NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – The epic Garth Brooks Stadium Tour is wrapping up 2019 with its tenth city following sold out performances in St. Louis, Glendale, Gainesville, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Denver, Eugene, Boise and Regina. Bandit Lites has been providing the lighting for the best-selling solo albums artist in the United States with 148 million domestic units sold and once again met Garth’s vision with an outstanding lighting system designed by David ‘Gig’ Butzler.
More details from Bandit Lites (www.BanditLites.com):
Bandit Lites supplied more than four hundred fixtures and more than 330 feet of truss to outfit the tour, including Robe MegaPointes, GLP X4 Bar 10, VL 3500 washes, Martin Atomic 3000 LED Strobes, GLP KNV Cube, Robe BMFL, Robe Robin 1200 LED Washes, Solaris Flares and Showline Nitro 510C. Three grandMA2 Full consoles provide control.
The in-the-round design allows for audiences to have a view of the stage no matter the seats in the stadium. Tyler Truss outlines the perimeter for the main key lights on the band members while automated pods built specially for Garth by Tyler loaded with Robe Robin 1200 LED fixtures, Robe BMFLs, Martin Atomic 3000 and Nitro Strobes move about the stage for effect lighting throughout the show. Eight additional BMFL Wash beams are mounted with Light Master controls as the followspot. Every lighting aspect is then used in coordination with large video elements to give the stage its necessary larger than life, stadium sized production.
“Garth has been a friend and client since 1987,” said Michael T. Strickland, Bandit founder and Chair. “He truly changed the industry forever with his vison, wisdom and creativity. When we first met, and Garth showed me a drawing of a huge lighting system he wanted, and I thought he was nuts. In the end, I was nuts. I simply did not know or understand Garth yet! I have never met anyone that has the vision and the ability to execute like Garth does. While we are busy working on all of these phenomenal stadium shows, Garth has gone back and layered in the Dive Bar shows to remain attached to his fans and his roots, at the most basic level, where it all began. So, one day he is in front of 80,000 delighted fans in a stadium, and the next week he is in front of a few hundred even more delighted fans in a local dive bar. How cool is that?”
Shows across North America have sold out in minutes as fans clamor to experience the magic of a Garth Brooks live show. Every stadium has sold out in 2019, and this trend is expected to continue in 2020. Millions were able to get a taste of The Stadium Tour with the first ever concert at the University of Notre Dame’s football stadium in 2018, recorded for a television special, Garth: Live At Notre Dame! on CBS and CBS All Access.
Outdoor shows always come with a level of elemental uncertainty, but Bandit’s rig continues to shine as Garth Brooks delivers amazing performances no matter the weather, including a surprise shower of snow. Bandit’s crew for the tour includes C
rew Chief Chuck Hastings, Steve Strickland, Terese Fensler, Savannah Harden with programming done by Aaron Swetland and board op John Hoffman. Bandit Lites Project Manager Don Lockridge provides additional support while Michael T. Strickland is the account’s client rep.
“What can I say about working with Dave Butzler and Garth?” asked Strickland. “Both are great friends and even better people. Dave is one of the most talented, hardest working people you will ever meet. He is also quite funny and keeps you in stitches. His connection with Garth is unbelievable and long standing. And Garth, there simply does not exist a better human being. He is the most humble, gracious, giving, caring, loving person I have had the pleasure of knowing. Everything Garth does is from a position of love and concern for others. That is his secret to success in life. Thank you, my friend.”
“Working with the phenomenal Garth team is a total pleasure,” continued Strickland. “Managers Bob Doyle and Randy Bernard are second to none. Tour Manager supreme, Ms. Tracy Greenwood, is world class. Production Manager Brian Petree is the best of the best and also a blast to work with. All of these people are friends and will be for a long time to come. Rusty Jones, Robert Frost, Cheryl Harris and Cary O’Neil round out our merry band of 30+ year friends, and they all make the trip a pleasure!”
