XL Touring Video provided equipment and support for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2006 show, which aired on ABC-TV December 31, 2005. And In Berlin, XL Video helped one million people celebrate the New Year and the 2006 World Cup.
New York New Year’s
Dick Clark’s show, broadcast live from Time Square in New York City, featured performances by Hillary Duff, The Bangles, Chris Brown, Sean Paul, The Pussycast Dolls, Sugarland, 3 Doors Down, and 311.
XL provided two MiPIX screens, Barco ILite 10 LED, two high-resolution Soft-LED, and six plasma screens. The design team consisted of lighting designer Lee Rose of Design Partners, production designer Bruce Ryan, and XL project manager Matt Pearson.
“Working with Lee and Bruce was a perfect end to 2005,” says Pearson. “They executed the perfect design that complimented the diversity of the show.”
Berlin Kicks Off 2006
Although it was New Year’s Eve, in Berlin the focus was on football. The event, titled “Welcome To Germany,” welcomed the 31 countries taking part in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
With the symbol of the city, the Brandenburg Gate, as its backdrop, the event welcomed the ambassadors of the 31 countries that have qualified for the football World Cup. Short music and film sequences introduced the participating countries. The ambassadors were given oversized footballs painted with their national flag to “kick off” the World Cup for each country.
The welcome celebration in front of the Gate served as the official highlight of Berlin’s traditional New Year’s Eve party, stretching between the Victory Column and the Brandenburg Gate. The street was lined with stages, a 40m-high Ferris wheel, eight big tents, and food and beverage stands.
This was the sixth year that XL Video Germany was a partner in the event, providing four LED video trucks and one 24m²screen at the Siegessäule in the heart of Berlin.
The event’s partner radio station, RTL 104.6, as well as rock and pop bands entertained the guests. At midnight a spectacular towering fireworks display captivated everyone’s attention, followed by a disco party under open skies.