Bandit Lites once again worked with Lambda Productions to provide a lighting package for the weekend that featured a line-up including Pearl Jam, Dead & Company, LCD Soundsystem, J. Cole, CHVRCHES, Jason Isbell, M83, Halsey and Chris Stapleton.
Bandit's production manager Dizzy Gosnell designed the mainstage festival system to accommodate the three daily closing headliners systems, as each brought along a large portion of their own touring system which occupied a 40'w by 30'd footprint above the performing area.
Working in conjunction with their lighting designers (Ali Pike for LCD Soundsystem, Kille Knobel with Pearl Jam and Chris Ragan with Dead & Company, respectively) Bandit created a perimeter system that included Martin MAC Viper AirFX, VL 3500 Washes, Clay Paky Sharpy Washes, GLP X4 fixtures, Martin Atomic 3000 Strobes and scrollers, 4 and 8 lite moles and two GrandMA 2 full-size consoles.
With more than 125 artists performing across numerous stages, Bonnaroo's second stage featured performances by St. Lucia, Tame Impala, Haim, Ellie Goulding, Ween and numerous others. "The Which Stage had to cater for a wide variety of artists," explained Gosnell. "A lot of visiting bands bring additional lights, pyro, scenic and video nowadays that need to be catered for, the system also needs to look big but cannot monopolize the roof, while still being able to read during the day as well as at night."
To achieve that goal, Bandit outfitted the stage with VL 2500 Spots, Bandit 5x5s, Clay Paky Sharpys, Bandit's exclusive GRNLite 8 Lites, GRNLite Moving Washes, Martin Atomic 3000 Strobes with two GrandMA 2 Full consoles for control.
Bandit also provided the lighting for the Tower at Bonnaroo, a permanent structure on site acting as a focal point and beacon across The Farm, with lighting designed by Andi Watson and co-ordinated by Will Irons for Bonnaroo. As night fell, 32 Sharpys threw beams at the giant mirror ball, while additional illumination for the tower itself came from rope lights on the cross members and Coemar LED Pars.
Bandit has been associated with Bonnaroo since its inception, and Gosnell credits the continued success of the festival to Lambda's attention to detail during planning and execution. "The logistics for a smooth show are immense," he said adding, "Incredible congrats has to be handed out to Hadden Hippsley and his Lambda staff including John Passaro on the Mainstage and Joel Carmichael on the Which stage. Also, our Nashville project manager Matt King and the shop staff who again shifted heaven and earth to make it happen and our onsite crew who just did everything that was asked of them, and then after lunch did even more... all with a smile."
(Jim Evans)
