Country music group Midland is out on the road with a lighting system provided by Bandit Lites. Comprised of Mark Wystrach (lead vocals, guitar), Jess Carson (guitar, vocals), and Cameron Duddy (bass guitar, vocals), Midland’s neotraditional country sound has led to their three studio albums resulting in seven singles landing on the Billboard country chart. With two years of touring with Midland under his belt, Lighting Designer Drew Lombana was confident in his ability to both create something that was as unique as the trailblazing country band as well as his aptitude to ascertain their lighting preferences: avoid fixture pixels, pointless eye candy and instead focus on using lights to complement the story within the music, and not simply the music itself.
“We determined a design that hid itself well was crucial, with the exception of the Circa Scoops,” Lombana said. “I knew the Scoops weren’t just a light source; they are a set piece in and of themselves. Due to their bold design and size, I was able to get away with a static forward-facing fixture while allowing every other fixture to disappear into the truss and pipe. Bandit Lites provided a system composed of Chauvet Maverick MK 3 Spots, Martin Sceptron VDO 10-1,000mm, Martin Sceptron VDO 10-320mm, Martin Atomic Bold, Mega Lite Circa Scoop LED, Mega Lite Circa Scoop XL LED and TMB Solaris Flare Q+Rayzr as well as a grandMA2 full-size console for control.
“The Circa Scoop XL’s allowed me to have a ton of fun and create an enormous variety of looks; it was like being taught how to play a different instrument,” said Lombana. “The unique retro lamp look complemented Midland’s style while the LED elements allowed it to be used for plenty of eye candy. They also draw a connection between the old TV fresnels Midland member Cameron Duddy used previously as a director of music videos, complement Midland’s unique style of country music, and appeal to all three members’ affinities and preferences for vintage in a world of tired modernity.”
Upon seeing the Rayzr Q+ on the Bandit lit Carrie Underwood tour, Lombana was eager to harness it within his own design. With its slim profile and powerful punch, it can go undetected within the system until he turns them on. “They are fun to program, bright and were used for some texture, blinds, and general audience abuse,” he shared. “They were always utilized in the biggest moments I could make.”
Bandit Lites Client Representative Mike Stanley spec’d Atomic Bolds in response to Lombana’s request for a simple RGBW PAR that could be used for back and side lighting, and while Lombana was initially hesitant due to their weight, he soon found himself won over due to their functionality and unmatched quality. “I ended up being able to use them for so much more,” he said. “Due to budget and space constraints, I never spec’d strobes for Midland because they’re not the kind of band that would benefit from a dedicated strobe fixture because the songs necessitating it were few and far between. Being able to use the strobe cluster as a genuine hard white flash was a sweet bonus feature from these fixtures that allowed the songs that strobe was appropriate for to reach that level of having all the bells and whistles on your rig.”
The current design was originally crafted to go out as direct support for Jon Pardi, and required a profile with a huge output that wouldn’t be out down by the amount of firepower in the air. The solution: Maverick MK3 Spots, a fixture Lombana refers to as “cannons adding, “The crisp gobos, wide zoom range, durability, and reliability of these profiles was imperative as the only moving heads in the design and they delivered night after night.”
With the formidable task of ensuring the entire system would be compact enough for the trailers as well deliver a fast load in and out, Bandit’s Mike Stanley and Project Manager Don Lockridge worked tirelessly with CAD trailer packs to solve the spatial challenges. “The biggest game changer was being able to keep the Rayzrs on their pipes and clamp them to the top of the GT truss caps, using the caps as makeshift meat racks,” said Lombana. “Scott Wesson was also enormously helpful with finding us the proper hardware to utilize to get everything on a 2” pipe and in a box that could be clamped, stacked and packed any way we liked.”
“Kris Heinold and Drew are extremely easy to work with,” said Bandit’s Mike Stanley. “It helps when you’ve got a relationship to jump on a call and bounce ideas around until something clicks. I’ll miss working with Drew as he steps away from pushing buttons, but I’m also looking forward to keeping this rig rolling down the road with LD Paolo Alfaro.”
“Bandit rocks,” shared Lombana. “Everybody is extremely helpful, solution oriented, and passionate about putting out great shows. Anything I needed, I got. One of the key functions that enables Midland’s continued success is the incredible vendor relations maintained by the production manager Kris “Coach” Heinold. Bandit plays the role of the silent partner to the letter. Without such a strong partner for lighting, we would not be able to deliver the consistent and quality show that the fans crave and deserve. Every time that first note hits, Bandit delivers on that stage as hard as the rest of us. Even as a two bus, two trailer tour, we still got individual attention and care from one of the biggest companies doing lighting in North America and were never left wanting for anything.”
“I have to give a huge shoutout to Stan,” finished Lombana, referring to Mike Stanley. “I was your typical client who knew where I wanted to go, but not how I wanted to get there. When your vendor has everything, it can be hard to narrow down the choices. I knew what I needed out of the design and Stan’s technical and design acumen are extremely present in the fixture choices made. Don [PM Lockridge] is also the best. Nobody had my back at Bandit like Don did and I’ve never seen anybody more dedicated to getting a client everything they ever want or need. His expertise is unparalleled and he’s also a total sweetheart.”
Further information from Bandit Lites: www.BanditLites.com
