Inaugural Exit 111 Festival Rocks Out with Bandit Lites

The country's newest hard rock festival, Exit 111, launched its first three-day weekend with a lineup that cranks it all the way to eleven, including Lynyrd Skynyrd, Def Leppard, Guns N Roses, Slayer, Seether, Anthrax, ZZ Top, Ghost, Mastodon, Gojira, Deftones, and Coheed and Cambria. Bandit Lites provided the lighting system for the main stage as well as support packages to multiple acts.

In addition to the musical aspect of the festival, Exit 111, which got its name from the I-24 exit that brings drivers to Manchester, Tennessee, included attractions such as the Paranormal Cirque complete with acrobats, illusionists, and mysterious creatures, the Red Bull Freestyle Motocross Experiences, a 20,000 sq. ft. mega sports bar, car show, and extensive food options. A dollar from every ticket purchased was donated to Rise Above, a suicide prevention and awareness organization launched by Seether front-man Shaun Morgan.

Bandit Lites supplied nearly 180 fixtures for the Main Stage: Robe BMFL Spots, Robe BMFL Wash Beams, Robe Pointes, Elation CuePix WW2, Nitro 510c LED Strobes, and HES SolaFrame 3000 Spots. Two grandMA2 Full consoles provided control.

"This rig had the benefit of hanging from the massive permanent roof that Bonnaroo also uses, so size issues that can limit what you do on some festivals were not an issue with this rig," says Bandit Lites production manager Dizzy Gosnell, who designed the lighting system for the main stage. "We were able to accommodate the 55'w x 32'h rear video wall easily enough along with some of the elaborate stage sets and floor packages that the main acts bought along with them, too. I had to keep the heads to the heavy hitter BMFL range and similarly to cope with the trim height and really bright screen upstage."

Bandit also provided floor packages for Def Leppard with Martin MAC Viper Profiles and Claypaky Sharpys as well as GLP X4 Bar 20s and Lycian M2 Spots for Ghost.

The lighting crew for the weekend included Nikki Dotson, Jessie Hochinyavong, Ivy Reid and Vanessa Tuttoilmondo, with special support coming from project manager Gene Brian.

"I know I've said it before a thousand times, but it's the crew that make the difference," Gosnell concludes. "Anyone can buy a couple of moving lights and call themselves a lighting company, but the crew is what makes it real. With all of this high-tech gear, we need good people, and we have very good people. Nikki and his crew worked tirelessly to accommodate bands needs and pulled it off fantastically. I'd also like to add a huge thanks to Steve Drymalski, the production manager for the stage who mastered the art of people AND flight case Tetris using about every inch of floor space for band gear and stage sets, and, of course, it is always a pleasure working alongside Hadden Hippsley, who worked with Brandon Sossomon and the C3 Presents and Live Nation folks."