Its goal is to create an event that acts as a tool for creative people and the companies they work with to develop their careers, to bring together people from a wide area to meet and share ideas.