DESIGN: “The approach for Kansas was to keep the classic look with some modern thrown in. While there’s not a lot of ‘in your face looks,’ the looks are solid and punchy. Programming is different, because the songs have no formula. Times are all over the place, but the song dynamics drive the looks. I’m not running time code in this show. No tracks. All real! We don’t do video, we use hand-painted UV backdrops and they’re nothing short of amazing! We finish the final leg of the current anniversary tour of The Point of Know Return album at the end of May.”
BACK STORY
HOME BASE: Tampa, FL.
INDUSTRY YEARS: 34
CAREER SPARK: “At an early age, the lighting of any type, at any event intrigued me. My dad owned and operated a small recording/film studio and, in later years, a video studio, in New York City. He did mostly commercials for TV and corporate documentaries.”
INFLUENTIAL CONCERT: “I’ve been a drummer since I was a little kid. Rush was my first concert, Grace Under Pressure was the tour. I’ll never forget it. While I went to see and hear mostly Mr. Peart, I fell in love with that light show. I was hooked.”
FIRST INDUSTRY GIG: “I ran a spotlight when I was 16, which led to lots of stagehand work.”
HEROES/MENTORS: “Anything Howard Ungerleider has done is inspiring. The designs were always innovative. Again, it’s those shows that drove me here in the first place! Without question, Keith Hoagland, the LD for Jason Aldean, is not only my close friend, but has been a major part of how I operate my current show.”
OTHER ARTISTS? “As an LD, I’ve toured with Death Angel, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Gov’t Mule, Creedence Clearwater Revisited, then there were the 10-plus years operating shows at Mohegan Sun Casino, in Uncasville, CT.”
SHOW DESIGNS THAT CATCH YOUR EYE: “Anything Bryan Hartley does is just awesome. Cosmo Wilson’s stuff is also insane.”
FANTASY CONCERT TO LIGHT: “If I could — the early days of Dio, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest. Those stage sets and shows were epic. I’ll always love my metal!”
WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT WHAT YOU DO: “I’ve worked with, and still work with, incredible people — the touring crews that I’ve spent time with on buses, planes, boats and minivans from around the world. Some are now friends for life.”
