NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – Bandit Lites is thrilled to have supported Canadian rock band Death From Above on their recent fall tour. Comprised of drummer and vocalist Sebastien Grainger and bassist Jesse F. Keeler, the duo released their third studio album, Outrage! Is Now in September of 2017.
With their new album on the horizon, Death From Above was looking to take the lighting in a new direction and reached out to Dara Guiney. Following a discussion with Tour Manager/Production Manager Markus Gilgan regarding the band’s tastes and a repeated listening of the new album, Guiney crafted a floor package that would provide the ‘something different’ while staying on budget: a simple rectangle of tilting, zoomable LED bars around the band.
“I had got the idea when I saw a band called Explosions in the Sky play,” said Guiney. “They had a row upstage and downstage of LED bars, designed by Tobias Rylander and operated by Corey Mattonen. Corey explained a lot to me about the LED bars and how positive he was about them, selling me on the LED bar idea. I proposed this idea to the band, drafted it and did a couple of visualizations for them to properly demonstrate the capabilities. I proposed the LED bars running through a media server giving us complicated effects and shapes that would otherwise be unobtainable. We could go from having no additional lighting to cloning and morphing the floor into overhead house fixtures, giving us a mirrored effect. It is also a departure from the usual couple of moving lights on truss behind the band kind of vibe. The band was on board.”
At Bandit Vice President Mike Golden’s suggestion, Guiney tried the Robe Cyc FX 8, a choice that garnered praise for their speed from other LD’s who came to see the shows.
“The Robe Cyc FX 8 are a fantastic fixture have great color macros and are also one of the fastest tilt-able LED bars on the market,” said Guiney. “The response time when running media through them is great. I also used an 8 node artnet box which was a great addition, and I could take full advantage of all the channels the Cyc FX can bring. I used two df50’s because they are a workhorse hazer that emit a haze that is thick and unobtrusive.”
“Markus and Dara are two of the most charismatic and enjoyable people I could ever hope to work with,” said Golden. “I had the pleasure of meeting and working with Dara on a previous project and when he asked if we would join him on Death From Above, I was most interested. Dara introduced me to Markus and from the very beginning I was all in on this tour and this production staff. I could not ask for any better experience and I look extremely forward to the next time we may have the opportunity to work together.”
“Bandit went above and beyond in all aspects of dealing with a client, from dealing with the rental request to the logistics of getting it to the first show all was well monitored with care by Bandit,” finished Guiney. “Project Manager Gene Brian was fantastic in getting the package together and communicating on how it was all going to work out. I was jumping from one tour to the next, so I had a lot of reliance on Gene to get it right. He succeeded and then some. Michael Golden is also the nicest man in Rock and Roll and will even deliver haze fluid to you with a smile!”
All the great shows, compliments and great photos that happened on the tour would not have been possible without the following people:
Bandit Lites Vice President Michael Golden
Bandit Lites Project Manager Gene Brian
The Bandit Lites warehouse staff.
Missy Worth : Artistic License band management
Markus Gilgan :TM/PM
Steve “Pooch” Puchalski : Stage Manager
Most importantly the band Death From Above: Jesse Keeler and Sebastien Grainger
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. Bandit’s global presence will insure seamless transitions no matter where your next show takes you. More information available at www.BanditLites.com