American guitarist and singer/songwriter Gary Clark Jr. is out on his Hyperwave Tour in support of his most recent album, JPEG RAW. With multiple moods, music genres, styles and sounds, this album continues to push boundaries and highlight the acclaimed guitarist’s versatility and impact. Bandit Lites provided the lighting for the North American tour, which covered nearly every type of venue, from mobile stages to Red Rocks to Radio City. When assembling the scalable lighting system, designers John Adamo and Robert Fuller took inspiration directly from Clark Jr.’s music.
“We really wanted to try and pay respect to the sonic diversity and range we felt was such a standout feature of the project,” explained Adamo. “We wanted the lighting design to try and reflect what we heard in the music: A combination of strong, defined layers that stand strong in their own right but really shine when woven together.” The modular rig had a baseline width of 41’ that would need to compress inward or even have entire segments removed so as to compress into whatever trim or load capacity of the venue. Tyler Truss System’s Ladder Towers, Bandit’s hot new go-to item in its inventory, was a key part of the big look with eight double hung ladders at the back along with a 20’ circle providing a giant backdrop. “Bandit’s VP of Production Dizzy Gosnell and Lighting Crew Chief Cody Cheatham were able to rethink and redeploy this rig night after night without ever compromising the impact or consistency we were looking for,” said Adamo.
Because the rig was comprised of different layers, it was crucial the chosen fixtures had the capability of both standing out on their own as well as blend in seamlessly with the additional layers of the rig. Bandit Lites provided Claypaky Sharpy X Frames, Chauvet Color STRIKE M, Chauvet Rogue R2X Wash, Chauvet STRIKE Array 2, Claypaky Midi-B FX, ACME Pixel Line IP, ACME Pixel Line 500 IP, ACME Pulsar S2, ROBE Footsie2, ROBE Tetra X, VL 3600 Profile IP, and two grandMA3 full-size consoles for control.
“Fixtures like the Robe TetraX and ACME PULSAR S2 play extremely well together in creating big linear looks while the VL3600s and Claypaky Sharpy X Frames could blend beam, color, and gobo attributes near perfectly to make the rig appear as if it was made entirely of one type of profile,” Adamo said adding, “We’re very grateful that Bandit was able to fulfill the rig with minimal substitutions.” Another key component to the lighting design was finding a nonintrusive way to up light the band while keeping a clean stage. The team worked through several iterations, but the results were still either too cluttered or cut off sightlines to monitor and guitar world.
“Robe’s Footsie series seemed like a great solution and with the help of Jake Tickle we were able to secure an order of the new RGBW versions which have been a big hit,” said Adamo. “Not only do they look great in form factor and output, but they add an element of cable management that all departments can take advantage of.”
Bandit knows its service goes beyond providing gear and sending out equipment. From understanding the client’s needs, to executing the vision of the design as well providing a level of care while the tour is out, Bandit prides itself on exceeding expectations. “The level of customer and attention to detail shown by Bandit Lites has been absolutely exceptional,” said Adamo. “Every single person from my Account Rep Mark Scherer to Project Manager Matt King to Drafter and seemingly rigger-on-call Dizzy Gosnell to the dozens of other folks working behind the scenes have not only been available to assist but have been genuinely invested in the success of our tour. From late night phone calls and emails to last minute custom bracket fabrication, the Bandit Team has been on it and ready to handle any challenge that has come up along the way.”
“With the tour not carrying a tour rigger, John and (Production Manager) Brian Brown asked Mark if I could help out on the advance rigging package for some of the venues that needed modified versions of the base touring system for their show,” said Gosnell. “It turned out that 18 of the dates needed some form of groupthink to get them to fit, varying from Radio City Music Hall in New York to a SAM320 roof. It was quite a variety, and honestly, quite fun too.”
“John and Brian were an absolute pleasure to work with from the very start of the process,” said Scherer. “John presented a unique and impressive design combining a robust collection of eye candy and air effect fixtures while still providing amble wash and crowd lighting. Seeing the show, the lighting instantly stands out while still complementing the music. John is a master of creating unique and encompassing looks for each song and making it feel like the rig is changing shape right in front of you! It was my pleasure to play a small part in this amazing tour and look forward to continue working with John on future endeavors.”
“A small note to our LX Team of Cody Cheathem and Jeff Jann,” closed Adamo. “Thank you both for your uncompromising work ethic and professionalism. The entire team is incredibly grateful for all your hard work and we most genuinely could not have executed that rig at the level that we did without you both. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Hyperwave Tour
Production Team
Production Manager: Brian Brown
Tour Manager: Daniel Herbst
Assistant Tour Manager: Hailey Transue
Production and Lighting Design: John Adamo and Robert Fuller
Programming: John Adamo
Lighting Crew Chief: Cody Cheatham
L2: Jeff Jann
Bandit Lites VP of Production: Dizzy Gosnell
Bandit Account Rep: Mark Scherer
Bandit Project Manager: Matt King
Bandit Tech Director: Jake Tickle
Staging and Risers: Gallagher Staging
Photographer and Media: Gaston Jouany
Further information from Bandit Lites, Inc.: www.BanditLites.com
