Production manager and lighting director Mike Stanley worked with lighting designer Chris Lisle to create a rig that kept the day-to-day building at a minimum, with nine main sections locking together to create a stunning visual array of lights and video. Bandit supplied the lighting package, which includes Robe Pointes, Bandit 5x5s, and Martin MAC Auras.
"Auras were the perfect combo of wash and eye candy, along with the great zoom feature to get punchy beams," shared Stanley. "There are also a good mix of Chauvet strobes, as well as Colorado battens that provide a glow through the catwalk of the set and underneath the risers. We've also got a line of Colorado's downstage in front of the band, which manages a great wash."
While Lisle and Stanley originally specified Robe Points thinking they were colour mixing, they were so impressed with the demo, they kept them.
"Two rotating prisms and a great zoom angle is a couple of features that made it stand out," explained Stanley. "Sixteen of the 22 Pointes are actually hidden in the set until the reveal a few songs into the show, and they come out blaring! Big beamy looks were the goal, and the Pointes knock it out of the park."
Hidden effects is just one aspect of Stanley's repertoire, who shared he does not always use every light on the rig on every single song, instead opting for a "rock and rolling looking show with a lot of tact."
"I try to leave room to build into lots of beams and angles with big impact on the high points of the tune," he said.
"I've been working with Bandit and our Account Rep (also my Buddy) Brent for close to a decade now, and they've always taken great care of me," Stanley said. "There's an extreme level of comfort and dependability that comes along with the Bandit name. I'd also like to take the opportunity to thank our project manager Matt King, and my lighting tech Robert 'Rowboat' Harrison. Those guys do a phenomenal job, and it couldn't get done without them."
"This rig is a great marriage of lighting and video," said Bandit's Brent Barrett. "Chris Lisle (designer), working in conjunction with Michael Stanley, have put together a design that is visually appealing and build/strike efficient. I've really enjoy working with Michael, who in his dual roles of production manager & LD, exemplifies professionalism. He and Robert Harrison (lighting tech) present a great team."
(Jim Evans)
