USA - Country Music Hall of Fame member and 15-time Grammy winner Ricky Skaggs spent December sharing the gift of bluegrass on the Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder Christmas holiday show. Bandit Lites provided the lighting for the acoustic style concert that included classic songs as well as original hits.
Bandit Lites lighting designer and project manager Craig Richter designed the system to wrap around the stage, laying it in an arch and stringing festoon fixtures between the pipe and base fixtures.
“I chose to go with fixtures that would not blind the audience and would give a nice look onstage even when they are not on, and the Portman P2 EVO was the perfect fixture for that,” said Richter. “I added Robe Halos to help compliment the P2 EVO’s as well as give the lighting director a fun fixture to do some pixel effects with.”
Bandit Lites supplied Elation Proteus Rayzor 760 IP 65, Martin MAC Viper Profiles, Robe Halo LEDs, Robe Patt 2017 and Chauvet LED festoons.
“After putting together some general ideas, we turned Craig loose to whip up a great lighting package that not only looks amazing and blends perfectly with Ricky’s show, but also travels well,” said Bandit Lites client representative Allen Deneau. “Craig did an amazing job with the design and getting it prepped with the Bandit team.”
“I give a lot of credit to Jacob Carson for making the design come to life,” finished Richter. “He handled all the programming and operation for this tour, he did a great job and made some beautiful looks. He was able to utilize all the features of the fixtures the way I would have if I was still touring.”
“Bandit Lites is a great lighting company to work with,” said Skaggs. “They have years of experience, so they know what they are doing. The company has worked with us for the last two years on our Christmas shows. They always have a great design at a great price that is just what we need. Easy load in, set up and load out. One man job. Easy peasy! We will use Bandit Lites again and again. Great folks to work with.”
"Allen Deneau has been a pleasure to work with,” said Charlotte Scott, General Manager at RS Entertainment and Skaggs Family Records. “From the first call, he realized our vision for the Christmas tour and made sure we had what we needed to help bring the spirit of Christmas to each and every show on the tour. The complete team at Bandit Lites is top notch and very professional. We look forward to working with them for many years to come."
“Working with Charlotte, Ricky and the team each year is something I always look forward to doing,” finished Deneau. “It is a lot of fun blending lighting with bluegrass and Christmas. Jacob made the lighting look incredible, and it really captured the essence of Ricky’s show. I couldn’t be happier with the end results. I’m already looking forward to Christmas 2025 with Ricky Skaggs.”
