USA - Don’s Seafood is an institution around Ascension Parish, famous for its Zydeco Shrimp, Fried Allegator, and other Cajun delicacies. But it’s been a long time since Don’s did the kind of business it did on 5-6 April. According to its owner, the 90-year-old restaurant saw more than $20,000 in additional sales that weekend.
The story at Don’s was repeated throughout Gonzales, a Louisiana town of roughly 13,000 people, as every place from the local hotel to the service station and cowboy boots store did more business. That’s exactly just what the folks at 46 Entertainment and Peach Tree Entertainment were hoping for when they put together Rock The Country, a series of two-day festivals intended to give an economic boost to seven hard-hit small towns across the South.
Appearing at the series inaugural event, which took place just a few miles up the road from Don’s, was an impressive collection of contemporary and classic country stars like Jason Aldean, Kid Rock, Koe Wetzel, Hank Williams Jr., Uncle Kracker, and Travis Tritt.
Aside from providing a much-appreciated boost to the local economy, these stars provided a stellar show for the 60,000 fans who attended the festival at the Lamar Dixon Expo Centre. Supporting their music were bold, fast-moving light and video shows, by visiting LDs and Nicholas Valdez, who lit the opening acts.
Production manager and designer Mason Felps and his team of Matt Stigile (crew chief), Claude Thomas, and Miles Shelton, ensured that every LD would be able to create a show that immersed the crowd in their clients’ music. Their rig offered a diverse range of powerful and flexible tools including 52 Color STRIKE M motorized strobe-washes and 14 STRIKE Array 4 blinders from CHAUVET Professional, which like all the other fixtures on stage, were supplied by Backstage Productions of Cullman, Alabama.
“We had most of the Color STRIKE M fixtures lined at the top of each truss on stage,” said Felps. “The others we either flew on over wing lighting trusses or attached them to four delay towers to add additional lighting across the main field. As for the Strike 4s, we had them on the downstage trusses and wing trusses.”
Drawing on the intense output of these fixtures, the LDs were able to create majestic looks on the big main stage, which was almost 60ft tall and measured 65ft wide with 24ft by 32ft wings on each side.
Adding an extra level of intensity to the festival were the rig’s STRIKE Array 4 fixtures. The high output blinders also played a key role in connecting artists and fans with audience lighting. At a festival that was all about people helping people, this connection was at the heart and soul of Felps’ vision for his production design.
