Renowned American reggae band Stick Figure recently wrapped their Sacred Sand Summer Tour out with a lighting system provided by Bandit Lites. Led by Scott Woodruff, Stick Figure is known for their unique blend of reggae and dub, weaving together infectious rhythms and melodic hooks with mellow vibes and positivity. Lighting Designer Nesta Garrick chose fixtures that would provide a range of effects, utilizing Chauvet ColorSTRIKE M, Elation Proteus Maximus IP 65, Elation Smarty Hybrids, GLP X5, ACME Gemini, and ROBE MegaPointes.
“Everything served its purpose,” said Garrick. “We have a long set with a bunch of different songs, and these fixtures were selected to give us multiple choices and looks without being repetitive throughout the show. The MegaPointes were able to give good effects coming off with their beams, but at the same time they’re great to utilize as a spot fixture. The X5s were amazing; I was very shocked by how bright they were compared to other wash fixtures. They did a great job with balancing the brightness coming straight from the video wall as well. It gave a nice good colorful look within the stage.”
“One of my favorite things about what we do is meeting the production rock stars of our industry,” said Bandit Lites Client Representative Ty Veneziano. “Nesta is a rockstar in my book and was a pleasure to work with. I’m glad Stick Figure’s Production Manager Eran Ben Zur was able to network us as it opened another door that may open many more.”
Garrick initially worked with Stick Figure three years ago and drew upon the fans and their experiences to build out the lighting design, noting that it is more than the traditional reggae red, green, and gold. “There’s spaceships, mushrooms and forests with a chill vibe,” he said. “The design of the stage was to create an intergalactic look with a spaceship design where we are going on a journey with the music. The circular truss in the middle would be used to represent traveling to a different time, or galaxy or planet.”
This eye-catching circular Tyler Truss Systems’ GT truss was the hardest challenge of the build, with Garrick seeking solutions for how to build it, how will it work with load in and load out as well as how would it work with the various venues? “That’s where Bandit came in strong with their GT Tyler Circle truss that we were able to have lights around the edge, we had lights inside of it and we were able to hang another circle underneath it so that we could have other trusses in there,” he said. “It was perfect. It was easy to break apart and store together. That was such a big challenge I knew we would’ve come across with other shops, and Bandit came in and did its thing and it was a big, big solution that was solved.”
Edge Lights offered a quick and easy set up with a huge impact: outlining the truss and deck brought the system to life but it was the ACME Gemini fixture that stood out the most to Garrick due to their infinity pan and tilt, a feature he only deployed twice during the show to lean into the EDM look without looking too “gimmicky.”
“I love the output stack I got from them when using the Gemini’s pixel zoom and going pretty tight and wide,” he said. “It also was great as a back light towards the band and on the circle it gave that spaceship look that was intended for.”
Fans of Stick Figure know their live concerts are packed with a lively and uplifting atmosphere, a great setlist and a visually stimulating experience, including Garrick living up to his nickname: Strobe One Kenobi. “I have to pick times and moments for when to bring that guy out,” he said. “It is always fun when I have the outro to “Once in a Lifetime,” and I can bring some strobes out like I’m playing Street Fighter 2.”
I like the intros,” he said as well. “Those are always the most fun part of building. We had an interlude that would sometimes be used as an intro to “Jungle” and that was fun to do and program, because then I don’t have worry about lighting the band. I use the darkness as an opportunity to make some of the light fixtures and content stand out and have its moment.”
The support Garrick received from the entire Bandit team to be exceptionally noteworthy, from Client Representative Ty Veneziano addressing questions and acquiring all the necessary information, to the Project Managers ensuring all the files were dialed up and ready to go on plots.
“It wasn’t complicated system as such, but some of the venues on their itinerary posed some head scratching to get as much of the full system in as we could in a safe and timely manner,” said Bandit Lites Vice President of Production Dizzy Gosnell. “The 10ft OD GT circle on its own stuffed with lamps on all faces came in at over a ton. As that was a key part of Nesta’s design, it warranted getting the abacus out to see how we could make it work. I really enjoyed seeing posts online after Crew Chief Andy Ellis and the two Zachs (Zach McQueen and Zach Schwartz) had loaded the system in. Being able to help Nesta, Production Manager Eran Ben Zur and Andy and the crew with a custom plot and plan for each show so meant time at load in was not wasted by trying to figure things out.”
“We didn’t carry a rigger, and I was shocked and wondered if we’d be able to pull it off without it,” Garrick said. “Dizzy did a great job in the advancing part, having the plots changed for all the different venues, coming into all our advancing phone calls with us and making sure our lighting chief Andrew was able to go ahead and get the stage up and going without having a tour rigger with us. I was more than happy working with Bandit and would for sure work with them again.”
“I knew getting Dizzy involved would help represent what Bandit does best which is to go above and beyond,” finished Veneziano. “Matt King seamlessly relayed what Nesta, Diz, and I planned on paper to the prep floor, and Andrew Ellis took the prep and put it on display in every city in proper Bandit fashion. We have a great team.”
Further information from Bandit Lites, Inc.: www.BanditLites.com
Photos by Keith Zacharski
