Bandit Lights Up Cam at the Ryman

	Cam in concert at the Ryman. Photo: Chelsea Kornes

Country singer Cam returned to the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, for a headlining show with a lighting package provided by Bandit Lites. With her honeyed voice, sharp storytelling, and witty song lyrics, the singer-songwriter entertained the crowd with her whip-smart new single "Diane" and hits off her debut album Untamed.

Based off the lighting design by Gordon Droitcour of Cour Design, tour manager Gabe Hodge created the one-off design by adding ground supported fixtures to bring more depth to the stage in addition to back light specials.

"There was also already a good amount of programming that existed with the previous show file and lighting design (done by Larry Foote), so we wanted to take advantage of that," explained Hodge. "Having said that, there were a lot of special moments in this show that required Vanessa Sexton to program a handful of new songs and looks with her own flare."

Hodge had been the LD on Cam's previous tour and was looking for a replacement following his move to tour manager. "Vanessa and I had worked together before, and I knew she would be a great fit for this team. She came in and had a great attitude, worked hard, and added her own programming and style to the show."

Bandit Lites supplied Robe CycFX8 fixtures, Philips Vari-Lite VL2500 Spots on top of pipe and base for specials, piano, and band lighting, GLP X4S to act as backlight and eye candy, and an MA Lighting grandMA 2 lite console for control.

"The Ayrton Ghibli was a fixture we knew Bandit had just recently installed in the Ryman and Vanessa and I were interested to see them in action," Hodge said. "They ended up being a pretty versatile fixture that helped create the looks we wanted for the show."

Balancing both a budget and a short time frame, it was crucial that Hodge could find a reliable vendor that had both access to a variety of gear and the capability to deliver a quality product quickly.

"Bandit has always been great in anything I've been involved in with them, and this was no exception," finished Hodge. "Our client representative Shawn Lear and Bandit project manager Jimmy Hatten were both very timely, gracious, patient, and professional. I came to them with a very short time frame to get things together, and they got everything sorted and ready unbelievably fast."

Cam's show was broken down into two portions, with the first half evoking a living room setting and the mid-stage traveler at the Ryman covering the entire upstage portion of the set.

"Cam has a really special way of connecting with fans, and this setup allowed her to take advantage of that," said Hodge adding, "Cam and her team are highly creative. It's one of the many reasons she is so great to work for. Her manager, Lindsay Marias, is involved in lighting in all the right ways; her and Cam know what they're looking for and are able to communicate it in a way that makes it easy for programmers to turn it into a reality."

Halfway through the performance, the curtain would draw open to reveal the rest of the set, lighting, and full band. Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls and Colbie Caillat joined her on stage for "Come on Home" and "Bubbly," respectively, and Cam closed the show by singing "Country Music Jesus" with Eric Church.

"Bandit is always excited to work with Cam and her production team," said Lear. "Gabe Hodge knows the show and what works. As TM for Cam, Gabe requested longtime friend of Bandit, Vanessa Sexton, step in as LD and with short notice, they put together a show with all the hits and ques of a tour that's been out for months. It's our honor and privilege to work with such an outstanding and professional team and look forward to their continued success."

For more information about Cam, visit www.camcountry.com.