JIMMY BUFFETT TOUR IS A BAMA BREEZE WITH SUPPORT FROM BANDIT LITES

Bandit Lites is enjoying another trip to Margaritaville with long-time client, Jimmy Buffett. Bama Breeze, Buffett’s current tour, began February 8, 2007 in Orlando, FL and will wrap up in Las Vegas, NV in late-October of this year.

Lighting Designer, Sid Strong said that Buffett’s connection with his audience is what makes this tour so unique.

“Jimmy keeps things fresh. I just try to keep up with it. The lighting has to change every year to adapt to the new set design. The songs change every year except for the 7 or 8 standards. My goal is to extract the emotions from the songs, paint the scenery with light, and progress the show visually,” Strong comments.

The truss configuration changes somewhat from year to year, but for the most part it consists of a ‘front, back, and side light’ show. The main objective is to light the scenery- which includes lifeguard chairs, surfboards and a backdrop featuring an ocean painting- so that the audience feels like they are in Margaritaville.

“I believe that lighting in any show can be extremely effective in helping to visualize the music through color and cueing when carefully planned and thought out,” explains Strong. “I am the set designer as well so I have the advantage of designing the ‘whole show.’ It gives me the opportunity to give Jimmy a well-balanced and visually-coordinated show.”

To light the beach-like ambiance, Strong primarily chose to incorporate Martin MAC 2000 Electronic Washes, MAC 2000 Profiles, MAC 600s and ETC 72 Ways. Lighting is controlled by a Grand MA.

Strong said that the biggest challenge is changing the show every night because Buffett will add three or four songs a night and do a completely different set list for each city.

“Jimmy has a knack of arranging the songs to make it a very effective show and I try very hard to make every song stand out both with colors and shadows. Even when we return to a city that we haven’t played in years, he’ll check the old set that he played back then to make sure that he’s giving them a completely fresh and different show.”

Another challenge is adjusting lighting to work with the video elements. Video lighting has different challenges than concert lighting and Strong is always aware of the video needs.

Bandit crew on this tour includes lighting technicians, Rick Munroe, Eric "Rock" Shafferman and Dave Butzler. Production Manager, John Vanderslice and Tour Manager, Charlie Fernandez also play a significant role in the tour production.

“The lighting always looks better when you have a fantastic band and a great crew,” adds Strong. “All of this is pointless without the great crews that put the show up and tear it down everyday. They are really the ones that make this entire show look and sound good.”