Daktronics partner GoVision worked with BSUN Media Systems to help LuLu's restaurant at Homeport Marina in Gulf Shores, Ala. out of a jam. Tropical storm Alex forced the postponement of a charity concert to benefit those affected by the BP oil spill. Lulu's was left without an act to entertain the large crowds expected on June 30 and July 1. Fortunately, when your name is Lucy Buffett, you've got an ace up your sleeve. Lucy, owner of Lulu's, convinced her brother, Jimmy Buffett, to make a surprise appearance with his Coral Reefer Band at her harborside restaurant and bar on June 30.
This was no lazy day in Margaritaville – special accommodations for staging, video, sound and other logistics were made last minute to enable the Jimmy Buffett to do what he does best. BSUN Media was assigned to the job and helped pull off an event that, thanks to frenzied alerts on Twitter and other social media, soon drew thousands to LuLu's.
Another key ingredient was "GoBigger" – the world's largest mobile LED video screen. Its 19-foot-by-33-foot LED video display, featuring Daktronics HD-16 technology, was provided by GoVision.
When it turned out that the best location for the GoVision unit was on water rather than land, technicians worked with BSUN Media to float the 53-foot-long trailer-mounted unit on a barge just off the dock and integrated the screen into LuLu's audio and video systems.
"It all came together smoothly thanks to an outstanding group effort," said Brad Sundberg, owner of BSUN Media Systems. "LuLu's staff, the Buffett crew and the BSUN team worked together to pull this show off virtually overnight, and GoVision's flexibility and technical support were huge contributors to our success."
"You might think we bent over backwards on this event because it was a Jimmy Buffett show," said Chris Curtis, CEO of Argyle, TX-based GoVision. "But the truth is, we didn't know who was performing until the 11th hour. We've made a name for ourselves over the years as client-service specialists, and I think we earned a couple more gold stars on this job."
The charity concert, Jimmy Buffett & Friends: Live From the Gulf Coast, finally went off on July 11 a mile down the road, and was simulcast back to LuLu's on another giant screen. Since GoBigger was already booked, GoVision provided its 9-foot-by-16-foot GoBig unit for that event, which also features Daktronics LED video technology.
The show, carried live on the CMT network and CMT.com, featured Jimmy Buffett hits and guest performances by singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester and New Orleans' Allen Toussaint.
