Richard "Wookie" Whitley Engages Fans on Cody Johnson Leather Deluxe Tour with CHAUVET Professional

	"We are using a video wall for different backdrop looks and a few surprises, so we needed to get the rig higher in the air than we had in the past."

The 19,000-seat Enterprise Center, home of the St. Louis Blues hockey team, is widely regarded as a state-of-the-art facility. Indeed, Pollstar has consistently ranked it as one of the top-drawing concert arenas in the US. But on January 24, a headline in the local St. Louis Post Dispatch newspaper declared that the sleek downtown showplace had been "transformed into a honky-tonk." The multi-platinum CMA award-winning singer Cody Johnson is continuing to work his kind of magic at arenas throughout North America, Australia and the UK, between now and the end of the summer on his Leather Deluxe Tour.

Moving right along with Johnson's lively music stage persona, is a high-energy Richard "Wookie" Whitley lighting design, complete with bold fast-moving aerial effects, a compelling video wall backdrop, and (of course) a generous helping of immersive audience lighting that makes it easy for the crowd to join the party.

Helping Whitley with the latter are 34 STRIKE Array fixtures from CHAUVET Professional, which, like the rest of the rig, are supplied by Bandit Lites. Included in this mix are ten STRIKE Array 4 blinders on the DS truss, and 24 STRIKE Array 2 units on the trusses above the stage. The intense output STRIKE fixtures are flown on a high rig that has a trim of 48' - 50', depending on the venue, then works its way down in 4' increments as it approaches upstage.

"On this tour, we are running our aerial package with the truss flipped," says Whitley. "This gives our spot and profile fixtures clearance while also providing perfect positions for the STRIKE Arrays. This way they can live in the truss without being removed or moved around, so we save a lot of time with the ins and outs.

"Also, Cody likes to see the crowd while talking to them and creating moments for all," continues Whitley. "I wanted to make sure that it was possible for him to do that this year all the way around the room. Thanks to the output of the STRIKE Arrays, we can accomplish this very easily. The STRIKE Arrays also have given me some really cool marquee style effects that everyone is enjoying."

Speaking of the rig's relatively high trim, Whitley notes that its height makes it easier to incorporate a video wall, which is new to the show this year. "We are using a video wall for different backdrop looks and a few surprises, so we needed to get the rig higher in the air than we had in the past," he explains. "We also wanted to make this rig look huge without taking up a lot of space -- perception is everything this year!"

Whitley says he has been exploring every nuance of light and color to make his show more effective. For example, he is still "using and loving saturated colors," but has been dabbling in lighter shades as well. "I wanted to get out of my comfort zone this year and it has been a great decision," he says. "Just constantly mixing and figuring out what works or feels right has been quite an adventure and given me some great brain workouts."

Not surprisingly, Whitley has also made sure to reflect the personal elements of every song with distinctive lighting looks. "From lighting one of the band members for a special intro, to accenting a drum break down, or making a solo stand out, we want to support each moment in a unique way," he says, adding that fans will never "see or hear the same thing twice" in the set.