On the eve of his 15-city arena/amphitheater Quit!! tour this summer, HARDY promised a newspaper interviewer that he would “leave it all on the stage.” An ideal claim? Hardly! Like the artist himself, who prefers to have his name stylized in all capital letters, his bold, high-energy performance holds nothing back. Displaying his distinctive mix of raw intensity and unbridled enthusiasm, the multi-CMA Award winner has been taking fans on a rollicking musical journey that barrels full-speed down rap, rock and country pathways, while serving up full throttled singalongs every step of the way.
Supporting HARDY’s deeply personal and always-enthusiastic performance is an immersive production design by Cort Lawrence and his team at Raw Cereal. Creating a sense of depth on the stage and conveying the artist’s story with evocative content displayed on a massive video screen supported by light from 233 CHAUVET Professional fixtures from Bandit Lites, the design encourages audience not only to see the show, but also enter into its world of limitless possibilities.
“The design for this tour utilized a simple and minimalist style, featuring a large upstage video wall that set the backdrop for Hardy, immersing him in content that represents his music,” said Lawrence. “The ideas for all the creative aspects started with Hardy and flourished into unique visuals. By working with our talented lighting director and programmer, Trevor Drawdy and using 85 COLORado PXL Bar 16 battens, we created sheets of light that blended well with the video content to enhance the range of Hardy’s performance,” continued Lawrence. “Our team at Raw Cereal provided show design and direction, as well as new video content for HARDY’s newest songs, ensuring that the visual elements matched the diversity of his music.”
The wide-ranging breadth of HARDY’s music was of paramount importance to the Raw Cereal team when conceptualizing the various elements that would go into the tour’s production. “Designing a show for HARDY involved considering the integration of his diverse musical genres, ensuring that the visual elements matched his energetic and hard-hitting music style,” said Lawrence. “It was crucial to maintain a balance between simplicity and impact, allowing each light fixture to have its moment while blending cohesively with the overall design.”
HARDY’s diverse music also influenced decisions regarding the layout of the stage itself. The tour’s stage features six finger trusses, each 24 feet in length, trimmed at an average of 25 feet, while the video wall is 60 feet wide by 23 feet tall and hovers about 4 feet above the stage floor. “This setup optimizes the use of space and lighting for a cohesive visual experience,” explained Lawrence. “In addition to the great lighting and video elements, special effects elements including eight cryo jets, six wave flames, and five fire salamanders that shoot fire from underneath a grated platform contributed to the impact and flexibility of the rig.”
“In addition to Cort’s description, we manage a total of 52 DMX universes to control the lighting and special effects,” added Drawdy. “This extensive setup allows us to create intricate and dynamic lighting designs, ensuring each performance is visually captivating. The integration of multiple universes provides the flexibility and precision required for Hardy’s high-energy shows.”
Speaking of the role played by one of the fixtures in this highly adaptable rig – the COLORado PXL Bar 16, Lawrence noted: “You can never have too many PXL Bars! They allow for creating sheets of light that seamlessly blended with the video content. This extensive use of pixel bars was essential for achieving the desired visual effects, enhancing the depth and dynamics of the stage design. They play a crucial role in creating the immersive and cohesive lighting looks throughout the show, washing the stage with soft and flat beams that do not detract from the video content. HARDY and the band like to huddle together at certain points of the show, finding themselves on the riser set surrounded by PXL Bars, creates an island full of light for them.”
HARDY’s frequent and high energy singalongs were another element that significantly influenced the lighting design, as it required dynamic and engaging visuals that enhanced audience participation. “The lighting techniques focused on creating an immersive experience to encourage crowd interaction,” said Lawrence, “The small usage of lyrics within the video content helps the audience to sing along to the new music. The use of pixel bars and a cohesive color palette help in achieving this effect, making the singalongs a memorable part of the concert.”
On the subject of colors, the diversity of the tour’s lighting rig, which includes 36 Color STRIKE Ms, 54 Maverick Storm 1 Hybrids, 28 Rogue R2X Washes, 12 Rogue R3 Washes, and 18 STRIKE Array 4 blinders, in addition to the PXL Bars, has given Drawdy the opportunity to reflect the music on stage in a broad range of colors.
Following an approach that he describes as “both methodical and intuitive” when selecting his colors, Drawdy’s aim was to create a palette that complemented HARDY’s unique blend of music. “For songs with emotional depth, such as ‘Wait in the Truck’ featuring Lainey Wilson, I used a base of blue with visual ‘jail bars,’ created by using the PXL Bar 16s in CTB,” said Drawdy. “The chorus hits were highlighted with CTO, reflecting the song’s themes of justice and confinement and adding intensity to key moments.
“Conversely, for energetic tracks like ‘SOLD OUT,’ I chose a palette of red and white. These colors capture the rebellious and bold spirit of the song, energizing the audience and enhancing their experience,” Drawdy continued. “Over the years, I’ve identified certain colors that resonate with specific songs, becoming visual signatures. For example, the themes of pride and rural identity in ‘REDNECKER’ are represented with bold green and amber tones, reinforcing its message through visual consistency.”
With new songs incorporated into the setlist for this tour, Drawdy has had the opportunity to experiment with fresh color combinations. For example, the new song ‘SIX FEET UNDER (Caleigh’s Song),’ inspired Drawdy to use stark white lighting to emphasize its intense and haunting themes of love, loss, and the afterlife.
“The white lighting creates a powerful contrast, highlighting the emotional gravity and reflective nature of the lyrics,” Drawdy explained. “I also take input from Hardy and the band on what they like to see, ensuring that the visual elements align with their vision and enhance the overall performance.”
Lawrence singles out “SIX FEET UNDER” as one of the show’s highlights for him. “In this song, the video content shows a diamond that bursts, with the pixel bars mimicking the reflections and prismatic rays of light,” he commented.
Among Drawdy’s favorite looks in the show was the design for “‘JIM BOB,” a song about a rugged man living life on his own terms. “The dynamic lighting and special effects capture the energy of the song,” he said. “I use a gritty, red color palette and intense lighting effects to mirror the raw and rebellious spirit of the lyrics.”
Another highlight for Lawrence and Drawdy was the extraordinary level of teamwork that went to making his unforgettable show a reality.
“I want to say how proud I am of the collaborative efforts of the Raw Cereal team, who worked tirelessly to provide show direction and video content last year and show design and direction along with new video content for HARDY’s newest songs this year,” said Lawrence. “It takes a team to put together a great show and HARDY has one of the best, thanks to Production Manager Matt Bevis. Jose Santana provided excellent video programming. Additionally, Terry Park, the pyro programmer, and Rico Lafuente, the pyro operator and special effects lead on the tour, significantly contributed to the success of the production. Matt Geasey and Bryan Siegel of Clear All Visuals were also crucial in the technical production phase.”
Also coming in for praise was Bandit Lites. “My relationship with Bandit Lites began with their former Vice President, Mike Golden, who gave me my start in Nashville,” said Drawdy. “I’d like to extend a special thanks to our client representative at Bandit, Mike Stanley.”
Although teamwork is playing a major role in this tour, its name “Quit!!,” grew out of an act of very individual determination. Early in his career, HARDY was playing in a bar for tips, not pay. Stuffed into his tip jar one night was a napkin with the handwritten message “QUIT!!”
Quit? No way! Drawing strength from this negativity, HARDY used it as an incentive to build an incredibly successful career. He refused to quit… and the fans who are packing venues across the country to see this rising star are sure glad he didn’t.
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