Winter Jam, the sensational Christian music tour, has returned to cities across America with an incredible lighting system provided by Bandit Lites. This year’s lineup features Dove-award winning We the Kingdom, Jeremy Camp, Andy Mineo, Anne Wilson, Disciple, Austin French and Winter Jam founding members, NewSong. With a $15 ticket price sold at the door, Winter Jam seeks to include everyone who wants to attend and hear their message of hope.
Production manager Jerry Holcomb and lighting designer Kurtis Wheat crafted a system that would give the range of artists the most bang for their buck, starting with the large LED surface upstage. “It is 76 feet wide at the top and tiers down to 48 feet wide at the bottom and is 32 feet tall,” explained Holcomb. “We went through several scenarios and designs based on truck space and budget. One thing we all wanted and worked towards were the angled tower trusses that line the offstage sides of the video wall. Bandit came up with a great look on those.”
Bandit Lites provided GLP JDC1 LED Strobes, Ayrton Khamsins, Elation Chorus Line 16s, Elation Chorus Line 8s, Elation CuePix WW4 and a grandMA 2 Full console for control. Since finding large quantities of fixtures can be difficult for certain vendors, Holcomb shared Bandit suggested Ayrton Khamsins as both a wash and spot fixture. “We’ve really enjoyed those fixtures,” said Holcomb adding, “we can get a big look within our budget.”
In addition to the general lighting system, Holcomb and Wheat took into account what the co-headliners would need for their set, including a three-sided kabuki drop and lasers, additional Khamsins, and LED-lined riser that would tie in the large video wall.
“I really like the Chorus Lines that line the LED wall and then also act as side wash lighting for different acts,” said Holcomb, “And we increased our JDC1 count which are great for both wash and strobe effects; we ended up lining our audience pit with those to add a bigger look.”
Bandit is proud to have built a strong camaraderie with the Winter Jam team, as VP of Business Development Brent Barrett shared, “The opportunity to work with Jerry and Kurtis on Winter Jam is always an experience that involves creativity, practicality, realism…and a good amount of humor! Each year’s design is fresh and built around the specifics of the upcoming Winter Jam tour and not a repeat of previous’ years. I always look forward to visiting the current Winter Jam event and getting to see the design in action, and as equally important, getting to do catchup with Jerry and Kurtis.”
“Working with Bandit has been fantastic over the years of my career,” said Wheat. “The people have always been accommodating, and willing to work with us. Doesn’t matter what the budget is, they want us to have the best show we can. Brent has been the best advocate for us over the years. MTS has always been very generous to us as well. He’s the reason we can get the fixtures we get.”
“Working with Bandit is always great,” said Holcomb. “From Brent helping get everything to contract with ease and Diz Gosnell helping put our crazy designs together safely for touring.”
Bandit’s crew includes Winter Jam veteran crew chief Cody Cheatham, Carter Hopkins and Ben Boney.
“The guys Bandit sends out, most stay for years and they are encompassed in our lives,” finished Wheat. “I’ve not once had a problem on tour that wasn’t able to be fixed quickly. I have nothing but high regards for Bandit.”
“This year we’ve had some new faces on board,” Holcomb noted, “From our project manager at Bandit to a couple new techs out, but everything has ran smoothly and it’s been a great experience. We were happy to have Cody back out as Crew Chief as he always does a great job.”
The Winter Jam tour continues into March 2023. For more information including upcoming tour dates and tickets, visit https://2023.jamtour.com/.
