Alabama Shakes Back on the Road, with PRG

	Lighting designer Conor Jacob with his Avolites console at The Greek. Photo: Demian Becerra

After eight years away, rock band Alabama Shakes went back on the road this summer. In the time since, frontwoman Brittany Howard built a solo career, and many of the crew who supported her along the way also worked on this tour. As the sun faded and the stage lights took over, the band settled into a rhythm that felt both familiar and renewed.

That sense of renewal began long before opening night, during nearly two weeks of rehearsals at PRG's Starwood facility in Nashville. The crew treated the space as a home base, programming, testing, and refining every element of the show. Having access to Starwood gave the team the flexibility to experiment, add and subtract elements, and ultimately shape the look and feel that carried into the tour.

PRG account executive Lawrence "Filet" Mignogna was also instrumental in the process, assisting lighting designer Conor Jacob in sourcing the right fixtures and gear on a tight timeline. Having previously worked with Brittany Howard on her solo tour, Mignogna brought familiarity and trust to the collaboration. "Filet really gets it," says front-of-house audio engineer Shane Haase. "He understands what we're going for and makes it happen."

At front-of-house, Haase embraces that all-live approach with a mix philosophy that's as dynamic as the band itself. With no tracks to lean on, he builds the show in three dimensions -- balancing amplitude, depth, and width -- so every instrument and vocal has space to breathe. "It frees us to be flexible and truly in the moment with the band and the audience," Haase says. "The ballads stay soft so the loud moments can bloom, and that's what makes the Shakes so powerful."

The band's decision to keep everything live extended to the PA. Spectrum Sound supplied a d&b Audiotechnik KSL rig for the run, tailored to the variety of venues. At front-of-house, Haase mixed on a DiGiCo Quantum 5 (SD5A), while monitors were handled on a Yamaha PM5. The mic package reflected the same philosophy -- vintage RCA BK-5 ribbons on overheads, an OHMA mic ribbon, and a mix of dynamics on guitars, and classics like the EV RE-38 and ATM23HE rounding out the setup. "It's about making the kit wider and more aggressive live than it is on the records," Haase explains. "We're leaning into the raw energy."

On the visual side, Jacob brought a similar sensibility to lighting. Serving as both designer and director, Jacob ran a fully manual show each night -- no timecode, no automation. His lean, adaptive rig was designed to respond to each venue, whether it was Red Rocks, the Hollywood Bowl, or the Greek. "It's a manually driven show," he explains. "You step into it and respond in real time. That's what keeps it live."

That flexibility came into full effect at Red Rocks, where the team integrated the natural landscape into the design. Jacob's placement of fixtures allowed the light to play against the stone itself, blending the stage with the dramatic contours of the venue.

Jacob is also the chief production designer for Sofft Productions in Dublin, where Production Services Ireland (PSI) serves as his primary vendor. For this tour, Ciaran Tallon of PSI provided the Avolites Arena 330 and Avolites 215 consoles, with Avolites working closely to ensure the system was ready. The rig ran on two Titan Network Processors, with additional processing supplied by PRG.

"It's been flawless," Jacob says. "PRG backed me with both a main and backup desk, and it integrated seamlessly with the GroundControl Multi System, which is efficient, flexible, and really lets me focus on the show instead of logistics."

PRG also supplied a streamlined but adaptive rig centered on refurbished Best Boy LED fixtures -- a longtime PRG staple, now given new life with updated internals. "The refurbished Best Boys are delivering exactly what this production needs," Jacob says. "They bring real punch and character, and they've become central to how we light both the band and the set." Initially, the show carried a core package, but as the tour progressed, more Best Boys were added thanks to their performance and versatility.

Learn more about PRG's work in Music here.

The chew list included lighting designer and lighting director, Conor Jacob; FOH audio engineer, Shane Haase; PRG account executive, Lawrence "Filet" Mignogna; lighting crew chief, Robert Simoneaux; ground control technician, Nick Monaco; lighting - dimmer technician, Joshua Sullivan; lighting technician, Michael "Red" Field; monitor engineer, Anna Arboles; audio technicians, Brian Crider, Lauren Torres, Jake Shrouse, Luke Armenia.