Martin by Harman Powers Three Unique Stage Designs at Okeechobee Music & Arts FestivalZenith Lighting recently deployed three separate and distinct rigs comprised of Martin by Harman luminaires at the Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival in Florida. Held on a 500-acre farm known as Sunshine Grove, the festival featured major headlining artists such as Kings Of Leon, Usher & The Roots, Bassnectar, The Lumineers, Flume, Wiz Khalifa, Pretty Lights, and more. Soundslinger, LLC, the production team in charge of Okeechobee, hired Zenith Lighting to supply lighting and production for three of the festival's main stages designed by John McGuire from Trask Lighting, as well as fulfill floor packages for headlining artists. In order to satisfy the requirements of a wide variety of performers and genres, Zenith deployed Martin luminaires for their road-tested durability, versatility, and industry-wide rider acceptance. "There had to be a flexibility in the rigs because we weren't just doing an EDM festival or a hip-hop festival -- it was a mixture of genres," said Adam Vidaurri, chief operating officer at Zenith Lighting Inc. "When John McGuire was designing the rigs, he knew we needed to be able to support a wide range of performers. The Martin fixtures were able to handle every scenario they were put in." The "Be" stage hosted performances by most headliners on the lineup and featured the largest number of fixtures, including numerous MAC Vipers, MAC III Profiles, and MAC Auras. For the "Here" stage, Zenith applied a more conventional approach, with an emphasis on traditional PAR cans and MAC Aura washes with few automated fixtures. The "Now" stage boasted a unique design, with MAC Vipers and MAC Auras distributed along visually striking trusses which were creatively flown at various heights and odd angles. "The MAC Auras are very versatile moving washes. They're something we use for all types of performances," related Ryan McKay, marketing manager at Zenith Inc. "We see them pop up at every kind of event. I can't think of another fixture that we use more often. You can count on it to work like the first time -- every time." The Zenith team faced many challenges throughout the course of the production. They were awarded the bid just two weeks before the beginning of the festival, which gave them minimal time to build lighting rigs for three stages and fulfill custom floor packages on many of the headliners' riders. Additionally, weight limitations on the "Now" stage required the team to relocate fixtures the day before the festival opened. Furthermore, the festival's remote location made it difficult to get the equipment onsite in a timely manner. "One of our truck drivers was stuck in traffic for five hours," Vidaurri informed. "In a situation like that where the logistics were so crazy and there was minimal time for setup, it was really important for us to have fixtures that we could trust and feel comfortable with. We were glad to have Martin in our rig -- we knew we could have faith in them. We trust Martin fixtures to help us create every kind of lighting experience we deliver." 
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