Bandit Helps Draw Crowds to Budweiser Dome at CMA Fest

	Budweiser Dome at the CMA Fest

Tens of thousands of people poured into downtown Nashville for CMA Fest weekend, where Predator's pride, music lovers and tourists took in the city for the biggest multi-day celebration of all things country music. Bandit Lites provided the lighting for Universal Music Group's Budweiser Dome, a structure that boasted a 35' ceiling with a 360-degree projection dome featuring live concerts and the debut of live 360-degree concert films, including immersive performances from Kip Moore, Jimmy Buffett, Eric Church, and Gary Allen.

The lighting of the dome was designed by Bandit vice president Mike Golden, and brought to life by lighting director and programmer Andy Knighton.

Bandit supplied 12 truss towers mounted with Claysaky Spheriscans, Bandit's exclusive GRNLite LED Pars, and Iluminarc Ilumipanels to provide vivid, vibrant colors on the exterior of the dome, even during the sunny Nashville days.

"Brad Turcotte from UMG contacted me with the challenge of lighting the exterior of this dome for a week," said Golden. "We recognized immediately that due to the situation, the fixtures would be sitting outdoors for a week with no real ability to protect the gear in the event of rain. For that reason we chose to surround the dome with Ilumipanels for wash and Spheriscans to add gobo and movement. With those two fixtures we had complete confidence we could light the dome each night without concern of needing to shut down or cover the fixtures."

The interior of the dome, where audience members enjoyed both live music and 360-degree, enveloping performances streamed on the dome's ceiling, featured lighting towers outfitted with Claypaky Sharpys, GLP X4S, and lekos. Lady Antebellum launched their newest album, Heart Break, with multiple performances, while Gary Allen, Suzy Bogguss, Maddie and Tae, Lauren Alaina, and the Bellamy Brothers also took the stage.

Bandit's crew navigated the logistics of lighting the dome amid Nashville's numerous construction sites, civilian foot traffic, a cramped interior and an uneven lot to make the temporary building both stand out and integrate in the heart of Nashville's downtown scene, offering country music fans another way to enjoy CMA festivities.

"Andy Knighton worked with the UMG team to tastefully highlight the dome from every angle and to attract attention to the event," Golden finished. "We look forward to working with this team in the future."