Bandit Brings the Lighting to Hillsong -- Casting Crowns -- Elevations Worship 2019 Tour

	Photo: Premier Productions, Dave Contreras.

Premier Productions recently wrapped a special 2019 US arena tour featuring multi-platinum-selling artists Casting Crowns, Hillsong Worship, and Elevation Worship. Bandit Lites provided the lighting for the concert series as each evening showcased the three acts as they gathered their fan bases for a night of worship and praise.

"It takes teamwork to pull off a show of this nature, and I must say, each individual involved worked together in tandem to make this show look easy and beautiful," says Bandit Lites vice president Mike Golden. "I had the pleasure of working with production manager Cory Edwards for the first time and I was extremely impressed with his professional, confident demeanor. Putting a show of this magnitude together with three very high-profile acts requires attention to detail as well as being able to adjust on the fly. Cory guided the ship on a daily basis with a smile on his face and a positive attitude that never wavered."

Lighting designer Seth Jackson engineered cohesive design that multiple lighting designers could utilize to their own ends, a space that Jackson jokingly referred to as "a sandbox to play in."

"My fixture choice, therefore, was based on the most flexibility," he says. "Earlier in the year, Chauvet had shown me the MK3 in its early stages, and I was looking for the opportunity to get them into the field. The quality of output, the CRI, and the multitude of options in the light made it the perfect choice."

Adding to the puzzle piece was the fact all three acts were on individual headlining tours right up until the moment the tour kicked off, meaning pre-production time was limited. Jackson met with the bands to configure several versions of the show until the stars aligned with the producers, talent, and budget.

"Josh Chambless, from Premier Productions, was integral to this success," says Jackson. "He was able to bring everyone into the loop and keep the information train running. After that, 3D models, Bandit's patch and plot, and the video mapping were sent out to each act to attack their own pre-viz process."

Bandit Lites supplied more than 100 fixtures including the Chauvet Maverick MK3 Spots, Circa Scoops, Elation Smarty, Elation Proteus Rayzor 760, and Elation Proton Eclypse, which Jackson shared provided a solid base of colors as well being extremely bright and elegant sources.

The finished result was extraordinary: a single rig from Jackson with multiple lighting designers (Chris Lighthall, Jarrad Donovan, Daniel Connell, and Edwards), culminating in a seamless show comprised of three unique experiences for the audience.

Jackson credits his partner at Darkroom Creative, Nate Alves, with orchestrating the integration between the acts.

"He was able to set up the MA 2 Consoles in a way that allowed each LD to have their own operating style and playback integrations, but with seamless transitions between the acts themselves, the sponsors' sections for Compassion International, and what we jokingly call the 'all-skate-finale' with everyone up and about the stage."

"It is great to work with our good friends Seth Jackson and Nate Alves and, as always, they delivered a beautiful system," says Golden. "I also want to compliment each of the bands lighting teams for creating beautiful and diverse shows. One rig, three acts, and the show never looked the same twice. Again, excellent teamwork."

"This was my first experience with Bandit and what stood out the most was the quality of the techs that they hire," says lighting director PJ Peters. "Taylor Sherman and Justin Wilk worked tirelessly to make this run a success and on top of that they were great to have around. I look forward to working with Bandit and their amazing support team again."

"Steve Cohen always told me, 'When you light an arena show, you are lighting the arena,'" Jackson shares. "It is a unique experience in an arena as the audience can see each other and the stage (in some form or fashion) sits in the seating area. There is no '4th wall divide.' It is all-in and all-skate. Everything in the room should be a part of the visual experience. In worship, this is essential as the audience are as much participants in the experience as they are observers."