Multiple GRAMMY Award-winning singer/songwriter Rob Thomas is out on the road for an extensive North American tour promoting his fourth solo album, Chip Tooth Smile. Bandit Lites is providing the lighting package for the tour which kicked off 28 May and continues through early August.
Production and Lighting Designer Benoit Richard fashioned a lighting system that would evolve over the course of the show, choosing fixtures that were versatile enough to transform the visuals from song to song.
“Throughout the show, each product is featured in their traditional and pixelated form,” Richard explained. “Eventually, they all work together towards the end of the show to give the fans a wild and dynamic finish.”
Bandit Lites supplied more than 150 fixtures for the tour including Elation Rayzor 760, Elation Proteus Hybrids, Elation Proton Eclypse, Elation Chorus Line 8, Elation Color Chorus and Elation DTW Blinder 350s. Additionally, all the Elation fixtures are IP rated, meaning Richard would not have compromised the look of his design for any outdoor shows on the tour.
“The Rayzor 760 are everywhere in the design,” said Richard. “I use them as a traditional wash light as well as an effect light by using individual emitters with a tighter zoom and also with the unique SparkLED engine.”
Elation’s Proteus Hybrids are placed in the air, utilised as either a spot, wash or beam, while the Proton Elcypse are used as a traditional strobe, pixelated effect light and a solid wash or blinder. Chorus Line 8 fixtures provide back floor lights along the different sections of the set, silhouetting the band members, and Chorus Line 72 fixtures are divided between the air and the floor to rake a Chaos Backdrop.
Paladins are located under the set to backlight custom riser skirts and DTW Blinder 350 IP on the downstage truss wash the audience in a tungsten soft light. Custom strips of Acclaim Flex Tube Pixel create “taxiway” lines along our risers providing both safety and great eye candy, especially for the fans who sit in the higher sections of the concert venue. Additionally, a Robe BFML used in conjunction with the RoboSpot system follows Rob onstage like a traditional truss spot.
“We are very proud to be working with Rob Thomas and the incredible staff he has collected,” said Bandit Lites Vice President Mike Golden. “It has been an extreme pleasure working with Production Manager Andrew Crow and show designer Benoit Richard as this tour was formed. From the onset it was clear Ben had a distinct look he wanted to achieve, and he was very focused on the equipment he specified, the truss layout and every aspect of his design.
Andrew is a consummate professional as Production Manager and the tour came together seamlessly. With those two gentlemen at the helm, this project has been a sincere pleasure to be involved with. “Bandit Lites is a fantastic lighting vendor that has always provided excellent service from pre-production until the very last show of a tour,” finished Richard.
“Benoit and I go way back in history,” said Bandit Chair Michael T. Strickland. “It is always great to work with him. His talent, vision, focus, creativity and attention to detail is world class. I always jump at an opportunity to work with Benoit.”
