Warren Haynes Dreams of a Green Christmas with Bandit

christmas-jam-2011.jpgLighting designer Preston Hoffman and musician Warren Haynes again called upon Bandit Lites for the 23rd edition of the Warren Haynes Christmas Jam. Held each year at the Asheville Civic Center in Asheville, North Carolina, the event is always a sure fire sellout, and this year was no exception. The London Times calls the show “One of the Top 10 Concerts in the USA”. This year's stellar cast included Haynes and Gov't Mule, Phil Lesh and Friends, Los Lobos, Bela Fleck and a host of other notable artists. The show was a mind altering seven hours long and no one left empty! It took place this year on December 10.

Production Manager Kit Blanchard worked with Hoffman and Bandit San Francisco GM Dizzy Gosnell on this year's edition of the Jam. The show took on a very ecofriendly Green direction this year, as Hoffman utilized a large amount of LED fixtures. The heart of the system was comprised of GRNLite Moving Washes, GRNLite PARs and GRNLite Wash fixtures. All of the GRNLite equipment provides a huge, vivid, base wash that was stunning to the eye. The color palette used by Hoffman painted ever-changing pictures for the enjoyment of the fans. The truss structure overhead resembled a spider encapsulating the stage. The entire arena became part of the event as long strings of festoons and oversized mirror balls took over the ceiling space. The feeling was very ethereal the entire night long.

For hard edge effects, Hoffman used VL 3000 Spots as well as the stunning Martin MAC 2000 Beam. The power consumption on the show was greatly reduced by the large numbers of LED fixtures, which eliminated the need for generators. As an added bonus, the stage space was not blazing hot as it normally is for concerts of this nature. Bandit Lites is very proud to be able to supply dynamic illumination solutions using state of the art LED fixtures that reduce power consumption and heat on stage. All of this leads to a greatly reduced carbon footprint, and that fits with the mantra from Warren himself.

Many different videos of the event can be seen on You Tube. The fantastic art created by Preston Hoffman and the various musicians can be seen online. Hoffman is the lighting director for Further, and on that tour, he is able to expand his visual horizons on a nightly basis. Preston Hoffman and his brother Paul (Widespread Panic LD) are both two of the most innovative minds in the industry today.

The Christmas Jam is held each year to benefit Habitat for Humanity, and has contributed well over a million dollars to the organization. The entire city of Asheville has embraced this event and it indeed takes over the town for 3 days. Bandit Lites is also a proud supporter of Habitat in Knoxville, and has worked with Anderson Merchandisers the past 4years to raise an additional one million dollars in Knoxville.

Bandit looks forward to many more great years with the Christmas Jam and to being a part of a wonderful team that is working magic in the mountains of North Carolina.

About Bandit Lites, Inc

Bandit Lites is a global leader in the entertainment lighting marketplace. From touring productions to fixed installations, Bandit Lites has a full staff of highly trained professionals to deal with all types of lighting needs. With offices in Knoxville, Nashville, San Francisco, London, Hong Kong and Taiwan, Bandit's global presence will insure seamless transitions no matter where your next show takes you. Your GRN Solution, leading the LED evolution!