Trevor Drawdy Sets Stage for HARDY JIM BOB World Tour Narrative with CHAUVET Professional

	"I did not want to approach the cabin as just a static set piece. I saw this as a chance to create an immersive world that could evolve throughout the show," says Drawdy.

At first glance, it seems like 12 automated pods are hovering overhead in Trevor Drawdy's design for HARDY's blockbuster JIM BOB World Tour. In reality, though, there are only seven physical pods, the five other apparent lighting grids in the captivating circle of pods are virtual replications floating over the stage in a massive video space.

For Drawdy, this visual sleight of hand, was part of a grand vision to create an immersive blend of the real and virtual for HARDY's tour, which began April 12 at Country Thunder in Arizona, and concludes September 24 at Madison Square Garden. Balancing the "two realities" is, he says, an ideal way to reflect the genre bending, story-telling nature of his multi-award winning client's music.

More than a supportive production, Drawdy's design creates a living, breathing environment on stage that draws fans into the narrative of HARDY's JIM BOB World, complete with its familiar old school cabin, where country mashes into rock, and the tales are never ending. He recalled how this evocative design evolved:

"The original spark came from HARDY's team. They wanted to bring 'JIM BOB's Cabin' to life on stage, but I did not want to approach the cabin as just a static set piece. I saw this as a chance to create an immersive world that could evolve throughout the show. I pitched the idea of blending physical elements with virtual set extensions -- and that's where Luz Studio came in. We collaborated closely to define the look and feel of that environment. I also drew a lot of inspiration from HARDY's country to rock sound -- and knew the production needed to support that range with dynamic contrast, not just in lighting, but in the way the stage feels from song to song."

To help him achieve his vision, Drawdy worked with Bandit Lites to put together a lighting rig that wound up featuring 106 COLORado PXL Bar 16 motorized battens and 72 Color STRIKE M motorized strobe washes from CHAUVET Professional. It was critically important to him that these and every other fixture in his rig work seamlessly with the VR- driven video element of his show.

"Blending light and video was a huge part of the design process," explains Drawdy. "My goal was for the physical and digital worlds to feel seamless. I worked closely with the talented team at Luz to sync video content with lighting, both thematically and spatially. We even matched the types of fixtures virtually in the video pods to their real-world counterparts. Timing-wise, I was careful about when video would take the spotlight versus when light should lead. In some moments, I start with lighting only, then slowly introduced video so the reveal felt earned. We also use haze/fog strategically to tie lighting and the video screen together within the space."

Achieving this fusion of light and video, the real and virtual, required intense collaboration by many talented hands. Drawdy is quick to acknowledge his creative teammates. "Bandit has been incredible -- Mike Stanley and Jake Tickle supported me from the early fixture choices through to custom packaging," he said. "MooTV handled video and were amazing partners. Jordan Karow, our touring video director, made a big impact. Atlanta Rigging Systems brought the automation to life. Pyrotek gave us some insane looks with their Hydra and G-Flame systems. Tait built the set, thrust, and scenic fascia. And I can't say enough about Matthieu Larivee and the team at Luz Studio -- Matthieu, Dave Pawsey, Rusty Rouhier, and Philippe Marquis all helped bring the hybrid visual world to life. Also big thanks to HARDY and the whole team for trusting me to help shape this world. Troy (Tracker) Johnson at Track Management has had my back on this design from the start."

The harmonious balance that Drawdy and his collaborators achieved was clearly evident in the aforementioned overhead pods, which held most of the Color STRIKE M fixtures in his rig. (The other units are arranged in a row on the deck.) "They are the workhorses for me," Drawdy said of the Color STRIKE M fixtures. "I used them both as strobes and wide floods, depending on the song. They gave me scale and punch without me having to bring in more truss."

Drawdy's fully automated overhead pods have a maximum trim height of about 40' and can be lowered down to around 8' above deck, depending on the moment. He artfully uses automation to help shift scale and perspective of his show.

"Some scenes needed the pods to hang heavy and intimate others needed them flying high and wide open," he explains. "By arranging our mix of real and virtual pods in a circular pattern we are able to use perspective to blend real vs virtual. It also gives us a strong identity and helps unify lighting and video into one architecture. Visually, this creates some killer symmetry and lets us shift the environment drastically without changing the physical."

The versatility of the overhead pods in helping to shape the narrative of the show plays a key role in one of Drawdy's favorite moments, which takes place when his client performs "Six Feet Under (Caleigh's Song)." There is a point in that song when everything shrinks down to just one pod, lit quietly, before the stage explodes into a full rig cue.

"It's emotional, not just technical," Drawdy says of that scene. "Another great moment is in our intro when HARDY enters through the video wall, flanked by real and virtual pods, and we reveal the hybrid world. That's where the concept really lands."

Adding another captivating element to the stage are the blow-through acrylic stepped risers that make it possible to stagger the band members visually without having them appear isolated. The rig's COLORado PXL Bar 16 battens, which were positioned below the steps and along the toe rail fascia, accented them in a variety of colors, adding more depth to the visuals on stage.

At the core of this multi-faceted visual panorama (and the emotional force driving it) is the world of JIM BOB, which begins with the famous cabin.

"The cabin is our entry point into the world of JIM BOB, and it returns later in the show as a callback," says Drawdy. "The mood shifts throughout the show, but the overarching vibe I wanted was something gritty, raw, and cinematic. The cabin imagery and its world are tied to the JIM BOB character, so we leaned into textures that felt grounded -- wood, fire, smoke, metal-but framed them in a way that could dissolve or evolve. We didn't want to lock the show into one look. Our goal was to tell a visual story that progressed through chapters."