Brown Note Productions Expands Inventory with Ayrton Rivale and Debuts Them on Back-to-Back Red Rocks Dates

Brown Note Productions, the Denver-area company specializing in 360º full-service production for concerts, tours, music festivals and special events, has invested in 150 Ayrton Rivale Profiles.  The new fixtures were quickly dispatched for two back-to-back dates at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison for dance music star Black Coffee and artist Illenium.  ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton lighting in North America. 

The IP65-rated Ayrton Rivale Profile is a unique projector that delivers creativity, subtlety and power – the most versatile fixture created by Ayrton to date.  It offers unprecedented performance for its size and weight and features continuous rotation of the pan and tilt movement.

“We already have Ayrton Diablos, MagicPanel FX and Perseos in our inventory and were looking for additional fixtures in a smaller form factor than Perseo,” says Brown Note President Ryan Knutson.  ”I spend a lot of time researching new IP-rated fixtures, and Rivale caught my eye at LDI for its weight-output ratio.

“We wanted a mid-range, 30,000-lumens IP-rated fixture that was lighter than 80 lbs. and had a small form factor since a lot of designers put hundreds in their rigs,” he continues.  “I call the Rivale ‘IP-rated lighting on a diet.’  It had the size and output we needed plus continuous pan and tilt that will give designers many creative looks.”

No sooner had Brown Note received delivery of its Rivale than the new fixtures made their debut at Red Rocks.  Highscream production manager James Dutton was looking for a downstage line of fixtures for Black Coffee’s first appearance at Red Rocks, and Knutson offered the Rivale.  ”They were inclined to try them, and the look really paid off for them,” says Knutson.

Sixty-four Rivale were split between flown and ground fixtures to create elegant downstage effects.  Thirty-two were mounted on the 85-foot downstage truss, which matched the roofline, while another 32 Rivale were placed on the downstage edge mirroring the flown fixtures. 

The Rivale ”performed solidly,” Knutson notes, with their IP rating coming into play when ”it rained all over them and they still did exactly what we wanted them to do.”

Just days later, 18 Rivale returned to Red Rocks with Illenium where Lighting Designer Chuck Williams took up Knutson’s offer of the new fixtures as part of the overall look created by the overhead truss.  In fact, Williams liked the Rivale’ performance so much that he opted to take them to Illenium’s upcoming gig at The Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington state. 

An indie pop rock band’s tour of North America will commence in July with Rivale on board as well.

“We see a great path ahead for these lights,” says Knutson.  “The Rivale offer great size, weight, output and functionality and are especially attractive to bands with limited space to carry big fixtures.  We’re excited to continue getting the word out about these awesome fixtures!”

“Brown Note is a production company that really appreciates high-quality, hard-working gear.  This makes the Ayrton Rivale the right fixture for both them and their clients,” concludes ACT Entertainment Regional Sales Manager, Aaron Hubbard.