Elite Multimedia helps bring Shock and Awe to Cole Swindell tour posted: 29/03/2016
One of country music's hottest acts embarks on his first headlining arena tour with his largest production package to date to accentuate the experience of the music
As many fans are getting their first look at one of country music's hottest performers, Cole Swindell is quickly winning over crowds nationwide on his first headlining tour. With his undeniable abilities as both a performer and songwriter, the production team needed to create an impactful tour design that would best accentuate the experience of the music. Wanting an expansive gear list that also included HD LED video, the production turned to Nashville-based Elite Multimedia who provided quality lighting and video solutions, along with a custom set cart design as well, all fitting in a single truck for travel.
On this tour, it really all starts with the music and the artist behind it, began production manager James Mo Butts. As a passionate songwriter, Cole is also a high-energy performer so we wanted to incorporate quality HD video into the tour design to heighten the experience for this headlining tour. When looking for a tour provider, I knew Elite Multimedia has an extensive inventory of lighting and video, plus they have a custom set cart operation too, so they could really provide everything we needed.
With a tour design that would rely heavily on the performance of the HD LED video, the production began reviewing the extensive stock of award-winning PixelFLEX LED video technologies at Elite Multimedia. With content, technical and logistical criteria in place, the team chose a video package that included 32 FLEXLite 6.9mm LED Panels and two PixelFLEX SU-401 master controllers.
As an artist, Cole tends to like real-world video content so whichever video product was chosen, it had to look good with flesh tones on screen, added Butts. I've been using PixelFLEX video products for a while now and I really feel they are better than others on the market. Therefore since we will be playing mostly indoor venues, we decided to go with the 6.9mm FLEXLite LED video panels for their high-definition display, ease of set-up and tear down, and their robust nature which is perfect in a touring environment.
Now turning their attention to the lighting rig which would be controlled by a GrandMA2 light console and hang on Tyler GT Truss, Elite Multimedia also provided the tour with a full lighting package that included Clay Paky Sharpy and A.Leda K10 Wash luminaires, Ayrton Magic Panel R luminaires, Showline SL NITRO 510 strobes, and G13 LED PAR fixtures.
Cole has really grown as an artist and this is the largest production package we've had to date, so we had to make sure everything was working in complete unison, said lighting designer Justin Kitchenman. To do this, we chose fixtures that offered pixel-mapping capabilities, plus had an effects engine for an extra layer of creativity. The Ayrton Magic Panels worked great because we could run them through our media server to really coordinate their looks with the video, and our lighting director Ben Shockley is doing an awesome job making it all come to life on the road.
I really just try to make sure the show is one cohesive event night-after-night, added Shockley. I don't want the lighting or the video to be overpowering because it has to be the support behind what Cole is doing onstage. While we have to match the intensity and the emotion behind his music, all the production elements have to be working with the one vision to support Cole as an artist.
Now that the video and lighting elements were all in place, the production needed to find a creative way for the complete touring package to travel safely across the United States. Also keeping in mind that the crew would need to load-in and out as quickly as possible, Elite Multimedia worked with Accurate Staging to create a custom set cart design that made it all possible.
As our first headlining arena tour, we would not be traveling with a large number of crew members and truck space is at a premium, continued Butts. We had to have a convenient and safe solution for the gear to travel, so Elite Multimedia and Accurate Staging worked to develop custom cranking set carts that allow us to quickly deploy the LED video walls. While we typically trim at 13 feet, the carts allow us to really scale up and down dependent upon the venue, and since the LED walls are prebuilt, we can roll them in each night, wire them together, and they are ready to go.
Shockley added, Since we are a smaller crew everyone is involved with the daily load-in and load-out, and we don't have a lot of time for onsite maintenance issues. The sets carts are working great and they make it very easy to load-in and load-out, and we haven't had any issues with the lighting or video which is usually up and running in only a few minutes.
With current tour dates that stretch until October 2016, the Cole Swindell tour is now in full swing solidifying his stature as one of countrys most compelling performers, and through their backstage perspective, the production team is enjoying the moment every step of the way.
The audience really doesn't think about how the tour rig travels or how it loads-in and out, they just want to see a good show and really immerse themselves in Cole as an artist, said Kitchenman. We've been working with the team at Elite Multimedia for a few years now and they do a great job of helping us design custom elements specifically to fit the needs of our tour. In this design, there is depth and layers and it makes for a genuine environment for Cole to entertain and interact with his fans.
We have a saying on this tour that we want the shock and awe', concluded Butts. As fans leave the venue
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
06/12/2025
In a live broadcast from the Reagan National Defense Forum, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher Kubasik joined Morgan Brennan on CNBCs Closing Bell: Overtime. Ku...
06/12/2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...
06/12/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...
06/12/2025
NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
Every year, Spotify Wrapped offers a personalized look back at the audio that defined your year. It's a snapshot of your listening habits, designed to tell ...
05/12/2025
In 2025, Spotify's EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR programs celebrated women, LGBTQIA , and emerging artists who turned moments into milestones. From breaking record...
05/12/2025
In our latest blog, we explain how Wi-Fi 7 rollouts can drive consumer loyalty with value-add services such as consumer cybersecurity. We also explore how this ...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...
05/12/2025
Introducing New Perks to Help You Get Even More from LinkedIn Premium Published on Dec 5, 2025 Categories: Company News, Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Co...
05/12/2025
Friday 5 December 2025
A new Game of Thrones Tale: Official trailer for Sky Exc...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
05/12/2025
Tis the season of giving once again and this year we've taken our Give Back Fridays' concept and turned it on its head.
In the autumn we were approach...
05/12/2025
Brayden Gogis doesn't remember a time when he wasn't completely fixated on games in all forms. In preschool, when they asked us to dress up as what we ...
05/12/2025
The Grinch steals the spotlight as the theme for The Late Late Toy Show 2025
Tune in tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and worldwide on RT Player
#LateLateToyShow...
05/12/2025
RT Announces New Presenters of Flagship News Programmes
New RT Six One News co-presenter Tommy Meskill
Sarah McInerney & Justin McCarthy join Morning Ir...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & ...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir AJA Ki Pro Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & just:in linux
More Details:Starting with version 5.5, both just:in mac pro and just:in linux sol...
04/12/2025
Wangu Kanuri from Kenya and Godwin Asediba from Ghana are two of this years finalists for Thomsons Young Journalist of the Year Award. The pair are runners-up i...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
04/12/2025
SBS launches Future Frames initiative to support emerging First Nations video ed...
Elite Multimedia helps bring Shock and Awe to Cole Swindell tour posted: 29/03/2016 
