Lighting designer Chris Lisle collaborated with Rector to establish what the overall look of the production would be, with emphasis on using 2K fresnels on grip stands in addition to how Martin MAC Vipers would be utilized during the show.
"Ben actually sat with us during rehearsals and gave us some notes on a couple of cues he wanted to see," added Lisle. "He was very good to work with and had a lot of great input and ideas himself."
Utilizing Venue One, Bandit's in-house rehearsal and design studio, Lisle was able to set up the entire rig, allowing Ben Rector and his band the opportunity to rehearse and get a feel as to what the dynamic of the tour production would be, even before they hit the road.
Lisle took into consideration the fact the tour would be making stops in a variety of different venues across the country, meaning the rig had to be scalable to give consistent looks.
With Vipers backlighting the band, the fresnels, scoops and SunStrips are all placed on floor bases and grip stands to give an 'old-school conventional' look. "For most of the show, these lights are more just set pieces, and they are used for some punchy moments on some up tempo songs," Lisle explained. "The ACL360 Battens all do a ground row along the upstage, are used to uplight the backdrop and also flip around for some songs to do low backlight behind the band."
"Chris Lisle, lighting director Daniel Rehbein, tour manager Jordan Powell and production manager Jake Hartfield make a fantastic team and I enjoyed the entire process of putting this show together," said Bandit's vice president Mike Golden. "And as an added bonus, we got to listen to Ben Rector rehearsing here for a week. I look very forward to seeing what they put together for 2017."
"Bandit always does top-notch work, from prep to execution," finished Lisle. "They have amazing customer service and were flexible with us with changes we made in the rig and design - even during rehearsals."
(Jim Evans)
