Bandit Lites is providing the lighting for An Evening With Jackson Browne on his full band 2022 tour. It launched in June and runs through September supporting his Grammy-nominated album, Downhill From Everywhere.
Lighting Designer Greg Classen began working with Browne in 2021 during Browne’s tour with James Taylor. “For Jackson’s band tour, I knew that I needed a design with some depth that would showcase the music without distracting from his music,” Classen explained. “I decided I wanted something that would replicate the depth and movement of a video wall without actually having to carry one.”
He added, “I knew that I needed a design with some depth that would showcase the music without distracting from his music. I decided I wanted something that would replicate the depth and movement of a video wall without actually having to carry one.”
Classen used an all-LED based system, a choice Browne has long championed for environmental reasons. Bandit Lites supplied Chauvet Rogue R1 FX-B, Elation CuePix WW2 blinders, Martin MAC Auras, Ayrton Ghiblis, Mega Lite Circa Scoop LED and Mega Lite Circa XL Scoop LED.
“Jackson Browne led Bandit and the industry down the green LED road in 2007,” said Bandit Lites Chair Michael T. Strickland. “He called us up and challenged us to deliver him an all-LED system. We explained to him that would cost more than a traditional solution, as LED was in its infancy and very expensive. He insisted we do it and he would pay the price. In typical Jackson fashion, he led an industry down a path no one had dared go down before. It is true that LED solutions would have happened either way, but Jackson was the first artist to commit to making this change. I believe Jackson advanced this shift in the music industry by years. On behalf of Bandit and the entire industry, thank you sir!”
Classen chose Ayrton Ghiblis at the suggestion of Bandit Lites’ Diz Gosnell. “I’ve been thoroughly impressed with their brightness and the many attributes they offer that give me numerous options,” said Classen. They also aid in one of his favorite moments during the iconic anthem, “The Load Out.”
“Jackson sits at the piano in the dark and begins playing,” he said. “I then fade in a half dozen of the Ghiblis in a multi-colored pastel palette on him at the piano. There’s just Jackson with no other band members onstage. It’s a powerful moment. Having been in the business for 25 years, it’s always been a favorite song of mine.”
He attributes the Circa Scoops as the linchpin of his design, giving him the opportunity to shift seamlessly from high tech rock looks to a more subtle theatrical vibe.
“I’ve also played a bit with pixel mapping them and running low-res video through the grandMA 2, and I look forward to expanding on that as we move forward,” added Classen.
Another element of the design centered around the various venues inn Browne would perform, ranging from small arenas and proscenium theaters to summer sheds.
“I wanted a design that would maintain its integrity everywhere without looking small on the larger stages,” Classen shared. “With help from Diz, we switched out some 10-foot sections of truss for split five-foot sections and devised a system to shuffle the Circa Scoop positions. Even in a small room the show looks and feels the same.”
“Greg wanted to try some new things for Jackson featuring more architectural lamps scattered around the back of the rig,” Gosnell explained. “The Mega Lite Circa Scoop and XL Scoop seemed to fit the bill well for oomph, interest, subtlety and reliability. The layering works very well with the system, and it’s only three straight trusses. I love lighting rigs that look bigger than the sum of their parts, and this one is just that. It also fits in just over half a truck, meeting Production Manager Denis Scrimo’s goal to limit truck space.”
“Working with Bandit has been amazing,” Classen said. “From my first discussions of my idea with Diz to the rough sketches I sent him to the final renderings he put together for me, everything has been flawless.”
Classen attributes the lighting’s success in part to the prep work Bandit Lites’ team provided before the tour even departed, describing it as “detailed and complete,” while noting it’s the people that stand out.
“(Project Manager) Matt King really does an amazing job, and the crew out with me this year has also been awesome,” said Classen. “Tim Keller and Jemma Detwiler are young, knowledgeable hard workers. Any challenges or changes we get tossed daily are easily absorbed and a solution is always quick and on the money.”
