Pop Star Jacob Sartorius Tours with Bandit Lites

Internet singing sensation Jacob Sartorius is wrapping up his second headlining tour with a lighting package supplied by Bandit Lites. With 1.5 million Twitter followers, nine million Instagram followers, and 2.7 million YouTube subscribers, the multi-faceted artist released his second EP Left Me Hangin' in the fall of 2017 before hitting the road in 2018 to bring his infectious energy and hit songs to fans in person.

Bandit Lites supplied lighting designer Lenny Sasso with Martin MAC III Profiles, MAC Viper Profiles, Martin Sceptrons, Solaris Flares, and a grandMA2 lite console for control along with 60 Claypaky Mirage Panels.

Sasso designed the lighting to be a modern twist on the classic cabaret and big band styles, putting the band up on a raised platform with 8' wide steps at the center, giving Sartorius the option to utilize both the downstage edge to connect with the audience or walk up and join the band at the top of riser for bigger rock star looks.

Martin MAC Vipers and Solaris Flares are placed diagonally leading up the steps to the center of the platform with Martin Sceptrons filling in the spaces between the fixtures. Claypaky Mirage Panels, which Sasso refers to as "the bread and butter of the show," occupy nearly the entire upstage wall while the Sceptrons along the front of the riser and downstage edge give the appearance that the video flows off the screen and all the way downstage.

"I did my best to make the entire show have more of a pastel leaning color scheme," Sasso says. "I was thinking of like '80s or '90s throwback colors, though for certain tracks, like 'Jordans,' I'll switch and go with as heavy saturated reds or blues as I can."

Sasso says the Antari M7 fixtures were an addition that exceeded his expectations: "In the past we had been using similar fixtures from other companies, and these just blow them away. I'm really happy with them. The fog blast looks great, it is really consistent, and the colors look excellent as well. I hold out from using them until about the third song, and it is a really awesome surprise when they kick on -- usually gets a crazy audience response."

Another show staple is the Solaris Flares, which Sasso utilizes as both a wash and strobe light. "The show has a lot of moments where I get to do some incredibly slow audience fly outs that look really nice," Sasso explains. "I'll take a look from a really small tight focus on center stage and do a fifteen second fly out and hold to make the room look massive; it's a pretty neat contrast."

Bandit Client Representative Shawn Lear pointed to Sasso's ability to apply each fixture in such a purposeful way to maximize every potential use as a testament to the thought and consideration to the venues the tour would encounter.

"Working with both Lenny Sasso and tour manager Justin Collier is always a creative and purposeful process," says Lear. "Justin's big picture experience and dedication working out the details of pre-production and tour logistics allows the rest of the team to focus on their craft." Part of that focus was the opportunity Sasso had to take advantage of Bandit Lites Venue One rehearsal space, allowing him to set up the full rig to both prep and program the lighting. "One of the highlights of this tour was seeing Lenny programming his rig," Lear says adding, "and watching him take the him time to sweeten their video content into vivid and alternating depths with the lighting encompassing the entire stage. It's our privilege to be working with such talented people and we genuinely look forward to what's next."

"Working with Bandit has always been great," finishes Sasso. "Everyone is always incredibly helpful, from the prepping/pre-production stage, all the way up and through post tour. They've been spot on when teching any kind of issues we may have encountered on the road, and I'd like to send everyone involved a special thank you for all their help on this tour."

For more information about Jacob Sartorius and upcoming tour dates, please visit https://jacobsartorius.com/.