Bandit Lights Hangout Music Festival

	Panic! at the Disco at the Hangout Festival. Photo: Graham Fielder

For most, going to the ocean and beach is enough incentive for a weekend away, but at the Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama, the seaside is just one of the many draws. Bandit Lites provided the lighting for the festival's main Hangout Stage, the Surf Stage positioned at the opposite end of the beach, and the AXS TV Stage, where those who could not make it to the beach could still see live performances online and on television. Major acts this year included Jason Isbell, The Weeknd, Alabama Shakes, Cage the Elephant, Panic! at the Disco, Ellie Goulding, Florence + The Machine, and Lenny Kravitz.

In addition to the nearly 90 musical acts, those who attended Hangout could enjoy poolside seats, a Ferris wheel, volleyball courts, gulf seafood, waterslides, or even get hitched by the ocean.

At one end of the beach, The Mainstage consisted of copious amounts of Bandits Philips Vari-Lite VL3500 washes, VL3000 spots, Clay Paky Sharpys, Atomics, and Lycian M2 long throw spots. Bandit also provided the Surf Stage with VL 2500 Spots, Bandit 5x5s, Clay Paky Sharpys, GRNLite Moving Washes, and Martin by Harman Atomic 3000 Strobes, with two MA Lighting grandMA 2 Full console, while the ASX Stage featured VL 2500 Spots, GRNLite 8 Lites, GRNLite Par 64s, GRNLite Moving Washes, and was controlled by a grandMA 2 Full console.

Even with the salt air and bouts of wind looming over the weekend, both Bandit Lites and the team at Lambda were prepared for all circumstances.

"Hadden Hippsley, being a long time member of the Event Safety Alliance, is highly aware of the decision making process and planning needed to construct a safety plan that everyone adheres to," said Dizzy Gosnell. "Rainstorms and high winds can pop up, but with the advance weather technologies in use by Lambda, there is plenty of warning and a calculated plan in force at all times for all departments and visiting bands."

With each day's final acts bringing in a touring system, Bandit worked to provide a system that would be flexible enough for the lighting directors to have enough options to convey the key elements of their artist's show, from scenery, to video and floor lighting packages, all while safeguarding the fact the acts had to be built and struck in short time frames.

"If there is one hour between bands on a stage, the departing band has at most 30 minutes to get rid of their equipment (usually much less) and the arriving band has 30-45 minutes to get set up," explained Gosnell. "Speed is a priority to the amount of equipment able to be used, but the absolute key to this, in addition to long term advance notice, is planning by the bands as to what is likely to arrive to the festival stage managers."

Bandit Lites crew included Dizzy Gosnell; project manager, Don Lockridge; crew chiefs, Andy French, Teresa Porterfield-Fensler, and Ty Veneziano; lighting technicians, Jimmy Murray, Gabe Hodge, Chase Bosworth, Jim Greenawalt, and Jason Giaffo.