On the day of the flood, Bryan and a number of other Opry staff members were floating through the Opry House in canoes to survey the damage. Determined to make the anniversary celebration a reality, Bryan called upon his longtime dealer, Bandit Lites, and together they developed a new rig that consisted of 55 Vari*Lite luminaires from Philips Vari-Lite.
"We were looking toward upgrading our system at some point, but we never thought it would happen like this," says Bryan. "When the flood occurred, we lost 24 fixtures on the floor due to actual water damage, but the remaining fixtures in the air were untouched. Unfortunately, though, our rail system was damaged so we could not immediately get to the fixtures that were in the air. We had to leave them hanging until the flood waters receded and we could survey the totality of the damage, which we knew would be extensive."
Four days after the flood, Bryan, Bandit Lites - (Chris Barbee, John Jenkinson), and other Opry staff members were able to see first-hand what had happened. As they feared, the immense amount of condensation inside the flooded building had caused extensive damage to what was left of their lighting rig.
"Once the water was out, and the rig was down, we took our remaining fixtures to the Bandit Lites shop to see what the interiors of our fixtures looked like. As we thought, there was simply too much water vapor damage, and it would take too many spare parts to repair them. So when we added all the damage together, it made more sense to replace the entire rig. Since we knew that we wanted our next rig to be Vari*Lite intensive, we called up Bandit and got right to work."
At the Opry House, the stage measures 80' wide x 45' deep. With the performers, the band, and a lot of sound equipment taking up most of the stage space, Bryan decided to place the majority of his automated fixtures in the air and create a series of pre-programmed looks that he could use to match the variances in mood and style from one production to another. In order to capture the best variety of looks possible, and cover all the areas needed, Bryan worked with Bandit to create his design with 16 VLX Wash, 17 VL3000 Spot, and 22 VL2500 Spot luminaires.
After successfully meeting their deadline (the Opry House reopened with a star-packed show 28 September 2010) and many long hours of hard work, Bryan and his team were very proud of their new lighting rig, but were also just as proud of the dedication shown by their longtime dealer and partner, Bandit Lites.
"This was one of the hardest things that I have ever had to do and it could never have happened without Bandit. I have worked with them for a number of years and they consistently provide us with tremendous service and support," concludes Bryan.
