Hippotizer Media Servers Power Lana Del Rey's Summer Tour

LED walls, IMAG screens, and holographic projections elevated U.S. singer Lana Del Rey’s five-date summer stadium tour across the U.K. and Ireland, delivering a "theatrical and emotionally charged spectacle," powered by Hippotizer Media Servers.

Phil White of nlitedesign LTD specified and supplied two Hippotizer Tierra+ MK2 and two Boreal+ MK2 Media Servers in a primary and backup configuration for the stadium shows. The tour stopped at major venues, including Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, and two sold-out nights at London’s Wembley Stadium.

"The initial brief called for a three-part stage LED wall and IMAG screens, but we quickly expanded that to include a projection surface, holographic projections, and downstage wing LED screens on either side of the stage," explained White, who has collaborated with Lana Del Rey for 15 years. "I worked closely with the production team to bring their ideas from paper to reality. To achieve the ambitious range of visuals, the Tierra+ MK2 handled playback of four full 4K outputs, including HD feeds from the camera team for live IMAG displays. The Boreal+ MK2 powered the onstage hologram projectors, LED screens, and the set’s house window TV."

Large-scale concert multimedia designer James Lockey partnered with Stufish Studio to stage what Ric Lipson from Stufish described as "a living Southern Gothic tableau, where a full-scale, weather-worn Louisiana ‘shotgun’ house anchors the scene … The concept balances cinematic spectacle with meticulous detail. The show is a haunting dreamscape that amplifies Lana Del Rey’s artistry and blends story, technology, theatrical craft, and visual innovation."

The three LED screens behind the onstage house, along with the IMAG screens, were built using Roe BQ6.2 panels, all driven by the Hippotizer Media Servers. Beneath the IMAG screens, two CB3 screens were used to deliver holographic-style video. 4K laser projectors were double-stacked at FOH left and right to project onto the house during the dramatic video mapped ‘fire’ sequence, and two additional projectors cast visuals onto holographic material. A 4K TV placed in the upstairs window of the house, where Lana performed two songs, was also fed content directly from the Hippotizer Media Server.

"The Boreal+ MK2 Media Servers are always my go-to for performance and reliability," added White. "For more demanding requirements, I use the Tierra+ MK2 because I know I can throw anything at them and they still have processing headroom for effects and Notch integration, if needed."

All Hippotizers were integrated with a grandMA3 console, running the latest software, and controlled via DMX. "Both the console and the Hippotizers were timecoded using SyncManager," White noted. "We also used OutputMapper and VideoMapper on the Mixes and Viewports to configure outputs according to the video screen supplier’s processors.

"Having the ability to use LiveMask on the incoming camera feed was extremely valuable, giving us the flexibility to send live camera content—soft-edged or overlaid—to any screen."

The Hippotizer Media Servers were supplied by nlitedesign LTD. Mark Wood served as Media Server Programmer, with Content Creation by James Lockey. Stage and Creative Design were delivered by Ric Lipson, while the LED screens and projectors were provided by Creative Technology.

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