Old time country is in good hands with ACM and CMA award-winning singer/songwriter Jon Pardi, whose classic country sounds on his Ain’t Always the Cowboy Tour are complemented by lighting from Elation Artiste Mondrian™ and Artiste Monet™ luminaires. Described as “the kind of honky-tonk that gets people drinking, dancing and drowning their heartaches,” Pardi combines an old-fashioned country vibe with youthful energy. He hit the road July 14 in support of his new album Mr. Saturday Night with stops all over the U.S.
Chris Reade and Jay Ballinger of KYVA Design have been designing and conceptualizing with Jon Pardi for the past eight years. For the Ain’t Always the Cowboy Tour this past summer, Reade says that Ballinger proposed the idea of projecting strength with masculine, steel beams and rugged structure elements that resonated within that concept.
“He and Jon really came together in agreement there,” Reade stated. “The structures changed within the process, but the overall motif remained. The lighting architecture is boxy to keep that structure, with some angles to make it feel larger overall. The lighting instruments were chosen to represent this as well. Power and punch are very important to this design, and the Elation instruments have that in spades.”
Some 21 Artiste Mondrian™ and 32 Artiste Monet™ LED moving head fixtures work with pixel battens, strobe/wash lights and blinders in the design, all supplied by Elite Multimedia Productions. The Mondrians work from the upstage and downstage truss providing key light, back light, and specials. The Monets are located on upstage “brows” and midstage truss, as well as the floor lining the sides of the performance space.
Reade says that it was Jon Pardi’s lighting director and programmer, Jacob Mueller, who suggested using the Mondrians on the show and applauds him for the choice as well as an incredible job in bringing the design to life. Mueller, who has worked with Jon Pardi since 2017 and says he was extremely happy with the design he was given for the tour. Commenting on the 51,000-lumen LED profile Mondrian luminaire, he said, “With its large lens [226mm], I have been very impressed by the output and quality of light from the Mondrian. Even in deep hues, they pack a punch.”
The Mondrian houses a peak-field LED engine that works together with Elation’s proprietary 7-flag SpectraColor color mixing system and full design package. The CMY+RGB+CTO SpectraColor system can produce specific shades that greatly enhance the possible color range and is capable of fine-tuning color to resonate best with individual users. The fixture’s dual linear frost filters diffuse the light for soft wash effects when needed, its primary use on the Jon Pardi show. In addition, a single Mondrian acts as a dedicated rear spot controlled by Follow-Me performer tracking.
The Artiste Monets, 45,000-lumen LED movers that also house SpectraColor along with a full FX package, do a bit of everything on the show including stage wash, specials, texture, beam, and air effects. “The versatility of the Mondrian and Monet fixtures made them a great selection for the design,” Mueller says. “Having the ability to produce tight beams as well as wide textures has given me limitless options while programming. Since the two fixtures have similar gobo sets as well, it’s a unique and powerful look to have the entire rig in the same texture. It is equally as impressive to use every mover as a wash light for a bold contrast on certain songs. The colors are uniform across the rig and are accurately produced every day.”
Reade added, “Both instruments were chosen for their incredible intensity, gobo set, and color mixing match. I have used the Monet before and it’s a beautiful light but I hadn’t used the Mondrian up to that point, and I am very impressed. It was an excellent choice and I’m glad we took Jacob’s lead here.”
Elite Multimedia Productions of Nashville provided the lighting and support for the tour’s 24-date run. Mueller comments, “Elite has been Jon’s partner in production from the beginning and we have enjoyed strengthening our relationship as the production continues to grow. Tom Wilson and Jason Jenkins have always been there to help us along the way, as well as the rest of the back end staff, to make sure we get what we need. They also staffed a great road crew that was a joy to work with every day. Elite’s established relationship with Elation has been invaluable with the level of support we have received while gearing up for this tour.”
Photos: Todd Kaplan
Further information from Elation Lighting: www.elationlighting.com and www.kyvadesign.com
