Production, lighting and media designer Justin Kitchenman started the New Year by creating a new company, Align Design Group in Nashville. “The focus of the Align Design Group is going to be live production, mainly concert touring,” he told PLSN. “But, as with all ventures, the future is a great mystery, with many twists and turns! I look forward to the future and all of the opportunities it brings.”
Kitchenman was previously a partner for the past five years in FadeUp Design with Heath Marrinan. “FadeUp Design Group has been Heath’s vision and passion since its inception, and he will continue to grow the brand with his world class service and expertise,” Kitchenman says. “Heath and I plan to work closely together on future projects whenever the opportunity arises, as we have always done in the past.”
Kitchenman is putting the finishing touches on the new design for Luke Bryan’s 2017 tour, which starts in mid-February. Marrinan says he has no plans at this time of taking on another partner. “Justin is one of my best friends, and he’s irreplaceable. Justin and I, over the years, have built FadeUp Design Group to be an innovative and valuable company for artists and corporations across the country. We will continue to enhance each other’s value to the lighting and production design industry.”
CMA Touring Award Winners
Congratulations to Chris Reade (lighting director, Dierks Bentley) and Jay Cooper (video director, Kenny Chesney) for their CMA Touring Awards (formerly the SRO Awards). The Jan. 23 ceremony at Marathon Music Works in Nashville also included the inaugural CMA Touring Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to Randy “Baja” Fletcher by Brooks & Dunn, whom Fletcher production-managed for 18 of his 50 years in the industry. Ed Wannebo (Kenny Chesney) and Tom Addison (Dierks Bentley) also took home top CMA Touring honors, respectively, for production manager and tour manager of the year. Dierks Bentley made a surprise appearance at the drinks-and-dinner event to honor his touring family and present their awards. (More details at www.plsn.me/CMA-Touring.)
Quick Cues
LD Cory FitzGerald is updating Justin Bieber’s Purpose world tour to expand into stadiums for 2017. Next on the drawing board is Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic tour, which starts in late March in Europe. He will keep moving with a few other one-off TV performances with a few artists in between and, he promises, “some other surprises for the New Year!”
LD Travis Shirley just built and directed a show for Nashville-based country rock band Old Dominion, who are opening for Miranda Lambert. The band will then be hitting the road for their own “Meat and Candy Tour” throughout the remainder of the year.
Paul and Preston Hoffman say their company has designed and sent out two tours starting in February. The reggae-inspired Rebelution’s “Falling Into Place Winter Tour” goes out with lighting director Kenny Gribbon. “Rebelution is just a very small winter package,” says Paul. “The summer tour will have a larger rig with some design to it.” They’ve also got Lake Street Dive hitting the streets with lighting director Dan Grabus.
Stan Green has been preparing for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ tour, which kicks off in April. Green is the lighting designer and shares production design credit with Kevin Cassidy. Even though Petty and the band celebrate their 40th anniversary on this one, Green says, “from six of my designs, Tom chose one of the most simple looks.”
Heart’s Ann Wilson won’t be alone on her solo tour. LD Gabi Scheff will light the way on the “Ann Wilson of Heart” U.S. run starting March 6 with dates booked until April 7. “But there are whispers of more to come,” she says.
Since moving to Florida, LD Jared Rarick confirmed his first local gig doing a “Monsters of Rock” cruise starting in February, most likely as a tech, he says, as he awaits details. After that, he goes into rehearsals March 20 as LD for Peter Frampton’s “Raw: An Acoustic Tour.” Come summer, the band plugs in and goes electric for a co-headlining gig, and then unplugs to resume a fall acoustic stint. Rarick won’t identify the co-headliner, but a look at Frampton’s website shows a summer date with the Steve Miller Band…
LD Jack Davis is lighting director with rapper Vince Staples’ “The Life Aquatic Tour,” which runs Feb. 24-April 12. LD Guy Pavelo is the set, lighting and video designer. While Pavelo was in Europe getting his design for Drake ready to tour, Davis handled the previz and programming duties for Staple’s stint.
News About LDs Named Chris
LD Chris Lose recently turned over the operating duties for Don Henley’s tour to Nate Cromwell, as Lose continues on with Stevie Nicks.
LD Chris Pekar has designed a new tour for Excision, the stage name for Canadian producer/DJ Jeff Abel. The tour started Jan. 23 with dates running past March.
LD Chris Lisle was recently brought in to production-design Kane Brown’s “Ain’t No Stoppin Us Now” tour, which is making its way across the country. Lisle says the team at CLLD has had a busy start to the New Year, having put out tours with Lee Brice, and Judah & the Lion (appearing on the Twenty One Pilots tour). “The next few weeks have us lighting the Grammy Nominee Party in Nashville, lighting St. Paul And The Broken Bones for a two-night stint at the Ryman Auditorium, and working with RaeLynn on our upcoming tour with Blake Shelton.”
LD Chris Medvitz of Lightswitch is designing Lionel Richie’s “All The Hits 2017” North American tour (with special guest Mariah Carey), which starts March 15 with dates until May 27. At the same time, Medvitz designs lighting for a boatload of auto shows, and shares a video from a recent press event from the Los Angeles Auto Show. “We brought the Nissan Star Wars Rogue One TV commercial to life on stage,” he explains. “That was fun.” See it at plsn.me/Medvitz-StarWars.
Spring forth and let Debi know of your plans for later in 2017. Reach her at dmoen@plsn.com.
