Bandit Lites provided the lighting package for the evening which featured performances by Keith Urban, Styx, A Thousand Horses, Moon Taxi, Charlie Worsham and Fisk City Jubilee Singers in addition to the quintessential Music Note Drop.
With the New Year came a new location, as the celebration moved from the streets of downtown Nashville to the spacious National Park, giving production manager Chris Lisle, associate production manager Mark Anderson and lighting designer Erik Parker of Chris Lisle Lighting Design a space to start new traditions.
"The old location of Broadway and 1st Avenue had an inherited vibe and feel and atmosphere," elaborated Parker. "It was really cool to be down there, but the new location of Bicentennial Mall was like starting with a fresh canvas, and there was an ability to paint a fresh new picture across the whole site. It was a lot of fun!"
The main stage for the final night of 2016 featured hundreds of lights including Martin MAC Viper Profiles, VL 3500 Washes, Chroma-Q Color Force 72's, Elation SixPar 100's, GLP X4 fixtures, Martin Atomic 3000 Strobes, Lycian M2 spots and two Grand MA 2 Full consoles for control.
To herald the arrival of the New Year, Nashville's now famous Music Note Drop was illuminated with over 130 fixtures itself, including Chauvet Rogue Hybrids, Elation ACL 360 Bars, Elation SixPar 100s, Martin MAC Auras and Martin Atomic 3000 LEDs.
"We were asked to create an atmosphere that would give the fans a chance to be a part of the show and to bring them into the celebration," Parker said. "We wanted the entire site lit and to have different elements that would create one massive party."
To draw the audience in, site lighting was provided that would captivate without competing with the production. Bandit provided the team Robe BMFLs, VL 3500 Washes, Elation ACL 360 Bars, Elation Cuepix Blinders, Martin Atomic Strobes and Bandit's exclusive GRNLite LED Pars.
For the bell circle, Bandit supplied ETC Source Fours, VL 3000 Spots and Bandit's exclusive GRNLite LED Pars. Both the event's foot path and roundabout featured towers with Chauvet Rogue R1 FXB's and GLP X4S fixtures, while Chauvet Color Dashes and GRNLite Par 64's illuminated truss boxes.
Truss archways contained Clay Paky Sharpys and GRNLite LED Pars and Moving Washes while another hundred GRNLite LED fixtures were utilized to light scenic pieces.
"As this was a challenging production for sure, Bandit handled it very well," Parker said. "The techs were very professional and worked so hard to make sure it all came together."
Bandit crew for the epic evening included Billy Willingham, John Lucksinger, Terese Fensler, Jon Houle, Ryan Waldron, Maurice Weiss, Matt McBride, Sam Morgan, Patrick Sieg, Patrick Cowden, Steve Strickland, Cottrell Cox, Savannah Harden, Gabe Hodge, Tanner Peterson and Scot Wesson.
"I commend Butch Spyridon, David Spencer, Chris Lisle and the entire production staff for taking the bold step of moving this event to the Bicentennial Park," said Bandit's vice president, Mike Golden. "I don't know if this location has ever been used for an event of this scope and magnitude, but the planning and forethought by the production team made it seem as though we had been using this location for years."
"Overall this was a very successful event," finished Parker. "The crowd stood in the rain for hours to be a part of this moment, a celebration of turning the page from 2016 to 2017 and it was pretty incredible to be a part of that moment. The lighting that Bandit Lites provided did nothing short of add to their experience and that is for sure something to be proud of."
(Jim Evans)
