In Memoriam: Monty Lee Wilkes, 54

KETTLE RIVER, MN — Monty Lee Wilkes, an occasional tour manager, noted FOH engineer and producer, passed away peacefully on Aug. 26, 2016 in hospice at his parents house after a lengthy bout with terminal cancer. He was 54. Wilkes’ work spanned nearly every musical genre, with his resume including credits with The Replacements, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Joe Strummer, Curtiss A, The Suburbs, Soul Asylum, Prince, The Smithereens, Beastie Boys, Britney Spears, The Go Go’s, Engelbert Humperdinck, Soul Asylum, The Suburbs, Babes in Toyland, Lisa Marie Presley, Red Kross, Siouxsie & The Banshees, The B-52’s and the Commodores.

NEW YORK  – Garth Brooks returned to the Big Apple for the first time since 1997 for two big shows at Yankee Stadium July 8-9, with lighting provided by Bandit Lites. The artist was the first country musician to hold a concert on the baseball field, where tens of thousands gathered to see the best-selling solo album artist of all time do what he is best known for: put on tremendously entertaining concerts.

NASHVILLE – LD Justin Kitchenman of FadeUp Design Group created an upstage wall of lighting effects for Luke Bryan’s current “Kill the Lights” tour by using 100 Elation Professional ACL 360i narrow-beam LED fixtures. The tour launched Feb. 18 and has been trekking its way across North America all summer. It wraps up with a show in Detroit on Oct. 29.

MINNEAPOLIS — Located at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN, the FlyOver America virtual flight attraction has been drawing visitors with its new technology, impressive visuals and sensory immersion since opening to the public in April. Setting the stage for the main ride, Renewed Vision’s ProVideoPlayer 2 (PVP2) software is powering playback for FlyOver America’s informative and engaging pre-boarding video experience.

CHICAGO – Jonah Maxwell spent seven months making a short film on an important subject that people his age know more about than us adults. In “The Bully”, the gifted 12 year old filmaker brings to light an important topic, through the eyes of his classmates. Jonah enlisted the help of many of his schoolmates and the  school grounds as he conceived, scripted, shot and edited the film. While PLSN does not normally post these kind of stories, the message is important.It’s Saturday AM and you have 5 minutes. Jonah’s pop is Dave Maxwell, Production Designer. We’d like to thank the proud  dad for making us aware of this piece.

KNOXVILLE, TN – Bandit Lites’ touring inventory continues to grow with the addition of Martin’s VDO Sceptron 10. The linear LED video fixture promises easy setup, configuration and allows lighting designers a wide variety of looks for both indoor and outdoor shows. The Sceptron has become increasingly popular with designers and has been joining several tours this year.